November 06 Roster

My roster for November:

28NOV DUBAI - CAIRO (EGYPT) - DUBAI
30NOV DUBAI - SANA'A (YEMEN) - DUBAI

Nearly There (2 Days Until I Graduate)!

Hi everyone, Sorry it's been so long. I have been so busy with training over the last week. So much homework to do! I graduate in 2 days and then I've got my first flight. I'm going to Cairo in Egypt. At our graduation we have to sing a song in front of 500 people. We went round to Carina's apartment to practise at the weekend. The apartment block she lives in is not finished yet. They're still decorating the upper floors. We had a break from singing and climbed onto the roof. It's 60 floors high so the view was amazing. Check out the pictures below.

The group just after we had something to eat.
Song practise. As you can see I'm pretending to be an airplane.
In the real version we'll all be holding champagne glasses for this bit.
It went badly wrong. It was all the girls' fault!
We had a break and went wheelbarrow racing next to the unfinished swimming pool!

Vicky, Zierang, Carina and Honey on the roof.
By the unfinished pool.
The view of the Sheikh Zayed Road (the main road and also where I live) from the roof of Millenium Tower. Click on the picture for a better view.

We were all exhausted by this point as we'd all been going up and down ladders and stairs all night!

My Bedroom

It was (kind of) clean and tidy today so I thought now was as good a time as any to get it on here.

I started my first day of 'Service' training today. There is so much information to take in. We have to learn all about airport codes, drinks in the bar, how to speak to customers from different countries etc. I also received my name badges today. They've got my name written in Arabic. It looks really good!

At the weekend we went to Vicky's apartment for a swim and some dinner. We were also feeling a bit arty too. Check out the 'Human Art' pictures.

The first few are of my bedroom. Can you see the picture of my family next to the bed? I forced them to go for a professional photo just before I left the UK!

My name badge. How good does my name look in Arabic (You read it backwards)?

The gang (joined by Vicky's friend Mark in red) hanging out at Vicky's. She made a salad and we ordered in some chicken.

At the pool on Vicky's building's roof. It's a really nice pool but the view's not as good as mine!

Shesha - Most of the time it's a pipe with a bottle at the end containing the flavour. We went to a really good place where they put the pipe inside a real piece of fruit and you smoke directly from it.
Me trying my first Shesha while Mark looks on. It was quite nice but I don't think I'll be keeping it up!After Shesha.
Human Art 1 - We call this the Grass Windmill.

Human Art 2 - One of my favourite pictures of the night. We named this one 'The Lift Star' (We were in a lift at the time).

Dubai

Here's a look at the kind of scenery you can see in Dubai. The first few are of the ski-slope attached to the Mall of the Emirates (a big shopping mall).

Training Centre

I passed first aid! 99% on my test as I got one question wrong. Below are some photos of the training centre where I have spent the last month. I still have 2 more weeks to go until I receive my 'wings'. There is a big ceremony on my last day, held at the Emirates Aviation College (See photos), where I will receive my flying licence. My ab-initio group will have to sing a song in front of 500 people. I've already got butterflies! Enjoy.

Toby xXx
The Emirates Training College, where I study aircraft layouts and equipment and also learn how to do the onboard service. Can you see the shape of the building? It's a plane!
The Emirates Aviation College, this where I've spent the last week learning how to deal with medical emergencies onboard the aircraft. I'll also come back here for the graduation ceremony on my last day.
This is the Airbus (one of the types of aircraft we fly) door simulator. We use it to learn how to open the doors properly. It's harder than you think as there are quite a few things you have to do and check before it can be opened safely.
This is one of the inflatable slides we practised jumping down. Lots of fun but I hope I never have to use it for real!

This is the moving aircraft cabin we use to practise for events such as turbulence, crash landing, ditching (landing on water) and decompression (if the air pressure inside the aircraft drops rapidly).

My Apartment

Here are a few photos of my apartment. My bathroom's too small so I can't get a picture and my bedroom's too messy! Once I tidy it I'll try to get a photo on here.
A view of my lounge.With big TV.
The kitchen.The dining area and front door.

These are the Emirates Towers which are across the road from my building. They have only just decided to name the streets in Dubai so when you take a taxi you have to give the driver a landmark near the place you're going so he can find it! The Emirates Towers are what I use.

Before I Started

Here are some photos that were taken before I started this blog.
These girls all live close to me so we meet up quite a bit to go out. From left to right: Sophie (England), Debs (New Zealand), Kim (Australia), Lisa (Australia) and Sam (Scotland). Sophie was on the same flight as me from Manchester to Dubai when I moved here. The crew took us both up to Business Class and gave us some champagne!
Marcos, Pierre and me holding Vicky. It was a good idea at the time!
Wild Wadi is the big waterpark in Dubai. It has waterslides that go up as well as down! Here's a group shot on the rings we used.
Cheesy or what!?
The guys in Uniform. 2nd from left is Charles (Philippines).
The naughty people who always sit at the back of the bus.
My first day. I didn't even know their names when this picture was taken!
I pledge allegiance, to Emirates Airline...
The Burj Al Arab hotel. One of Dubai's famous landmarks. At night they light it up with different colours such as...
Blue
and Red.