Cape Town

Two days in Cape Town, and it felt like I'm in a whole new world altogether. None of us had known what's in store. Seeing the bluest of skies, a welcoming winter weather, being surrounded by mountain ranges, the blessings of Mother Nature and on top of that - meeting the warmest, friendliest and fun-loving people. Cape Townians and South Africans in general, are few of the amazing people whom you'd want to befriend in a heartbeat! True enough when I've met Gift and Innocent at Quay Four at the Waterfront :) I'm glad to have tagged along with my Colleagues and just went on driving the city which, ironically, drove us crazy. I fell in love how the frothy clouds are whipped on top Table Mountain, how one day it could be biting cold and then gloriously sunny the next. 

To be honest, I'm at lost for words to describe this beauty. Speechless. Stunned. South Africa took my heart away!   

1. V&A Waterfront - a beautiful harbour city right at the foot of Table Mountain. Enjoy the shopping, food, pubs or just pick a front row seat along the Waterfront for a hot cuppa Ceylon Tea at night.

2. Drakenstein Lion Park - a sanctuary for rescued animals whose stories would make us realize to respect life and nature more. Speak to their local caretakers who are passionate with what they do and get to know more of these beautiful creatures on a personal level. Visit the lions, tigers, chimps, wallabies and more!

3. Fairview Winery - get a taste of New World red and white wines. Know the grapes, process and what goes best with your next meal. Indulge yourself in cheese tasting along with your wine, one cheese at a time :)

4. De Villiers Chocolate Factory (Spice Route) - taste some artisan home grown and made South African chocolates from dark to salted caramel. And bring some home for pasalubong!

5. Barley & Biltong (Paarl, Cape Town) - a lunch with a view is just appetizing. I had my first take on Biltong (cured meat), a very South African tidbit in beef, kudu and gemsbok. I'd love for you to go figure!

6. Language Monument - although closed when we reached, we took a drive on top of the mountains and from there did our own little hike and got a panoramic view of the city. Took our breaths away.

7. Stellenbosch - coffee and night cap at this small old town in Cape Town. Nostalgic and beautiful at the same time.

First Layover

Life can take you by surprise. Be it in form of a phone call from a friend, unexpected rains or thunder, finding a spare bill deep under your pockets... Anything! Just anything even the simplest thing to remind you He's there, looking from above.

After one solo flight, two observation flights and more than a year later I have come home to my mom and sister in the Philippines! I couldn't be happier to have Manila as my first layover flight and on my mom's birth month pa! On the night of my arrival, my sister and I were already waiting at the hotel room. When my mom entered, the first thing she said was "Hello, my Princess..." and I can't remember what happened next. Me operating Manila flight felt more like a homecoming than just a layover. I got to see my closest friends since High School, sip on a warm and maasim na Pork Sinigang (oh I am salivating right now) and slurp on Taho! I felt the tropical rainshowers again, like I've never experienced them in my life. In the morning after, I just had to go to Church for grace and gratefulness in my heart. And the Manila Cathedral was the most solemn place for a morning gratitude. It made me happy to see Filipino families hear mass together and more than that, it was my first time at the Cathedral. It's a special different feeling coming home to your Mama's arms and be cradled and held tight. Ain't nobody loves me better!

I still remember the day I left home and the things I had been going through abroad. It never came to my thoughts or imagination to come home in the way I had. God is just amazing how He planned and worked out all of this! Life is truly full of surprises! Allow God to surprise you and it will blow you away.

First Flight

Fast forward to operating my first flight EVER! My roster gave me the privilege of having a double sector flight that is Doha-Abu Dhabi-Doha, Doha-Dubai-Doha. Yes, back-to-back flights for a Junior and no-previous-flying-experience crew like me! That day was the most nerve-wracking. I have woken up way ahead of my alarm clock and couldn't sleep well partly because of adrenaline. 

On my first ride in the crew bus, I had the time to chit chat with a Cabin Senior in her gray hat and uniform and seeming years of experience under her belt. She was friendly enough to ask me if it were my first flight because of my big staff number haha! But then she told me that I'll do just fine and not to panic. That and her smile reassured me for the flight and the rest of the day as we parted our ways at the Technical Building. After signing in for my flight, I met my crew at the Briefing Room. Here we make our rounds of introduction, safety and first aid questions and assignment of work positions. It gets nerve-wracking but you shouldn't let it get the best of you, instead give it the best of you. I am glad that I have reviewed the night before the flight so I was able to answer with confidence. The briefing room is a place where everything you've learned during training rushes to your head. For me, this is the time of showing how competent/fit you are for the flight, commanding respect from others as well as representing your country! I might be the youngest and newest member of the crew complement but here's the catch, most of my crew were first-timers as well as it was even my Sri Lankan CS' (Cabin Senior) first solo! It made me realize a lot - about myself being capable of things I never knew I could and of others - to trust and learn from them. I was obviously a floater assisting my co-crews and occupied a passenger seat instead of a jumpseat as it was (thankfully!) a light load flight. It is rewarding to receive complements from my Seniors and to be guided on the process.

What made completing my First Flight an incredible, unforgettable and special one is that I did it on my Mom's Birthday! August 3, 2015 is a day that will forever be engraved in my heart. It's a happy feeling! I'm a firm believer that this has been written by God all along! I would never have thought or dreamt of it myself. He really has a plan and a future set apart for us. See how amazing God is?

Wings Day

From the day I have received mine and my batchies 'wings' to fly, to ditching in Dubai, to operating my first flight (two observation flights), first solo flight and first layover later - the feeling of getting high and floating mid air still lingers. I've been a very busy bee this past week alone and I feel that this time should be allotted to express and share my stories!

As the month of July came to a close, it was the opening of a whole new chapter of our lives! We made it. We had our Wings Day, our Graduation Day from training for that matter. It was the culmination of all the hard work - physically, mentally, emotionally, practical and written exams - we've put through out the training. We've earned our licenses, pins and name badges engraved in a gold metal plate next to Oscar (the Oryx). Our trainee days may be over, but the learning never stops!

We had a few speeches throughout the day which reminded us of our responsibilities/duties we were trained for, how we should uphold being part of this bigger family, how we should be proud every time we wear our uniforms. To think that for every 3,000 applicants on a recruitment day, only 50 goes on forwards, and we get to be one of them. It is a rare privilege to be part of this family. That alone made me tear up a bit, when flashes of memory came back when I too was lining up outside a hotel lobby along with thousands of other hopefuls.

I would love to write a dedicated blog to our ditching drills in Dubai at the Emirates Training Center, but for now, let me just say how impressed I am of the facilities and simulators EK can boast of. Back when I was living in Dubai, I would just stare out the car windows on our way to DFC as we pass by the Crew Training Center with it's Aircraft-shaped building and wondering to myself - how or will I ever get to enter that place? Emirates' facilities are unspoken of. 

God, is just amazing for blessing me this once in a lifetime kind of experience! I remember when I used to live in Deira, our building was right next to a travel agency with a huge Qatar Airways ad of a Cabin Attendant in full uniform. Every time I would pass by it going to and from work, I can't help but stare at it like a mood board or inspiration. Now, I am staring right back at the girl in Burgundy. When I was in High School, we were asked to write our favourite quotation on our class bulletin board. Most of the class quoted writers/authors/novelists/thinkers, but me being a deviant wrote simply "Follow your dreams, wherever they may take you."