Everything since then......

Long time no write and it's time I updated my blog with the last year and a half of memories.

I last wrote when I had finished training with Emirates . I loved flying all over the world and spent a lot of time discovering the different destinations across the globe. It was cloud nine!! I would reccommend it being the best way to see everything if you're the kind of person who can't sit still.

I continued to fly for almost a year when GEORGE arrived. George was the twin brother to my friend Dianna. He came over to stay for 2 weeks from New Zealand. When he arrived so followed a huge life changing whirlwind. We had a lot of fun .

On his second day we took him on a last minute trip to Zurich which was amazing, he'd never traveled beyond Australia before and for him it was just as life changing.

2 Weeks and a hundred parties later he had to leave and go back to his life in New Zealand. We swapped numbers and went our seperate ways. I did a few flights the week after he left but had a real itch to see him again.

I ended up jumping on a flight to New Zealand a month after he left and stayed for 3 weeks . We made a plan to go to live in Ireland where his sister was living and going from there. So I resigned from Emirates and flew back to the U.K.

We spent 5 months in the U.K and Ireland, going through a bit of a tough winter . I wasn't quite satisfied and started talking to him about New Zealand. He flew home and got a job whilst I got everything ready for my move. I flew over in March 2009 and arrived just when the winter was beginning.

I settled in quickly, getting to know the kiwis was fun they're funny, laid back and so generous. They are all as they call themselves 'super cruisy' .

I got my job as travel consultant at the flight centre in the September and really enjoy still being in the travel industry and also getting the industry discounts on flights was great.

That's everything from Dubai to New Zealand!!

Training!!

OK seriously where do I start ..... ONe thing you dont get a lot of here in Dubai training for cabin crew is SLEEP but its FUN as well as hard !!

They have really spent money on the training here . You do a company induction day where you sit and learn about the arabic culture and drink arabic coffee with dates. A Medical day where they introduce you to the medical clinic let you meet the doctors you get a few jabs too nothing to worry about . Then the welfare department come in and give you a lecture on looking after yourself in Dubai and how to be safe . They give you a couple of the horror stories to set you in sted for living here. At the same time you've been spending quite a lot of time with your new batch mates and i'm really lucky to have some of the funniest people in mine its a real laugh just keep laughing even when you exhausted which is all the time.

Grooming!! WOW so you learn how to manicure your nails ( BOYS INCLUDED) how to cleanse tone and moisturise , make up and hair its just an excuse to completely pamper yourself , try out all the chanel products and look beautiful afterwards . Its the first time you will wear your uniform today and the first time you learn how to wear the hat !!! I've got loads of pictures but i cant get them on right now so i promise i will get them uploaded as soon as i can !!

After all this fluffy fun stuff you hit Safety and Emergency training which is hard but fun too you get to go in the simulator and pretend to be cabin crew in an unanticipated emergency landing , demaning thin air to OPEN SEAT BELTS LEAVE EVERYTHING COME THIS WAY hehe. Then they chuck you in a freezing cold swimming poolwith inflated life jackets where you freeze yourself waiting for each individual person to climb into the huge raft (which would usually mean you've just ditched into water ) The exams you really have to study for theres a lot to know but when you've done the exams for safety and emergency procedures your half way there.

Thats as far as i've gotten so far , big exam tomorrow , gotta know where all the emergency equipment goes on the whole plane and theres 3 different kinds of Airbus ..... then onto the b777 different kettle of fish .... confusing you already ? exactly how i feel .

To end on a really good note... i've heard that our graduation party will be at the crowne plaza hotel night club and its a free bar !!!! and its only 10 minutes walk from my house so its gonna be hectic. i'm really feeling the training and so are the rest of them and we just cant wait to be done and have a party !!! ooooh and fly ...

Special mention to my new friends Dee tony atchara yuki lesley emma erica susie bec radika jonny jean and chady who have really helped in making the first 2 weeks funny as **** ;-)

PICTURES SOON PROMISE

First few days in Dubai

I got here late Friday, night my flight was a little bit delayed so I got there about an hour later than i should. Youcome straight off the plane and head to customs. The Marhaba who are the meeters and greeters in YELLOW jackets are there somewhere to greet you . The lady who greeted me was busy with a couple of other new people who had just landed in from Lebenon so not everything was clear and i had to follow her without really knowing where i was going but They will take you past all the ques and straight to the customs where they take your passport and your print out visa and check it all. Then you go straight to baggage and get your bags and as you are the first one there as everyone else is still queing for customs its pretty quick and easy , trolleys are everywhere . The Marhaba person will be with you the whole time here andwill next take you to the front desk through the crowds . From there you will hang around for a bit for others to arrive . You give the emirates lady 2 passport pictures and she gives you an envelope with your address on . There are 38 different apartment buildings all over the city and its really debateable which ones are better some are so luxury but a little bit out of the way some are bigger but older and in the middle of dubai theres perks to both and downsides. Life in general is a bit more expensive living right in the middle even for a take away chinese or something . After you get your envelope you all get into a coach and are taken to your new home . I woke my new housemates up but they ended up being really nice and have been flying for ages so have lots of good advice for me . I am enjoying myself here in dubai the first impressions are GREAT . IT is hard because it will dawn on you what you've done and left behind but its so so so worth it !!!!

1 Month to go

So here starts the 1 month wait for Dubai. There are so many things that you need to remember to take I've made so many lists I've got folders with plans and lists everywhere . I'm planning a mock pack in a few days to see if my suitcase is even going to be big enough. It's so exciting but being as disorganised as i am i'm sure i'm going to forget some things how scary.

I finished my medicals finally I really honestly think that that was the most stressful part of the the whole journey !! The funniest part is we have to do it all over again in Dubai .

I've organised a leaving due and I've decided to go paint balling! I absolutely love paint balling and i'm getting all my friends and family together for a day of running through the woods like lunatics !

Medicals

I got my email through about the medicals and they are so extensive!!!! My doctor has never seen such an extensive medical for pre employment it's taken me 3 weeks running to the doctors searching britain for a dentist and trying to get a head x ray at the hospital who have never heard of anyone just walking in for a head xray before lol. They are quite costly I had to pay £16 for the head x ray , £45 for dentist luckily nothing wrong with my teeth, £80 for doctors medical, £86 for chest xray , nothing for vaccinations or blood tests so all in all about £227 not too bad i suppose. The best thing to do is print out all the paperwork on the email and staple it together give one to the doctor and one for you to check. The nurse might not think you need all the vaccinations that emirates says you need but I just got them all done. Its funny at the hospital there was a big xray with an emirates form on it I asked if it was mine and it wasnt so theres another girl getting her x rays done at st richards hospital in chichester i wonder who she is ???

Vics Journey The beginning

This is how my amazing journey that will end up in dubai all started.....
Lazy boring days at the bank in Gosport twidling thumbs and just being bored. My friend and work collegue Becky was telling me about how she used to be cabin crew for Thomas Cook how they used to travel all round the world, the fun they used to have being cabin crew. So i went home that day and did a search on Google for cabin crew jobs and EMIRATES was all over the first page: " would you like to live in glorious dubai and travel the whole world" I was hooked on the idea immediately so i applied. Not even 2 days later i was invited to go to London for interview i almost wet myself with excitement so i packed up my bag and headed off to London with my housemate Chris. I met some really really nice people there got measured for height and being only 5" 2" i was worried about that but that was the minimum requirement so everything was fine. I got through the first 2 stages and invited back for a half an hour final interview the next day AWESOME!! The final interview was a lot of questions about your experience in service and a lot of questions about you. I went home got some pictures done and waited which was the hardest part. I KEPT getting my pictures wrong and even went up to London from Portsmouth to the studio they recommend on the 4th attempt but that still wasnt good I dont think i'm very photogenic. On the fifth attempt they said YES so i waited about 2 weeks and got THE phone call about 8 30 in the morning I got the job and was leaving in November.