Till Next Time, Embraer.

Two days ago, Aug 21, was my last day to operate Embraer 170 as I am about to have my transition training for the Airbus 330 aircraft, in addition to the Boeing and other Airbus aircrafts I also usually fly. It is like dropping off the E70 for the A330. I am not really this kind of emotional when it comes to changes in work, but you know that feeling when you have to leave something that never did hurt you in any way. It's more like giving up a nice and sturdy chair you loved for the promise of a soft and pretty couch. I can be more emotional than that, I must say.

 

I wanted to keep this on record because I never want to forget how my last day for E70 was. It was a fast JED-EJH-JED roundtrip and God listened to my prayer to give us a good crew. From the cockpit crew to us in the cabin, everything went so smoothly, this was one of the rare flights where you never felt as if you're working. Takeoff and landing were perfect. I even asked my flying partner again and again if she noticed it too because takeoff and landing on an Embraer 170 can mostly be harsh as it is such a small aircraft, fighting the wind with a small body as it has would sometimes mean grabbing the airsickness bag.

 

Service in E70 is always a breeze. That is why I loved this aircraft so much. With 60 passengers in the Guest Class and 6 in the Business Class, you don't have to break a finger if everyone would ask for everything. Only in this aircraft that I won't get annoyed for every "Ding" from the passenger call button. Yes, I can be very grumpy when I'm hell tired. :)

 

Another thing I liked about E70 is the crew complement, it only needs 3 flight attendants for a full crew. The Purser, and the other two flight attendants. And as for me who flies with a flying partner, it feels like we're the bosses of our own office, hehehe... but in a good way, of course. And for our last flight for this aircraft, me and my flying partner were just so thankful that we were given a wonderful purser, who never minds whether we took almost a thousand pictures as remembrance.

 

I may never get to operate this aircraft again in exchange of another, but I will never forget how E70 made things easier for me. It may have been the smallest aircraft I have operated but it got the highest of my respect.

 

Masalama, Embraer.. till my next DHD flight with you.

 

Erikka (my flying partner) and Me!

 

PLEASE. Flush the toilet.

Every job has its own dirty side. And as for mine, it's the toilet. 

It is never in our job descriptions to clean the toilet. But we are always reminded to keep it tidy, which boils down to the same action of what else, of cleaning it. Honestly, I could care less about it. I can never open that lavatory door and save myself from the shock of seeing the end result of what you have eaten. But being seated to a jumpseat next to the toilet, I can't stand it. I just have to clean it! I just freakingly have to clean it!

Here's what a flush button looks like in aircraft lavatories aka toilets:

Located in the upper right hand of the toilet bowl is the flush button. Yes it is flat, but pressing it makes the flush work. It is not touchscreen, for heaven's sake, press it. Sometimes, passengers would say that it is not working. Well, with all due respect, it DOES work. Each and every flight, we do this pre-flight check and that includes the toilets. So we know for sure that the flush is working.

And a helpful reminder, the orange button near the mirror is not a flush button. It is the Flight Attendant Call Button which is used in emergencies like if you need some help whilst inside the lavatory. Accidentally pressing that button (sometimes mistaken as a flush) only makes us open the door even if it is locked, making yourselves exposed to us while your pants are down. Geez.

So the next time you board an aircraft, do your flight attendant some favor. Please flush the toilet.

My First Birthday 33,000 Feet Above Sea Level

I don't want to forget the details of my first ever birthday in the skies so I am taking record of it. I know most flight attendants have a list of their own, so here's mine!

July 30, 2012

I operated Flight Number SV 1903 and 1902, Riyadh-Taif and then back again.

Aircraft Operated: Airbus 320

Position Taken: R1 - which was quite a shock since I was forced to take it, as no senior would want to during that time. But then as the flight went on, I indeed enjoyed being R1, and would definitely love to take it again given the chance. :)

Days before that, I met Amira, a beautiful, sweet and funny fellow flight attendant who had the same flight schedule like mine, so I was with her from July 28 until the 31st. By the way she is Egyptian.

Amira and me before the flight

This girl Amira is such a sweetie. In the morning of my birthday, she ordered from the hotel room service for an Egyptian breakfast for me. She wanted me to try Om Ali, a buttery, milky, sweet soup-like breakfast prepared with different kinds of nuts. I love love love it! :) Well, yes I love anything sweet but this is special. I would like to show how it looks like but I'm sorry I finished the whole stuff right before thinking of taking a picture of it.. haha.. :) Thanks to folkmann.ca, here's a picture of it's goodness:

Warmed in the oven until the outside turns brown, but sweet and soooo creamy inside. Hmmm.. :)

I enjoyed the whole day as everyone was so nice. From the cockpit crew with whom I got the chance to serve, to every single crew in the cabin, all of them were so nice, we worked altogether harmoniously.

**********************************************************************************

Another surprise took my heart away when I finally reached my flat after my flight schedule. My close friend Erikka, who is more like a sister to me, brought out the child in me with this "New Year Cake", as I call it.. This was the first time I had a cake complete with fireworks!! :)

Erikka and me

Erikka and me, and some of our few close friends here had been through a lot. From Day One of application for this airline until now and until the end, we only have each other here as family. **Grouphugggggg**.

**********************************************************************************

Over the distance, a lot of my friends also extended their love and birthday greetings and wishes, which I am so thankful for. Mkaye and Eds, thank you for having that Starbucks Moment "with me" though I was not there physically.

I don't know if the rest of my birthdays will always be spent on the skies, but definitely I will never forget this first one. :) Thank you Lord for my good friends and for adding another year in my life.

For A Change That Will Do Me Good

My new friends - during the orientation day
(Me, Erikka, Marj and Kikoh)

A month ago, I applied for an airline as a Flight Attendant. Luckily, I got selected after a series of interviews and assessments and I could not thank heaven enough for this wonderful blessing given to me. Until now, the fact still sits at the top of my head and I will have to rub it in to let reality sink in.

My brother is a flight attendant too working for a different airline and I can see how he enjoys the job. Years and years ago, he kept on convincing me to try my luck and join the bandwagon as he knows I will like the things that he likes and enjoy the perks he gets to enjoy. But being the "maton" that I am who prefers chucks over stilettos and jeans over skirts, I doubted. I said I will never get to live the lifestyle exuded by the glam that is of flight attendants and other than make-up, there is nothing I really like about them.

Everything changes with age. After years of brushing my brother's advise, I realized that I am NOT GETTING ANY YOUNGER. Ouch. 5 years from now, it will no longer be cute for me to be "maton" and speaking of being work-wise, I must now decide whether to remain in the so called "technical environment" I used to live in and rot here forever. That sends a not-so-happy thought in my head and a voice in me kicked in saying, it is now or never.

So that's it, a month ago, I checked online, looking for an airline open for hiring and I was able to see one. Immediately, I took all the necessary steps and thank God my heart wasn't broken on this one. Weeks from now, I will be leaving for training and that means that I will have to relocate near the airline's base. Another challenge, yes. Another phase of my life that I will be very excited to discover.

But then again, there are still a lot that I have to learn. When I get to think of what is ahead of me, I feel the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach. Maybe I am just so excited.. It's like the act of preparing to jump in bungee jumping, nerve wracking but with full excitement. :)