Lisa's Cabin Crew Blog

Singapore/Melbourne trip

2008-02-08T13:33:00.000+04:00

View from the plane after taking off from Melbourne
Some of the crew

So my rosa for Feb is ok i guess, not as good as the past 2 but could be worse!!

I had a Singapore/Melbourne/Singapore trip on 1st, then i did have a turn around but i changed it to Frankfurt on 7th (which is where i am now!) then i have a turn around on 10th, a johannsburg on 14th.....ive already been there but its a different hotel this time so i wont be scared! then i have another turnaround on 19th and then i did have a 45 colombo layover and Bec was on it too, but now she has managed to swap a few of her flights to get home so she is no longer on it and as ive already been and theres a bit of trouble there at the moment i swapped it for a Gatwick....its a bit more allowance and more flying hours even though a shorter layover.

Then i have a few days off and a Zurich on 28th.

Singapore was good, i was soooo tired arriving into singapore i just slept most of the time (knowing i had a second day there) then in melbourne it was just a 17 hour layover and i had seen it twice already so i just stayed round the hotel. Back in singapore we all went out for few drinks at a club and then stumbled into a bar which was just closing bu they opened again just for us....'are you Emirtes crew?' ...'yep'........oh come in, what can we get you?' so im guessing they get alot of crew in there! i soon realised it was a Newcastle supporters bar so couldnt resist taking a couple of pics just for my hubby! The next day i went out to look at the shops, went to this big market place....it was just crazy!! ive never seen anything like it! sooo many people round, so many lothes, bag, food stalls etc i didnt know where to look! it was so hot in there too so i had a quick look round and then had to get out! i walked accross the road only to find one of my best friends......Starbucks! yey....in need of a coffee after feeling like a sardine in the mad market i sat down and people watched, oh and had a nibble of some banana cake!

After my coffee and cake i walked round the mall....bumping into another friend.....Top Shop! but dont worry Gav.....i never brought anything!

Back at the hotel i chilled out watching the tv and had a couple hours sleep before the flight back home.
I never took many pictures as its very much high buildings, shops etc which i saw, if i go there agan i think i will go to the zoo or do the night safari which is supposed to be very good.

Mum over in Dubai!!

2008-02-08T00:14:00.000+04:00

Haha, im not sur mum liked the bird??!
In the desert!
Me sand boarding!!

Burj Al Arab at night

Smoking sheesha
Bec

Madanat
Beach at Le Meridien

Mums first night
Just finished the Duck!
Haha, this is my fave photo!!

Ohhhh afternoon tea darling?!!
View from Burj Al Arab

Burj Al Arab

I had such a great tim when mum was over here! She arrived on the Saturday morning (26th) so i met her at the airport and took her back to my apartment. We went to the Madanat area that afternoon for a walk round, some coffee and a bit of lunch. We had a really nice aftenoon. That night i took mum to Ginsing in Wafi City at Pyramids. Had a nice meal and a couple of cocktails then went over to Irish Village for a couple of drinks and stopped off at Double decker and then Longs bar for a coupe more! mum got chatted up by some lebonee guy in longs bar! was funny, he wanted her o go out for dinner and meet his parents! haha.
The next day we spent the day at Mall of the Emirates shoppng, seeing ski dubai etc. We got back around 7 and booked into the Shangrila hotels Shang Palace (chinese) for 9pm. I said we should have the Duck as me and Gav had it when he was here in December, was soooo nice and mum really enjoyed it too!
Monday we spent the morning at the cinema watching PS I love you......we were both wiping our eyes all the way through the film! it was good but sad too.
After re-applying our make up! we got a cab to Burj l Arab...(7 star hotel that looks like a sail) where we wer booked in for afternoon tea! oh yes darling!! haha
It was soooo nice inside, we had great views too. We decided to go for the champagne afternoon tea, so they brought out champagne and mixed berries with the nicest cream ever!! then they brought out this big tier thing which had sandwiches on top, then rolls, then cakes then pastries!! everytime we finishedone plate they were there asking if we wanted more! they brought out the tea too and then when we were done eating all that they brought out the fresh scones with clotted cream and jam and then lots of funky chocolates!!we were stuffed!! so much for eating healthy!!!
We got home around 6ish and were a bit tired and too stuffed to move really! so we had a nap and when we woke up we both couldnt be bothered to do much that night so we just took a walk along my road and stopped at a cafe to have some late dinner.
Next day we took a swim in my pool on the floor above and went to the deira city centre mall, got a new camera!! its pink and dead good! then we were getting picked up at 3pm for the desert safari! wahoo!
It was sooooo much fun! they took us round the desert in the car things and me and um were holding on for dear life! at one point i thought we were going to topple over! then we stopped for some sand boarding......now this is quite funny!! i went down....thought id fall but i actually suprised myself by making it to the bottom and thinking i was pretty good! then it was mums turn! oh how i wish i hadnt given her my camera!! She stood on it and the guy held her hand to help her and thn he siad ok go and lightly pushed her down......but she nearly dragged him down there with her! she didnt want to let go! anyway she soon found out he didnt really want to follow! she stared off ok and then started wobbling and half way down finally went head in the sand!! it was so funny! hehe.
After that we went to see some camels and then they took us to the area where we would spend the rest of the evening, a big area with small tables and cushions, and hena tattoing, buffet, sheesha, bar etc. So we had some tea and arabic dates and then tried on the local dress.....ok so im not posting a picture of this as me and mum both agreed we both looked horrendous!! then we tried the sheesha......for those who dont know its like a big bong thing with a pipe and filled with a flavour (lots of flavours to choose from) and you smoke it. Ive tried it before in Kuwait, very nice. But this was mums first time!! Oh and by the way incase Nan you are wondering if im making your daughter into a drug addict....its not a drug!! I think mum liked it, infact by the picture im going to post it looks like she is a pro!
The next day we spent the day at the madanat area havig lunch and then went on to Le Meridien hotel to have a drink at baristi on the beach and after took a walk along the pier.
That night my friend Bec joined us and we went to the madanat area again. We sat on this big poofs and had sheesha, wine and some nibbles. We stopped at Trader Vics fo a cockatil and then i took mum to the Grosvenor House hotel to Budda Bar....very trendy bar/restaurant. After we all went to Jumierah Beach hotel to 360 bar, its on its own pier, very trendy and great views.
To end the night we went to the Apartment club and were pretty merry by the end of the night!
The next day i was quite hungover and very tired! i had to have as much sleep as possible before my flight.....to singapore....i was being picked up at midnight that night. So mum went off to the mall for the afternoon to let me get some sleep and we popped out to TGI fridays when she got back to have dinner.

It was great having mum here, we had such a good time and it was great for her to see where im living.

Melbourne Aukland!!

2008-01-25T17:20:00.001+04:00

Me and first officer....we thought he looked like Loche..off Lost
Purser and 2 SFS's

View of Aukland

Cant remember their names! indian, canadian and brit!

Park in Melbourne
Room in Auckland

Auckland Bridge

Parliment of Victoria....Melbourne

So, i have new flatmates! two girls from the UK who are lovely, havent had much chance to hang out with them as they are new abinitioso in training, but i went out with Hannah on thursday for a night out and had a great time...very hungover the next day!
20th Jan......my trip to melbourne (Australia) got there after a 13 hour flight at 630 am local time....7 hours ahead of Dubai....so my body clock was a little messed up!! We got to sleep on the flight for about 3 and half hours in the crew rest compartment (CRC), which is underneath, with beds. Got to wear my lovely blue emirates PJs!
When i got to the hotel (Hilton) i went to sleep for about 4 hours and woke at 2pm, and went out at 3pm.....i ws on my own as most people on the flight were seeing family or friends, i didnt really mind though, it was nice doing whatever i wanted to do!
I walked through the park and into the city centre, lots of high rise buildings, trams, etc. I looked round some shops and stopped off at starbucks for a coffee fix, popped into a souviner shop and got myself a cute kuala bear and boomerang! Then i found a sushi place and sat and ate my favourite food!
I headed back to the hotel about 6pm, it was so relaxing just walking through the park and taking it all in. Went to bed about 9pm as we had a 6am pick up for our Aukland flight.

Got to Aukland about lunch time, i went straight out....alone again, i was going with another girl but she seemed to just want to sleep all the time! i thought, im not coming all this way to sleep!!
So i started walking into the centre and went staight to the Sky Tower, a tall building with great views of Auckland. You can do a Sky jump from the top, like a bungy, i was going to do it and signed the forms and then realised i left my purse at the hotel!! so i booked to do it the next morning. So while i was there i went to the viewing area at the top and took some pics and had a coffee in the cafe at the top. I had a nap back at the hotel before getting ready for dinner. The hotel was lovely, the rooms were like apartments! i had a kitchen area, living room, bathroom and bedroom, not forgetting the 2 tvs which had me hooked watching the auzzie top 10 shark attacks on discouvery!! yep im a geek!
That night a few of us met up for dinner in a nearby restaurant, had a very irish feel to it, we had their famous mussels and a few glasses of wine.....new zealands sauvignon blanc.
I went to bed about midnight and woke up at 320am and couldnt get back to sleep!! my body clock was so messed up! anyway i went down for breakfast and for a walk about 8am and finally got back to sleep at 10am and slept till 3pm to get ready for our pick up......so i never did the jump. Anyway i would prefer to have done it with someone, so i could share the experience with!
We were back in Melbourne around 9pm, i called my friend Becs room to chat with her, she was there too, she was doing the aukland early the next morining, so she couldnt go out. I just went down the supermarket and got a magazine and ordered myself a hot chocolate to try and sleep!!
Thankfully i had a great night sleep, so i was up at 9am for breakfast in the hotel, then went for a walk down bridge road where there are lots of boutiques, so just had a browse, then i went for a walk to the park again and to the city, got some sushi to take back to the hotel with me and got some make up too. I just relaxed in the jacuzi and sauna in the afternoon, though i was trying to have some peace but some american guy wouldnt stop yapping away to me! he was from LA and a commentator for the bbc coverage of Tennis in melbourne. Anyway i knew it was time to leave when he said.....'wow, what colour are your eyes?'.....Hazel......'They are just beautifull'......cheese!
The flight back that evening was good, just half full and everyone just wanted to sleep. Was a 14 hour flight and we got 4 and half hours rest. Back in Dubai now and mum is arriving tomorrow morning!!! im so excited!! I have lots planned, afternoon tea at the Burj, desert safari, nice restaurants, shopping etc!! I get my rosta tomorrow and get paid too, so its a good day!!

Venice

2008-01-25T17:06:00.000+04:00

On 14th i did have a Manchester layover, but someone wanted to swap with me for a Venice layover on 13th!! somehwere i have always wanted to go!

We got there about 1pm, we went straight out, the hotel was a little way from the centre so we had to get a bus and then as its all canels we took a boat into the centre.

It was very cold and raining which made it hard for me to take any decent pictures!!

We had a quick walk towards the cathedral and were so cold and getting wet that we had to go inside so went into an italian restaurant. I had some lovely wine with spagetti bolognaise with meatballs! yum!

After dinnerwe walked round for a while looking at the different shops all sellng lovely masks for the masque parade, so i had to get one!!

Soon it was time to make our way back to the hotel and crash out!

In the morning i went to the hotel breakfast, a lovely buffet, and i justchilled out reading my book.

I really want to see more of Venice and in the summer months next time, so hopefully i will get another layover there or even use my discounts to have a trip over with Gav.

Birmingham

2008-01-25T16:51:00.000+04:00

I had a Gatwick layover on 10th but managed to swap it for a Birmingham which was great! I got there at lunch time and mum came to get me at the hotel, we went straight to Beckys house so i could pick up Chloe to look after her for the day.

I had such a great day, mum was off work as she was ill, still getting over her cold. I was playing with Choe all day and then i took her to my Dads house to see him for an hour or so before going back to mums where Rob and Bex came round.

It was dead nice being at home with everyone.....minus Gav though!

I put Chloe to bed as she was staying round mums and she is just so cute!! i read her a story and she was chattering away. Then me, mum, rob, bex went to the Paddox for a meal and couple of drinks where Jane and Nik met us, had a good laugh, really nice evening.

Woke up the next day about 730am, sooo tired!! chloe came in the room, hiya! i really didnt want to get out of bed but as soon as i saw her i wanted to spend more time with her.

Mum took me back to the hotel about 10am, it wasnt so hard saying goodbye this time as i knew i would see her on 26th Jan when she is in Dubai.

Johannesburg

2008-01-25T16:26:00.000+04:00

So Johannesburg on 5th Jan was great.....if a little scarey!!

We got there about 10pm local time and on the bus the captin kindly told us that every 5 minutes a woman is raped in joburg! we were like oh thanks for that!! he was like yeah they break into their homes and rape them and kill them!!

Anyway we get to the hotel and its in th middle of nowhere, the rooms are like lodges, all scattered round and all on ground floor, so we all make our way to our rooms, all a bit scared! i walked in and did my usual check round the room, then checked the window....it was not double glazed and had only a little latch locking it! so i freak out thinking about the story the captin told us about, thinking that someone can easily just break in and do anything to me! the other girls were all the same, some slept in the same room as each other they were that scared, but i just kept waking up all night, checking the window!

The net morning i just wanted to get out and wanted to go to the lion park and two other girls wanted to too, so off we went with the hotel tour.

Im so glad i went, it was great seeing all the lions, we drove through to see them, even saw the cheeters being fed an then we got out and got to stroke the cubs, got to feed the giraffes! their tongues are soooo long!! i held out my hand with the food and it wrapped its tongue round my hand and ate it!

Anyway after that we went to a mall for lunch and back for some shut eye before our flight that night. I dont mind going to joburg again, but only if its the other flight whereyou stay at the nicer hotels at the airport!

Kuala Lumpur

2008-01-25T16:12:00.000+04:00

KL Tower
Me! outside the plane

View from room

Hey!

Im sorry i haventupdated this for a while, been a bit busy but going to update u now!!

Ok so, Kuala Lumpur on 1st Jan! It was an early morning departure...about 9am, so since us crew cant drink 12 hours before a flight i couldnt really celebrate new year! i had a couple of glasses of wine and that was about it!

Anyway, we got there around 11pmish and went to the hotel bar straight away for last orders, then as soon as the bar closed we went to find another bar....to celebrate the new year! so we found Hard Rock Cafe and had a drink in there before heading back to the hotel for some shut eye!

I woke around 1pm, was so tired!! so i booked myslef into the spa at the hotel for an all over body massage! it was sooooo nice! really relaxing!

Then i went for a walk into the centre, just tosee the KL twin towers......very tall!

I went round the mall inside and then headed back to the hotel, im sure KL has more to offer but on such short time i only had the chance to see the city.....which is mainly tall buildings, shops etc.

January......2008!

2008-01-09T12:57:00.000+04:00

Well my rosta this month was pretty good, no turnarounds, i have a Kuala Lumpur on 1st Jan, Johannasburg on 5th, gatwick 10th (which i have now swapped for a Birmingham!!) a manchester on 14th (which i swapped for a Venice!!! on 13th! to my excitment!) then i have about 5 days in dubai and on 20th i have a melbourne/Auckland/melbourne layover getting back on 25th and then i have days off for the rest of the month.......and mum is coming yey!!!
I have already booked us in for afternoon tea at the Burj and mum is so excited! we are going to do a desert safari too!
Im so excited about my birmingham too, im staying at mums this time and im looking after chloe in the afternoon, cant wait!
So im very happy with this months rosta!!

Christmas time!!

2008-01-09T12:28:00.001+04:00

So 21st came and i was due to do a Bahrain turnaround that afternoon getting back at 8pm, just in time for me to have a bath and relax before gav arrived after midnight......i get a call while im getting ready to say my flight has been changed to a Beruit!! grrr, its a little longer and ggot me back just after 1am, so im stressing a little thinking i wont be here when gav arrives! Luckily we both land 5 minutes apart and i get back to the apartment before him!
The next morning we spend the day chilling out in the apartment catching up with each other as i had another turnaround that evening to Kuwait. So gav caught up with his mates watching the football that evening and i was back by about 2am the next morning. That day we went to the mall of Emirates and did a bit of shopping, i got some gorgeous silver shoes from French Connection with some of my christmas money! We had some lunch in apres which overlooks the ski dubai and later we went to watch some football, ended up in fibbermageez (an irish bar down the road) and came back home to play a drunken game of buzz! Next day we went to Deira city centre mall and festival city and also picked up our food shopping and turkey!! we didnt get back till after 730 and were planning to go out but were tired and instead just watched some dvds and had a takeaway.
Next morning......Christmas day!!!! I opened my bedroom curtains to see sheik zayed road....as busy as usual??!! im thinking thats not right! its christmas dayyyy!! we realise we forgot a couple of things for the turkey and head to spinnys in mercato mall near me...after opening our pressies of course! theres quite a few people doing there shopping??? what is going on.....christmas day!!! its just not the same in Dubai!!
I enjoyed it because Gav was here but i really missed being with the family and being in the UK! especially after talking with my dad, rob bex and chloe on webcam!! i had a few tears on the phone to my mum too!
Anyway we spend the day watching some dvds, cooking the turkey, drinking mulled wine and playing a few christmas songs much to gavs dissapproval! After our turkey which was very nice! we went accross the road to my friends apartment (Bec) to have a couple of drinks with her before heading out to Irish Village for a couple of drinks.
Boxing day we went to the madanat area for a walk round, and then we tried to get in last minute for afternoon tea at the burj but they were booked up till mid jan! so we went to Le meridien and sat on the beach having a couple of drinks before coming back home to chill out. That night we went out to watch the football and then gav took me to a really nice bar called buda bar, very unusual and very nice. We ended up at the le meridiens bar risti.
The next day we did plan on going to the beach but ended up not doing much, just enjoying being together. We had a lovely meal at the Shang ri la hotel up the road, in their chinese restaurant. I get 50% off there so it was great! we shared a whole duck for our main course and ive never had better, it was sooo nice!
The next day we had lunch out and spent the day in the apartment as i had a lovely Dhaka layover (Bangladesh!) It was awfull! i just wanted to be at home with gav. I never want to do the flight again, the only good thing was that i picked up some bargain dvds at the hotel dvd shop! Lost season 3, excellent copy for 2 pounds!! Heros season 1 and a couple of movies. The time i was there was spent sleeping and having a bit of room service. On the bus on the way to the hotel, we were stopping at traffic lights and there were women and children knocking on the windows beging for money, it was horrible.
Anyway the next day i was back in Dubai about 3pm and Gav was leaving for the airport about 10pm, so we had take out and spent some time together before we had to say goodbye (Again!!)

Colombo - Sri Lanka layover

2008-01-09T12:20:00.000+04:00

Sorry i havent updated this for a while!
So my colombo layover on ....think it was 18th December was ok. The hotel we stay at is near the airport so not near the tourist area, i could have gone there but since it was just a 22 hour layover there wasnt much time, so if i get a 2 day layover there i will be able to explore more!
When we arrived it was about lunch time and there was alot of guards with guns at the airport...scarey!
I was so tired as i had been flying through the night and only had a few hours sleep before the flight but me and a couple of other girls forced ourselves to go out and see something! We went on a shopping tour organised by the hotel, its so cheap there and you can pick up some lovely things. I got myself some unusual coasters and placemats (figured i can use them when me and gav get a house together) and these coconut candles (half coconuts filled with candle wax). I picked up some cheap dvds too, one tree hill season 4.....so happy about that one!!
After shopping we went back to the hotel and i oredered room service, soup and a roll! and i crashed out b4 our early flight the next morning. As we just went shopping i didnt get any pics :(

My few days off.....

2007-12-13T15:17:00.000+04:00

Night out for Lucy leaving.....me and sharon and one of lucy's friends

me!
Shaz

My en suite bathroom
My new room!

Me at the Burj al arab......flashing a little bra!

The past few days i have had off, got my US visa sorted so i can now start bidding for US flights!

I moved into the A bedroom which Lucy was in, its a bit bigger and with ensuite and also private balcony...nice. Went out on Sunday night with Sharon to the Madanat area by the Burj al arab for Sushi and a drink at one of the bars and then we got a taxi back to Rotana hotel which is just up from our building to have a few drinks n Longs Bar.

Ive just been sorting the apartment out apart from that! i sunbathed by the pool for a while yesterday. I had my hair done on Tuesday too. Today i went to Mall of Emirates to buy christmas pressies and cards, im such an idiot, i was looking at cards for my mum and was thinking about what to write inside, like sorry i cant be there....when it hit me that im not going to be with everyone, its my first christmas away from home! anyway i started to feel my eyes welling up and a few tears roll down my face! luckily no one saw!

Sharon left on Wednesday soim now all alone in the apartment! its nice in some ways but quite lonely in another! Im hoping i get nice flatmates, i had a girl come to look t the place this morning and she seemed lovely, so i may sign the form to let her move in....will have a think about it....trying to drag it out a little so me and gav have the place to ourselves at christmas.

Tonight im packing for Birmingham......wahoooo!!! going to relax a bit, have a hot bath and a glass of wine! My friend Bec is coming over n an hour or so and we are going somewhere for a bite to eat and to catch up as i havent seen her since my last week of service!

Anyway, i will see you all tomorrow or Saturday!

Bye xxx

Dusseldorf

2007-12-09T16:02:00.000+04:00

A little merry on Gluwien
Me, Alex and Alex

One of the Gluwien bar stalls

Me and the Captin

I got back from Dusseldorf just after midnight this morning, it was a good trip, easy flight there and back with nice passengers.

We got there about 1pm and had a couple of hours to sleep before some of us met up in reception to get a tram into the centre. There were lots of Christmas markets and as we were a little cold we made our first stop to be at the Gluwien stalls (mulled wine). It was verrrrryyy nice and had rum in it too, so it had quite a bit of a kick to it! We wondered round with our gluwien looking at the different stalls, i didnt buy anything this time though. Then we stopped to get a sausage thing....cant remember the german name for it but its basicallya hot dog....a big sausage though! By the time we had scoffed those down we were runninglow on gluwien so me and a couple of other got ours topped up! we ended up staying at the same bar for the rest of the evening enjoying the gluwien and christmas atmosphere.

We went back to the hotel about 9 and got a bite to eat at the hotel before heading up to bed.....i slept very well!!

The next morning our pick up was at 1250pm, the flight was again very good but i was very tired and couldnt wait to get home to bed!

I now have a few days off as i have a US visa interview on 11th, so im just going to do a few things round the apartment and a bit of christmas shopping along with catching a few rays.

My flatmate Lucy moved out on 6th, so ive been claring out some old stuff in the kitchen and i also put up my Christmas tree!! Its only 5 foot but its quite cute and ive deorated it nice with the little ginger bread from Vienna on it too...(no havent ate them yet!)

My other flatmate Sharon is leaving on 12th so i think we will spend a bit of time together the next couple of days. Oh and i think i will be able to move into the ensuite room from tomorrow!! yey!

So my next flight??....................Birmingham! yeah! on the 14th, arriving at 1900, im sure mum has already informed you all, so i hope to see you either on the Friday night for dinner or the Saturday for lunch!!

See you soon! xx

My apartment....

2007-12-06T21:57:00.000+04:00

I thought i would post a couple of pics of my apartment.....well atleast my living room, ive completley changed it from when i first moved in.....it was pretty deserted and not too inviting!!

Vienna Trip

2007-12-05T21:34:00.000+04:00

I got back from my Vienna layover just after midnight this morning, i absolutley loved it there! Its so beautiful! The flight there was really good, the passengers were really nice and werent demanding. It was just under full on the way there, about 6 hours there, we got there at about 1230 in the afternoon, vienna was 3 hours behind of Dubai time. When we got there we got to the hotel which was the Marriott, lovely hotel with really nice christmas decorations. We were given an allowance of 71 euros. Me and the sfs (senior flight steward) arranged to meet in about 2 hours time giving us time to have a little sleep. We went out about 5pm, it was dark by this time and very cold! about 6 degrees, was not bad at first but then my hands started to feel like they were going to drop off! i didnt have any gloves! We walked around the main part of the city, the hotel was really central. We looked round the christmas markets which are quite famous there, the things on sale were lovely, lots of hand crafts, christmas decorations, lots of ginger breads to hand on the tree and alot of ginger bread houses! yum! but they looked too good to eat and destroy! i brought a few of the ginger breads to hang on the tree and got a couple for some people back home. While we walked round we had some mulled wine which was gorg, it was quite strong though so if i had more than a couple i would have left there hammered! warmed me up though! After walking round we were quite hungry and my hands were developing frost bite so we went to a restaurant for some dinner. I had a traditional schnitzal, very nice, and we sat there chatting away, the sfs was really nice, Sam from Middlesborough.

After dinner we went back to the hotel where we sat in the loby/cafe drinking a hot chocolate before going back to our rooms and to bed. I went fairly early, about 9pm, but i had such a good sleep, the beds were just superb! you just sunk into them.

I woke up the next morning about 8am, went down to breakfast which was nice, a big buffet, too many nice things to choose from.

After breakfast i went out into the centre again on my own to take some pictures of Vienna in the day, i only took one the night before because my hands were so cold i could hardly press the button! i was a right little tourist taking pictures on my tod! i stopped off at the park opposite the hotel on the way back and got someone to take a picture of me!

We got picked up at 1pm afternoon to go to the airport, i love walking through the airport on a layover, everyone just turns to look at us, im tottering along in my uniform, red lipstick and hat in place loving it! haha we dont get that in Dubai as we have a seperate place near the airport for briefing and then the little bus takes us to the plane.

The flight back was great, half full! the passengers were pretty much all asleep after the meal service so we were just sat in the galley nattering away and eating the food from business class. Then we served ice cream about an hour or so before landing, it was hagen daz! ummm, so we were all scoffing on it!

I would definetly go back to Vienna, its so beautiful, the buildings have lovely architecture and it just has a really nice feel to it, besides, the flight was sooo easy!

My next flight is on Friday to Dusseldorf so i will update again when i get back.

Love and kisses Lis xxx

December rosta and Cairo turnaround

2007-12-01T13:13:00.000+04:00

Hey all....

So i was due to have a Karachi turnaround yesterday at 10am (Friday) and i woke up had a shower etc, my pick up was at 720, they pick us up 2 and half hours before the flight and we have to be in the briefing room 1 and half hours before at the latest. So i called evita after my shower to check if there was any delays etc. (Evita is a automated phone system where you can hear your rosta, hear any delays, call sick, any changes you have etc.) Anyway it said i was being notified of a duty change, it was another flight...a cairo (known for being a bit of a nightmare flight!!) but it was departing at 0850! earlier than my original, so i was rushing around and cursing and had to jump in a taxi as i missed the pick up cuz i didnt know i was supposed to be on it! i got there in time luckily but everyone told me they are actuallysupposed to call me to tell me, especially if its earlier than my original flight! so now im unsure if im even going to check evita right before a flight now! i dont want that stress agan!
Anyway it turned out to be ok, i think its proberly because my expectations of the flight were really low, so it wasnt as bad as i thought! they were very demanding and i had the odd rude passenger but i just carry on and dont let it get to me! My sfs (senior flight steward) said he was doing an appraisal on me, in my 6 months probation i have t have about 4 done on me, he didnt have to do one but said he wanted to as he was really impressed with me, he said i was doing really well for my 3rd opperational flight and i had no problems...yey! so that goes back to my manager and also onto the crew portal (an internet system whichwe all have a log in for and where we can swap fights, see our rosta, put in for leave, bid for flights etc) where i can see what he put and comment if i like.
So i have 2 days off now and i got my rosta for Dcember while i was in Malta, its not bad, im in the process of swapping some flights though.

I have a Vienna layover on Monday, then a Dusseldorf on 7th, then they gave me another dusseldorf on 14th but i have swapped it with a Birmingham (its just waiting to be approved by scheduling), then i have a few days off after that to have my US visa interview, then on 18th i have a Columbo and at the moment i have a jakarta on the 22nd which gets back at 5am on 25th...xmas day!! but im trying to swap it for 2 turnarounds so that im in dubai more, as Gav is here from 22nd, its been accepted by someone but im just waiting for crew scheduling to approve! fingers crossed! then i have a dacca layover on 29th but amazingly someone agreed to swap with me for days off instead! again it needs to be approved though. So if all goes well with my swaps im quite happy with my rosta!
Gav will come on 22nd and leave early hours on 31st, so its going to be really nice having christmas dinner togther and just doing the usual christmas stuff (but in dubai!!) I just need to get a tree now! yey!

Malta Layover....

2007-11-29T17:39:00.000+04:00

Hey everyone!

I got back from my 2 day Malta layover early hours this morning, really tired now!! It was a really good trip, good flight on the way over there, it was via larnaca (Cyprus), so 3 and half hours there and 2 half hours from there to Malta. I felt alot more confident and because it wasnt a quick turnaround i could actually have time to chat with the passengers more! When we got there it was about 2pm, so we checked in, got our allowance which was about 75 british pounds...55 maltese lira. Then a few of us went to stroll around the shops near the hotel and have coffee and cake! I brought mum a fridge magnet and a little souviner for the apartment. We went back to the hotel after to get ready to go out that evening, we were staying at the Intercontinental...very nice.

We met some of the others that night for dinner, went to a nice italian restaurant and by 10pm i felt like a zombie and im still not sure how i was keeping my eyes open! so we all went back to the hotel to get some sleep.

The next day a few of us got a bus to Valetta (the city) and we walked around there, had some lunch, shopped a bit, i found miss selfridge!! (the uk store) so i got a couple of bargains! We went to the Palace, we had a private tour around it because we were having our pictures taken with the army gurads and one of them was really nice and offered to take us round and not charge us to get in!
Then we needed a coffee boost so stopped off to watch the maltese world go by while munching on a cake! again!
After Valetta we got back on the bus and went to salima on the way back. We just went to a few shops for a look round, there was a marks and spencers so i got a couple of bottles of wine and some yummy shortbread.

That evening we went out for a meal at a nice restaurant on the bay before going to a bar and onto a club. We were back about 1am and then were picked up for the bus at 1250pm to go to the airport. I picked up some more wine at duty free off we went.

The flight from larnaca to Dubai was full so we were very busy on the way back, but i still enjoyed it, but was very tired!

Graduation and supy flights.....

2007-11-23T16:05:00.000+04:00

Well i am now officially a flight attendant!! i graduated last Thursday 15th and im so pleased my training is over with!! So to celebrate we all went out for a nice meal with our service trainers to Sevilles, a really nice tappas restaurant in wafi center, in the pyramids. We all got our facecards on graduation, which if i havent told u already gives us good discounts on various restaurants, bars, hotel gyms etc. So we used the facecard to get our discount...50% off! yey...maybe i will save some money here! Anyway it was a really good night which ended up in Zinc....otherwise known as stink!! its a bit of a dive, but everyone goes there for graduation because emirates arranges free drinks for us.

So my first supy (training) flight was to Karachi on Sunday 18th, was an ok flight, very quick service, give the meal then collect it and land, but the passengers are very demanding wanting whiskey or beer all the time. I got to sit in the cockpit on take off and landing which was really good!

My second supy flight was to Karachi again! yesterday...22nd. It was again very quick but i did prefer it this time i think because the crew were helping me more and the purser and sfs were really friendly and fun going. I still kinda feel a bit lost in the galley of where to put things and get things from but im told that will come in time.

So my next flights??....

Well i was on can use, which is like standby but they let you know the day before if you have a flight. But i called up to get it changed into rostered flights, just so i know what im doing. They dont always do it but i got a nice guy who said since im new he would change it.

So he gave me a Bahrain which is a very quick turn around (even quicker than karachi), thats tomorrow morning - 24th. Then a day off on Sunday and on Monday a Malta....2 day layover yey! ive never been there before but im told its very nice with a nice pretty harbour. Apparently its quite a sought after flight with it being a 2 day layover. I found out we stay at the Intercontinental Hotel, which ive searched on the internet and found it looks veerrrry nice! i will be taking my swim suit and gym kit to take full advantage!! i think its about 20 degrees there at the moment which is quite nice to explore the place. I get back from malta early hours of Thursday morning and im on another Karachi flight on Friday morning!!! i have no idea why they insist on putting me on Karachi flights all the time!!

Im very excited to get my December rosta.....im hoping i will get a few days off together around xmas or new year so i can see Gav, but i think i will be very lucky if i get them. I bidded for them but im sure alot of people did the same. I also bidded for a Seychelles and a Auckland and Singpore, but im not on top bid this month so will see.

Basically everyone is in a group and im in group 5 and each month one group is on top bid which means they will more than likely get what they bid for. There are 7 groups and this month im at position 5. When your at position 7 your on standby, but it goes downward so next month i will be position 4.

My flatmates are both leaving in December, Lucy is going on 6th December and Shaz is going on 12th December so im moving into Lucy's room which is the ensuite and private balcony, the bathroom is my colours too! natural beiges etc. I just need to hand the forms into accommodation to let them know and they need to confirm back to me.

So im hoping i will get some nice flatmates! if its abinitio (which are the ones in training ie was me a week ago!) then i dont get a say and they just let me know im getting a new flatmate but if its not abinitio then i get a say, like they will come and look round and meet me and if i dont think we will get on or whatever then i can say no to them.

So over the last few days ive been making the apartment nice, like the living room is lovely now thanks to Ikea! and ive been throwing out old stuff in the kitchen and just generally being a Monica! As mum knows only too well though i hate clutter!! it clutters up my head!

I got internet installed in the apartment too and also showtime (like sky) so its more homely now. I cant wait to get some nice ornaments from all over the world, like when people go to nairobi they buy the big girrafs (sorry my spelling is shocking!)

Update.....first week of service over

2007-11-09T18:18:00.000+04:00

Hey!

Well, the first week of service is now over and im on my last week now....so hopefully providing i get through the last couple of exams and assessments and the mock up i will have graduated on Thursday! yey!!
I found out my first suppy flights are to Karachi, they are like still in training flights and always a quick turn around flight. My first is on Sunday 18th!arh! and then next one is on 22nd. Then im not sure what my rosta is yet for the start of my fully fledged cabin crew flights, should find out this week.
Service is fun but also alot to learn as usual!! we had our first mock up yesterday where we had to serve real plane foodin the simulator and do the whole service, we were all dead nervous and running round like headless chickens gettng stressed about what needs to be done and the questons the trainers were asking us!

Gav came last weekend and it was so great, we had a great time and i miss him loads already! He spoilt me rotten, got me a mobile, laptop, perfume, speakers for me laptop and more!
He arrived on the weds night and we just cilled out with a take away cuz i had an exam in the morning for first aid, so thursday afternoon when i came home we went to the mall, had lunch with a couple of his friends and it was overlooking the ski dubai in the mall. We went out for a few drinks that night. Friday we went to an all you can eat and drink buffet, was a good laugh, gav was up on the karaoke!
Saturday we went to get my laptop and then watched the football andthen went to Madanet area for a romantic meal, was well nice, we had to get a boat to the restaurant and had great views of the Burj.

Well im going to post a couple of pics for ya now....if i can!!

Update again soon, Lis xxx

First Aid Training...............

2007-10-29T19:17:00.000+04:00

Howdy!

Well this week is first aid, very tired this week and the class is finding it hard to keep awake!! but its good when we do the practicals. We have learnt how to deliver a baby and do CPR so far, oh and what to do with a dead body! Its good though, just alot to learn with all the medication and equipment.

Gav is coming in a couple of days!!!!! yey, cant wait!! so excited.
The weekend just gone i went out with my batch and one of our SEP trainers, went to a nice place called Ginsing in the pyrimids in wafi centre. Was really nice in there and the cocktails were yummy! We got a huge discount cuz we are emirates crew and then went in the club next door and got about 60 free drinks!! then we went back to our trainers villa, well the ones left standing! i saw the sunrise again....paid for it the next day though! We just had one day weekend last week as we had security training on the saturday.

Got a few more things for the apartment on saturday and today too....starting to look better every visit...though im not finished yet!

Anyway ive got to cut it short as i have to do some studying!! I will post some pics up here very soon as i will be getting my laptop this weekend.

Love you all loads and miss you too!!
Bye for now xxxxx

My Training so far.....

2007-10-22T17:53:00.000+04:00

Hey, sorry i havent updated, just been too busy with the training!
My first week in Dubai was just medicals, inductions, uniform fittings etc.
Then SEP (Safety Emergency Procedures) started, im into my second week of this now and will be glad when its over!! The first week of SEP was in the simulator and classrooms, doing role plays of Turbulence, Decompression, Emergencies and Fire.......Cabin Crew are far from Dumb thats all i can say!!
At the end of last week we had our first exam of basically all we had learnt and i passed....100%!! yey! then this week its been all about the A330 and we had our exam on that today, were told its alot harder than the others so i studied my ass off! Anyway after alot of stressing and worrying i passed and got 98%, you need 80% to pass the exams, otherwise you get a re take or put back a week and have to join another group or failing that they send you home! Hense the stressing!!
Anyway we need to learn about the B777 now and got an exam for that on Wednesday and then theres a few other things they go through and by Thursday night my brain can rest....for a day atleast!! Next week is First Aid. SEP is supposed to be the hardest 2 weeks, so first aid should be fine!
Im really looking forward to next week cuz Gav is coming over to visit....yey!!! cant wait. He gets here on the Wednesday night, so i have training on the Thursday but then can spend the evening with him and then Friday and Saturday im off too. He goes back on Sunday, short visit but its going to be soooo nice to se him!
Last weekend was good, went out on Thursday night to Irish Village which was pretty good and then onto a club near me. All 3 batches (that started the same time) went out so was a good night. I chilled out a bit on Friday, just went by the pool for a bit and got over my hangover!! Saturday i was by the pool for a bit and then went off to buy a TV for the apartment, me and the other girls are going 3rds in and it was dirt cheap, just need to get Showtime now (like sky) and i think Lucy (flatmate) and her boyfriend are sorting that tomorrow.
Anyway ive rambled enough now so im signing off now and will update again prob at the weekend. Hope everyone is good and im missing you all....espec Chloe!! xxx

Arrived in Dubai!

2007-10-10T15:06:00.000+04:00

Well, im finally here! Got here on Saturday morning (midnight). The flight was really good, think i watched 1 film, 3 friends episodes and 3 heros episodes on the flight! the entertainment is great!
Im living with 2 British girls who are really nice and im on the Sheik Zayed Road which is the main road, really busy but right in the centre of it all. My room is pretty big and i have a balcony overlooking the main road and my bathroom is just accross the hall. The building has a pool and gym which is quite nice though i havent used them yet as ive been too busy!!
Saturday i went to the Mall of Emirates (Huuuugge!) with another girl who started the same time as me and is in my building.
Sunday was induction and uniform fitting. There are 3 batches started the same time. My batch got our uniform at the end of the day. Monday was grooming so i wore the full uniform the first time, yep and the lovely red lipstick! it actually looks really nice all together.
Tuesday was medicals and today was a corporate induction. Tomorrow is the start of SEP which stands for Safety Emergancy Procedures, im told its the hardest 2 weeks of the training with lots of long days and exams. We have Friday and Saturday off so im planning on using the gym and pool and taking a trip to Ikea to brighten up my room.
I will write more when i have chance but for now....this is all your gettin!!
Love Lis xxx

Just 1 week till my holiday!!

2007-09-17T13:46:00.000+04:00

Well ive got just over a week till my family holiday, i so can't wait! Its my birthday while im away too which makes it even better, but my hubby wont be there :(
After all the interview process and the medicals and all the stress and worrying im so glad i had the final approval last week, i can now relax a little...though im now starting to stress about what to take!
When i get back off holiday i will be back for 1 day before i leave the delights of my lovely home town (sarcasim? nah) and make the big move to Dubai to start my dream job of cabin crew.
Im really excited about it but have a few nerves starting to surface too. I think having lived away from home before im not worried about that bit, living in kuwait will have given me an insight to the culture and what it will be like there.

Anyway, i thought i would start this blog to keep my family and friends up to date with what im doing, with pictures and blog entries. Also i know some of the blogs i have read on here from other members of crew have helped give me an insight to what it will be like and i hope i may help others by writing this too :)