"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 :)