Hi my Fellow Steamians :)

Like many teens, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after High School, but I knew I wanted out and escape being a small town girl. After a lot of serious thinking, I realized there are two things I want in life...I want to travel and see more of what the world has to offer, and I want a family. Yes, I was one of those little girls who played house with her Barbie dolls when I wasn't climbing trees, walls or getting down and dirty when playing marbles and Slammers with the boys.

At the moment I had two options for traveling, Au Pair or Flight Attendant, I chose the latter.

After I graduated High School I was off to Durban, found a place to live nearby the Flight Attending School at Virginia Airport here in Durban North and I started with the next class.

Picture Credit

Before I go on, I would like to mention this blog isn't just about my journey, but to make people aware of what flight attendant have to learn to ensure not only your comfort but your safety when flying. I have heard of many people talking down to flight attendant thinking they are glorified waiters and waitresses. But these people are actually there IF things go bad while thousands of miles up in the air, to keep passengers calm and to think logically while everyone is in a state of panic and shock of what to do to increase your chance of survival.

I had so many pictures taken of my journey at FliteDux (the Flight Attending School), but sadly I lost them. All I have to show and share are the certificates I obtained during the time.

And so it began...

Moved to the big city which is Durban North, South Africa, new place and why not a new hair color too?!

Honestly, I had no idea the amount of learning you had to do to become a Flight Attendant, I was shocked, like many, I didn't think there is much to be a Flight Attendant. But here is the first list of tests we had to complete to achieve the below certificates:

CCM (Cabin Crew Member) Initial Certificate
Here is a few Aircraft Termonologies we had to learn, this is a drop in a bucket as we had a binder full of them!

AFT – back of cabin
MID – center of cabin
FWD – forward of cabin
Interphone – for communicating with crew and used for announcements
Galley – where we prepare the meals
Demo – short for safety demonstration
A320 – aircraft type Airbus 320
B737 – aircraft type Boeing 737
CPT – Captain, in charge of the aircraft
FO – First Officer, second in command
CCM - Cabin Crew Member
SCCM – Senior Cabin Crew Member
ABP - Able Bodied Passenger
Short haul - usually a flight between 1 and 3 hours
Mid haul – A flight between 3 and 5 hours
Long haul – A flight of 5 hours +

These were fun to learn, to be honest, hundreds of terms but it was a whole new world for me. We had to learn, security measures we had to take, for example, when the crew would need to get help from an ABP in a difficult situation and the basics of the theory of flight. It is the cabin crew's responsibility to have a watchful eye on the aircraft from the cabin's side, whether we see something wrong on the outside of the fuselage or flaps of the wings or even the engines, it is the responsibility of the cabin crew to inform the pilot and the co-pilot.

Harder than it looks to learn and master those doors!
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Learning the Phonetic Alphabet is something I feel everybody should learn and should be taught in all schools. This is very helpful when you need to be clear in you spelling when you need to be 100% clear to avoid confusion, this is why the Phonetic Alphabet is like the first language between the pilots and ATC (Air Traffic Control).

Wet Ditching, Survival and Raft Management we went to the local swimming pool to practice. Learning things like to stay calm in every situation and to be clear and to remind passengers not to inflate their vests before leaving the aircraft incase of a water landing. WHY? Because this will cause you to float to the top and you will be unable to swim down out of the cabin door and this will cause drowning. Inflate once you have left the aircraft and this will help you to float and swim faster to the top once youare free and clear of the aircraft.

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Once there, everybody should swim together, form a circle to be more visible for Air Rescue and pull up your legs if you see a shark and be very quiet. This is in the possibilty you don't find your raft though. Always prepare for the worst in cases like these but keep your passengers happy, still the crew's responsibility till they are safely on ground :)

Dangerous Goods - Category 10: Certificate

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Honestly, this part was bit of a drag, wanted to move on to the fun stuff, but it is very important that cabin crew and airport staff work together to keep everybody safe to ensure a safe flight for everyone. And when something is not stored correctly, this could cause electrical fires, or even just a situation dangerous enough to put 100's of lives at risk. Boring but VERY IMPORTANT to learn! This is things that needed to be checked before passengers board the plane, and re-checked before take-off.

Aviation Medicine
Now this fun hard work!! LOTS of learning and LOTS of practice!!
We were busy for a whole week, every morning from 10 am till late afternoon and we finished on Valentines Day at 2 pm. I was tired everyday and enjoyed my glass of wine at the end of it. We practised CPR on dummies for adults, kids and babies, the Heimlich Monouver. How to help someone who is choking, who has suffered a burn injury, broke a bone and even if absolutely necessary, deliver a baby!

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These are one of those certificates I think everybody should have, even still in school, VERY handy to know - YOU CAN HELP SAVE A LIFE
On Valentines Day I came home to my then almost fiance where he prepared a romantic candle lit Valentines Fondue.

AVFire Module Certificate
For this one we flew up to Johannesburg, South Africa. The day before we wrote our final exam we completed the practical part of training incase there is a fire or if the cabin filled with smoke. Want to know the funny ironic part?? Almost done with my Flight Attendant Course and this was the VERY FIRST TIME I FLEW!!
Anyway, they taught us how to use a fire extinguisher and what type to use depending on the class of the fire. For example:

• Class A - fires involving solid materials such as wood, paper or textiles- Water/Foam/Powder Extinguishers
• Class B - fires involving flammable liquids such as petrol, diesel or oils- Foam/Powder/Carbon dioxide extinguishers (CO2) Extinguishers
• Class C - fires involving gases- Powder Extinguisher
• Class D - fires involving metals- Dry Powder Extinguisher
• Class E - fires involving live electrical apparatus. (Technically ‘Class E’ doesn’t exists however this is used for convenience here)- Carbon dioxide extinguishers (CO2) Extinguishers
• Class F - fires involving cooking oils such as in deep-fat fryers- Wet chemical extinguishers

And we all know about Fire Blankets if someone's clothes has caught on fire

Helpful Tip: Fire Extinguisher Label Colors:

• Water extinguishers - Red label.
• Foam extinguishers - Cream label.
• Powder extinguishers - Blue label.
• Carbon dioxide extinguishers (CO2) - Black label.
• Wet chemical extinguishers - Yellow Label

And before we finished the day with our fire fighting exam, they had us in smoke filled fuselage recuing dummies without being able to see and crawling around.

Final Exam

After a very long and nervous test I have passed second in my class. These courses are usually 6-8 weeks long but we have learned a lot and discovered what is really means and what it really takes to be an Flight Attendand.

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Saying Goodbye - With a Scare!!

The group wined and dined saying our goodbyes over a delicous cheese platter. Then our instructor decided to show us documentaries of horrific planes crashes...Thanks a lot!! Sending us off to interviews with those images burned into our heads!

This is the little white book you receive after all is said and done, this is something VERY important to every cabin crew member and should be on their person at all times!

I had my opportunity to explore the world but that would have meant saying goodbye to the love of my life. Married 6years this October and I have two beautiful boys who I can't imagine life without. I have my family

Everything has a Reason

Being a Flight Attendant would have meant I could travel the world and see new places and meet different people in their different cultures, but I may never have had my family or I may not have been so privilaged to spend so many time with them.

Why travel the world when they became my world

I wouldn't change a thing, one day I will have the chance to go places with my family and we can share the wonderful memories still to come :)

There is still so much I can say around this topic, but this blog is really long now, and I needed to re-post after making a few corrections and adding a little extra.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my post, you are AWESOME!!

With Love,
@the-housewife