Life after flying

Annimarian Hello Phuket

Annimarian Hello Phuket

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annimarian

Life after Flying – Heippa! Nyt on kulunut puolisen vuotta siitĂ€ kun lopetin lentĂ€misen, niin ajattelin nyt tehdĂ€ postauksen siitĂ€, miltĂ€ on tuntunut taas olla enimmĂ€kseen maan pinnalla. Tuossa kun valikoin muutaman lentoaiheisen kuvan tĂ€hĂ€n postaukseen, tuntui melkein siltĂ€, kuin olisin ottanut kuvia jonkun toisen ihmisen albumista. Niin kaukaiselta tuo elĂ€mĂ€ jo tuntuu! Vaikka vielĂ€ puoli vuotta sitten lentelin, tuntuu kuin siitĂ€ olisi jo vuosia aikaa. TĂ€ssĂ€ se oikein korostuu, kuinka erilaista elĂ€mÀÀ tuo lentoemĂ€nnĂ€n elĂ€mĂ€ on ns. normaalielĂ€mĂ€stĂ€, melkein kuin toinen maailma. Itse lennellessĂ€ sitĂ€ ei niin paljon osannut ajatella, kuin nyt, kun ei enÀÀ lennĂ€.

Moni on kysynyt, onko mulla ollut ikĂ€vĂ€ lentĂ€mistĂ€. Vastaus on, ettĂ€ on ja ei. Postauksessa Miksi lopetin lentĂ€misen kerroin, mitkĂ€ syyt sai mut lopettamaan lentĂ€misen. Kaikesta tuosta oon edelleen ihan samaa mieltĂ€ ja oon ollut oikein tyytyvĂ€inen pÀÀtökseeni. TĂ€ytyy silti myöntÀÀ, ettĂ€ mua ei haittais ollenkaan, jos edelleen pÀÀsisin kerran kuussa New Yorkiin ja talvikaudella moneen kertaan Dubaihin lĂ€mmitteleen. Tai Thaimaahan ottaan aurinkoa ja nauttimaan hieronnoista keskellĂ€ kaamosaikaa. Tai Ouluun tuon tuosta moikkaamaan kavereita ja sukulaisia. Toki noukkisin rusinat pullasta, jos voisin 😀 Oon kuitenkin enemmĂ€n kuin tyytyvĂ€inen tĂ€hĂ€n nykyiseen, “normaaliin” elĂ€mÀÀn.

On ihanaa, kun nĂ€in perjantaina voin sanoa, ettĂ€ mullakin alkaa nyt viikonloppu ja voin tehdĂ€ asioita, joita ihmiset normaalisti viikonloppuisin tekee. EnsimmĂ€istĂ€ kertaa kolmeen vuoteen tiesin myös, ettĂ€ mulla on varmasti vapaata jouluna, eikĂ€ tarvi jĂ€nnittÀÀ, joudunko töihin. On myös ihanaa, kun voin joka ilta mennĂ€ Awsin kanssa nukkumaan ja herĂ€tĂ€ aamulla samaan aikaan ja ylipÀÀtÀÀn olla samalla aihavyöhykkeellĂ€ ja samassa maassa valtaosan ajasta 😀

TĂ€llaista pohdintaa tĂ€llĂ€ kertaa. Ihanaa viikonloppua 🙂

Life after Flying – Hello! Now that it’s been around six months since I quit flying, I think it would be a good time to make a post about how does it feel to spend most of the time on the ground. When I was choosing a few pictures from my layovers for this post, it almost felt like I was choosing pictures from someone else’s album. That’s how distant that life already feels! Although it’s been only half a year since I quit, it feels like it was years ago. I think that highlights how different the life of a flight attendant is from a life of a so called normal person, it is like another world. When I was still flying, it didn’t feel it as much as now, when I’m not flying anymore.

Many people have asked me if I miss flying. The answer is yes and no. In the post Why did I quit flying I told what were the reasons that got me to quit flying. I still agree with all that and I am very pleased with my decision. I still have to admit though, that I wouldn’t mind if I still got to fly to New York once a month and to Dubai several times during winter season to warm myself in the sun. Or to Thailand to tan and enjoy the massages during the darkes winter of Finland. Or to Oulu once or twice a month so see my friends and family. If I could only choose the best parts, of course I would 😀 Anyway, I am more than happy with my current, “normal” life.

On a Friday like today, it is so nice to be able to say that I also have a weekend ahead of me and I can do things that people normally do on a weekend. First time in three years I also knew long time ago already that I will have my Christmas free and I don’t need to think if I have to work on Christmas or not. It is also so lovely to be able to go the bed with Aws every night and wake up together every morning and in general spend most of the time in the same time zone and same country 😀

That kind of thoughts this time. Have a great weekend! 🙂

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Why did I quit flying

Why did I quit flying

The Finnish version can be found here 🙂

Why did I quit flying – I thought I could make a post about a subject that so many people have been asking about. Why did I quit flying. In May I quit flying and returned on the ground and to a “normal” job. Quite many people seemed to be very surprised about this and I understand. A lot of my blog’s content had something to do with my traveling and I’m sure my blog gave an impression that I’m living my dream flying around the world. This was partly true, because there are so many good sides in that job. However, there are also the negative sides, which finally made me to decide to quit flying.

I thought I could briefly mention a few reasons that finally led me to this decision. First I could mention my education. I am an Economist, which was a hot topic for all the colleagues and it always led to the same questions. For sure, I’m not the only flight attendant with a university degree, there are actually quite many of us, but still the colleagues would always ask me the same questions: Why am i a flight attendant, am I planning on getting a job that fits my education, wouldn’t I make better money somewhere else, is the situation for Economists so bad that you have to work here etc. These questions I heard every single time I told about my background. At some point I realized that it will be much easier for me if I just don’t tell about my education at all.

When I decided to go for the flight attendant’s career, my idea was to have a little break after six years of university studies. I never planned flying to be my job for the rest of my life. It sure gave me nice change and experiences, but it also motivated me to return back behind a desk. Of course I want to work in my field, I made a big effort by graduating from the university.

One major reason for the quitting was the salary. A flight attendant won’t get rich by working, although nobody in Finland won’t, the taxation makes sure of that. In order to work as a flight attendant, one needs to live in Helsinki or the surrounding areas. Living in Helsinki is so expensive that normally around half of my income went to living costs. Some months, when the salary was lover, the sum was more than half of it. I’m not saying that flight attendants should necessarily have a higher salary, since the training to become a flight attendant lasts only eight weeks, but if there is a chance to make more money, I will take that chance.

One of the best – and the worst – sides of a flight attendant’s work is the schedules and the rhythm of life. Compared to a normal job, there is less work hours and the days off can be any days! It is so nice to go shopping or run errands on a Tuesday day, for example, when everyone else is at work. The days off in the middle of the week and a life without a rhythm brings some kind of a freedom. The down side of that is that you never know more than a month beforehand what your schedules will be. You can’t know if you can make it to your friend’s bachelorette party or wedding and you can’t really plan any weekend activities with people who have normal working rhythm. We had one free weekend in a month, if I remember correctly. Of course the Monday-Friday schedule can be tiring too, but then you surely appreciate the free weekend more. Also, from the relationship’s point of view, it is not cool to not have free time together on the weekends, because the days off can be any given days.

One thing that started bothering me was the health aspect of the flight attendant life. Many people don’t realize that working as a flight attendant can be even more tough for the body than some other shift job, because the work schedule is completely irregular. There are morning, day and night shifts all happily mixed! Of course there are specific resting times after each shift, but for example keeping up with some kind of a sleeping rhythm is impossible for longer than a couple of days. The time differences on long-haul flights are tough for the body and I’m not too keen about the radiation either that we are exposed to on long-haul flights.

On this post I wanted to explain honestly why I decided to quit flying. My point is not to discredit the job itself, but to explain my own feelings and opinions, because people have been asking. I will gladly answer, if someone still wants to ask something about this subject! My time as a flight attendant brought me super cool memories and experiences and after flying I have more appreciation on some everyday things that I didn’t think too much about before.

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It’s over

annimarian

Heippa taas! Nyt seuraakin sitten vĂ€hĂ€n erilainen postaus… Suuria uutisia tĂ€llĂ€ kertaa. Oon nimittĂ€in lopettanut lentĂ€misen! Oon palannut maan pinnalle normaaleihin pĂ€ivĂ€töihin. Lopettamiseen ei liity sen suurempaa dramatiikkaa, nyt vaan oli tullut aika muutoksille. Jatkan edelleen blogin pitĂ€mistĂ€, vĂ€hĂ€n erilaisilla jutuilla tĂ€stĂ€ eteenpĂ€in 🙂 Ihanaa Ă€itienpĂ€ivĂ€n jatkoa, mÀÀ lĂ€hden tĂ€stĂ€ takaisin ulos nauttimaan auringosta!

Hello again! A little bit different post this time… Big news. I have quit flying! I have returned to the ground and to a normal day job. There is no drama behind  the quitting, it was just the time to do some changes. I’ll still keep posting on the blog, just a little bit different stuff from now on 🙂 Have a great Mother’s Day, now I’ll go back outside to enjoy the sun!

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Flight attendant FAQ

annimarian Flight attendant FAQ

Flight attendant FAQ – Heippa! Voi vitsit, taas on mennyt niin kauan, etten oo ehtinyt postaileen mitÀÀn. Tulee ihan huono omatunto, kun nĂ€en, ettĂ€ ihmiset kĂ€y blogissa, mutta en oo pĂ€ivitelly mitÀÀn. No, nyt kirjottelen sellaisen postauksen, minkĂ€ tekemistĂ€ oon mietiskellyt jo tovin, mutta en oo saanut aikaisemmin toteutettua.

Lentokoneessa on tullut kuultua mitĂ€ kummallisimpia kysymyksiĂ€ lentoemĂ€nnĂ€n työhön liittyen. Joskus kysymykset on niin ihmeellisiĂ€, ettĂ€ mietin, mistĂ€ ihmiset niitĂ€ keksiikÀÀn! Ajattelin kirjoittaa postauksen muutamista useimmin kysytyistĂ€, ehkĂ€ vĂ€hĂ€n kummallisista kysymyksistĂ€ lentoemĂ€nnĂ€lle. Samalla haluaisin kuulla teiltĂ€ lisÀÀ kysymyksiĂ€! LentoemĂ€nnĂ€n työstĂ€ aika pieni osa nĂ€kyy loppujen lopuksi matkustajille, joten on aika luonnollista, ettĂ€ ihmisille voi syntyĂ€ kummallisia kĂ€sityksiĂ€ lentoemĂ€nnĂ€n työstĂ€. KysykÀÀ, haluaisin kuulla! 🙂

  • LĂ€hdettekö tĂ€stĂ€ samantien takaisin?” TĂ€mĂ€n kysymyksen kuulee lĂ€hes jokaisella kaukolennolla, kun ollaan laskeuduttu kohteeseen. Hassua, ettĂ€ ihmiset ajattelevat matkustamohenkilökunnan tekevĂ€n kaksi vaikkapa 12-tuntista vuoroa putkeen ilman mitÀÀn taukoja.
  • “Miksi vaihdatte kengĂ€t nousun jĂ€lkeen?” Talvisaikaan nousujen ja laskujen aikaan kĂ€ytetÀÀn saappaita, jotta ollaan varauduttu myös siihen, ettĂ€ pitÀÀ liikkua koneen ulkopuolella. KesĂ€aikaankin monet kĂ€yttÀÀ boardauksen, nousun ja laskun ajan eri kenkiĂ€ kuin itse lennon aikana. Varsinkin pitkĂ€nĂ€ pĂ€ivĂ€nĂ€ on kiva vaihdella vĂ€lillĂ€ kenkiĂ€, ettei tarvi olla samoissa kengissĂ€ koko pĂ€ivÀÀ. Boardauksen aikana on myös kiva pitÀÀ korkeampia ja nĂ€timpiĂ€ kenkiĂ€, joita ei kuitenkaan viitsi pitÀÀ koko pĂ€ivÀÀ jalassa.
  • “Tuleeko tĂ€lle paikalle joku?” Jos ei pĂ€ivittĂ€in, niin ainakin viikoittain joku matkustaja kysyy boardauksen aikana, tuleeko jollekin tietylle paikalle joku istumaan. LentoemĂ€nnĂ€t kyllĂ€ tietÀÀ, montako matkustajaa koneeseen on tulossa, mutta ulkomuistista tuskin kukaan osaa sanoa, mille paikoille ihmiset menevĂ€t. Siksi tĂ€mĂ€ kysymys herĂ€ttÀÀ ainakin minussa hieman hilpeyttĂ€.
  • “Saatteko te omat hotellihuoneet yöpyvillĂ€ lennoilla?” Saadaan. Kaikki miehistön jĂ€senet saavat oman huoneen.

Tuliko kysymyksiĂ€ mieleen? Olisi kiva kuulla, minkĂ€laisia kĂ€sityksiĂ€ tai uskomuksia ihmisille on muotoutunut. Mulla tuli Ă€kkiseltÀÀn mieleen nĂ€mĂ€, vaikka monia muitakin juttuja tulee varmasti vielĂ€ mieleen. Kivaa tiistai-iltaa, palataan toivottavasti taas pian asiaan! 🙂

 

Flight attendant FAQ – Hello! Oh dear, it has been such a long time again since my last post. I’ve been so busy. I feel so guilty when I see that people come to my blog, but I haven’t posted anything new in a while. Well, now I’m going to write a post that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, but haven’t actually written it before.

In the plane I have heard the most interesting questions about the work of a flight attendant. Sometimes the questions are so funny, that I really start to wonder, how people can think that way. I thought I could write a post about the most frequent funny questions to a flight attendant. I would also like to hear your questions! Quite small part of the cabin crew’s work actually shows to the passengers, so I understand that people can get weird presumptions about the work. Please let me know if you have any! 🙂

  • “So do you fly back now?” That question I hear on almost all long haul flights when we land to the destination. It is quite funny that people think that the cabin crew will do two 12-hour shifts in a row, with no break in between.
  • “Why do you change the shoes after the take-off?” During the winter months we wear boots during the take-off and landing, so we are prepared to move outside the plane also, if that is needed. Also during the summer many flight attendants wear different shoes during the boarding, take-off and landing, than on the actual flight. Especially during a long day it is nice to change the shoes and not wear the same ones the whole day. It is also nice to wear prettier shoes with higher heels during the boarding and later change to more comfortable shoes.
  • “Is somebody going to take this seat?” If not daily, then weekly I have heard this question when a passenger points to a specific seat. The cabin crew knows how many passengers will be on board, but nobody remembers which seats the passengers will take. This is always a bit hilarious question to hear.
  • “Do you all get your own rooms at the hotel?” Yes, we do. All crew members get their own rooms, we don’t need to share.

Did anything come to your mind? It would be nice to hear what kind of assumptions people have about the flight attendants’ work. These are the first funny frequent questions that came to my mind, but I’m sure I’ll remember more later. Have a nice Tuesday evening, hopefully we will be back in touch soon again! 🙂

 

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Las Palmas layover

Annimarian Las Palmas layover

Annimarian Las Palmas layover

Annimarian Las Palmas layover

Annimarian Las Palmas layover

Annimarian Las Palmas layover

Las Palmas layover – Heippa! Eilen illalla kotiuduin Las Palmasin reissulta. Se oli siis yhden yön pikavisiitti, kiva sellainen. Menolento oli tosi rauhallinen, koska nĂ€mĂ€ alkaa olla viimeisiĂ€ Kanarian lentoja ennen kuin ne jÀÀ kesĂ€tauolle. Paluu olikin sitten umpitĂ€ysi ja aikamoisen kiireinen!

EdellisessĂ€ postauksessa mainitsinkin, ettĂ€ lĂ€htö oli tosi aikainen ja herĂ€tys koitti lauantaiaamuna kello 02:50. Huhhuh! Onneksi menolento oli siis aika rauhallinen… 🙂 Koska lĂ€hdettiin niin aikaisin, oltiin tietysti aikaisin perillĂ€kin. Las Palmasissa oli ihana ilma, ei liian kuuma, mutta aurinkoinen kuitenkin. Hotellihuoneessa on ihanan iso parveke, siellĂ€ istuskelin parinkin otteeseen. Eka parvekekuva oli mun aamupala-situation lĂ€htöpĂ€ivĂ€nĂ€, mutta jouduin pian toteamaan, ettĂ€ vĂ€hĂ€n liian viileĂ€ oli vielĂ€ ja hipsin takaisin sisĂ€lle. Piti kokeilla kuitenkin!

Mun layoverin suurin ohjelmanumero oli mennĂ€ Mercadonaan shoppaileen! En tiiĂ€ oonko ainoa, mutta rakastan kĂ€ydĂ€ marketeissa eri maissa ja katsella, mitĂ€ paikalliset ihmiset ostaa ja minkĂ€laisia tuotteita siellĂ€ on tarjolla. Espanja on tietysti asia erikseen, kun katselen tuotteita ja muistelen, ettĂ€ “Tuota silloin aina Madridissa asuessa ostin…” ja niin edelleen. Tein muutamia hyviĂ€ ostoksia ja niitĂ€ ajattelin esitellĂ€ toisessa postauksessa.

Nyt teen pikaisen kuntopiirin kotona ja sitten aletaan kattoon Awsin kans leffaa ja syömÀÀn karkkia. MeillĂ€ kun meni yhteinen viikonloppu ohi, niin pidetÀÀn se nĂ€in maanantai-iltana. Onneksi huomenna on molemmilla vapaapĂ€ivĂ€. Kivaa illanjatkoa! 🙂

Las Palmas layover – Hello! Yesterday evening I came back home from Las Palmas. It was a quick one night layover, but a nice one anyway. The flight there was really quiet, because these are the last flights there before the summer break. The return flight then was completely full and very busy!

I mentioned in the last post that the departure from Helsinki was very early and my wake-up time was 02:50 am. Therefore it was very nice to have a quiet flight there… 🙂 Because we left so early, we also arrived early to Las Palmas. The weather there was super nice, sunny but not too hot! The hotel room has a nice big balcony and there I sat a couple of times. The first balcony picture is my breakfast situation from the morning before leaving to the airport, but I quickly had to admit that it was still a little bit too cold and went back in to finish my breakfast. Well, I tried!

The most important activity on my layover was to go shopping to Mercadona! I don’t know if it is only me, but I love to go to the supermarkets in different countries and see what the locals are buying and what kind of products there are. Spain, of course, is a special case, because I go around looking and remembering like “This thing I always used to buy when I lived in Madrid…” and so on. I did some nice shopping and I’m going to show the stuff on another post.

Now I’ll do a quick workout and then we will start watching a movie with Aws and eat candy. We missed the weekend together, so we will have it now on a Monday night instead. Luckily we both have a day off tomorrow. Have a nice evening! 🙂

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