Lack of Posts

I know I know.... I'm a horrible blogger. It has been forever since my last post and I do apologize deeply (to those of you still interested).

Between, homework, tourism events, the new research assistant position, the new beau  in my life, fundraising and my bestest girlfriends, I haven't been able to spend 5 mins to write a quick post! I've even been horrible with catching up with some of my friends I don't see every day... I'm sorry Caitlin and Pam!

I had the Fire and Ice event this past week, to raise money for water wells in Africa. The partnership with the Rotary Club and my school made $25,000! Way to go! Pics to follow as soon as I get them from Catherine!

Fundraising for my trip to Belize has been a headache and a half and has taken over my life! Who knew it was going to be so much work! My class has purchased a canoe to sell tickets on.... I think it would just be easier to canoe our way to Central America!

Research assistant job is going well... read more at.... Wine Tourism Research  .

So sorry for the lack of post! ;)

Canadians Abroad

Enjoy this piece I wrote for the Canadian Magazine "Our Canada" in "More of Our Canada" special addition in July 2009.

The first reaction I received after telling my friends and family that I had taken a job as a flight attendant in Abu Dhabi, UAE, was "You're moving where?" After a brief explanation that Abu Dhabi was a small Muslim city and the capital  of the United Arab Emirates, they still thought that I had made this place up!  To be honest I wasn't sure if I was ready to move thousands of kilometers away from home. But after unfailing encouragement from my wonderful parents - my dad, Lee, my mom, Anna, and my step-dad Michael- I was off to a land far far away.

I began my new job after a 14 hour flight to my new home in Abu Dhabi on November 1 2007. Only 20 years old, I'd never been overseas before and I could count on one hand how many time i had been on an airplane. I had no idea about the culture shock I was in for.  Little did I know I was about to learn, first-hand, more about the Middle East in one year than most people in my small town of Berwick, Nova Scotia, would probably learn in a lifetime.

First week at the training academy

I'm not going to  sugar coat it; it was hard being in the minority for the first time in my life. I'd never been the only blonde in a room before, let alone a entire building! Being from a small town, I hadn't met many people of different cultures and religions. The traditional Arab dress of a dishdasha and abaya were new to me and I found myself staring at them just as much as they were staring at me.

My first Christmas away from home was spent in 30 degree weather with my new colleagues. Rather than a white Christmas, it was golden-thanks to the sand. My first Arab summer can be summed up in one word: HOT - and I mean 55 degrees kind of hot!

Things became easier the longer i was in Abu Dhabi. I became used to being stared at and covering up my shoulders and knees. I loved that all the new friends I made were from so many different parts of the world; I've even picked up a bit of a British accent from some of my closest friends.

The religious melodies emanating from the mosques were also something that i just became accustomed to.

My job allowed me to travel and see parts of the world most people only dream about; Paris, Bangkok, New York, Johannesburg and Munich, among others. 


London





Paris



I still knew where the most beautiful place in the world was though, and i quickly realized how proud I was to be Canadian, I missed the leaves changing colour in the fall; the snow falling in the winter; the rain hitting my windshield and the tulips in bloom in the spring. Not to mention silly things such as a Tim Horton's coffee in the morning, or a hockey game on a Saturday night. I really missed the friendliness and slow pace of a small town and the warm fuzzy feeling I get when my plane lands in Halifax. Though I have lived in the Arabian Gulf for a couple of years now, I will always call Berwick my home. And whenever people ask where my favourite destination is, my answer is and always will be the same - Nova Scotia!



Munich



Support System!

Just a quick post to tell everyone who follows, reads, and comments how much you mean to me! Your support has been amazing!

Please keep up the amazing dedication! Comment! And let me know what you want to hear!

Hello. My Name is Krista, and I am a Departures Addict.

Travel shows are usually cheesy. I do not need someone who is traveling in first class around the world and is staying in five star hotels to tell me where I should have a meal.

Departures is not a travel show. I am a addict. Watching two (three if you count the cameraman) very attractive Canadian men actually travel the world and see things that very few people in the world have makes for the best show on television. Besides the fact that Scott, Justin and André are ridiculously physically attractive (Catherine calls it Travel Porn), they have this amazing ability to make it feel as though you are the fourth person on their trips around the world seeing villages in Thailand, mountains in New Zealand, or culture in Japan.

With Justin's laid back attitude on life, and Scott's travel smarts they make the perfect pair! And if they ever need a female travel partner I would be willing to help them out a bit! ;)

Your Lovely Places

Just found this amazing blog called Your Lovely Places.

 

The blog shares photos for trips around the world of peoples favourite places on Earth. The pics are beautiful!

I even shared a few photos from one of my own trips to Beijing... check it out and share some of your own Lovely Places!

Another of one of my Lovely Places, a photo from my first trip to Paris in April 2008

HAPPY 2011

My friend Pam and I had a wonderful New Years Eve with a trip to the "big" city of Halifax! Drinks at the Pogue, then off to (as much as I hate to admit) The Dome! Here is a few photos of our great night!

Happy New Year to all my family & friends! I wish all of you all over the world all the best in 2011!

To each and every one of you...

As a sat on my Blackberry texting all my friends from around the world to wish them a wonderful Christmas, it dawned on me how many friends I have that I am horrible at keeping in touch with. I sent messages to my closest friends; Catherine, Katrina, Keshia, Caitlin & Pam, and then scanned through my phone to send festive wishes to those I only see once a year (if not less).

Lucia, the best roommate I could have ever asked for! The Slovakia native taught me more than she will ever know! It has been ironic that we have become closer now, when we live in separate countries! Lucia is the sweetest person I have ever met, and I can only hope our paths in life will cross again.
Dawn, my fabulous Abu Dhabi friend who I have known only since 2007. Her and her husband Paul were great friends to me while I spent some time on my own in the foreign city. I though of her and how she must be enjoying her English Christmas in Coventry with her friends and family.

Christie, or as i call her "My best Abu Dhabi" friend, whom I haven't seen in years. She left me on a midnight flight from Abu Dhabi to Manchester in the new year of 2008. I miss my wino friend, who was always good for a laugh and always made sure i could keep up with conversations and jokes with other English folk. 

Dale & Jane, Though i didn't actually contact this pair, I thought of them and their daughters Eden and Neve. The time spent with this couple in Bahrain was very much once in a life time. I wish them all the best in the new year while they raise their girls in South Africa.

The Barraclough/ Bristow Family, The first year since 2008 that I will not be with them at Christmas. I hope Lydia, Ella, Joshie, and Callum were good little ones and "my friend" St Nick found them this year. Though I have heard that the stomach fly hit this Bristol family home. May each of you feel better! Hugs and Kisses to all from Canada.


Though not always the easiest, I did have a wonderful year of traveling, and learning about myself and the world around me.

Stories from a Flight Attendant

When people hearing that I was a flight attendant, I usually get one of two reactions. A) "Wow... How did you get that job?" or B) "Well you must have some stories to tell!" I have had the chance to travel the world with the world's leading new airline that lucky for me had the policy that the crew hotels had to be of a certain standard.  People are expecting to hear random travel stories that I simply... do not have.



I have never been or almost been arrested in a foreign country, but I have stolen red roses from a kid outside of a Bangkok nightclub with my crew members.

I have not caught anyone having sex in the lavatory, however I have nicely asked a woman to turn around, get off her boyfriends lap and buckle her seat belt on a flight to Frankfurt Germany.

I have not had anyone purpose on a flight, but I have had a woman tell me that she couldn't sit by her husband because they were fighting.

I have not used drugs in a random Asian country, but there was this one time in Munich that my crew had drinks with our airlines competitor crew and it got a little heated.

I have not had a passenger threaten my life, however when a fellow crew member emptied an entire bottle of Tabasco sauce on the passenger's breakfast meal, we wondered if the passengers heads were going to stay attached.

I have never been involved with an emergency landing, though I have told passengers that because i had no more milk for their baby the captain would be landing the plane just for them!

Like I said, I just don't have those scary, eventful, thrilling stories to tell like most travelers do...but I do have my own kind of stories to tell!

Flight from Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi

A little Piece of Italy

Every sell proclaimed traveler has that trip that changes their life for the better or the worse. Some it may just be a check off a mental "bucket list", others it may be a place they dreamed of seeing since they we're small. While flying I saw a lot of places in many different countries. And the trip that stands out in my mind was my trip to Italy.

It all started in May 2008 when I got lucky and got called off a standby to go to Milan for a 72 hour layover. Still being "green" in the world for cabin crew I was so excited and immediately called my mother, who's dream it is to see Italy.

The only way that I can explain why this trip in particular changed my life then for the simple reason of a very large check on my then very small bucket list. The crew and I spent a wonderful 72 hours between Milan and Venice, eating, drinking and shopping in true Italian fashion. I remember the feeling I got when I got off the train in Venice... I oddly enough for the first time in my life, felt safe, like one would at home in their own country. Why? Scanning the Venezia train station, I counted 22 Canadian flags on backpacks, suitcases, sweaters, and hats. And being a proud Canadian, my maple leaf (which went with me on every trip I may add), was happily displayed on my hand jacket!

Nothing extremely special happened on this trip, and to be honest I wasn't feeling great when I was there, it just felt amazing, knowing that something else could be crossed off my "to -do " list. :)