A'salam Alikum (Hello)

It doesn't feel like it, but I've already been living in Dubai for an entire week! However, when you put homesickness into the picture, it feels more like a few months have gone by. I'm coping quite well, but as can be expected, I miss everyone. Most particularily Ryan, as I'm sure you can all understand. I made a trip to Ikea last night to stock up on cushions to fill the empty space in my bed, normally occupied by him. Some days are better than others... induction days are keeping me busy and I've made some good friends, but the distance takes it toll on me, emotionally. On the bright side, the day that we do see eachother again will be so amazing, even better than Christmas... which, by the way, is so soon! It's easy to forget, given the fact that I'm living here in the desert surrounded by people from so many nationalities, many of which don't even celebrate Christmas. I don't have plans as of yet, but hopefully I can find something fun to do that doesn't involve spending the day getting extremely intoxicated at a club. That rules out the British and Irish members of my group, as I overheard them planning a massive party Christmas Eve. I just want to go for a nice dinner, spend the day with fun people, and keep myself distracted. As this will be my third Christmas spent in another country, I'm well aware of the fact that homesickness strikes the hardest on Christmas Day, and while there is no escape, distractions through the duration of the day make it a whole lot easier to deal with.

As for Emirates, this week has been chaotic and hectic, but the real madness has yet to begin. Training officially starts next Sunday, and everything that I've done up to this point is all part of the induction period. Yesterday was another day of HR talks and being overloaded with information. As soon as we were done for the day, I headed to Festival City Shopping Mall with Kam, Frances, and Susan (from Thailand, Australia, and Ireland, respectively) to stock up on Ikea essentials. I bought some pillows, candles and fake flowers to make it feel a bit less like an empty room and a bit more like home. I also picked up a hair dryer after a week of air drying that was driving me absolutely insane. Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up some red lipstick... not that it suits me, nor that I enjoy wearing it... but it's a mandatory part of the Emirates uniform. Speaking of uniform, today was my uniform fitting! As I stood in the change room staring into the mirror, it once again dawned on me that my dream has come true. There I was, wearing a real flight attendant uniform, and not just a regular flight attendant... but Emirates! One of the best in the entire world, and I'm one of the priveledged people who gets a chance to say "I'm an Emirates cabin crew member". Oh geez, I'm giddy thinking about it. The uniform isn't exactly flattering, but I'm not trying to make a fashion statement. I'm here to work, on big beautiful airplanes, and essentially get paid to travel the world. Ahh, life is good.

Today was also our first day of learning information directly related to aviation. Everything until this point has been general information about Dubai and the company. We completed our first course in basic aeronautics... which covers everything from the forces that enable an aircraft to fly, to the fuel systems, electrical systems, communications and everything in between. We even learnt about the different types of clouds and all types of turbulence. It was all quite easy, as I completed a flight attendant training course a couple of years ago in hopes of getting a job with WestJet. Oh, WestJet, thank you for rejecting me... you've opened up much more exciting doors for me.

Later on was a course in Basic Arabic. I'm hopeless. I've studied French, Spanish, and Italian, but this is so much different and far more difficult. I don't know that I'll ever be able to tell a passenger to "Min fadlak orbot al hezam" (Please fasten your seatbelt), without reading it from a sheet of paper and pronouncing it horribly wrong. I can't even remember how to say hello half of the time. One thing I've mastered is "Shukran", which means thank you... I'll be super thankful, but I can't carry the conversation any further. I'm not too concerned, as the majority of the people living here speak English.

I'm always tired since I've been here. The mornings are so early and the days are so long, but it's good preparation for long haul flights that I'll be dealing with. That said, it's time to relax and get ready for bed, as my bus pickup time tomorrow is 6 am!