My Kind Of Weekend

My weekend has officially come and gone, but what a great one it was! It was the perfect balance of fun, sun, exercise, food, friends, adventure, sleep...and a wee bit of wine :)

I'm now on service training, which takes place in the evening, so Thursday night was spent in training college until nearly midnight. Friday was beautiful in Dubai, and I took full advantage of the 80 degree weather and caught some rays on top of our building with a group of girlfriends. I'm trying to start incorporating the whole running thing back into my life, so I spent a little time Friday on the good ol treadmill. That evening a group of about ten girls all went out for dinner and drinks at this super cute restauraunt right on the water. Watching the sunset above the water and yachts was absolutely gorgeous!

This afternoon my two friends Charlotte (English) and Charlene (Irish) and I went on our very first desert safari! We really weren't too sure what to expect, but saw the deal on Groupon, and decided that dune bashing, camel rides, and a traditional Arabic barbecue for only 200 durams ( about 55 US dollars) was a fairly good deal. An adventure guide picked us three up from our apartment in a land rover equipped with roll bars on the outside and extra safety handles on the inside. A middle aged couple who were vacationing from India were also inside the suv with us girls. We drove about twenty minutes outside the city into the legit, I cannot see any signs of life, desert before we came to a randomly placed, hole in the wall convienince store where we were instructed to use the bathroom before we began our adventure. Following this, the six of us loaded back up into the land rover and we drove about five minutes further before the driver pulled off the road and right onto the sand. He was a man of very few words, so he turned around and very matter of factly told us to remain seat belted at all times, and that if we puke we pay a 300 Durham fine. With that, he turned back around, shifted into drive, and hit the pettle! I've experienced some adrinaline rushes in my life, but NEVER have I ever experienced anythig like this. It was non stop craziness for a solid 20 minutes. It was full speed up sand dunes, down the other side, donuts on the side of mounds, and slamming down incredibly hard after flying off of peaks. I cannot even begin to come up with ways to describe this insanity. With that being said, I loved it! At one point my body, as well as all of my belongings, were being tossed around so much that we resembled little shirts in the dryer, my Capri sun being one of those items. At the time I was honestly not sure if the violent tossing had caused my juice box to spill on me, or if I had just wet myself. Jury is still out on that one!

After that little joyride we were brought to the campsite with about 100 other tourist. One of the main things I was excited about doing at the campsite was riding the camels, which I did do as soon as we arrived. I reverted back into a 6 year as I literally ran to get in line for a ride. I do like animals, but I've never been a huge huge animal lover, so I have no idea where my camel fascination came from, but I was seriously dying to ride these beasts. It just felt so Sex and The City II ish!

After my camel ride, us girls went inside the dinner area were they had lots of touristy activities (henna paintings, Arabic costumes, tea tasting) in which I fully partook in!

Just as the sun was setting over the sand dunes, the meal portion of the evening began. We started out with appitizers consisting of small pitas stuffed with chicken and vegetables. After our appetizers, there were a few different entertainers who came out and performed traditional dances, very talented. We were then invited to eat the main dinner that was served buffet style. The meat was definitely the best part, as they had been grilling chicken and beef kabobs on these massive grills for the past hour and they smelled heavenly. Other then the meat we were served hummus, rice, potato soup, and various fresh vegetables. By the time we finished it was completely dark out. And I do mean completely dark. The desert at night is not a place I enjoy too much! It got very cold and windy. As I type I'm still crunching on sand in my mouth...yummy!!!

So that pretty much was my weekend in a nut shell. Can't say I've ever really had one like it :)

Side note, my computer is on the fritz. That does mean I just wrote this entire post with my iPhone...impressed?

The Most Shallow Day Of My Life

So as my title states, today was in fact the most shallow day of my life, in Emirates language it was Image and Uniform Day. In all reality the day was pretty fun, and a welcomed break from SEP and medical training. It's just that I think I've spent more time today thinking about my hair, makeup, and nails than I cumulatively have throughout the course of my whole entire life!

Last Thursday we received our luggage, shoes, and most importantly, our uniforms! Today marked the first day we actually wore them. I must admit, it was pretty awesome putting on the emirates outfit this morning. Probably would have been a lot cooler had it not been 5 A.M. My class arrived at training college bright and early, and were greeted by two grooming specialists, who of course encompassed the Emirates look to a T. The room was surrounded by mirrors, bright lighting, huge bottles of hair spray, and a display of Clairens makeup large enough to make me question whether I was at training college or Macy's cosmetic department. During the morning session we discussed skin care methods, appropriate jewelry, and various Emirates' approved hairstyles. After the sessions, we were instructed to touch up our hair and makeup, and then line up for our image checks, dun dun dooon! So after nervously waiting in line, I stood before the perfectly groomed trainers as they carefully examined me. After doing several twirls, removing my jacket, and closing both eyelids for a closer look at my makeup, it was determined that my skirt is about a half inch too short and must be himmed to meet company standards, my makeup was perfect (thank you, thank you), and that my dark roots needed to be "delt with." These finding were all noted in my company file, and away I was sent for lunch. During the afternoon we discussed nail care, and then spent an hour polishing, buffing, and painting our nails. Then, following a talk on physical health and fitness (aka please don't get fat), our session ended.

So I figured while I had time, and since I was already on a vanity role, I'd go deal with my roots. So thankfully after today my nails are bright red, and my the top of my hair is a shade blonder.

In other news, I'm really hoping the good Lord above decide to take me home today because I'm pretty sure if I had to stand in front of Him and answer when He asks, "So, Kelsey, what did you do to better the Earth on your last day?" I would not be able to come up with one flipping thing. I feel pretty, oh so pretty....

Happy Valentine's Day

As you may have read on facebook, yesterday (or today, depending upon which time zone you're in) was Valentine's Day. Although I don't exactly have a significant other sending me chocolates and flowers, I try not to get too caught up in the whole cliché "I'm single, I hate Valentine's Day," bandwagon. I even busted out my red- heart underwear for the occasion!

This week's training has been focused on medical issues onboard. Luckily, I've been a lifeguard since I was 16 and already have a lot of basic knowledge on how to handle heart attacks and chocking, perform CPR, cool burns, apply direct pressure to cuts, etc. Interesting side note, although different countries use variations of CPR techniques, Emirates uses the American Heart Association's method because globally the US has the highest rates of heart attacks, therefore has done the most research (thanks McDonalds).

Yesterday's topic, which just so happened to coincide with Valentine's Day, was childbirth. Yes, this did involve watching an actual real life birthing video. It actually made me very grateful to be flying solo on Valentine's Day, and any other day for that matter. The way I see it, if that's what "love" leads to, then leave me the freak out! Clearly this video left an impression on me, and I'm still disturbed. Prior to watching this featured presentation, we all got the chance to deliver the baby via the prego mannequin, complete with umbilical cord and placenta! One word: SICK!

Week in Review

1-I passed my Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) section of training!

2-I celebrated passing my SEP...a lot! Fun weekend for sure! Thursday night I went out with a group of girls to a fun night club called The Lounge. Friday I went to an all inclusive brunch that lasted untill about 7:00 p.m. Saturday was my recovery day, which involved a lovely dinner out to a local restuarant called Coco's with my friend Charlene.

3-I've deveoped an intense addiction to Nutella since I've been over here. I could eat in it in a car, in a house, with a fox, or with a mouse!

4- I was literally heart broken when I woke up to find out Whitney Houston died this morning. That woman has seen me through many a break ups! I got dressed this morning listening to Step By Step, It's Not Right But It's Ok, and, obviously, I Will Always Love You.

5-This morning I had to get Vaccinations for both Typhoid and Hepatitis A. My arms are sore and my neck is stiff, and I'm feeling slightly flu like ish!

6-I'm not a big TV watcher, however, I have missed having at least a little mindless entertainment in my life. Thankfully, a girl who lives in my building has loaned me ALL The Office seasons! I'm in Heaven!

7-Today I started the Group Medical Training section of training. It seems to be easier than the last two weeks, however, the session goes from 3:45-11:30 each night this week. That might be a little rough, even for this night owl.

A Big Win

Exactly a week ago training started in full swing, and I have pretty much had my nose in my flight manual every since then. Studying is a foreign concept to me. I was always a fairly average student in school, I never was one to spend long hours in the library reading chapters and chapters of textbooks. So this whole studying thing is not my forte, to say the least!

However, I have gone through flight attendant training, and know that there is no other way around passing the tests than studying my arse off! So with the exception of two dinners out with friends this weekend, I was in full-blown study mode! Today we had our first comprehensive test on safety procedures, and I passed with a 100%! I would have been more than happy with an 80% (the just passing mark), so I was elated when I found out I had a perfect score!

One of the things I was most dreading about going through flight attendant training again was practiceing ditching, or landing in water. One of my top 5 least favorite things in this world is swimming, bathing, being splashed, etc by cold water. Fact: In 2008 when I worked at Cascades, a summer camp in Seattle, on a lake, I was the sole counselor who did not enter the water all summer long on account of it being freaking freezing! So last Thursday was the dreaded day that my group had to jump out of a raft, fully clothed into an indoor pool that was all of about 35 degree in order to "get us used to the water in a real life situation." Whatever! Anyways, I jumped, I shivered in the water for a good five minutes, and I lived to tell about it, but am VERY glad that part is behind me!

Side note, I miss fresh, inexpensive, quality meat, fruits, and vegetables! It's all imported, and all of the produce seems to be drenched in preservatives. No good!

A little shout out to one of my very favorite people in this world, Kristen Bell! Happy Birthday my beautiful friend!!!!

First Day Of School

Two posts in one week, what is this world coming to?! Well to explain myself, today was day one of actually training. Lots of people had asked me how the first day went, so instead of individually responding, I figured I'd through out a quick blurb on here.

Day one went really well! I remember the first day of training for Spirit feeling so overwhelming because I had no aviation knowledge what so ever! Aft?! Aircraft Right?! Slide-raft whaaaa?!!! So it was nice to at least be a little bit familiar with what the trainers were talking about today. However, I can also see my past experience being problematic at times, because many safety related topics, such as the emergency evacuation commands that are to be shouted at passengers, vary from airline to airline.

Today we were split into groups of 16, which felt much less chaotic than the huge group of 130! We spent the morning learning theory behind different things, such as the doors, the various commands, turbulence protocol, etc. Then after lunch our group actually went into the flight simulator and practiced what we had learned. These flight simulators are AMAZING! They are legitimately just like a real aircraft. Before any of us trainees started practicing what to do during light, moderate, or extreme turbulence, our two instructors acted out an exploded engine scenario. The "windows" inside the simulator are digital, therefore looking out of them we could actually see fire! There is also audio that accompanies the accident. So crazy. Thankfully, there were no fatalities!

Another great part of my training session is that I am in the afternoon section that goes from 12:30-8:30 P.M. Perfect for my night owl ness!

So there ya go! Training Day One in a nutshell!

Another Day Another Durham

This week us ab initios (new trainiees) had lots of different departments from within Emirates come in and speak with us. One of the talks I found most interesting was presented by Emirate's counseling department. Bet you didn't know they had one of those, neither did I! The lady who spoke to us talked about the four stages of culture shock, again didn't know those four stages existed. Here's the break down of appartently what I'll be going through over the next couple of months...

Stage 1 - Excitement

The individual experiences a holiday or 'honeymoon' period with their new surroundings.

They:
. Feel very positive about the culture
. Are overwhelmed with impressions
. Find the new culture exotic and are fascinated
. Are passive, meaning they have little experience of the culture

Stage 2 - Withdrawal

The individual now has some more face to face experience of the culture and starts to find things different, strange and frustrating.

They:
. Find the behaviour of the people unusual and unpredictable
. Begin to dislike the culture and react negatively to the behaviour
. Feel anxious
. Start to withdraw
. Begin to criticize, mock or show animosity to the people

Stage 3 - Adjustment

The individual now has a routine, feels more settled and is more confident in dealing with the new culture.

They:
. Understand and accept the behaviour of the people
. Feel less isolated
. Regains their sense of humour


Stage 4 - Enthusiasm

The individual now feels 'at home'.

They:
. Enjoy being in the culture
. Functions well in the culture
. Prefer certain cultural traits of the new culture rather than their own
. Adopt certain behaviours from the new culture

I actually thought that was pretty interesting to see it laid out like that. I would say I'm somewhere between stages one and two. Overall, I'm loving it here! I have met a lot of awesome people, think I made an excellent choice in deciding to work for this successful company, and am having a ton of fun. In my week and a half of being here, I've only had one sit in the middle of my bed clinging to letters from my mom and sister, balling my eyes out, kinda night. So one out of 12, not too shabby!

Anywho, here's just a breif recap of what I have been up to. Last Saturday, I went on a required city tour of Dubai, which also involved a tour of a local mosque. For the mosque portion of the tour, all of us girls were required to wear clothing that covered our arms and legs, as well as scarves (Shaylas) over our heads. The woman who gave the presentation inside the mosque did a great job explaining the 5 pillars of the Muslim faith, as well as exinuating that the Muslim religion is based on peace, love, and growing closer to God, and that any acts that are harmful to others are not at all a part of that religion.

One thing that has stuck out to me during this first week of training has been the similarities I see between Emirates and Disney. Both corporations are very focused on providing the very best product they can possibly offer to their customers, as well as creating a future for their companies. After working for a company that was not customer service focused (not to name names) it's a welcomed breathe of fresh air!

With this weekend brough lots of free time to explore Dubai! Fun fact, because the holy day falls on Friday in the Muslim faith, Friday and Saturdays are considered the weekend here! Thursday was also Austrailia Day. Since part of my life plan involves me eventually marrying a hunky Austrailllian, I took it upon myself to fully celebrate the holiday. A huge group of us went to a humungous night club called Barasti that was right on the beach, tons of fun! Last night, was a little bit more low key and just a few of us girls went to a bar that was located inside of a hotel.

I also visited the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, for a few photo opps!

I also squeezed in a few hours at the pool on top of my building! Something about sun bathing in January just makes me warm and fuzzy inside!


Tomorrow morning the actual hard part of training starts, so my fun is going to come to a big, loud, screeching hault! Last year alone, Emirates received 71,756 applications. Out of those applicants, 35,803 people were granted an interview. And out of those people that were interviewed 2,894 people got the job. With that being said, I'm going to try my hardest to remember during these next four weeks that this opportunity is nothing short of a gift, and to keep my mouth shut when I want to complain about how hard it is. Wish me luck!

I miss all of you and think of you all daily! LOVE LOVE LOVE

P.S. my spell check isn't working on this website tonight, and I'm too lazy to attempt fixing the problem. Hoap ur Able two reed my speeeling atempts.