Shanghai

“Sometimes a little bit of different is good.” -me

When I first looked at my roster and saw that I was going to Shanghai, I thought “Woohoo” because I had never been there and I thought that my trip there would be the first one where everything would be unfamiliar to me… and it was J

The first night in Shanghai a friend and I decided to go grab something to eat. We asked reception where a good place would be and they circled an area on the map and we hopped in a cab pointed to the destination that was circled for us. Once we got there, I could tell it was a more touristy area and not the true Shanghai that I wanted to see. It was packed with people, there was a really loud punk-rock-funky Chinese band playing in the center and many people crowded around the stage singing and dancing. After listening and cringing for a few minutes, we decided to look for a restaurant. We wanted Chinese food but to our dismay, there wasn’t a single Chinese restaurant amongst the 15 that were there- Yep, we were definitely in a tourist area. We decided on a German restaurant. I felt like I was in a dream because all of the locals were dressed in lederhosen and a live band was singing country music. So, let me repeat myself- I was in China, at a German restaurant, listening to locals singing country music.  It was really funny and a tad bit confusing. The meal was good, but I was excited for the next day and to properly experience Shanghai.

The following day I went into the city. I walked along the Bund River and was amazed to see how many people were there. You couldn’t walk without someone either brushing your shoulder or being stood right next to you. It was too crowded for my liking but again, stepping out of my comfort zone is what I enjoy.

I walked for a good hour until getting to the old city where I saw some small streets. A ton of local food was being cooked- lots of noodles and dumplings- even some snake and scary-large toads. I decided to stick to the dumplings and noodles and stuffed myself. It was in the old city where I noticed the poverty around me. Clothes were being hung outside on anything that the people could find and I observed a lot of toddlers wearing pants aka trousers (for my British friends) with a hole cut out around the bum. I later looked it up and found that this is common because diapers are too expensive. It was really shocking and eye-opening.

After walking around for a bit, I went to the Yu Garden. This was amazing because the architecture was gorgeous. There were bonsai trees everywhere and regardless of the massive crowd, it still felt peaceful. There was something very calming about being there and I loved it.

After my trip I thought about my time in Shanghai and couldn’t help but smile because going to destinations like this is why I wanted this job. The whole point is to go somewhere that isn’t remotely close to anywhere else I have been and feeling a bit out of place and having moments of shock. It truly is a passion of mine and I know I’ll never get tired of experiences like that--- Which brings me back to my first thought before writing about this trip: sometimes a little bit of different truly is good J

 

Milan

Going to Milan a couple weeks ago was so refreshing for me. After a short 5 hour flight, we landed in Milan around 10:00 a.m. local time. Even though I was exhausted from flying over night, I didn’t want to sleep… the city was calling my name. I had already been to Milan a couple of times before and thought it would be fun to take a quick 40 minute train ride to Lake Como.

It was a beautiful day in Italy, the sky was blue, the weather was warm and I could smell the trees and freshly cut grass. There is nothing like fresh air after living in the desert for 2 years. After I got off the train, I took a minute to myself and just stood, closed my eyes and breathed in the air- it might sound weird and might have looked a bit weird to other people- but for me, it was necessary.

I was absolutely starving so first thing was first and I got some pizza right by the lake. As I was eating, I looked around me and noticed how happy Italians are. The way they speak is really amazing. There is so much passion when they talk that I couldn’t help but listen, even though I had no idea what they were saying. They seem to have such passion for life- the way they speak and move their hands frantically as they do- this type of passion is contagious and I couldn’t help but smile as I ate my huge and delicious pizza.

 

 

After my lunch, I walked around the Lake and snapped some pictures. I kept walking and came across a train that would take me to the top of the mountain so I could get a better view. Once I got to the top, I found a perfect spot where I could sit and look out at the Lake. The trees, mountains, water, flowers that surrounded me, left me in awe. How can a place be so pretty? How can a place be so peaceful?

I have come to find in only 3 months of flying, that it is hard. A lot of times you have to deal with difficult passengers, fly at weird hours of the day and never fully recover from ultra long-haul flights because after the 2 days of rest, once you just start to feel rested, you are off to the next place. However, when you get lucky enough to find a place to sit and think and admire like I did in Lake Como, it is all worth it.

2 year anniversary

On May 15, it marked my 2 year anniversary of living in the UAE. It got me thinking back to stepping off that plane 2 years ago and all the exciting experiences I have been fortunate enough to have had thanks to what I call 'the best move of my life.'

2 years ago I had recently finished my degree and had been looking for a job at home in the States which proved to be really difficult. During this difficult and frustrating process, I decided to look elsewhere and by elsewhere, I mean out of my own country. I had missed living overseas during the college years and thought it would be a great opportunity to move overseas again. The timing couldn't have been better either - I wasn't committed to a job or a relationship so I figured 'let's go on an adventure.' A lucky opportunity came up in Dubai- the opportunity was to be an English teacher at Wild Wadi waterpark... and 2 months after hearing about the opportunity, I was on a plane ride over. I remember the 2 months leading up to my move, I had a lot of concerned family members- Are you sure you want to move so far away on your own? Will you be safe? Have you done enough research?

The truth was, I didn't have any answers to those questions because I had no clue what to expect. I reassured them that I could answer all of their questions once I moved to Dubai and EXPERIENCED life there. Trust me, I wasn't as confident when the time came to say goodbye to my Mom at the airport, knowing I wouldn't be seeing her for at least a year. It is always the hardest thing in the world leaving my Mom for a significant amount of time. She is my closest friend and confidant and not seeing her for a long period of time is really tough. But as I walked away I knew deep inside that I had to make this move. After all, it was just a year contract and I knew that I could do anything for a year.

Once I finished my 24 hour flight, I got off the plane, collected my bags and went outside crossing my fingers that someone was there waiting for me... and there was! I found a man holding up a sign that had my name on it. I was relieved and couldn't wait to see my new place. It was about midnight in Dubai so I couldn't see very much of it. Once I got to my room, I had a note that told me to be ready by 6 am the following day to be brought to work and sign papers etc... I had about 5 hours to sleep- it was rough. I remember the next day waking up and opening the curtains- only to see sand. There was sand everywhere and in that moment, I panicked. I felt so far away from home, had no way of contacting my Mom yet to let her know I was okay and I thought to myself, 'have I made a mistake?'

Once I got to Wild Wadi, everyone was so friendly and helpful that honestly, it was an easy transition. The first 2 weeks, I planned for my English classes and once they started it felt so natural. I fell in love with the colleagues that I got to teach. They were all so eager to learn (well, most) and just really respectful. They were by far the hardest workers I had ever met- some of them working 6 days a week- 9 hour days and no complaints. They were always happy and tried their absolute best. I often think that they taught me way more than I did them and I am so thankful for that experience. It seriously was an absolute privilege teaching them and getting to know them.

My one year contract, turned into another year and by the end of my second year I started looking for other things which lead me to my current job with Etihad.
The past 2 years have been fun, exciting, stressful. I have experienced so much.
I have fallen in love and got so lucky in meeting the love of my life.
I have learned what it is to truly be passionate about something and I hope to teach again in a few years time.
I have learned how to dive, and got certified :)
I have met even more friends from all over the world
and I am continuing to experience my love for travel.

I can say, hands down that this was the best move I have made and I thank my lucky stars every day that despite questions and concerns, in the end I got on that plane. :) Happy 2 year anniversary UAE, thanks for the best 2 years of my life.

 

All you need is love

Thought this photo was nice and think it's true all over the world

 

Home is where the heart is

New York New York :)

There is something so special about living away from your own country and it's that when you return to it, you have this automatic appreciation for where you are from. It's as if you ignored all the amazing things it had to offer in the first place and every time you re-visit, you are reminded of all the good. 

About two weeks ago I got to fly into JFK, which looks like it's going to be a regular thing for me as I'm going there again in 1 day :) 
We stay in a hotel in Long Island and it's about a 45 minute train ride away from New York City!!! I decided this past trip that even though it's only a 24 hour layover, I'd go spend the day in the city. Luckily, there were 2 other awesome girls from the flight that came with me and we had an absolute blast. 

I woke up around 4 am New York time and I was really hungry!!!! However, breakfast wasn't available until 6 am so for 2 hours I tried my best to occupy my time by watching good old American TV- man, I forgot about how many commercials come on during a show- I honestly felt like I only watched 5 minutes of episode, 20 minutes of commercial!! This didn't help time pass at all. I waited until that clock hit 6 am on the dot and dialled room service and they brought up a nice New York bagel with cream cheese! Yum :) Around 8 I walked down the road to the Starbucks to get my favorite drink. As I walked there, I had friendly faces saying "good morning," "happy Sunday," "beautiful morning, isn't it?" Oh, I felt like I was in Pleasentville and all that was missing was a musical number in the background. Being back in the States, I felt comfortable and simply happy. 

After Starbucks, I met up with the other girls that decided to come into the city and we took the train together. When we got to Manhattan, I was amazed by how big it was. I thought Dubai was a big city, but boy is it tiny compared to New York City. You look up and there are skyscrapers surrounding you. It was quite fantastic!!! We decided to take a hop-on, hop-off bus and toured the area all day. We saw the Empire State building (although it took us awhile to figure it out). We looked up at the building and asked each other, "Isn't that the Empire State Building?" Now being American, they both looked at me for confirmation and I just said with slight uneasiness, "I think so." It's just that I thought it would be taller as it's the 3rd tallest building in the world. On the tour it was confirmed that the building was in-fact the Empire State Building and all three of us, in unison, nodded as if we knew all along. 

I was able to witness a street dance which was really cool- but it ended too quickly and the dancers wouldn't do any more dancing until money was given to them and then they wouldn't dance until more money was given to them! So it was little bits and pieces of dancing here and there. But what I saw was good. I'm pretty sure those dancers made a small fortune that day :) 

Let's see, I also experienced getting ripped off- There was someone dressed as the Statue of Liberty and he had a Statue of Liberty outfit that he wanted to dress me up in, so I decided to go over and put on the outfit. My friend then snapped a picture and when I took the outfit off he said "that will be $5." What??? That would have been nice to know, before you dressed me up !!! (see picture below of the silly outfit) 

We also got to take a boat taxi to Staten Island and back, which passed the Statue of Liberty. The view of Manhattan from the boat was incredible! I was actually in awe.... So so nice. 

The last stop we made was in Times Square and all I can say is WOW- what a lively place. There were bright lights, big screens, tons of people and lots of shops. I even saw a naked cowboy and cowgirl (she was about 70 and was wearing stars over her boobs- it was quite horrific). 

All in all, it was a fantastic day filled with a lot of laughs, good food and good sight-seeing. 

Even though I'm not from New York, being in the U.S. felt comfortable. I felt at ease and happy. When I headed back to Abu Dhabi that evening, I felt like I was leaving home and it saddened me because let's face it- living away from your country or home, makes you realize just how great it is. It gives you a new appreciation each time you return. The nice thing is knowing that your home is always there waiting for you to come back anytime you want! 

Look forward to going back in a day ! 

                                     Pictures:

Geneva Geneva !!!

"A little step may be the beginning of a great journey." 

Have you ever gone to or visited a place that is so beautiful that simply sitting and observing it's beauty makes everything okay in the world, at least for those few minutes, hours or days you are observing? This is what Switzerland is like for me. I was lucky enough to have a Mom and stepdad who are teachers and taught overseas for 8 years, allowing me to pretty much grow up in Europe and travel to a lot of places- Switzerland being one of them. It has always been to me, the most beautiful place in the world (so far). For my roster this past month, I was lucky enough to get 36 hours in Geneva. 

Because of how quaint, picturesque and simply beautiful this place is, I found myself very relaxed. The weather was perfect, started out a little cloudy and got to be clear and sunny midday so I didn't need my winter coat for too long :)

Sometimes, when surrounded by beauty, there is no need to speak... it gives you time to appreciate, think and soak it all in. I'll keep this post short and sweet and just say: take time out to look at all the beauty around you. Sometimes we get wrapped up in all the ugly that surrounds us (how can we not- we are bombarded by it on the news, in papers). But if you look around, you'll notice there is a lot more good than bad in this world. Sometimes all you need is a gorgeous view to be reminded of that. 

 

"And there's always a way to begin with" -Autumn Doughton

The first few flights 

New work, new people, new ideas, new challenges - these are all things that I am facing at the moment.  I have just finished my 4th flight as an operating cabin crew this morning and I'd like to think it was definitely the most smooth flight yet; in terms of being confident about what I am doing and how to handle certain situations. 

Ever start something new and once the time finally comes to experience this something new, it is completely different to how you imagined it? 

My first operating flight as a cabin crew was to New York. This was a 14 hour flight, a trip filled with 7 different services and a whole lot of quick learning. I tried my best not to feel overwhelmed and I think I did a good job covering up the fact that I was. I really paid attention and although I was a step behind, I did the best I could. The truth is, what you learn in training can't completely translate to what the experience is really like on the plane- I mean how could it? You can't plan what a passenger will say, or how a passenger will react if you run out of the food they want... These are all things I have to learn as I go. So far it's been interesting, scary, surprising and exciting all at once. 

When I got to New York, I went right to bed and woke up early the following day. My Mom had decided to come over and she was actually staying in the city, whereas the hotel I was at was in Long Island (about an hour away) so I decided not to waste time and call her as soon as I woke up. My poor Mom- it was only 6 am. But she of course hurried over and we got to spend the day together which was really needed! Nothing like catching up with my Mom :) We walked around Long Island and I of course had to indulge on some Iced chai from Starbucks (surprising thing- don't have iced chai in the UAE. So every country I go to, I need to stop at a Starbucks to treat myself). If any of you haven't tried chai tea- please do, it tastes like pumpkin pie :) 
Anyway, back to the story- had a lovely day with my Mom and it went by too quickly- 24 hours later, I was on the plane back to Abu Dhabi. By the way, when I checked out- they told me I owed $90 because of a phone call... I was about to cry and I asked 'what phone call?' Apparently, they charged the call I made to my Mom as an international call because her number was from another state. aghhhhh.... so my first lesson I learned- don't make phone calls from the hotel !!!!!! I haven't since :) 

I had a few turn-around flights after New York- to Iran and Jordan! After that, I got to go to London. This was a great trip. I felt much more confident on this trip and felt like everything was coming together. I had a guest yell at me for not having chicken or lamb and only having pasta... I tried my best to sell the pasta and in the end he reluctantly took it. I went back to check on him about an hour later and asked if it ended up being okay. He said that he was from Italy and there was no way he'd ever willingly choose to have pasta on an airplane and that it was dreadful. I apologised and quickly asked my Cabin Senior if it would be okay to give him something special for the breakfast... we did, got something from first class and this passenger left happy - problem solved :) However, I still didn't like getting yelled at- not used to it yet haha. 
Once in London, got to tour around the city and it was a blast. I like London, I had been there a few times before and always found it very busy and alive. People have their own unique style and seem really nice. So I really enjoyed myself- didn't want to leave. That is the intriguing thing about layovers- they are too fast and you are always left wanting to see more- which is why this job is awesome, I'll probably be able to go back and conquer seeing all I want to a step at a time. 

My latest flight was to Washington D.C. - got to go home to the U.S. again and it was just amazing. I got 27 hours there and got to spend it with some really close family friends. It was just wonderful to catch up and feel at home. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed being so far away from my country and family. It was just lovely to be around people that I'm close to and having a nice catch up and lunch was all that I could ask for. 

Overall, it has been good. I have just needed to realise and remember that anytime you start something new, it will be challenging at first. I want to be really good at things right away and I need to remember that it always takes time. I asked myself why this job? Why were you so excited when you heard you got the job? Can you see yourself growing in this job? Once I stopped to answer these questions, everything is put in perspective. It's always scary to do something new but all you can do is try your best and everything else will fall into place!! At least, that's what I think. 

Next stop is Geneva- I'll be sure to write about it in the next post :)