"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." - Henry Miller
This post is the first one I've written in about 5 weeks, which is far too long. Every time I have gone to write, I end up getting distracted and just forget.
The past 5 weeks have been really hectic. When I handed in my last paper at College, I remember feeling so relieved that I was forever finished with studying... little did I know that 3 years later I'd be doing even more studying, intense studying, a new type of studying. Learning and training about how to become apart of this big and amazing company has really been eye-opening. I never knew how intense and difficult the role of cabin crew could be. Before when I would think of the profession 'Cabin Crew' the word that would come to my mind was exciting. It's proven to be just that and more and I haven't even started flying yet.
The first 3 weeks of my training consisited of Safety training. We all were introduced to so much information in 1 day and were tested on that information the following day- Which meant we had to study every night!!! We would have both practical and written exams. During the practical drills or exercises we were actually put in 'real' situations. For example, in the mock-up aircraft we actually had real fire appear in different areas (lavatory, oven, overhead stowage compartment etc.) and with a partner we would have to work together and communicate to put the fire out. We had a situation where the entire cabin was filled with smoke and we had to put on our Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE). They showed us what rapid decompression would be like in terms of the chaos and what we would have to do if all of the oxygen masks were to drop. Whenever we did these practicals, it felt real to me and everytime my heart would start to race. I just kept thinking 'What if I ever have this happen for real?' When you fly as a passenger, it is exciting and relaxing (at least for me). You never think of all the responsibilites a flight attendant has and the training helped me see just how important the role is.
After Safety training, we did Aviation Health. This training was great in that I learned so many different things. I learned how to give CPR, I learned how to treat a burn, how to wrap a sprained ankle, how to treat an opened wound... I even learned how I would deliver birth if needed on an aircraft. Yep, there was a video and everything!!!
Next, was a couple of days of security and the past 2 weeks have been Service training. This has been particularly fun because its all about the interactions that you get to have with guests on the aircraft. We have been able to run through all of the services available to the guests which has been a foreign experience for me as I've never served food before. The first time I practiced serving a guest, I offered them 'chicken, fish or pasta.' I was stopped right away and made to repeat the options as I had to give a more delicious sounding description of the food I was serving. I felt somewhat awkward the first time but after some practice I felt more and more comfortable. Let's see how I do on my first flight :)
There is just too much to write about the training so I will just stick to the basics and stop here. I have just 3 days left and then I am off flying. I can't believe the 7 weeks are almost finished and I can't wait to write about my experiences ahead. It's been really fun getting to participate in something so different to anything I've done before. I have learned so much and about things that I never really thought about when I would fly as a passenger. It's been great and I'm looking forward to finally putting into practice what I have learned.
Oh, and I have an exciting first few flights:
1. Cairo
2. Jeddah
3. Amman
4. JFK (New York) - Yay, get to see my Mom
5. London :)
Here are some pictures (more to come next week in our uniforms and graduation):
Our mock-up plane
I'll keep you posted about my trips- I'm sure the first few will be funny as I have been warned all first operating flights are far from perfect :)
This post is the first one I've written in about 5 weeks, which is far too long. Every time I have gone to write, I end up getting distracted and just forget.
The past 5 weeks have been really hectic. When I handed in my last paper at College, I remember feeling so relieved that I was forever finished with studying... little did I know that 3 years later I'd be doing even more studying, intense studying, a new type of studying. Learning and training about how to become apart of this big and amazing company has really been eye-opening. I never knew how intense and difficult the role of cabin crew could be. Before when I would think of the profession 'Cabin Crew' the word that would come to my mind was exciting. It's proven to be just that and more and I haven't even started flying yet.
The first 3 weeks of my training consisited of Safety training. We all were introduced to so much information in 1 day and were tested on that information the following day- Which meant we had to study every night!!! We would have both practical and written exams. During the practical drills or exercises we were actually put in 'real' situations. For example, in the mock-up aircraft we actually had real fire appear in different areas (lavatory, oven, overhead stowage compartment etc.) and with a partner we would have to work together and communicate to put the fire out. We had a situation where the entire cabin was filled with smoke and we had to put on our Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE). They showed us what rapid decompression would be like in terms of the chaos and what we would have to do if all of the oxygen masks were to drop. Whenever we did these practicals, it felt real to me and everytime my heart would start to race. I just kept thinking 'What if I ever have this happen for real?' When you fly as a passenger, it is exciting and relaxing (at least for me). You never think of all the responsibilites a flight attendant has and the training helped me see just how important the role is.
After Safety training, we did Aviation Health. This training was great in that I learned so many different things. I learned how to give CPR, I learned how to treat a burn, how to wrap a sprained ankle, how to treat an opened wound... I even learned how I would deliver birth if needed on an aircraft. Yep, there was a video and everything!!!
Next, was a couple of days of security and the past 2 weeks have been Service training. This has been particularly fun because its all about the interactions that you get to have with guests on the aircraft. We have been able to run through all of the services available to the guests which has been a foreign experience for me as I've never served food before. The first time I practiced serving a guest, I offered them 'chicken, fish or pasta.' I was stopped right away and made to repeat the options as I had to give a more delicious sounding description of the food I was serving. I felt somewhat awkward the first time but after some practice I felt more and more comfortable. Let's see how I do on my first flight :)
There is just too much to write about the training so I will just stick to the basics and stop here. I have just 3 days left and then I am off flying. I can't believe the 7 weeks are almost finished and I can't wait to write about my experiences ahead. It's been really fun getting to participate in something so different to anything I've done before. I have learned so much and about things that I never really thought about when I would fly as a passenger. It's been great and I'm looking forward to finally putting into practice what I have learned.
Oh, and I have an exciting first few flights:
1. Cairo
2. Jeddah
3. Amman
4. JFK (New York) - Yay, get to see my Mom
5. London :)
Here are some pictures (more to come next week in our uniforms and graduation):
my make-up session
my roommate and me
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