more than halfway there

It is Tuesday night. Wow, I guess that means we've made it through two weeks of training. Just over a week to go! Hope I can make it. It feels like Survivor, with people leaving at least every other day. Our group started at 47, and we're down to 35 people. Of course, some have chosen to leave on their own because it was just too tough. I am hanging in there. I thank God for every day that I wake up and am here at training another day! Training so far has been so much about emergencies and evacuations and safety stuff - they teach you stuff that they hope you'll never have to use. Different than training for a lot of other jobs. =) Things here have been intense, but prayer is getting me through for sure.

I don't even remember everything we've done... there is so much! Today we finished the last of our aircraft tests - on the EMB120, the little tiny plane. 3 different configurations and much different from the jets so lots to learn! I was stressed about our test today as we were told yesterday that it is the one that many people fail. Went to bed late and got up early to get my studying in. Got a 96%. So relieved. Did our last evacuation testing. Glad that's done too!!

Training has definitely had its ups and downs, but I have met some really great people. It's interesting to see the dynamics of the group... Thanks to some good advice from a friend who went through the training earlier this year, I have mostly managed to stay away from the drama and try to keep away from the stress-cases (although I have the tendency to become one myself). Something I need to work on.

Last Saturday we had our first day off in 10 days. There is definitely a reason God rested on the 7th day! That day was wonderful... Friday night we walked down to the mall... I felt so guilty, like I should be back in my room studying, memorizing announcements, or doing homework. Instead, I had dinner with Morgan at an island grill... totally my style! Had some great conversation, then we went to see Shrek the Third. Cute movie. Got back to the hotel after 10pm, so not too late. It was good. Relaxing, chill. I'm glad I didn't go out anywhere.

I called Salo in New Zealand that night and had a fun time talking with her, as always! It was so wonderful to actually be able to sleep in on Saturday... until Abi called me and woke me up. =) I like those kinds of wake up calls. Very refreshing talking with him, plus I was up in time to go down to breakfast. Spent much of the morning just chilling then studied in the afternoon and evening for the CRJ700 test we had on Sunday. Nailed it and got 100%. We had another evac test Sunday, then a test on the CRJ900. Another 100%. A super looooooong day, but good test-wise.

So, we only have 8 days of classes left until we graduate... praying for strength to make it to the end! Need sleep... Looking forward to another day off Saturday. =)

Training in SLC

Well... I've been in SLC for 3 1/2 days now... Got here on Monday afternoon and it's Thursday night. So I've survived day 3 of training without failing or getting kicked out!! Let's see... in a nutshell...

Monday. Got to the airport. Was on the shuttle with 4 others who came from Chicago for training. Got to the hotel. On the 4th floor. Lugged all my stuff up to my room. Met my roommate - just a little younger than my mom. =) She's really nice. I like her. Lots of different kinds of people here, from lots of different places. Just a handful of guys. Anyway, got unpacked and met a few people. Saw a bunch of people who have been in training for 2 weeks already.

Tuesday. First day of training. Welcome, powerpoints, video, fingerprinting, computer registration, drug testing (man I had to pee so bad that my PBA (Public Bathroom Anxiety) didn't have an effect on me like it usually does during those situations - especially when I'm under that kind of pressure!), physical agility test, paperwork... Oh yeah, and the 30 question test, and the announcement test. Helen was the one who listened to my announcement, and I was already able to go and say hi to her in a more personal way thanks to Jason, who is my lifesaver with all this flight attendant training stuff. Huge blessing. Anyway, Jason told me to say hi to her for him and told me that she was cool. So I automatically felt more comfortable around her because of all that, and was a little less nervous for my announcement test. =) Was super tired and had a headache all day, because I couldn't sleep the night before. Time change, hungry, and NERVOUS. Was glad when the day was over!! I was sooo exhausted though.

Wednesday. Uniform compliance and all that fun stuff. I hate tucking shirts in. Wait... did I say that? No bad attitude here! I love it! ;-) They are super strict about stuff, so you have to be really careful... about EVERYTHING. I forgot to take one of my "6 required items" - my passport. Thought I was done for sure. Don't even know why I forgot it, because I knew I was supposed to have it all the time. I wasn't the only one, and Helen gave us a pretty friendly reminder that we were supposed to have it with us at all times. We did uniform stuff then ordered our uniforms then finally came back to the hotel.

Man. I'm forgetting the days... What did I do Wednesday night? Oh yeah, watched the end of American Idol and COULDN'T BELIEVE that the Melinda didn't make the top 2!! What in the WORLD! Went to the gym and worked out a little while I listened to my announcements on my mp3 player. Put them on my computer too and have been subliminally listening to them all night. =) Love it. Oh yeah, got to watch Lost Wednesday night too which was awesome... watched it while I was checking my manual for completeness.

Thursday... what was Thursday...? Ha. More powerpoint and stuff with Helen. FAR's. Then today we did some stuff on passenger handling with Fusaka. Long day. Bus broke down. Less time to do all the homework and learn the announcements! About to put them on and listen while I go to sleep... and am sleeping. A fun filled day of First Aid and CPR tomorrow! wooooo...

Late nights before leaving town

It is inevitable for me, that no matter where I go or for how long, or how much time I've had to plan and pack before I leave, that I will stay up late the night before I leave. So here I am, at 12:40am... not too bad. Pretty much packed up. Just a few last minute things to do in the morning. Mom has taken the day off so we can hang out in the morning and then she can take me to Long Beach for my flight to SLC at noon. Ah yes, Utah... if I've been there, it was just driving through. But tomorrow I will begin my 24-day stay in Mormon country, to train for my new career.

Agh, the anxieties! Will I be able to recite my announcements to the stone-faced instructors? Will I have a crazy roommate? Will I pass that 30-question multiple choice test? Will I go insane? Am I taking too much stuff? (Last time I went to a training, I took everything for 5 weeks in a carry-on... Yeah... I have a little more this time.) You know what's funny though? The thing that is stressing me out the MOST is the clothes. How do I know what business style is? Call me stupid... silly... whatever... but seriously, when I had to wear a suit for the interviews I went to for the airlines, I felt like I was playing dress ups. Yeah, not so confident. Just feeling ridiculous. So all I can think about right now is 24 days of ridiculous-looking-ness. I'll post some pics sometime and then you'll see what I'm talking about!!

More from SLC...

The Bucks

I am done working at Starbucks... aka the Bucks. =) It's so random that I even started working there... but a fun experience. Good times!! I love the people that I work with. I love the variety. The regulars are great... I will miss them...
The guys that get their venti red eyes, or venti black eyes, that come in at 5am... John, who gets a tall brewed coffee with heavy whipping cream poured in it... Doug, who gets a grande brewed coffee with hazelnut and cream... Elizabeth, the grande, 3 pump mocha frappuccino with an add shot and no whip... the "7 pump lady," who gets a venti vanilla chai - 7 pumps of each... the guy that brings his dog in the car with him every morning, and gets 2 grande 3 pump, nonfat, no whip mochas - one decaf (for his wifey)... the lady who gets an iced venti caramel macchiatto with whipped cream... the old man who orders a tall brewed coffee, wants an extra cup (a short one), and always tries to hold your hand through the drive thru - once he said he wanted to take me to dinner!... the man who tells anyone who will listen that they should fire me so that I can work for him because he likes my smile and personality - he gets a grande coffee - 2/3 decaf, 1/3 regular. Not supposed to drink caffeine, according to his doctor, but wants to drink caffeine and if anything happens, sue Starbucks!... Lisa, who gets an iced venti caramel macchiatto with extra, extra, extra caramel sauce... Patrick, who just comes in and hangs out in the lobby, and sometimes get a hot tea... the girl who gets a grande zen tea with two tea bags, and light ice - I think she looks like Cameron Diaz... the interesting guys that come in from Sunset Ford - they always have a joke between them... the two ladies who get tall upside down caramel macchiattos with whipped cream, and sometimes breakfast sandwiches... the guy who gets a tall mild with cream... the man who gets a grande americano in a personal cup with whipped cream, and a venti ice water... the man who gets a tall hot chocolate with whipped cream, and a grande coffee with 4 shots... the guy who get a quad espresso, or a grande white mocha with 4 shots (the first time he ordered that, it sounded like, "can I have a white mocha with vodka?")... the lady who comes in at lunchtime and gets an iced grande white mocha with a pump of toffee nut... the people who come through the drive and get"two identical coffees"... grande black eyes, venti cup, 2 equals, heavy cream... the guy who gets a venti sweetened iced coffee, sometimes with a cheese danish... the lady who comes through the drive early every morning and gets a venti white mocha with whipped cream... there are so many more... and then there's Lucas. That's his last name. Davida calls him Otis. I don't know why! Lucas is an amazing man... Someone I would love to sit down and have coffee with. =) He will talk your ear off! But is so positive and giving and generous. The first night that I met him, he came in and asked all of us working to write down what kind of sandwich we wanted from Subway, then went and bought for all of us! He cracks me up.

I could go on and on... Maybe I will some other time... more reminiscing soon. =) Fun memories, fun people. A great transition job for me! I will miss my Starbucks partners, for sure!!

Moving again

For the gazillionth time, I will leave Cali in 23 days. Wow. Sad. Yesterday at work, my manager was listening to the radio in our back room (before I worked there, I never realized Starbucks had a "back"... although if I'd thought for two seconds, I would have ;-) ). Anyways, Clette was listening to Power 106 (where Hip Hop lives!!!) and they were playing Tupac...

To live and die in LA... It's the place to be...

Ah yes. I love LA. Just one thing I'm not crazy about: TRAFFIC! It's insane. Yesterday Dad and I drove up to LAX to pick up Uncle Kaci, who had just flown in from Fiji and was on his way to Jamaica for cricket. On our way back, it took 30 mins or so just to get from the airport to the freeway! Usually it takes 5, depending on how you hit the lights. Then the 405 was stop and go, pretty much all the way home... even in the carpool lane.

So, I wish I were more excited about this job and this move. I am excited about the job... I'm way nervous about the training. But you'd think that if I could get teaching credentials and a Master's, I should be able to pass Flight Attendant training... right?

I'm nervous about moving. I'm so comfortable where I am. I love my family. I love being in my own house! I love my puppy dogs... they are fun to cuddle with and talk to and play with. They keep me company. =) As far as the moving goes, I'm really hoping for Denver. I know a few people there, and even have some rellies that live there... Haven't seen them in about 15 years, so it'd be good. Anyways... I know the Lord will provide, take care of me, put me where He wants me, and give me what I need as He always has... But unfortunately, I don't have peace in that. It's just head knowledge right now.

Clement called me today. Rait man!! We talked for a few minutes, and then he asked how I was doing in general... I said I was stressing. And right before I could say that was nothing new, he said, "you're always stressed!" Yeah, really need to learn how to let God handle things and stop worrying. Period.

My middle name

My middle name is Elizabeth... But it would be more accurate if it were "Stressed."

I have been back in America for almost 6 months now... At home, with my family, and definitely comfortable. Breakfasts with Dad. Shopping and the gym with Mom. Home cooked meals. Fun dogs. My own room. Low rent. Part time job. Life is good.

So why am I making a huge change? I don't know. That's the short answer.

Mom and Dad have always told me that I should be a Flight Attendant. Stewardess, as it was back then. Or there's also Air Hostess in some countries. You get the idea. Anyway, the point was free flights. Woohoo. So now, after 6 years of university, a Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree, California teaching credentials signed by the Governator himself (how many people have Arnold's signature??) ;-) plus 2 years teaching 1st grade in Papua New Guinea, I decided to give it a go.

Why not? I love flying. I feel so at home in airports and on planes. I love to travel. My dream is to travel the world. I like to meet people. I like to help. I like to serve. I like variety!

In comes my randomness. I decide to actually go for a couple of the cattle call airline interviews for Flight Attendant. The first one I went to was just for "practice." =) To help prepare me for the second one, later in the week. I didn't really care if I didn't get it, because I would have to move. I'm waaay too comfortable for that. Right? God has a sense of humour, for sure! Well, you guessed it - I was offered the job where I would have to move, and didn't get the one where I would have had the possibility of being based in LA. Now what?

After prayer, talking with my parents, talking with my closest friends, and seeking advice from godly men and women, I accept the job. I pick the latest possible training date, which is 5 weeks away at the time. Now it's only 3 1/2. This is happening way too fast!!! I have so many questions. So many worries. Did I make the right decision? What am I doing? Why am I moving? Will I get to see my family much? At all? Where will I live? How will I afford it? Where will I get a car? Who will I live with? Igo igo igo, as we'd say in PNG.

And so, like I said, my middle name should be changed to "Stressed." Although then, Dad and I wouldn't be REKs. And that would be sad.