There really isn't a feeling like starting from scratch when it comes to a profession. Having no idea what to expect is somewhat scary and somewhat of a thrill.
This past Sunday (the 27th of January) I started my training course for Cabin Crew at Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. The night before, I honestly felt like a little kid going back to school to start the new year. I had my outfit ready to go, shoes out of the closet, and all my hair accesories laid out on my dressing table. But no matter how prepared my clothes were- I still couldn't calm my nerves. All it came down to was taking a deep breath and telling myself that everything would be great. Before I write about the training - let me start from the beginning.
On the 26th, the day before my training, I had to leave my little studio apartment in Dubai (an apartment I consider my first "grown up home"). Bags packed, boxes packed, I took one last look at that tiny, cute space and shed a tear.
I returned my key and had to say a "see you soon" to my good friend Melissa. She wasn't only a co-worker of mine but had been my neighbor for 1 year and 8 months and really became like family. So naturally, I shed a few tears saying "see ya soon" to her.
I quickly got in the car to avoid crying longer and off I went.
I arrived to my new home (which proved to be quite difficult to find- had to ask multiple people where to find this building) and started to unload my things with help from my incredible boyfriend.
The security guard gave me my keys and told me that my two roommates had already arrived (always nerve-wracking meeting new roommates).
In a hurry, I unloaded my boxes and bags and had to say a painful and tearful (on my end) "see ya soon" to my boyfriend, Will. Once again, I hurried into my new building to avoid crying more. Once I got up to my room, I took a minute to myself and dried away the tears, reminding myself that this was the right move and that I was about to start another amazing adventure.
One thing I have learned about making big moves/changes - is that no matter how many times you do- it never gets easier to say goodbye to your previous home.
Once I pulled myself together, I got to meet my 2 lovely roommates and we bonded by going out and buying some groceries :) Always important!!!
I tried to get sleep that night but it proved to be difficult as I was checking my phone every hour to make sure my alarm was set. Finally, the 5:30 alarm rang and I woke up excited to start my day - once it was time to go, my anxiety and worry had completely left. I was ready!!!
I got to the training academy where my batch (20 of us) all got to meet and chat a bit before heading to our training room Everyone was really nice and friendly- all being in the same boat, we became fast friends.
The first 3 days pretty much consisted of orientation, learning about the company, paperwork, medicals and makeovers (fun stuff). For the makeover, they brought us into a "beauty room". They had a mirror at each table and we were taught how to do our hair and make-up to the company's standards. To be honest, being a casual beach kind of girl, I couldn't recognize myself afterwards with all the red lipstick. It was still cool though.
The last 2 days of the week were filled with interest and excitment as we started our SEP (Safety and Emergency Procedures) training. We learned so much in just 2 days and my mind was on over-drive trying to keep up with all this brand new information. On the last day we got to go in a mock-up aircraft and go through the flow of the flight and play the role of cabin crew. It majorly helped to be hands-on and gave me a definite feel of what my role will be like and man, cabin crew is responsible for way more than what you think when you are just a passenger onboard a flight.
There was much more done but I'll just finish by saying:
What I've learned from my move so far is -
1. Change is good.
2. Challenges are refreshing.
3. It never gets old making friends from all over the world. Etihad consists of about 120 nationalities . 2 nights ago, I went out to eat with 4 of my new friends and I noticed as we were eating that 1 was from Belgium, 1 from Scotland, 1 from Brazil, and me- from America. 4 people eating dinner and each one from a different country - AMAZING!
It is incredible to experience something like this and I am excited to see what the rest of the training holds. Wish me luck!!
This past Sunday (the 27th of January) I started my training course for Cabin Crew at Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. The night before, I honestly felt like a little kid going back to school to start the new year. I had my outfit ready to go, shoes out of the closet, and all my hair accesories laid out on my dressing table. But no matter how prepared my clothes were- I still couldn't calm my nerves. All it came down to was taking a deep breath and telling myself that everything would be great. Before I write about the training - let me start from the beginning.
On the 26th, the day before my training, I had to leave my little studio apartment in Dubai (an apartment I consider my first "grown up home"). Bags packed, boxes packed, I took one last look at that tiny, cute space and shed a tear.
I returned my key and had to say a "see you soon" to my good friend Melissa. She wasn't only a co-worker of mine but had been my neighbor for 1 year and 8 months and really became like family. So naturally, I shed a few tears saying "see ya soon" to her.
I quickly got in the car to avoid crying longer and off I went.
I arrived to my new home (which proved to be quite difficult to find- had to ask multiple people where to find this building) and started to unload my things with help from my incredible boyfriend.
The security guard gave me my keys and told me that my two roommates had already arrived (always nerve-wracking meeting new roommates).
In a hurry, I unloaded my boxes and bags and had to say a painful and tearful (on my end) "see ya soon" to my boyfriend, Will. Once again, I hurried into my new building to avoid crying more. Once I got up to my room, I took a minute to myself and dried away the tears, reminding myself that this was the right move and that I was about to start another amazing adventure.
One thing I have learned about making big moves/changes - is that no matter how many times you do- it never gets easier to say goodbye to your previous home.
Once I pulled myself together, I got to meet my 2 lovely roommates and we bonded by going out and buying some groceries :) Always important!!!
I tried to get sleep that night but it proved to be difficult as I was checking my phone every hour to make sure my alarm was set. Finally, the 5:30 alarm rang and I woke up excited to start my day - once it was time to go, my anxiety and worry had completely left. I was ready!!!
I got to the training academy where my batch (20 of us) all got to meet and chat a bit before heading to our training room Everyone was really nice and friendly- all being in the same boat, we became fast friends.
The first 3 days pretty much consisted of orientation, learning about the company, paperwork, medicals and makeovers (fun stuff). For the makeover, they brought us into a "beauty room". They had a mirror at each table and we were taught how to do our hair and make-up to the company's standards. To be honest, being a casual beach kind of girl, I couldn't recognize myself afterwards with all the red lipstick. It was still cool though.
The last 2 days of the week were filled with interest and excitment as we started our SEP (Safety and Emergency Procedures) training. We learned so much in just 2 days and my mind was on over-drive trying to keep up with all this brand new information. On the last day we got to go in a mock-up aircraft and go through the flow of the flight and play the role of cabin crew. It majorly helped to be hands-on and gave me a definite feel of what my role will be like and man, cabin crew is responsible for way more than what you think when you are just a passenger onboard a flight.
There was much more done but I'll just finish by saying:
What I've learned from my move so far is -
1. Change is good.
2. Challenges are refreshing.
3. It never gets old making friends from all over the world. Etihad consists of about 120 nationalities . 2 nights ago, I went out to eat with 4 of my new friends and I noticed as we were eating that 1 was from Belgium, 1 from Scotland, 1 from Brazil, and me- from America. 4 people eating dinner and each one from a different country - AMAZING!
It is incredible to experience something like this and I am excited to see what the rest of the training holds. Wish me luck!!
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