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!

ImageImage

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!

Image

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! 😀

Restraining passengers?!

This week has been pretty relaxed so far compared to previous weeks. On Sunday we had Nujoum, which is a special day dedicated to new cabin crew, but I’m not going to say anything about it as it is kept secret for future joiners! Monday we had Image and Uniform…which was not that amazing to be honest. We learnt how to wear our uniform properly (at least my skirts which are far too big have been given back to be taken in!) and apply make up, do our hair, paint nails….pretty much things most girls know how to do anyway.
Image

My batch after Image and Uniform!

At the end of the day I went from training college over to headquarters and got my E-Gate card sorted out, which is a card that lets us through the “security” area we have to go to when we have flights. I had to queue for over an hour just for them to have a look at my passport, take a picture and thumbprint and then give me the card! At least it is out of the way now.

Today we had Security, and learnt about how to deal with possible situations on the plane such as a hijacking, bomb on board, disruptive passengers etc. We spent the afternoon practicing restraining each other and what would do in an emergency situation! Tomorrow we have another day of security and have an exam in the afternoon, but from what my friends in other batches have said it’s nothing to worry about!
After class we all got shuttled out to a place in the middle of the desert surrounded by run down building blocks full of workers, to get our UAE Identity cards. We had to have our pictures taken again, and all of our fingerprints and even palm prints taken digitally! I think the cards will get sent to Headquarters in a few weeks when everything has been processed.

Next thing we will be moving on to in our last 2 weeks of training is service! I guess this is the part that most people associate with cabin crew, and what we will of course be doing on every flight. I’ve heard we also do 3 mock up flights to London Heathrow, Sydney and somewhere else (possibly in India?) where we go in the simulator and serve actual food to customers, not quite sure who will be our customers, but I’m looking forward to it!

Tonight I’m going out for dinner with a few friends, I think to the Shangri La hotel (where us crew get 40% discount!). That should be a nice change from cooking, which I do love, but sometimes it’s nice to have a break. Not going to have a long night out though as I do have to get up at 5 tomorrow morning! For service I’ll be back on the late shift, which means I will be able to have a bit more of a lie-in some days if we don’t have any revision to do!
Time to go and get ready now!

3 weeks left of training…

Today is Friday – which means that it is the weekend! This week has been long but it was all worth it in the end; I got 98% on my GMT exam! So now I am all prepared for anything to go wrong on board – baby delivery, heart attacks, anaphylactic shock, epilepsy… you name it, I’ve probably learnt how to deal with it this week!

I have decided I actually preferred SEP to GMT. We did have to study and revise so much more for SEP (the nights before my final A380 and B777 exams I got about 3 or 4 hours sleep!) but I found it a lot more interesting to learn about the aircraft and all that type of thing as opposed to medical stuff. Luckily I’m not a doctor! Maybe one day I’ll change it up from being a stewardess and work in the left seat of the cockpit instead… 😉

Today I had a lovely day with my friend Sally at Deira City Centre. We got the crew bus (which goes from literally right outside our front door!) to Headquarters and then the metro from there, which is about 3 stops. We both ended up buying way more than anticipated – I got 2 dresses, some heels and some underwear! I also got a pack of earrings (pearls and “diamond” studs), but they are for work, so they don’t count! 😉 Sally also got a couple of dresses and some heels, so we are all ready for the next few nights out that we have!

Tonight I’m going out with my group of friends (this seems to be a regular occurrence on Friday nights!) and we will probably go back to Crystal as we had such a good night last weekend!
Tomorrow I think I’m going to have a nice day up by the pool, it’s been horrible weather all week, cloudy and chilly, but today was lovely and hot and I think the same is forecast for tomorrow. I also did a big food shop the other day and even treated myself to a nice steak, which I’m going to have tomorrow! 

This week we also got our passports back with our visas – I am now officially a resident of Dubai! One other small thing I forgot to mention….. UNIFORM!! On Tuesday we went and picked up our big suitcases with all our uniform in, which was very exciting! Of course my flatmate and I had to try everything on in the evening!

Image

Image

1 month today!

I can’t believe how quickly time flies – it’s been exactly a month today since I moved to Dubai! 
I have finally finished SEP Training, which means I now have my A380 and B777 licenses, very exciting! This weekend is our first “proper” weekend since we have been here, as we have had one day off here and there for Christmas, NYE etc, so I’m enjoying having 2 days off and absolutely no revision to do! Once we go back to training college on Sunday I’ll be starting GMT (medical training) which should be interesting.

I actually managed to bring my USB stick with me today so I have lots of pictures to upload, but for some reason it’s saying I need to format it….and I have no idea what will happen if I do that, so I think I will come back tomorrow with a different USB stick and see if I can get some long overdue pictures up.

Now I’m going to skype some friends and catch up on everything that has been going on! I’ll put some pictures up asap!

Week 2 of SEP Training…

So here I am, back in the internet cafe again after a long day of revision, having a little break. My flatmate Naomi and I have literally been studying all day long – I had one break to go to the supermarket and do a quick food shop, and now I’m in the internet cafe for a few minutes to update on here. I feel like it’s suddenly got really intense, and we have so much to revise!

We had our first written exam yesterday on general safety – there were 25 questions and I got 100%! It was multiple choice though which did help, but the questions were all very easy and I would have known the answers without the multiple choice. However our next written exam (on Sunday) is going to be a lot more difficult. We have been told there are 50 questions, plus diagrams to fill out and other written parts. Not looking forward to it! Tomorrow we have another practical assessment and verbal exam. So as you can see it’s pretty full on, with exams or practical assessments every day!

I am still on the late shift (from 3:30pm – 11:30pm) every day, but I actually think this is the best one as it gives me a chance to have a little lie in (til about 8 or 9) and then revise all morning before college. Anyone who says being an air hostess is just a waitress in the sky has obviously never seen the size of our manuals or how much we have to learn!

After the big exam on Sunday (which is about the A380 – CANNOT WAIT to fly on it!) we will be moving on to the Boeing 777, and have all the exams again. The next topic after that is GMT – Group Medical Training, and after that we finally have a few weeks that are supposed to be a little bit less work than SEP and GMT.

This week we only have a one-day weekend again, due to the fact that we had Tuesday off instead of Saturday, because it was New Year’s Eve! We finished early at training college which was really nice, and 4 of us who live in the same area got a taxi home so we wouldn’t have to wait an hour for the crew bus. Once I was home Naomi (my flatmate) and I got ready in record time and went over to someone we know’s apartment for a house party! We had a great night and loads of people from training college were there, so even if we didn’t see any fireworks because we live far out from the city we still had an amazing evening!
On New Year’s Day we went up to the roof and sunbathed by the pool, with another friend Sally and her roommate, who started at the same time as us, and then later went to the Sahara Mall (the shopping mall which is about 10 minutes walk from our apartment block) for some food. And of course we can’t forget revision and homework, like every day!

Now I should probably get back to doing some revision – booo! 
As I think I said in my last post I will upload some photos as soon as I get wifi – it’s just too much hassle putting them on to a usb stick and uploading them at the internet cafe! And silly me has also used up all of the internet on my phone so I can’t upload from there…. woops!