Starting service

Last Thursday saw the start of our Service training. This is probably the most important part customer wise, as it is what our passengers see and give us feedback on. We have been given another workbook (as we do for each part of training) which is the thickest one so far, so this should be a fun 10 days!

On Thursday we started learning about what is in all of the cupboards and stowages onboard. As a passenger you don’t even realise the amount of hidden away cupboards and storage places, and I never would have guessed that an airplane has half the amount of things on board that it does! There is a ton of paperwork and forms that can be filled out in different situations, and then lots of spares of pretty much everything imaginable. We have an amenities container, which even has things like baby nappies and bottles in it! Our trainers also showed us a little packet of powder which turns to jelly when poured on wet substances, so that will be useful when we have to clear up vomit…have to say I’m not looking forward to that, haha!

Today we started learning how to do the actual service, so we were in the sim for a while doing practicals. We learnt about the welcome services the airline has – this is basically things such as offering hot towels, toys for children, menus and landing cards, that kind of thing. On Thursday we will be doing our first mock-up flight in the sim, so that will be 4 hours; serving real food and drinks etc!

At the end of the day today we went into a room called a Majlis – which is like an Arabic living/sitting area. In there we played a game with the other batch that is on the evening shifts, getting to know a bit more about the Arabic culture and Islam. It was pretty fun and we even got to go home early, yay!

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This weekend was pretty fun; Friday was spent lazing by the pool and getting our nails done! In the evening Michelle, Sally, Peter and I went to Barasti for a few hours which was really fun, we also ended up hanging out with Basshunter who just happened to be there with a friend! On Saturday we had another lovely day by the pool, I even managed to get a bit of a tan!

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Now it’s back to learning hundreds of airport codes (which I need to know for this week’s exam, what fun…) and all about drinks served onboard in preparation for tomorrow!

Something I totally forgot to mention but which was definitely the highlight of my week….I got my first roster!!! The first 10 days are standby, so I’m not sure where my first flight will be to, but towards the end of the month I’ll be flying to Kuala Lumpur, Chennai (India – relatively short flight so it’s only a turnaround) and Zurich! SO EXCITING! 😀

Finally…some pictures!

I’ve taken my laptop to my friend Michelle’s apartment, so I have wifi…..time to get some long overdue photos up!

The first weekend we were taken to visit a mosque, this is it!
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We all had to cover our hair and were given scarfs, mine almost matched my shirt!Image

Our first night out, we went to a place called Barasti which is just by the beach!Image

Christmas Eve night out!Image

And Christmas Day on the beach!Image
This is the view from training college in the mornings, and there is always an amazing sunset in the evenings as well!
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The other day at college we had to go down the slide rafts, which was so much fun! All the pictures look the same though, so this probably isn’t even me!Image
My batch after all sliding down!Image
We also then had to go in this pool with our clothes on….Image
…and with full make up on!Image

And finally last night out at Crystal Club, where we had such a good night out! Jay Sean even came and sang some of his songs!
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I’m glad I’ve finally managed to get a few pictures up! Next week we will be getting our residence visas (FINALLY!) so the first thing I’ll be doing is sorting out wifi in the apartment. Hopefully then I will be able to update a bit more regularly as well!