The summer hits in full force and the tropical sun floods my bedroom. The medals hanged on the wall glisten in tones of gold, silver and bronze, and I wake up lulled by the sound of the noisy old-school air conditioning buzzing next to the white window frame.
It has been a few weeks since I landed back in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a ridiculously long way from Doha International, the place in which I last checked in and flew from.
Such mammoth trip started in the early morning in Doha. Driven to the airport in a private car, I am escorted by a Qatar Airways officer who issues me a one-way ticket to a destination of my choice. I could hear the machine printing the ticket and the hefty last-minute airfares being paid with a credit card accompanied of a grin.
Two friends show up at the departure lounge to my surprise. Their crossed faces tightening knots in my stomach as my flight is being called.
Filled to the brim with fuel, the aircraft leaves the hazy Qatari morning and, flying over the Pearl, the prevailing sandy landscape vanishes in an endless vanilla horizon.
-‘Will I ever see this place again? Who knows’. Sadness invades my body and I decide to watch some movies to keep my mind busy.
The flight to Washington Dulles is a 14-hour uneventful sequence of landscapes. At nearly forty-thousand feet above the ground, the pine tree forests of Scandinavia seem to agglutinate with the dryness of Iceland. The ice caps of Greenland slide off towards Gander Bay, where the grounds once again grows populated, bisected by the towns and motorways of modern America.
My last Qatar Airways flight ever lands in the United States’ capital a couple of hours before the end of the afternoon, shortly later bussed into the main terminal and a large immigration hall. As per every transit through the United States, I must pick up my heavy luggage and check it again before boarding a regional jet. ‘United Express’ titles painted on each side, the smooth aircraft glides over the broad runway and turns South at sunset.
Miami is next. The small aircraft balancing through a system of thunderstorms whilst two children scream their lungs out on final approach. Terminal G to terminal B run and yet another check in for my last flight of the whole round.
At the gate, the flight is announced as ‘oversold’ and volunteers are called. Tired from the earlier flights, I offer my seat in exchange of a comfy bed (and perhaps a few days in Miami) but I am told my ticket will not allow it.
Must have been my tired face, or perhaps the sadness dramatically emanating from my body. The gate agent calls my name:
‘I am sorry you can’t stay. You look like a nice guy and I know you’re tired. Here’s a surprise for you.’
A smile draws on both our faces and a boarding pass reading ‘Business Class’ is handed to me. At least the last leg of this long journey will be spent on a decent seat.
Little I knew that as soon as we boarded the aircraft, the fatigue decides to beats me, only declaring a truce when breakfast is served over the Andes, an hour before landing in cold and foggy La Paz.
The transit is short. My first-row seat allowing me to briefly savour the cold high altitude air blowing through the open door whilst new passengers board the aircraft bound to the United States.
My final stop is only an hour away and the sleek Boeing 757 breaks the silence of a humid morning touching down at Viru Viru International, where this journey began almost a year ago. Eyes glow at the dejavus of those passengers I saw on my Dhaka flight, finally arriving home after months of living abroad, away from their families, enduring the life of an expat. ‘My time now’.
There they are. Just across the arrival hall. A feeling of relief in my eyes, for I am surrounded by family love. A feeling of disappointment right in my gut, for I feel the journey was left incomplete and I have therefore failed.
Exhausted and jet-lagged, emotions that seem to have ran afar at the airport, return as a sprint of bitterness in my childhood bedroom. Luggage and souvenirs unpacked, I long for the life I just left and that is enough reason to cry for the morning.
‘When I was coming back home many thoughts came to my mind. Considering that I had around 31 hours of traveling, one of these thoughts was whether I should or shouldn’t close this blog.
This blog started as a way to letting my family and friends to know what I was doing , where and how things unfolded, and also as reminders for the future, specially because on a cabin crew life , everything is really hectic and you tend to forget many things or details.’
The journey is not yet complete. Not ready for a nine-to-five routine, big decisions are made over a homemade lunch and soon, I will depart for greener pastures.
In the meantime, it is great to spend some quality time with the family, which I have not done since I was a teenager.
Hours of afternoon coffee and chats with my father at the main square become a daily rule, whilst his inventive and capacity of improvisation blow my mind and sometime patience.
Weekends with my mother and stepfather in the mountains, the clean air dissipating the grey clouds of uncertainty hanging over me since my last day in Doha, their wise advice taken with a pinch of salt. Words that shape my future decisions.
Afternoons of ice cream and monkey business with my nephew and nieces, their ingenuity a bucket of fresh water over a life forced to be lived as full adult from early stages.
Dinners and swim training sessions with friends, their encouragement and reassurance feeding my desire for more, confirming once and for all that I must continue with my dreams, whatever those are at the moment.
Life has indeed changed. There is pride in a more interesting conversation, the world growing smaller in front of my eyes, the possibility now becoming endless.
– Which one was the best city you’ve ever been to? Why?
– Did you like your job?
– What’s your favourite country?
– Which ones are the worst passengers?
Questions that come both as a rewarding blow of air filling my chest with pride, and a sting in the ribs knocking me down for a second. A life well-lived, a life path still yet to be completed.
Asuncion in Paraguay is next. The quaintness of its streets resting against the still waters of the Paraguay River talking of modesty in an unfavourable economic landscape, followed by the constant buzz of Buenos Aires in Argentina, the tango resonating loud right in the heart of Galerias Pacifico.
Interviews are held in Mar del Plata. Out of season, the beach is only populated by the countless row of plastic chairs now sitting idle in the cold South Atlantic breeze.
Open Day. Assessment Day. A familiar process to go through, another period of waiting to be conquered.
THE FLYING CAMBA 
Please don't close your blog! Yours was my favorite flight attendant blog of all (and I read *a lot* of them, trust me) when you were in Doha. I know the readers like me will want to keep following your travels and your observations on things, even when you stay in place, like home. It is still very interesting and very engaging. Your blog style is unique and refreshing. Always a pleasure!
Reader in Connecticut, USA
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Hey, I stumbled into your blog by accident..and was shocked to read the earlier post..so, i guess u're no longer with Qatar?? What actually happens?? I'm pretty curious here if u dun mind telling coz I'm also with one of the middle east airline..
btw, a very nice blog..never close it though =)
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Yeah dude…
I'm with anonymous #2.
Just as a head-up for people going to Qatar (like myself), can you please tell us what happened there?? Don't need the details, just the “ball park”…
Um abraço de Portugal!
João
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I think I do owe you an explanation…to make the story short, let's say I was with the wrong people at the wrong time. The fault was not mine , but I had to leave.
For the future joiners all I'm left to say is that QR can be a great company to work for as it can be a really bad one , depends on your own behaviour.
And yes, there are many rules, so be prepared!
(I'd still go back if I had the chance to go back , I love flying and I really miss my friends in Doha ).
Cheers!
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Hi Joao,
Esther here =p the one u named anonymous #2..lolz..joining QR??!! All the best =)
Hi The Flyer,
I do get what u mean. It's always a love hate feeling when comes to working for the airline. I do have a blog myself but I'm keeping it so low profile that hardly anyone knows anything about it. I even deleted all my posts since day one i join until my very recent flight coz I was told some crews got fired bcoz of the content in the blogs. Im not sure how true it is.
I heard how strict QR is. So is my current airline which is becoming stricter each day. Anyway, thanks for the explaination. I do hope u get back your “wing” one day. And I believe you will if u want to =) All the best.
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Please keep writing your blog i've been reading ur blog for sometime since i really want to work for qatar airways soon…. cabin crew job actually sounded so much fun through ur blog, cant wait to join qatar !
I've also been hearing all those rumours about qatar airways and how bad they treat their crews all those stuff but in fact i think it really depends on you and how you see things i totally agree with ya!
Why dont you join Emirates?? now that you've got an experience… hope you'll fly again 🙂
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Plz dont do that, i mean… closing the blog! You were the one who said you had become kinda “addicted” to this thing and had to visit like three times a day just to see if there was some new comment and now im sorry to tell you this but WE ALSO GOT ADDICTED TO IT MR. ANDRES!!! Youre completely responsible for that so now face the consequences! Hehehe… plz just dont leave us in the lurch! You have maybe no idea how many people have been following you throughout this time and we all want to keep listening your stories even if youre not flying anymore (youre gonna be soon back again and you know what i mean!) So just let us updated from the news…
My very best wishes and all the luck from Fortaleza!!!
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Oi Camba! Tudo bom?
Fiquei muito feliz em saber que você está bem, está revendo e curtindo sua família. E em saber que você ainda escreve em seu blog.
Gosto bem muito do seu blog.
Tenho certeza que jajá você vai estar voando denovo!
Um grande abraço!
Ari.
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hey man.. or should i say chinoA, i've been following your posts from pprune to your blogs.. most of the people waiting to be medically cleared talk bout your blogs.. we like reading it, koz its a breath of fresh air in our long and eternal suffocating wait.. any more advice you can give us? if ever we manage to clear the medicals?
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why don't you join emirates, they are recruiting like crazy now.i have become your devout follower so please don't stop writing. as i have mention in my earlier comment, your blog is different from any other cabin crew blogs that i have read. keep up the good work and i pray hard that you get your wing again sooner or later 🙂
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