24, and graduated!

On February 3, 2010 I stepped onto a plane as a flight attendant for the very first time. 4 1/2 months have passed by, and my job has taken me to 21 countries. I've spent hundreds of hours serving meals in the sky. All of this before I could even call myself an official cabin crew member. On June 23 I reunited with my friends and batchmates, back at training college where we'd spent many agonizing hours writing exams and cramming our brains with knowledge. It was finally graduation day! We spent the morning reviewing what we'd learnt, sharing stories, and taking photos. We are all so busy flying that we rarely have the chance to see one another, so it was great to catch up after a few months. After lunch it was time for the main event. We piled

into the auditorium, touched up our lipstick, and waited. Friends and family holding huge bouquets of flowers and balloons arrived, looking proud. After a few typical graduation motivational speeches, we walked onto stage one by one, shaking hands with our managers as we accepted our certificates. Once my entire batch was on stage, the host prompted us to take a bow, and then we headed back to our seats. We applauded each and every person until the very last one had crossed the stage. We were graduates!! I think that the fact that we've already been doing the job for nearly 5 months took away from the excitement, but once we all sat clutching certificates, we felt pretty proud of ourselves. For many (myself included), this was a dream several years in the making. We ended off the ceremony with a video compiled from clips of training college. I briefly flashed across the screen, struggling to swim through the icy pool. The ceremony was over, and it was time for the best part of the day.... cake! I helped myself to a rather large slice, telling myself that I'd earned it.

That evening I headed out with a few of my fellow graduates.We went to Irish Village to celebrate our achievements. We indulged in delicious pub food at the only place in the city that serves not only alcohol, but pork! At midnight, our reason for celebration shifted.... it was officially my birthday!! I sipped a pina colada as my friends and intoxicated patrons sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Exhausted from an early morning, we headed home to bed. The birthday wishes were already piling in. I woke up early the next day and got ready to meet up with the lovely Rebecca. She was sweet enough to give me a birthday present of emergency chocolate (she knows me too well!) and girly face masks to pamper myself. It was a hot sunny day, just like 90% of days in Dubai. We headed to the Shangri La hotel, where we spent the afternoon lounging

by the beautiful pool, sipping cocktails and soaking up the sun. It was a quiet, uneventful birthday.... but it was great! Later in the afternoon a sandstorm blew into Dubai. The towering Burj Khalifa, which was usually in clear view from the pool was hidden behind a cloud of dust. The entire city looked quite eerie, with limited visibility. We ended our day with Starbucks before heading back home. Feeling a bit under the weather, I'd decided to spend my evening

relaxing in my room. I grabbed some takeaway dinner from the cafe downstairs. I'm a regular there. One of the employees, Juanita, lectured me... I'm 24 now, I should be getting married. After all, she was married by my age. After I'd finally convinced her that I wasn't quite ready to walk down the aisle, she sent me away with a large slice of tiramisu. I retreated to my room, spending some time talking to Ryan before calling it an early night. My birthday may be over, but I'm looking forward to celebrating it again with my friends and family back home in 2 weeks.

After a busy few days, I'm a year older, and an official flight attendant!