Where I'm Flying: June 2016

June Roster

Two new countries, Bangkok again, and finally an LA flight! Moscow, Oslo, and LA are supposed to be kind of hard flights and really busy, but Bangkok and Germany are nice and easy. And only two turnarounds, one to Jeddah and one to Bahrain. I knew I couldn't escape Jeddah for long. Other than that, it's going to be a good month! 

Bangkok post coming soon...

Land Down Under

Melbourne, Australia

I'm starting to realize that the places I'm least excited to visit end up being the best places. Like Singapore, Australia was never my top choice of places I wanted to go to. I don't even know why. I've only been to Melbourne so I can't speak for all of Australia (which I've heard is awesome), but Melbourne is really, really awesome. I've been three times in two weeks, and I'm already looking forward to the fourth time.

Australians are some of the nicest people, up there with Americans. That's one reason I loved it so much there. Being in Dubai, I don't know what friendly strangers are anymore because they're a rare find here. Also, they are the best looking bunch of people ever. Chris and Liam Hemsworth are from Melbourne, and I saw guys BETTER looking than them. Reason number two why I love it so much. Start booking your flights, ladies!

I mostly wandered around downtown and did a little shopping. There are lots of cute little stores and all kinds of restaurants, food trucks, and coffee shops. I've heard from a few people that Melbourne has the best coffee in the whole world, and it was very good. I took hundreds of pictures of Hosier Lane, an alleyway covered in awesome graffiti street art that is a popular touristy stop in downtown. Mix Chicago with Portland and you get Melbourne.

I also went to the Queen Victoria Market, the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere (thanks Wikipedia). It's a farmer's market, flea market, food festival, street performer stage, and outdoor mini-mall all in one. I tried some organic/vegan/gluten free nachos, Danish pancakes, and frozen berry lemonade. And probably some cookies too... I pretty much ate anything I saw. And I bought some organic soaps and a crocodile charm for my bracelet, because it's Australia and there weren't any kangaroo charms. It's hard to choose a #1 favorite place so far, but Melbourne is one of the top!

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is kind of like Melbourne, but the accent is different and everything is 10x more expensive. The people are nice, the food is good, and there is a lot to do. I almost went on a Lord of the Rings tour to see the places where they filmed, like Hobbiton, but it was a few hours outside of the city and expensive. Next time when I have more money I'll go so I can get out of the city and see the countryside. 

I didn't do anything special here either, just walking around, taking pictures, buying little things here and there. I hiked to the top of a volcano, which isn't as cool as it sounds because it's not active and it's just an overlook over the city. A pretty overlook, but not as adventurous as climbing a volcano seems. 

I think I missed out on a lot here by staying in the city, so I hope I can come back again soon and see the nature side of New Zealand. Overall, my trips down under have been some of the best!

Singapore

A lot of firsts happened with Singapore.
First time in Asia,
first multi-sector flight,
first visit to a Hindu temple,
first "authentic" Chinese food,
and first time having my palm read by an ex-Buddhist monk.



Asia has never been at the top of my list of places to visit until I went to Singapore. I had a stereotype in my head of Asian cities being a really crowded and chaotic mess of buildings and traffic. But it was such a peaceful, modern, and pretty place. The architecture is the most creative I've seen anywhere, and unlike most big cities, there are gardens and plants mixed in everywhere. One second it looks like you're in downtown LA and the next you're lost in a jungle.

Singapore was part of my first multi-sector flight, meaning I flew from Dubai to Singapore, Singapore to Melbourne, then back to Singapore and back to Dubai. It was around a 5 day trip and I felt dead by the end of it, but I was happy to get two days in Singapore.



I walked to Chinatown and stopped at the Sri Mariammam Hindu Temple. It's famous for its colorful towers and shrines covered in Hindu gods. I had to take my shoes off before I went in and paid a little fee to take pictures. The monks (if that's the right word) were there doing their prayers and chants with Hindu followers in their gorgeous traditional clothing.

Chinatown was HUGE! I bought a lot of souvenirs I didn't need, tried Asian candies, and got dragged into a few shops by the owners who wanted to sell me things (I'm really bad at saying no). There were all kinds of Asian restaurants there: Indian, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Chinese, etc. For some reason, I went with a Chinese restaurant even though I never have good experiences with Chinese food. Actually the waitress standing outside guilted me into going just like all the shop owners guilt me into looking at their stores. I really need to work on saying no... Anyways, this Chinese food experience was the same as always. Me and Chinese food just aren't meant to be. But I did have possibly the best cup of coffee I've ever had in this restaurant. I don't know what the little old lady put in it, but I was in heaven!



The second day I was in Singapore, all I wanted to do was sleep because it was the last day of my trip and I had just flown seven hours from Australia. I forced myself to go out even though I was grumpy and the humidity was slowly killing me. I went to the Gardens by the Bay, one of the places to see according to tourist guides. If you're into gardens and pretty things, this is the place for you. If you're a jet-lagged soulless zombie like I was that day, then don't go and just sleep. The gardens were beautiful, but I wish I would have waited until next time so I could have been in the mood for it.

The best, best part about my two days in Singapore was meeting Chon, the ex-Buddhist monk mentioned above. I was on my way home from Chinatown, ready to get back to the hotel and relax, when I passed Fort Canning Park. I felt like if I didn't go there, I was going to miss out on something. So off I went, walking around another garden. I was taking lots of pictures when a little old man came up to me and asked me where I was from and if I knew anything about the plants. I told him I didn't know much, and he took my arm and said he was my new friend and tour guide for the afternoon. Chon told me all about the plants and spices of the garden, Fort Canning, Singapore, and how he had been a Buddhist monk in Thailand. Then, and now it gets really good, he read my palms and knew my life story. It was crazy how much he knew and how specific he was! He gave me lots of advice I hadn't realized I needed and told me to come back and visit him again. I'm pretty sure he was Buddha reincarnated.



Now Asia is on the top of my list of places to go, especially if I meet more people as interesting as Chon.

I'm Feelin' 23

Anyone who knows me well knows that I hate my birthday. Getting older freaks me out, and every birthday I feel like my memory is already fading while the number of wrinkles I have grows. Needless to say, I'm usually not excited for my birthday. The first thing I looked at when I got my flight roster for January was where I'd be on the eleventh. I figured with my luck, I'd be doing some horrible turnaround. But I was scheduled for not a one, but a two night layover in Lyon, France! A two night layover is rare, and this flight is one that people bid for because it's so nice. So happy birthday to me :)

The crew I flew with was amazing! My supervisors told everyone it was my birthday, so they sang to me on the bus going to our hotel and a group of them came out to dinner with me to celebrate. The next morning, a group of us explored the city together. We took a cable car to the top of the city where the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière looks over the city. The view was incredible, and the church was one of the prettiest I've been to. 

                                                    
We found a cute little restaurant called the Crock n'Roll where their specialty was croque-monsier a.k.a. a sandwich with 1% bread and non-cheese fillings and 99% cheese. Seriously, SO MUCH CHEESE but oh so good! And because it was France, we had tons of wine with lunch, plus Nutella hot chocolate for dessert, then walked down the street to a pastry shop and got even more dessert there. I've never had so much cheese and pastries in one day. After losing all self control at a Sephora sale, I finished off the night with a Nutella crepe from a street stand. Sadly, it was the one and only crepe I had on the trip. I don't know what I was thinking.
The next day was just more shopping because it was France's Black Friday week, and then we headed to the airport to go home to Dubai. On the flight home, the 2 semesters of French I took 5 years ago came back to me and I magically understood the customers and had conversations in French. I also had a full conversation in Italian and I thought I'd forgotten most of that too. 

Overall it was a great birthday trip with lots of great food! I can't wait to see where I'll be next year!

New Years in London

    

Not only was my first flight to London, but it was on New Years Eve, AND somehow two of my best friends here also had their first flights to London on the same day. The odds of that happening are a million to one, so we're pretty sure the company has the elevators bugged and heard us wishing we'd be together on New Years.

On your first two flights (SUPY flights) you get to sit in the flight deck with the pilot and first officer for take-off and landing. I'm not allowed to post those pictures, but it was amazing! The actual flight wasn't very exciting. I helped the crew set up the carts for the bar and meal service and answered call bells. I mostly just stood there with the other SUPY girl that was on my flight and tried not to get in the way since we had no idea what we were doing. Training is nothing like the real job.

After 7.5 hours, we finally made it to London and went to our hotel. We get our own rooms, and they are always very nice. A few of us, including my friend who was magically in London with me, took the metro to the city center to see the fireworks. The metro line was headed to Cockfosters, and since my friend and I are super mature, we'd be dying laughing every time the PA came on to announce we were headed to Cockfosters. I'm sure the locals were rolling their eyes, but really, who chose that name? Since it was freezing outside and we had some time before the fireworks started, we waited inside a nice little English pub. I'm really trying to like beer, so I ordered some honey ale and it was actually really good! We didn't get home until past 3am, and I woke up at 7 so I would have the day to sightsee.

                                                  

I started at Piccadilly Circus and circled all the way around central London past Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. I was supposed to meet my friend so we could wander around together but it was so crowded with people waiting to watch the New Years Parade that we never found each other. If you're ever meeting a friend in London, pick somewhere more specific than Piccadilly Circus. It's like telling someone to meet you in Times Square. You're not gonna find them. Buckingham Palace was smaller than I expected, but still exciting to see. The guards don't stand outside anymore where you can take pictures with them so that was a little disappointing. Everything else was great and I can't wait to visit again and see more of the city!
                                   
The locals were all really nice (some even nicer to look at) and polite. They don't try to trample you for a seat on the metro the way they do in Dubai, and they even say please and thank you. After being in Dubai for 2 months, I almost forgot what those words meant. Plus, I could listen to a British accent read the phone book for hours and still want to hear more.

Nothing exciting happened on the flight back except me falling asleep in the flight deck and the Captain and First Officer making fun of me for it. I'm sure I looked beautiful knocked out in the jump seat. Then I fell asleep again on the bus from the airport to my house that I almost missed my stop. I've never been so tired in my entire life! And it wasn't even a long flight compared the 12+ hour flights I'll be doing soon. Wish me luck on staying awake...

      

                                   

My second SUPY doesn't deserve it's own post because it was just a turnaround to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It's a super busy and stressful flight. I was just as tired after this flight as I was after London, which is twice as long. I definitely prefer layover flights!

 Next up, celebrating my birthday in France! 

                                         

Dubai Life

It's been 73 days since I packed my bags and moved to Dubai. I've finally finished flight attendant training, and now I'll start flying all over the world! I've never had a blog before, so I'm not sure what to write, if anyone will care to read, or if I'll even keep it at all. But for anyone who wonders what's happening in my life, here you go :)

Dubai is pretty much Las Vegas without the casinos and the billboards with naked girls. I had a few ideas about what life would be like here, and I've been wrong about most of them. 

Expectations

1. I would have dress like a nun and would be arrested if I showed too much skin. 

2. Training was going to be the scariest thing ever and I wouldn't make any friends.

3. My roommate was going to be a nightmare. 

4. I'd be too homesick to function. 

5. People here would be very nice and welcoming. 

6. There would be gold Lamborghinis and people out walking their pet cheetahs. 

Reality

1. You can wear whatever you want here. You might get some dirty looks if you dress in something too scandalous, but I've seen booty shorts and crop tops all over the place. 

2. Training was scary and stressful. It was also a ton of fun and I've made some amazing friends so far! 

3. My roommate, Jasmine, is one of these amazing friends. She's hilarious and I'm so lucky to have her around!

4. I miss home, but I'm so busy here with training and working that I don't have time to focus on being homesick. Plus I live in the same building as all of my friends, and they've become my second family. 

5. People here are not like people at home... It's true that Americans are some of the nicest people and it's one of the things I miss most about home. It's just different here, and I'll leave it at that.

6. I haven't seen any gold Lamborghinis or wild animals, but the hotel by my apartment has a life-size plastic tiger in the lobby. So I guess that's something. 

Training

Here's a little video that sums up the last 8 weeks of my life. If you don't want to watch, I'll sum it up for you. 

SEP (Safety & Emergency Procedures): Airplane safety stuff. Evacuation, fire fighting, decompression (oxygen masks dropping), turbulence (my favorite), survival skills, using emergency equipment. The best part? Jumping out of the plane on the giant slides.

          

GMT (Group Medical Training): Guys, I'm basically a doctor now. Delivering babies, EpiPen injections, seizure management, medical shock, head injuries, bleeding injuries, broken bones, asthma attacks, and so much more. This was my favorite part of training since being a doctor is my dream job. But blood freaks me out, so here I am. 

Security Training: Self-defense, how to restrain a dangerous passenger, what to do if there is a bomb onboard, hijacking, and everything else to do with airplane security. Our tiny woman self-defense trainer used me as an example of how to take someone down using pressure points, and I was flat on my face in two seconds. Good times. 

Service Training: How to serve beef or chicken at 35,000 feet and be the ultimate trolley dolly. 

Image & Uniform Training: Yes, this is for real. Basically how to look pretty even when you're on a 16 hour flight and want to die. 

                                                     

My batch mates a.k.a. second family that I've spent every day of training with, and my wonderful Taiwanese roommate, Jasmine. 

And now I'm flying and have been on four flights already! Tomorrow I fly to Lyon, France for two days where I'm going to stuff myself with wine and crepes for my birthday :)