Thursday morning I wake up double check that I have packed everything and wait for my driver to take me to the airport. I arrive at the airport and wait in line to check my baggage. I finally go to check in and the computer kiosk check in system says "reservation not found". So I have to go wait in a completely different line. Tick Tock Tick Tock. I finally get to the ticket agent 30 minutes later an hour and 10 min before my flight. She is typing making zero eye contact then finally looks at me and smiles. Oh Miss Fort, your reservation is cancelled. My company booked my flight from Dallas to Houston to Newark to St. Johns. I was in Houston so they told me Its fine just skip the Dallas leg so we don't have to rebook. Well that cancelled my reservation. I call the guy who books the travel he texts me back "out of office sorry call BCD travel". I wait on hold trying to call my agency. The agent says well there's a problem. Its now less than an hour before your flight departs and Canada is considered international ( I was thinking well its a different country so yeah I would think so). Then I was like ok whens the next flight?
Agent: "well... we are completely booked"
.....FML
Agent:" I can put you on standby". As an ex flight attendant. Flying standby is one of the worst experiences when all the flights are booked. Its basically running around the airport like a chicken with its head cut off. Looking completely insane. So I get on the standby list. I wait an hour or so for the next flight. I get the LAST SEAT. I'm like this is not so bad. I'm one lucky gal!
I land in Newark at 5:50pm we were delayed in sky for landing space. My flight leaves to St. Johns at 6:11. I am of course sitting in the very back. I finally get off run like a crazy person all the way to the other side of the damn airport and make my flight. I get on the plane huffing and puffing and sit next to a what you would think is a charming young man.
We talk he has a cute Boston accent. He's an engineer. He keeps asking the flight attendants for drinks and I thought he was joking bc we haven't even taken off yet. Well we get in the air and he orders some wine. Then another. Then another. He then buys me a drink and is like come on you have had a horrible travel day. So I accept the offer. Don't get me wrong he didn't really have to twist my arm to get me to drink a glass of wine. So we chat the flight is full. People all around. Its a 3 hour flight. He starts to get louder and louder. Laugh more and be almost touchy with me. I'm thinking what the F$%^?? I can attract creeps at any altitude, longitude or latitude. Then I am not making this up. He "whispers" (a whisper that can be heard by the 15-25 surrounding passengers. "HEEEEYYYY COMMMEE HAVEEE SEXXX WITh ME IN THE BATHROOM"". He gets up and stumbles winking and walking away. Everyone on the plane looks at me. Im like, "Hey I don't know this guy!! I have never met him before in my life." So he is in the bathroom for a long time and I look back the flight attendant is out side the door. I'm thinking the disgusting worst. And I am going to have to sit by this pig the rest of the flight. Then he opens the door smoke trailing behind him. The flight attendant follows him and is like "sir ....sir you cannot be smoking in the bathroom". This guy is like running to his seat. I am on the Aisle he is in the middle I have to get up to let him in. He stands next to me like I'm with him and his girlfriend. He looks at the flight attendant and yells I wasn't smoking I went in there and it was filled with smoke. He looks at me again like I should be defending him or something. I announce once again I have never met this guy in my life. The guy looks at me like, "you bitch how could you". We take our seat as he gets in he spills his last glass of wine allllll over me. Then he trys to clean it up. I was like hey PAWS OFF I got this. The rest of the flight was awkward.
We get to St. Johns I just want to get off the plane. I leave go through customs go to get my bag. And wait. And wait..... everybody gets their bags. EXCEPT ME. All of my equipment for my morning flight offshore is in my bag. This is the worst case scenario when traveling offshore. I fill out the claim then head to immigration for my work permit. The border guy is like where is your packet. I give him my documents I have received and then he's like noooo I need your packet. I have no idea what this packet is. He says we can legally send you back to the US for this. ( In my mind I'm like please do). I am being interrogated and Its like I have no energy left I don't care if I work here or if I don't. Finally after an hour or so of him making phone calls he is like how would you like to pay for your permit?
Another thing my company failed to mention. I haven't got offshore pay in so long and didn't get paid till the next day. I didn't have the money to pay for it. They take all my identification and say come downtown to immigrations in the am pay the money get your passport and IDs. So I leave legally not allowed in Canada. Go to the hotel and my companies credit card is declined. I AM RAGING NOW. My company makes 97 billion dollars a year in profits. WTF??????????? I call my mom and dad has to pay for room. I go to sleep update my company on whats going on. In the AM I go to front desk they are like are you checking out and I say no I have to stay another night because airline lost my bag. They say ohhh well we are booked full. So I have to go to another hotel and my companies card doesn't work their EITHER. IM LOSING IT AT THIS POINT.
Anyways hotel situation was never solved. I'm pissed how unorganized my company is. I finally get my bag. It has been HELLLLLLL.
I leave for my ship in the am. 2 hour chopper flight. I'm really nervous hope my bad luck ends here!
Till next time
Hillary
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Training in the North Atlantic
I arrived in St. Johns, Newfoundland last week. I absolutely love it here. I have never met a nicer group of people. They are called “Newfies”. The men are complete gentleman and are good looking Irish guys! Its really easy getting used to being called Lovey and My Darling all day :). The women are so nice and friendly. You can’t meet a stranger here. I feel like I fit in the culture really well. The North Atlantic Ocean is breathtaking. The cliffs along the shore with waves crashing against them are breathtaking. The trees are greener, the sky is bluer. This Island off of Canada has such charm.
On my last ship I learned so much from the marine department. I miss hanging out with the guys out there. Most of my blogs have been about learning all about ships! Right now I am at the Marine Institute in Newfoundland. It is a college for mariners. So everything I was taught on the Titanium Explorer I am using now in my practical hands on training. I have 13 days of training out here and am being certified to meet Canadian cold water offshore survival standards. I have learned to put out all types of fires, I have learned to escape a fire with compressed air to breath and a gas mask on, in the dark where I have to feel for my exit. I have learned to davit launch lifeboats and rafts. I basically have learned and physically practiced everything that could aid in survival from top to bottom, inside and out.
Yesterday we did our capsized underwater helicopter evacuation . I have done this in Houston to be certified in the gulf but here it was way more intense. We wore a huge flight suit and boots so it was harder to escape but I got it done. My nervousness has changed to confidence and adrenaline rush during this training. We did it over and over and over. They train you well here, the guys who teach the class are all mariners and ex military. They have the best leadership personalities and push you and make you confident in your abilities. There was a crash here a couple years ago and everyone but one person died. One girl got out but didn’t make it to the surface in time so they decided to put compressed air cartridges in the flight suit. We practiced over and over getting oxygen underwater. I was always scared to go scuba diving and now I know I can go after today.
Today was sea day! We used all of our survival training out in the ocean. Its like the final exam. We had to launch lifeboats, life rafts and do everything in real ocean conditions. We jumped off of the vessel into the cold Atlantic ocean. We had to climb this rope net along side the huge boat. We even had to float around out there in the freezing water waiting to get rescued! At first I was nervous about getting bit by a shark but the guys and instructors are so great and told me that they will let the shark get them before it gets me! One thing is for sure chivalry is NOT DEAD in Newfoundland!
I really wish I could have gone to school here. Don’t get me wrong I love SMU and learned so much, but this marine institute feels like home. Its all Newfoundland Navy guys teaching everything. These past five days I have learned so much and built up so much confidence. I really am glad I went through this course!
Pictures coming soon :)
Miss everyone!
On my last ship I learned so much from the marine department. I miss hanging out with the guys out there. Most of my blogs have been about learning all about ships! Right now I am at the Marine Institute in Newfoundland. It is a college for mariners. So everything I was taught on the Titanium Explorer I am using now in my practical hands on training. I have 13 days of training out here and am being certified to meet Canadian cold water offshore survival standards. I have learned to put out all types of fires, I have learned to escape a fire with compressed air to breath and a gas mask on, in the dark where I have to feel for my exit. I have learned to davit launch lifeboats and rafts. I basically have learned and physically practiced everything that could aid in survival from top to bottom, inside and out.
Yesterday we did our capsized underwater helicopter evacuation . I have done this in Houston to be certified in the gulf but here it was way more intense. We wore a huge flight suit and boots so it was harder to escape but I got it done. My nervousness has changed to confidence and adrenaline rush during this training. We did it over and over and over. They train you well here, the guys who teach the class are all mariners and ex military. They have the best leadership personalities and push you and make you confident in your abilities. There was a crash here a couple years ago and everyone but one person died. One girl got out but didn’t make it to the surface in time so they decided to put compressed air cartridges in the flight suit. We practiced over and over getting oxygen underwater. I was always scared to go scuba diving and now I know I can go after today.
Today was sea day! We used all of our survival training out in the ocean. Its like the final exam. We had to launch lifeboats, life rafts and do everything in real ocean conditions. We jumped off of the vessel into the cold Atlantic ocean. We had to climb this rope net along side the huge boat. We even had to float around out there in the freezing water waiting to get rescued! At first I was nervous about getting bit by a shark but the guys and instructors are so great and told me that they will let the shark get them before it gets me! One thing is for sure chivalry is NOT DEAD in Newfoundland!
I really wish I could have gone to school here. Don’t get me wrong I love SMU and learned so much, but this marine institute feels like home. Its all Newfoundland Navy guys teaching everything. These past five days I have learned so much and built up so much confidence. I really am glad I went through this course!
Pictures coming soon :)
Miss everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)