Take Off!

Last night I flew for the very first time as a crew member rather than a passenger... along with my fellow Canadian friend, Priya. We met at 7:00 pm and waited nervously for our bus. We were terrified... would we know where to go once we arrived? Would the crew be nice? Would we be able to answer our safety question? We sat on the bus having an anxiety attack as we approached headquarters.

Once we'd arrived, we followed more experienced crew members through the crew sign on and security. We made our way to the briefing room and waited patiently as the rest of the crew members arrived. Everyone seemed quite friendly as they greeted us and wished us good luck on our first flight, ensuring that they'd help us if we needed anything at all. After the briefing had finished (and we both correctly answered the mandatory SEP question), we donned our lovely red hats and headed for the bus. We were dropped off right in front of our plane, a beautiful Boeing 777-200. Priya and I stood in awe staring at the giant engines as we boarded. It was so surreal. Like little lost puppies, we followed the other crew members around and observed them carrying out the safety and security checks. Before we knew it, it was time to board. Wearing our hats and bright red lipstick, we stood in our sections and greeted each passenger with great big flight attendant smiles. So far, so good. As it was our supernumery flight, our main purpose was to observe and familiarize ourselves with the aircraft and our roles. We were given the option to help as much or as little as wanted. Wanting to get as much practice as possible before I'm actually responsible for my own section, I opted to participate fully... handing out hot towels, meals, operating the bar cart, and answering the never ending call bells. It was a bit chaotic... so many services in such a short amount of time. I had the privilege of sitting in the flight deck for take off and landing, which was an amazing experience. The moon was beautiful from 39,000 feet. 3 hours passed by incredibly fast and before I knew it, we had touched down into Islamabad. I left the cockpit and stood by the door, sounding like a true flight attendant... "Thank you, goodbye!", once again with a big smile. So crazy. Once everyone had disembarked, the cleaners rushed on and tidied the cabin. Then it was once again time to board, and once again I stood in the aisle, assisting passengers and wondering how on Earth all of their carry on luggage was going to fit in the overhead bins. It was a busy flight, full of children, babies, and hungry passengers. At times it was overwhelming, and I wondered what I'd gotten myself into, but when all was said and done, we landed and I felt a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I'd survived! I hadn't spilled coffee on any passengers, I'd kept a smile on my face, and the passengers thanked me as they disembarked. Oh my goodness, I'm a flight attendant! We landed in Dubai and caught the bus home, arriving at 7 am. A normal sleep schedule is a thing of the past for me. I headed to bed, waking up at 4 in the afternoon and headed for "breakfast".

It's a crazy, hectic, exhausting life... but it's my life, and I love it!