I became a Flight Attendant at the age of 23 right after finishing my Finance and Banking degree, and shortly after getting married. I had moved back from Brașov to my hometown, Tecuci, hoping to find a job at a bank. At the time, I didn’t find anything exciting in it, but I thought of a job as just an income generator with no connection to pleasure or fun.

I liked the idea of working in aviation, wearing a uniform, always being punctual, doing something meaningful, and being among important people.

However, at that time, I was focused on family life and home, and I didn’t think a job that involved being away for a few days each month would suit me. One day, a friend told me about a mutual acquaintance and her life as a flight attendant in another Middle Eastern country. She spoke about the beautiful places she had visited, shopping at Victoria’s Secret and Michael Kors in New York, exotic islands I had never heard of, dining at luxurious rooftop restaurants in the heart of Hong Kong, and always being well-groomed and well-dressed. It all seemed like a dream to me, something happening in a parallel world, something difficult, almost impossible to attain. On top of all this, she received an attractive salary. At that time, all I knew about this job was that you needed to get a flight license from an accredited aviation school, a course costing 3000 euros, and not guaranteeing employment. That’s why when my friend mentioned that there are companies that train you after hiring, I was intrigued.

Because I was at a point where I couldn’t get a job without experience, as soon as I got to my laptop, I searched for the most important airlines that train you after hiring and that’s how I found out about Emirates. Coincidentally (or not), they were recruiting in Bucharest in just a few days, and because it was an Assessment Day, I only had a few hours left to apply. I didn’t think too much about the outcome. I applied and in the 2-3 days left until the interview, I tried to find out as much as possible about it. There was very little information back then. The interview lasted 3 days, was long and tiring, and 2000 candidates from all over the country participated, many beautiful, confident girls with aviation experience that made me feel intimidated. Just 10 days after the final interview, I received the Golden Call. It was a few days before Christmas, and I didn’t expect to be called so soon, so I was a bit confused when they asked if I could move to Dubai in 3 weeks. I said I wasn’t ready and we agreed that I would join on February 12th. During this time, I had to inform my family and friends who had no idea about my intentions, take the mandatory tests and vaccinations, and mentally prepare for the unknown. Cristi, my husband, was no longer so sure it was a good idea, especially since we weren’t sure how we would proceed with his move, and neither family nor friends were thrilled to hear that I was leaving overseas. On the other hand, I felt that I was doing the right thing even though I didn’t have much information about what was to come.

Together we decided that we had nothing to lose if we tried knowing that we could give up at any time if it didn’t suit us. So on February 12, 2012, on the day Cristi celebrated his 27th birthday, with all my life packed in 2 big suitcases and with a heart the size of a flea, I left my family crying and ventured into the unknown.

Once there, I discovered a whole new world that fascinated me completely. I missed home terribly, but the novelty was so great that I didn’t have time to mourn what I had left behind. Plus, I was part of a large group of newcomers, so we were discovering this new reality together. Some of them became my family in Dubai and emotional support when needed because only they could understand the processes I was going through. On flights, I was simply fascinated by the fact that this was really my new life and that, on top of that, I was paid for it. My enthusiasm knew no bounds. A few months later, my husband moved to Dubai, choosing aviation too. He started as a Customer Service Team Leader at the airport, a position he loved immensely, but he also wanted to experience the cabin crew life, so he joined FlyDubai. He realized early on that it wasn’t necessarily his dream job and that airport activity suited him much better, but the benefits were incomparable, so he stayed for almost 3 years and made the most positive use of all that this opportunity offered. We enjoyed 7 years of growth on all fronts together: we traveled, had fun, met wonderful people, made lifelong friends, made more money than I ever thought possible for me, experienced and learned thousands of new things about ourselves. They were the most beautiful 7 years of my life.

There were over 10,000 flight hours aboard the newest aircraft and 7 years spent every week in a different corner of the world that contributed enormously to shaping the person I am today. They enriched my bag of emotions and unique experiences, widened my horizons, opened my mind and soul. I lived experiences I didn’t think were possible for me at 23. I visited about 100 destinations in over 65 countries, traveled in Business Class, stayed in countless 5-star hotels, dined at luxury restaurants, met important people from all over the world, learned about different cultures and customs, learned new foreign languages, made friends, overcame cultural barriers, empathized, laughed, and cried, lived as if for 2 lives!

Naturally, all this prompted me to start a long and difficult journey back to myself, to truly see myself, to see what is mine and what is taken from others, to question my beliefs and personal values, to take down everything that is not authentic and to make a general cleaning in my being so that only what represents me remains. And it’s a work in progress…

And I would take it all over again anytime, no doubt!

For me, this experience is, above all, about the person I have become and how journeys, people, and places have shaped me. Emirates was a blessing for me, which is why I have all the motivation in the world to encourage and help anyone who wants to change their life this way.