Up up and away!!!

Well I thought it would never arrive but what felt like the longest 7 weeks of my life are over and I'm now qualified to operate flights! Yippee! The last few weeks of training were just as intense as the first few. We spent half a week learning first aid which quickly proved to be the most challenging subject for me. We had to memorize all the medicines we keep in two different first aid boxes we carry on board. We also had to memorize signs and symptoms for various illnesses, so basically diagnosing them, then how you go about treating them. It's actually very confusing because you can have all the same symptoms but the passenger could be suffering from two completely different conditions and if you treat them incorrectly then you could worsen their condition severely. Unfortunately for us we had to watch a video of a live birth. This was rather repulsive but it's not uncommon for women to go into labour in the air so then who else is going to deliver that baby but us! Yuk! Qatar deliver a number of babies every year so it is vital that we know the basics, although on a lighter note before they played the video they told us that quite a few people throw up during it, most of them males. I struggled to get my head around all the different conditions and still don't feel as confident as I would like, but Qatar believe I'm ready so I'll take their word for it.

The most interesting subject for me was security. We learnt all about the history of aircraft hijackings, terrorist attacks, crashes and all the stuff you hope and pray never happens on your flight. We had to watch a number of short films that re-enacted pervious crashes so that we could see what went wrong, learn from their mistakes and become more aware. One fact I learnt which amazed me was that at the end of our runway in Doha we have missiles for protection. I haven't seen them yet but I'm keeping my eye out for them. We also had to watch footage of planes being hit by different weapons. We saw rocket launches being fired from the ground, the effect of a bomb going off on board while in the air, we also watched a bomb explode when the plane was on the ground. Needless to say we also learnt about how to handle bombs, what to look for, how you should move it, where on the aircraft you should move it to, then how to secure it and minimize the damage it will cause if detonated. To be honest it was pretty awesome learning about all this stuff, however actually having to deal with it in a real life situation would be terrifying.

One thing that never really occurred to me is how much more susceptible we are to illness now. We are coming into contact with hundreds of different passengers every week from various parts of the world, and on top of that our immune systems could be low because our sleeping patterns are all over the place. So they really do encourage staff to eat a healthy and well balanced diet as well as get regular exercise. However in saying that the highly publicised swing flu reached Doha a few weeks ago and cabin crew caught it. They're giving out injections here to crew for it which is optional, however if you're flying to certain countries you are required to get it otherwise you cannot fly. Another bonus to living here is we get free medication, injections, doctors appointments and health insurance. I'm planning on getting the flu shot when I have a few days off. We are not permitted to fly if we have an ear infection because the pressure on the aircraft can rapture the drum or cause bleeding. We're also not allowed to fly if we have a coldsore. Who would've thought!!! They say it's because they're highly contagious so if you wake up with one then you automatically get 4 days off for it to heal.

We flew to Dubai for what we call ditching which is water evacuation training. Qatar don't have the facilities available so we had to go to the Emirates College and use their training centre. It was so spectacular being there and seeing where the Emirates crew train as their facilities greatly exceed ours. For starters the front of the building has been designed in the shape of an aircraft. Once we entered the building we had some lunch in their cafeteria which kicks butt compared to ours, and they have a huge balcony decked out with tables and a gorgeous view of Dubai and the river. We then went to the pools to begin our training. Turns out our group had to do the drills with trainee pilots, although they seemed much more excited than us (except for the poor guy who only bought speedos)!
The Emirates pool had 2 aircrafts beside them with slides coming out of the aircrafts into the pool and on the ground. They had beanbags around them in case anyone fell off the slide. They also had a huge raft in the pool. Lots of photos were taken so I'll be sure to include them.
We started off changing into casual clothes and boarding an aircraft simulator. Training was conducted as if you were really on an aircraft. You would sit down in your jumpseat, and then the whole simulator would rise, then it would start to shake and make you actually feel like you were moving forward down the runway. Then the aircraft pressure would change and the nose would rise and it honestly felt like you had just taken off. Even the pilots were impressed! Then after take-off we had to grab the food carts and pretended to serve food. Then out of no where a situation would arise that you had to deal with. The simulator could produce smoke in various parts of the aircraft so then we'd have to initiate our fire drill. The simulator also had sound affects to make it feel more real. We practised a number of fire drills, as well as heavy turbulence, rapid decompression which is when you lose pressure in the aircraft so the captain has to nose dive to a safe level. For that exercise the aircraft simulator really did dip forward, and oxygen masks dropped down from above each seat. For heavy turbulence the simulator jerked sideways rather violently but not enough to hurt you if you were seated. We then had to practise a proper evacuation which required sliding down the ramp slide. We were all shown how to sit to prevent injury so we all got through it fine, and it actually was quite a lot of fun. We then re-entered the aircraft using a rope which wasn't too difficult. After that we had to get into our swim gear, which suddenly made us realise why we had a big talking to the day before and told that we had to bring shorts and a t-shirt. Obviously speedo-boy wasn't listening to those instructions! We then had to board the simulator again and practise a prepared ditching, which is where you know the aircraft is going to crash land on the water and you have to prepare the passengers. I had to jump up onto the seats and demonstrate how to do the brace position and then do a life jacket demonstration and make sure everyone had them on and tightly. We then had to inflate our life jackets and board a slide raft. That was fun being all squished in there floating on the pool. We then had to construct a conopy which didn't take long, although having a raft full of people who know what they're doing in a safe environment certainly made it easier. I imagine the real situation would be terrifying, and depending on the water conditions you might be too busy holding on for dear life. After that we had to jump into the water. It was absolutely freezing! I have never been so cold in my life but they do that deliberately to make you aware of how difficult it is when you're cold, although it still wouldn't even compare to how cold the ocean gets. One of the guys showed me how to keep yourself that bit warmer so I floated along hugging my legs to my chest while uncontrollably chattering my teeth. I was breathing out fog that's how cold it was. We then had to climb into the raft on the side using rope which was extremely difficult. Although 2 of the guys came to our rescue and decided to help lift all the girls out one at a time so we really didn't have to do much except help push ourselves up using the foot rope. After that we all enjoyed a luke-warm shower and headed back to Qatar, where once again we were expected to wear business-attire with make-up and prefect hair.

We started flying 2 weeks ago. We each had to do 2 observation flights were you work but observe what others are doing on the aircraft. I flew to Kuwait and Abu Dhabi for my first observation. It's only counted as one because you do Doha-Kuwait-Doha, and then on the same aircraft you do Doha-Abu Dhabi-Doha. I had to wake up at 3:30 and work at 10 hour day which was painful. After the aircraft has taken off we can move around when the pilot lets us know that it's safe to. As soon as we get the sound we jump up and have to put on our dining jacket and dining shoes. It never occurred to me just how difficult it is walking around an aircraft when it's ascending. It feels like you're climbing a mountain! On the way back from Abu Dhabi we only had 25 passengers in Economy which was nice, so not much work was needed. Although I pretty much experienced everything you could on board the first flight. I learnt how to secure an infant seatbelt, was asked twice about duty free products, had to give newspaper requests, we had 2 unaccompanied minors, a British man spilt coffee on himself, we had passengers sit in the wrong seat during boarding and caused confusions to those whose seat they had occupied and everything else imaginable. It actually was a great flight for me because I got to experience right away all different situations which don't usually occur on every flight. I even experienced the embarrassment of opening a toilet door when a passenger was in there doing his business. Although I quickly realised that this is a regular occurrence because for some reason people just don't know how to lock the toilet doors, many of them can't even figure out how to open them. So far it's happened to me four times and the crew say it will happen on nearly every flight you do. we had a Mexican captain who called me into the cockpit because he heard I was a newb-ee. I got to sit in his seat once we had landed and he showed me some of the buttons inside and how they work. It was so cool being in there, and I can't wait to experience a take-off or landing one day from inside the cockpit!

I flew to Casablanca in Morocco last week which involved a 1 hour transit at Tripoli which is in Libya. This flight is notorious for being the worst flight crew can be allocated, and it sure did feel like it. The passengers were so difficult, and they enjoyed making life tough for us. They ordered lots of beers, which then we had to stop serving them so they'd go and ask the business class crew for beer. Then I had 4 passengers ask me where the smoking zone is on the plane. I very firmly had to tell them that under no circumstances are they allowed to smoke. So then they would keep asking me just to try and get a reaction out of me. They kept pressing the call button even though they didn't want anything. Sometimes they had no idea they were doing it but other times they were just being cheeky and wanted to watch us walk up and down the cabin. They were all talking on their mobiles and we had to tell them to get off immediately as it can interfere with the aircraft. They didn't seem to care and continued doing it until we became really firm and serious with them. Once they realised they could get into trouble they would stop, but then as soon as you turned your back they'd start talking on it again. When we boarded them they all took the wrong seats, and because some of them don't speak a word of English trying to move them to the correct seat was challenging. When it came time for the food service we would give them their preference of chicken or fish and then after a few bites of the fish they'd decide they wanted chicken and ask for a new meal. The flight was neverending. I was working for 14 hours in total even though the flight only took 9 hours as you have to get the to airport 2 hours before your flight and then stay an hour after the flight and then get through customs etc. So it was a long day but we had a much deserved layover in Casablanca which was nice. Although this layover was very short so by the time we made it to our hotel we only had time for dinner and then had to go to bed in preparation for our 6am wakeup call the next morning.
Casablanca wasn't as developed as I was expecting it to be. It is quite run-down and dirty. As we drove to our hotel the crew told me that Moroccans favourite past-time is sitting outside a coffee shop sipping tea and just watching people walk past. They just sit there for hours not talking to anyone but just watching people walk up and down the streets. It was bizarre watching them from the bus as they just sat there silently. I wonder what goes through their head as they sit there, do they think about what they want for dinner, or which coffee shop they want to sit at tomorrow, or do they count how many pairs of nike shoes they see. I have no idea but it is a bizarre hobby, but that's part of their culture and is quite normal. For dinner we ate a traditional Moroccan meal which was couscous with lamb. Couscous is rice that has been crushed thinly, so thinly that it doesn't even taste like rice. It's very bland by itself and too dry to eat on it's own, so they cook the lamb into a stew and bring it in a casserole dish and you serve yourself. I'm not a fan of stews so it wasn't the nicest of meals I've had. We had some free dinner entertainment courtesy of the locals. A fight broke out in front of the restaurant between a few guys and ended up involving half the street. It was a little scary watching the guys fight because it seemed like a small riot broke out because guys from all over the place jumped in to join the fight. An old woman got pushed to the ground so she was wailing, mothers were screaming and running around looking for their children, and the fight ended up not only on the sidewalk but also the main road so traffic was backed up. It was very uncivilised and I didn't see any police turn up. The restaurant put a few security guards out the front so no one could get in, and they ended up closing the blinds so we couldn't see what was happening.

I flew to Bangkok a few days ago and had a blast. The captain was Australian so we had a good chat about Oz which was nice as I rarely get to talk to someone who has been to the same places. The crew were all males which was very odd and rarely happens, although there were 3 girls in First Class but we don't work with them. The boys were very nice and helped show me stuff that I still had to learn. Although they did play a few tricks on me, such as giving me a tray full of drinks and sending me to row 13 (for those of you who don't know airplanes don't have an isle 13 for superstitious reasons, just like most buildings in Melbourne don't have a 13th floor). They also told me they made a special drink for me that had dry ice in it which created all this steam from the cup. It looked like a year 7 science experiment, although they made sure I didn't drink it. We had a day off in Bangkok so we went out for a traditional Thai massage which was great. It was so relaxing that I drifted in and out of sleep, although they certainly do stretch your muscles and put you into some odd positions. At one point I was laying on my stomach with my feet nearly touching the back of my head with the girl standing on top of me! Crazy stuff. After that we went to the night markets and had a few Thai drinks which was nice as it was 30 degrees despite being 3am in the morning Thai time. It was a little annoying having the Thai girls harass the boys all the time as we just wanted to look around, so after a while we all retired and got back at 4:30am (which is actually 12:30am in Qatar so it felt like an early night for us). After 5 hours sleep we got up to go shopping at MBK which is a huge shopping mall. They have so many cheap things and they have absolutely everything.... and things you couldn't even think of! After that I caught a tuk tuk back to our hotel which is a taxi that has 3 wheels and has an open sitting area on the back. I'll try and get a photo as it's too difficult to describe. I had a 2 hour nap before the flight to recharge my batteries and then flew back. It was actually quite a blessing having all guys in Economy working with me as one of the passengers was drunk and became aggressive during the flight when we refused to serve him anymore alcohol. He pushed a few of the crew and kept walking to the back trying to get alcohol from us. So 5 of the guys had to keep him back. He then settled down but came to the back when I was there and started having a go at me, so the guys jumped in again and had to take him back to his seat. Once we landed security came on board and escorted him off, so that was interesting. It's amazing how much drama you actually have on flights.
I flew to Beirut yesterday and had a passenger ask for a sprite just before take-off but we had to sit down on our jump seats. 10 mins later when we were in the air and we were able to take our seatbelts off he abused a crew and called him foul names which could be heard by passengers within 5 rows of him. He said that he had a heart attack the day before and all he needed was a sprite and because we didn't give it to him right away he was going to have another heart attack. He wanted to see the manager as well who explained that when we are told to take our seats we have to stop what we're doing immediately. Nevertheless the man started asking crew for my name which they refused to give to him as I was told by the manager to not serve the drink but sit down. He then came out the back pointing at me and yelling "give me her name" so the 2 guys working there had to block him off. In situations like that the manager writes up a report on what happened so that if the passenger complains Qatar always take the managers side. If the manager hasn't written a report then they take the passengers account and that's when you can get into trouble. Unfortunately it's just one of those situations where the passengers wants something right then and there and doesn't realise that it's not safe for us to do so, and we've been trained that our safety comes first on board.

I'm flying to Bombay in India tonight and get back at 6am tomorrow. Then tomorrow night I leave for Ahmedabad which is also in India. So it's going to be a long few days but then I have 1 day off and then go to Paris!!!! I have 2 days in Paris which is amazing and I'm very excited about that. Although I haven't bought a camera yet so I'll have to do that on my day off. After that I fly to Delhi, Dhaka (Bangladesh), Casablanca again, Bahrain, Paris for a second time and then Berlin. I'm also excited to see Germany as I've never been to Europe before.

Well that's pretty much everything that I've been up to this past month. I'm having a great time over here and the flying is good fun despite the little mishaps which are hard to avoid.
I'll try and respond to emails as quickly as possible but because I'm working odd hours it's a little difficult.

Thanks everyone for you're prayers and thoughts.
Lots of love to you all! xxoo

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