Time Flies When You Fly

As of this weekend I will have been a resident of dusty Dubai for 9 months.... 9 months! Where does the time go? It's been a crazy journey.

Too often I forget about how excited I was to get this job, and all of the time and effort that I put into getting here. Do I take it for granted? Sure, sometimes I probably do. I'm fully aware of how lucky I am, but admittedly I wake up some mornings and think "Ugh... 3 am..." when I should be thinking "Yay, I'm going to Sydney!". I still love what I do, but the glamour aspect faded awhile back... sometime between clearing meal trays and holding back hurt feelings from hearing some of the nasty things some passengers say when they are upset. Add this to the fact that I'm living in the Middle East over 11,000 kilometres from my family, friends and the love of my life... and well, you can understand why from time to time, I complain.

The thing is, I realize that there are thousands of people who would give anything to be in my red shoes. Some of them even faithfully read my blog. After a good rant, I often feel guilty because I can just imagine how I'm making them feel. I think back to before I was crew... if I was reading the blog of a girl who had everything that I was dreaming of and complaining about it, I'm sure I'd be a bit irritated. Recently a lovely Twitter friend of mine made it to the final stage of interviews for my airline, and then received a sad letter informing him that he hadn't been successful. He was heartbroken, and there I was complaining about the fact that I didn't get the flights that I wanted this month. Talk about foot in mouth.

I don't want to put off potential future crew because of my often negative opinions. Let's face it.. a job is a job. There will always be good days and bad days. I'm fortunate to have a career in which the good days outnumber the bad, by far. So while I can't guarantee that I will never complain again, I can assure you all that I am fully aware of how lucky I am to be where I am right now. When all is said and done, I'll admit that I probably won't stay here as long as I originally intended to. It has nothing to do with the job, it's just a part of me growing up and realizing that maybe home isn't such a bad place after all. That's not to say I want to give up flying... if I get my way I'll land a job with a nice domestic airline and still spend my life flying... just a little bit closer to home and the people that I love. For those of you who are trying to become crew, don't give up . It took me 4 years to get here, and I had my share of let downs along the way. For those who are wondering... is it worth it?? Well.... here is a glimpse of the past 9 months of my life... you be the judge.