My cabin crew training enters its final stages. I manage to get an extra day-off, which I use mostly for housekeeping, laundry, updating family of my moves and most importantly, sleeping.

Next is Dangerous Goods and Security Training. Important pieces of information are given in regards of how to deal with dodgy parcels, suspicious behaviour and of course, bombs. We may not know which coloured cable to cut, but we will certainly know how to identify a potentially risky situation.

The seriousness of the intense six-week course is broken by the only day of Grooming Training in which tips on how to take care of our skin and personal fitness are given, especially during the demanding months and years of traveling through several times zones that we will soon be subjected to.

Such training would not have been so remarkable if it wasn’t for the fact that our uniforms are handed to us in the same day and, coat in hand and burgundy tie tight enough to cut any circulation, the reflection on the mirror shows my new and exciting reality. Standing next to me is a young person who will no longer work in an office, no longer touch a blueprint and will no longer be subjected to a routine, for this young person is now a cabin crew.