The Interest

Every person in this world has a dream or at least an idea of what they want to be when they grow up. When I was six years old I had only one dream and that was to touch a cloud. I thought with all my might that I could fly through a cloud, grab hold of it and take a piece of it back down to the ground with me. I was incredibly disappointed when I realised that this dream wasn’t possible. 

What brought about this dream of mine at the mere age of six? My surroundings. My Grandfather, Poppy, is a huge father figure to me. He was a pilot for Delta for many years. My two uncles willingly and eagerly went to the Airforce Academy and continued on to fly long after they graduated. Flying is/was not only work for them but also their biggest hobby. They all love to fly. For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by airplanes. Poppy owned small planes that he would fly and fix up on his days off. The first and most memorable plane of his that I can recall was ‘The Starduster’- an open cockpit bi-plane. I’ll never forget the first time he took me for a ride in it. It had been a massive anticipation on my end as I was not allowed a trip until I was six years old. Until the age of six, I was simply invited to sit inside and learn about the different parts of the plane and what they did. But to be frank, I really didn’t care. What six year old would? Of course I loved spending that time with Poppy. However, I desperately wanted to go up in the air. My sixth birthday was one of the most exciting days of my early life. This was the moment I had been dreaming about for six years. I was going to touch a cloud. Poppy knew my dream and he handled the impossibility of it kindly and delicately. Before I got into ‘The Starduster’, Poppy told me that when it came time to fly through a cloud, it would feel cold. But Poppy, “I’ll be able to take a piece back home with me and show my friends?” Poppy stared at me with a defeated smile and continued, “Like I said Caely, it will feel cold, I do not think you can take a piece down with you but when we fly through a cloud, I will tell you to put your hand outside. You can tell me how it feels for yourself.” I was bursting with excitement. 

I hopped into the front seat of ‘The Starduster,’ put my seatbelt on. Was reminded of all the devices and what they did- safety first. We took off, and before I knew it, we were in the air. Just me, Poppy and the sky. My gosh, the sky, one of the most beautiful things in the world. Only when up that high do you gain perspective on life. When looking down at such small objects- cars, houses, schools, fields, people. The higher you get, the smaller they look. I couldn’t have known it then but my understanding of the world started there. I was just one of millions of other six year old girls and I wondered, was their dream also to touch a cloud? “Caely. time to stick your arm out of the plane, we are flying through a cloud.” I extended my arm, smile from cheek to cheek and realised that my dreams weren’t as I had imagined and instead of being fluffy like cotton candy, white, or bouncy- it was in fact cold. Just cold air. “What did you think Caely? How did it feel?” 
“Cold.” I replied. 
This realisation didn’t matter to me. I still loved the sky. Everything about it. 

As I grew older and started to fly with airlines to travel, I remember being in awe of the flight attendants. They looked so glamorous and had such a sophistication about them. In a young girl’s eyes, this was the dream- to travel for a living and get paid while doing it. Plus, they get to go to work in what resembles a really cool halloween costume. From the moment I flew on an airplane, I had an unexplainable love for the sky and travel. I knew that being a flight attendant was something I wanted to do. In order for this to happen, I had to follow certain steps. But they didn’t always go according to plan and weren’t always my plan but worked to my advantage. 

The Steps: 

1. Had amazing parents that gave me the experience of living in Belgium from 10-18. Helped develop my love for travel/knowledge/acceptance/interest of other countries and their culture and way of life. I am fascinated to this day 
2. Graduated high school in Belgium and moved back to Florida for University
3. Studied the right amount and got my Bachelors in Psychology. 
4. Immediately applied for flight attendant jobs at multiple airlines.
5. Went to interview with the first airline that replied to my application. 
6. Got the job on the same day as the interview. 
7. Realised that this wasn't the airline for me- not at all what I had pictured and left with one week left of training. 
8. Drove all the way from Missouri to Idaho to be with my Mom and look for jobs around Idaho. 
9. Once in Idaho couldn't find anything that interested me so decided to be an Aupair in Switzerland for 3 months. 
10. Came back to Idaho after my adventure and continued to look for jobs- there were none. 
11. Looked outside of the states and got a job in Dubai as an English teacher. 
12. Packed up my entire life into one suit case and moved to Dubai. 
13. On the first day of work, met my husband :) (We'll get to that later)
14. After a year and 8 months of teaching English and hearing about nearby airlines that traveled the world- thought I'd have another try at being a flight attendant.
15. Within 2 weeks, I had an invitation to attend an open interview.
16. Accepted the invitation.
17. 2 weeks later I was standing among 100's of girls; waiting anxiously to see if this would be my next new adventure 

My Poppy's plane from the sky. Not 'The Starduster' but still amazing :)