The first day of training feels like it was both yesterday and last decade at the same time. It's a little strange. Going from being nervous to meet my new classmates, and knowing nothing about being a flight attendant, to feeling confident in my job and having gained so much airline knowledge over just a few short weeks is a very transformative experience. Who knew the whirlwind of emotions I'd face over the next six weeks… let's dive in:
Day 1 was very exciting! I was stoked for the opportunity for a lifelong career of traveling the world. Day 1 was also the day we got fitted for our future uniforms, and once you see yourself in that uniform, you are immediately motivated to get those wings and get up in the sky. It's a great way to start the whole process and get you in the mood to learn!
We danced our way into training - the cupid shuffle, the wobble, other strange dance crazes ensued alongside a huge red white and blue lit up airline logo as we entered our first day of training. They were really trying to pump us up for our next six weeks of constant studying and test taking…and it worked!
We were immediately paired up with a roommate that we would be sharing a tiny dorm with for the next 6 weeks. I even remember my roommate and I each laying on our own twin sized beds looking up at the ceiling and her saying to me, "we are literally 3 ceiling tiles away." We knew we would have to work out some sort of schedule for sharing amenities, which was surprisingly very easy! We were able to agree on times alarms would be set, shower times, and sharing the mirror. I got lucky with a wonderful roommate and even more amazing and supportive friend.
Don't worry, you are allotted plenty of time to eat, and for free I might add, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The cafeteria has a wide variety of food to choose from including pizza, burgers, snacks, desserts, salads, etc. Keeping a healthy diet can be tough when so many goodies are available to you, but I promise you will feel much better if you do. Eating healthy is key to maintaining that energy you'll need for showing personality in class and getting in that study time.
Then the lessons began...
The first week was very tough for me. To be away from my friends and family was challenging and being thrown into a sea of people I've never met was definitely out of my comfort zone, then add to that an overwhelming amount of information, and it becomes a stressful mix of emotions. Trying to take a moment to realize this was my new and exciting adventure and something that would open a world of opportunities, literally, made me determined to succeed and surpass the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Over the next six weeks I made wonderful friends, had a roommate who was the perfect mix of friendship and motivation, I learned CPR, how to restart a heart, administer oxygen, and how to evacuate 160+ passengers from an aircraft both on land and in water. I can't exactly tell you what happens in between day one and the day you receive your wings as far as curriculum, but I can tell you that you will make lifelong friends, learn things that will not only help you in your career in the sky, but also in life in general. Oh, and you're going to look like a BABE in that uniform walking out of training on your way to start your journey. Happy flying 😃