Down with the Flu :(

Yup, it's that time of the year when the seasons change and people get sick. I have been healthy up until now, and after being in Dubai for exactly 6 months, I get the flu!

 

 

I came back from my flight to Birmingham on Wednesday morning, slept after the flight and when I woke up, I could feel my throat is sore. I immediately took some flu meds which I bought while I was back in SA (As the pharmacies in Dubai don't sell it at all) and took it easy for the rest of the day.

 

By Friday I was still sick and it was just getting worse. I then had to call in sick for my flight to Glasgow (was actually looking forward to go) for the first time. I felt bad, but I knew that going on a flight will just worsen the situation. Crew Control then put me on home standby for Saturday night and yes you guessed it: I got called out for a flight departing at 03:30am to India. Only a turnaround but still, 4 hours and 3.5 hours flight back. Overall a 9hour duty+

 

Thought I was going to faint when they told me at the briefing that I have been pulled out as a Gr1 (meaning Business class crew) I mean come on, I have only just been flying for 4 months and now they want to put me in Business class which I know nothing about. It was probably one of the worst flights, I was sick, the sfs kept on pushing me and overall it was too stressful for me to cope with at that stage.

 

It was a great opportunity, however I think I would have dealt with it better if I wasn't sick. I should have just called in sick for my standby but I didn't want to get into trouble as I had a meeting with my manager set up on the Monday.

 

Went to the doctor yesterday, was told I can't fly until at least Thursday and I have my flight to Johannesburg SA on Friday morning. Now I just hope these meds will start to work so that I can fly home :)

My mother is flying to Dubai this afternoon to see my graduation which will be tomorrow. I am not particularly looking forward to tomorrow as it will be a super long day....

 

But, on the bright side, after tomorrow, I have my wings :) Probation period is over, and now I can start to breathe a bit!

 

 



Being Cabin Crew - the story behind the story

❝ BEING A CABIN CREW

Here’s something I got from my experience as a cabin crew:

If you’re traveling away with any airplane, no matter five-star Skytrax or low-cost, international or domestic airlines – whatever. You will meet males and females dressing in their magnificent uniforms welcoming you with their warm smile.

*They are ‘CABIN CREW’.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They have trained to help you in any emergency, not only to work as YOUR waiter/waitress to serve you Coffee or Tea.
And they are praying so hard that Nothing is going to happen to you during the flight.

*Sometimes you see them smiling all the way during takeoff and landing.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
Deep down inside they cry, thinking about their sick and old parents, young son/daughter, breakup etc..

*Sometimes you see they are with brand name items.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They shop mainly to forget home.
And they have to keep their gorgeous look.

*Sometimes you see them walking so fast at the terminal gate.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They want the day to end fast, so it continues to another day, making one day closer to their annual leave. And then they can spend their time happily with their family/lover.

*Sometimes you see them sitting on jump seats, although service is over, they do not close their eyes.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They feel so sleepy, till they can sleep without closing their eyes.

*Sometimes you yell at them, because you cannot get your choice of meal.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They feel guilty, but they cannot do anything about it.
In some cases, they even offer their own crew meal to you.

*Sometimes you tell them to carry your heavy bags and stow them in the overhead compartment.

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They are not allowed to do that in case they get injured. Besides, they are human and mostly woman. What if all the passengers ask them to carry their bags?

AND WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW IS:
They really wish to be in your position,
traveling with their whole family,
sitting next to their lover,
cuddling with their young sister/brother.
And when they see you outside the aircraft,
they think about what it feels to be on ground.

So PLEASE, if you are a PASSENGER, please be nice and patient with the CABIN CREW, as we are to you. ❞

Melbourne = WOW!!

It was wonderful to see my family in Melbourne!! I got the opportunity to see my aunt and uncle and also my 3 cousins for the first time in about 6 years!!
And what made it even more special was the fact that I got to see my sister whom I haven't seen since I left SA to join Emirates back in November 2012 :)

They have a lovely house, live in a great area, a little bit out of the busy city but wow, once you drive into the city, everything lightens up! It's just such a pity I couldn't stay there longer, would have loved to go explore the city with them!

I think my sister will enjoy it there, and maybe she can settle down in Melbourne for a while. It really is such a cool city because you have these old vintage buildings but at the same time you have modern buildings and also clear blue sky and fresh air!

My trip to NZ, Auckland was also very nice! I am just thankful for a wonderful team of crew otherwise these 5/6 days would have been terrible! The area where we were is also very "old" so you have all these small little shops next to each other on the side of the road - so cute!
I went out with the crew the night we landed in NZ to this vintage pub, had some amazing chocolate mousse and iced coffee - so yummy!

Also made friends with another South African girl who flew with me, she's also Afrikaans and we had a great time together especially on the flights :) Overall, I had a wonderful, memorable 5/6 days, now back in Dubai for 2 days before my next flight.

My graduation will also be this month, and I fly to Johannesburg 2 days after that, so a good month is lying ahead :)


me, my sister in the middle and cousin Jeni on the far left: 

 




MELBOURNE BELOW:

Great vacation in SA, and in Melbourne now :)

 

 

I had such a wonderful time in South Africa, pity it's all over now! Don't you just hate it when time flies like there's no tomorrow? :(

I didn't want to go back to Dubai, but I just had to push through... in the end it will all be worth it.

 

We started planning our wedding!! :D I am so excited, and it will keep me busy during the next few months. We are looking at venues at the moment and want to try get married in April or May next year, preferably in April because the weather will still be nice in SA. It will be a little difficult for me trying to plan it from Dubai, but my fiancé is so excited and ready to plan this with me, I mean how lucky am I?? Most guys don't really want to put effort into planning a wedding, but he is all set and ready for all of the planning that needs to be done.

 

AND I received my roster for May on the day I got back to Dubai, and guess what? They rostered me for  a flight to Johannesburg on the 24th of May - which is on a Friday so I will get to spend the day there on the weekend :D and a week after that I will be on leave again.... Also, no A380 flights for May, so it should be a good month!

 

Currently I am in Melbourne Australia, we are flying to Auckland in a few hours and then back to Melbourne on Monday - then I will see some family and my sister which will be in Melbourne arriving a day before me :) going to be a crazy few days, but I am looking forward to the last day in Melbourne!

 

 



 



US Visa Approved!

I went for my US Visa interview yesterday morning here in Dubai, it took about 2 hours in total as it was quite busy at the consulate. BUT, it was worth it, as my Visa was approved!!

I now just need to collect my Passport from Emirates HQ after 6pm today :):) I may even be able to get my first flight to the US as early as next month, but will have to wait until I receive my roster.

I am delighted that it's done and out of the way now, one less thing to worry about. I have a turnaround tomorrow night to Delhi, India and then on Saturday morning I'm off to Beijing, China :) Can't wait for these 2 flights to be over, I really just want to be going back home now!

I did a load of washing and started packing for my trip home. Now the tricky part will be: what to take and what to leave. I want to pack light because I know I will buy food and things in SA that I will want to bring back.

Oh I want to share something so interesting! I had a flight to Kuala Lumpur the other day, and whilst on the flight, this one crew member comes up to me and ask me: "hey you are the girl with the blog, right?" So turns out, this girl was following my blog prior to joining Emirates, and me and her were operating the same flight!!

Just shows you, what a small world we live in...

Shangai, China... first sickness on board & 14 days to go before HOME

Wow, see I haven't written a blog in some time :P sorry about that. Been a busy time for me. I enjoy my days off so much, it just passes me by before I know it.

I had a flight to Shangai in China recently. It was a good flight going, however coming back was disastrous. I started feeling sick at the hotel, it started with a huge headache, had some panadol on the plane and then during boarding I started feeling dizzy and nauseous. I thought it would pass, alas. During the first service, I had to make a run for the bathroom - twice. I was then told I can not physically operate the fight any longer and rested in the CRC (Crew Rest Compartment) I slept the rest of the flight.

Went to the clinic upon arrival and was told I might have contracted a virus in Shangai, or on the plane going to Shangai... had some meds and got some rest yesterday. Today I am feeling like my old self again :) thank goodness. So first time being sick since I moved to Dubai almost 5 months ago.

I didn't explore Shangai really, I went to the mall and that's about it. I must say, I prefer the European flights more than Asian flights... more my scene. I have a flight again to Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday morning, then I have 2 turnarounds, then my US Visa interview and then Beijing. After that, I have my leave, so then going home to South Africa, my beautiful country!!! I must share some pics from my home country, I love my country, it's definitely the most beautiful of all countries!

 Mountains

 Breath-taking waterfalls

 Kruger National Park

 Kruger National Park

 Durban Coast - KZN

            Graaf-Reinett

Below some pics from Shangai:

 



Hamburg, Milan & US Visa Interview

So a lot has been going on in the last few days/weeks. I went to Hamburg, it was extremely cold, but it's a pretty city and very vintage.

I couldn't really enjoy my time in Hamburg because I had severe toothache. On the way to Hamburg, I thought I was going to go out of my mind from the pain. And believe me, the pain just got worse up in the air, the pressure is not something to underestimate.

So when I got back from Hamburg, I made an emergency booking at one of the Dentists in Dubai, I went there on the same day we landed, I couldn't even go home to sleep first but the pain was just too much.

Dentist told me I need 2 root canals done as soon as possible, now it will cost almost 5000 AED to get that done and I would have to pay it cash.... there is no ways I am doing that. So I told her I would rather get my teeth properly checked out when I go back to my home country, only issue is, it's only in a month. So, she prescribed some heavy medication for the pain, it seems to be helping but the pain comes back every few hours when the meds has worn off. I can't wait to get this sorted out!!

Right now, I am in Milan, Italy :) it's okay, winter here at the moment and we are staying at the Sheraton Hotel which is situated inside the Airport... so we are not close to the city, which sucks :( No sight seeing for me then, because I decided I want to save the euros for when I go back to South Africa, will be good spending money :)

We fly back tonight, will land tomorrow morning, I have Friday off and then I have a turnaround flight on Saturday to Karachi :s and then again fly on Sunday to Hamburg for a second time... After that it's just Shangai at the end of the month.

Oh I also have some other good news (almost forgot to share) - My US Visa Interview is scheduled for the 9th of April!! So soon, I will get the opportunity to visit the US - watch out New York!!!

That's pretty much it for now :) below, some pics of when I was in Hamburg, the hotel is so pretty & stylish!