I am infinitely grateful for what has been the most inspired decision I’ve ever made: to work for the most cosmopolitan airline in the world…
For the first time, I was unwavering in my decision, even though I was never passionate about aviation and disagreed with young people leaving their homeland in search of some buried treasure in foreign lands. Even now, I don’t encourage what is essentially just an escape from responsibility by those who decide to leave because “things can’t be fixed here,” following the principle “we broke it, we fix it.” Now, looking back, I realize how much I would have missed without even knowing if I had given in to others’ attempts to convince me not to go. Who knows how many other opportunities we let pass us by due to doubt and fear of the new. I embarked on this adventure not knowing what awaited me, what life as a flight attendant entailed, life in a Muslim country, life away from family and home. I simply followed a strong impulse that stubbornly directed me to this corner of the world and, gradually, to all corners of the world. Thus, with my life packed in a suitcase, I set off for what was actually a return home. A return to my roots, to our essence, to us without cultural barriers, without social labels, unbounded by color, religion, age, profession, nationality, education.
Emirates helped me spread my wings to travel back to myself. It made me a grown-up, transforming me from an insecure, awkward, and doubtful young adult into a woman ready for almost anything. It especially prepared me to fully enjoy life with everything it has to offer.
I learned to read glances, translate smiles, and decipher unspoken words. I learned to replace the habit of labeling people with that of putting stamps on letters for loved ones. I learned to find silence, to listen to my own heartbeats only to discover that everyone’s hearts beat in unison. I learned that generosity comes from the least expected places, that sometimes even a smile brings much comfort, that shared emotions bind open souls.
I learned that sunrises are just as spectacular as sunsets and witnessed hundreds of them. I learned that self-love is as important as the sun’s brightness for Earth. I chased the sun thousands of times at 40,000 ft and enjoyed every show it performed at sunrise or sunset. I learned that every person has a unique story and that knowing it doesn’t necessarily mean understanding it.
A job that offers you so much but takes just as much, in a perfect balance of challenges and blessings that only those who live it can understand. It takes many moments with loved ones, you miss weddings and birthdays, family dinners, specific Christmas and Easter traditions, the hugs of those you love when going through tough times.
However, beyond all this, beyond all those turn-arounds with 3 a.m. take-offs, beyond all flights with minimal rest periods between them, beyond all the accumulated jet-lag, weekly changes, and sometimes overly rigid rules… beyond all this are the people; the great Emirates family; the crew community, the team on board, those on the front line… they are the true treasure, the ones who make every flight memorable. Beautiful people, full of resources and skills, capable, energetic, and open-minded, enthusiastic to discover the most beautiful things this world has to offer. They are the family that isn’t with you, they are the emotional support, they are the companions who resonate 100% with the complex process this adventure subjects you to.
Traveling is primarily about us and who we are in this big, diverse world. Then it is about history, culture, food, people, etc. Paradoxically, it makes you realize that we humans share much more in common than differences. The world will surely look different when most of us understand this.
Emirates is beyond luxurious life, destinations, salary, perfect pictures posted online. It is a profoundly personal and absolutely unique experience that will stay with me forever.
I decided to hang up the uniform after 7 years, with a heart full of gratitude for the door this company opened for me. It offered me much more than a job, it handed me a lifestyle and helped me build a much-improved version of myself from puzzle pieces hidden in unexpected places around the world.
And I am still in the process of building and learning…