Be happy A-

Have a safe flight A, I will miss you more than you know. You have been a wonderful friend here and things wont be the same without you. I know your moving onto better things and happier times and with all my heart I wish you the best - leave all the bad experiences behind you where they belong and start new. Thankyou for all the fun times, D&Ms, your encouragement, advice, and all those times you brightened my day just by being you, it means so much to me. I really am thankful for the time we had and will always consider myself lucky to have a friend like you. Be safe, be happy and stay in touch.

Lots of Love,
VP

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Training, Istanbul and the goodbye gets closer

Hearing: Feeling way too damn good - Nickelback

Im just here in the sand pit, its my first day off after training. I was watching Gilmore Girls (dont laugh) which my flatmate E- had got me from BKK, a nice surprise after arriving home from training yesterday, anyways i digress. I didnt know my other flatmate A was home, turns out she had just spent her 4 days off in Istanbul, Turkey and showed me the photos...WOW! A- really amazing place and very beautiful. Seeing it like that made its priorty on my list of places to see jump up to be serious competition for my leave in Novemeber. Gotta do some research for that now since i have 9 days.

So training finished yesterday. After 4 days of being drilled in the finer points of first class service i know the menu back to front, can tell you every little thing on the plate infront of you and am thoroughly over it...LOL! We had 2 days of practicles which were great and the trainer thankfully was good, i was especially worried about that since i had heard nightmare stories about some trainers including one sending one guy to the grooming department cuz his sideburns were too long... ??? But i was exhausted, waking up at 5.30am is just so wrong.

My mate A- had booked me for every evening up to his last day and i was very sleep deprived from being awake so early, and trying to fit study around going to dinner with him and then not going to bed early enough. On the 3rd night i just couldnt go, i hated cancelling but i knew he had company so i slept from 6pm all the way through till 5.20am which was good cuz in my exhaustion i had forgotten to set my alarm clock. Last night however, we went for a delicious dinner and then had a baskin and robbins ice cream desert on the roof of my building overlooking the city. Today once he's done cleaning and packing im going to spend the rest of the day with him. I sort of want to spend as much time as possible with him but a also just want to stay away. Being here without a friend like him is going to be very hard and saying goodbye, i suck at them in general and always act boisterous to cover what im really feeling but still, i dont want that, i want a proper goodbye but i also dont want to cry. Ugh, i'll let you all know how it goes.

VP

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A little whinge......ok a big whinge.

Hearing:

When people stand up the minute the plane touches down and despite the numerous please be seated PA's they refuse to do so. I had a kid on my flight yesterday who stood up and refused to sit down and then there was this othertime the shock of the carelessness of the parents made me do something i shouldnt have. Just after we had touched down a little girl probably 2years old had one foot on one arm rest and the other on the arm rest across the aisle!! WTF??? I was so shocked i didnt realise what i was doing and got out of my seat and grabbed the girl, almost threw her into her seat next to her mother and put the seatbelt on tightly the whole while the mum was laughing and saying "its ok dont worry" - WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? I was like no ma'am its not alright we are still going very fast and if something happens your daughter could get seriously hurt and went back and sat down. I was fuming! How can parents be like that? That was the worst id seen after almost a year of flying. I mean the families we fly in general have more kids than they can manage and they definetly spoil their kids rotten and let them do whatever they like and the parents dont care. Its disgusting. And whats more it irritates me that i got out of my seat and put myself at risk to do something the mother should have done. For heavens sake shes YOUR daughter, YOU were pregnant for 9 months with her, YOU gave birth to her i would think you would realise a child is a precious thing and take care of them. *deep breath* ok rant over.

What else...next months roster has come out and yet again my request was denied (i requested jo'burg). I have 4 Londons, a Paris, Munich, one turnaround and far too many standbys. Im so sick of my requests being turned down. Its one request and month get your act together and do it for heavens sake!

Ugh! anyways im out - cya.

VP

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A looming goodbye

Hearing: Half life - Oliver James

I got some news today which wasnt totally unexpected but is both good and bad simultaniously... A very good friend of mine A- landed a cabin crew job with an Aussie company and will be based in his hometown Perth. He was so nervous about it but its perfect for him as he loves the aviation industry and its been hard on him being away from his partner for so long. Ironically enough he put in his resignation today exactly one year from his first supy flight.

I arrived this morning from FRA and after a nice snooze i woke up to his sms "Got the job"! I instantly got a sinking feeling. Dont get me wrong, im very happy for him, and have been rooting for him to get the job but it doesnt mean that i wont miss him and have to say goodbye to one of the few people who made this lifestyle and this job that much more bearable. Anyway, A- Congratulations, i wish you all the best with your new job, thankyou for everything. I will miss you but i know you will be much more happy now, take care and keep in touch.

VP

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Think you have it bad??

Hearing: Locals shouting excitedly over a networked game.

In Training News:
Yesterday was final day of training and i am happy to say that i am now qualified to fly the lovely boeing 777. The 1st day invloved door familiarisation, operation and emergency scenario drills which was fun. The second was a rundown of all everything else we needed to know and an exam at the end of the day which you already know i passed. The next time im back there wont be till the service enhancement course at the end of the month.

In Other News:
You think you've got it bad?? Take a look at this photo:




Imagine living here...these are what i assume to be the homes for the cheap labour my company uses. Now before you start yelling in outrage let me point something out, my company is not the only one that uses cheap labour, in fact id be very much surprised if the majority of companies in the country didnt do the same. Not that it makes it acceptable. You would be surprised at the number of expats (mostly - and im not trying to be racist here - Indians/Pakistani) who come here to work under terrible conditions for crappy wages. They are everywhere sometimes i feel really sorry for them, i mean it cant feel good to be treated as dispensible and othertimes the looks you get from the men can make you feel like a piece of meat - not nice at all.

There are always 2 sides to everything. After speaking to a few of my fellow flighties and a friend who exprienced India in person in a "no frills" sort of way, they explained that conditions in their home country are ten times worse - lack of jobs and terrible living conditions. Here they get paid a small sum but back at home they can support a family and raise their quality of life. And here they at least get airconditioned rooms and satellite tv! So next time you think you have it bad, count your blessings and thank your lucky stars you have it better.

VP

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