Imprinting

Everything has a start, that moment that will define your future, weather you're aware of it or not.
Or maybe we just like to look into our past and give it a frame, organize memories in a logical way.

For me it was a short flight from BLQ (Bologna) to CDG (Paris) with Ryan Air back in 2003.
During my summer holidays in high school, I worked for a month in a fast food chain to earn the money and make one of my dreams come true: visit Paris!
Worldwide known museums, gothic churches, river cruise on Seine with a view of Notre Dame cathedral, history of Robespierre and French revolution at Conciergerie, Napoleon's grave at Les Invalides, royal life at Louvre, climbing Tour Eiffel, shopping in Saint Germain quarter, flourishing gardens of Luxembourg, "cafe' cinema'", artistic streets in Montmartre, city view form the centre Pompidou... and it never ends with Paris! There is always more to visit and learn and enjoy. And when you get hungry, les escargot or croque Madame? Colorful macarons?

Paris is the most symbolic iconic city for me, not for the eternal attractions from above, but because it all started there and it kept giving me memorable moments. After my teenage trip with a high school friend, I came back to Paris countless times on a layover. Some of the Crew I met on those flights are still my friends.

But the most significant trip was the one with my mother and afterwards with my father.

For her it was a lifetime dream and I made it my mission to make it come true before she got tied to bed with an incurable illness. That was pretty much the last time she took a flight, with me, her flight attendant to be. We had a great time together, just mother and daughter: that bonding time of insatiable explorers. She gave all her energy to visit as much as possible and she came back fullhearted, as did I. Memories from this trip are the ones giving me strength every time I miss her.

My father came to visit me in Abu Dhabi and I took him on a 24h layover to Paris. The adventure started straight away: he almost got lost on that mazy airport with no battery on the mobile phone or language knowledge. I had to follow the operating crew  because Cabin Crew passage through the airports are different from the passengers ones. Police delivered him to me after an hour of general panic... It was an intense but memorable day!

And finally going back in time to my imprinting in 2003. Me and my high school friend on the first sector, excited about our accomplishment and already foretasting the adventures. A tall blonde steward with blue eyes caught my attention, or was it just the charm of a uniform? After a couple of exchanging glances he slipped a paper while offering a pillow and there I found a name and a telephone number. We dated for a couple of months, just enough for me to get fascinated with a Cabin Crew lifestyle. My mother bought me a book "Coffee, tea, me?" that I found quite entertaining and it gave me a first glance into detail to how my future will be.

Still that dream had to wait for years, until I finished university, went to study abroad, even had another job...Until my best friend from my hometown reminded me about that fantasy 10 years later! Oh yes, 10 years after my imprinting I actually became a flight attendant for a major middle eastern company and these are the stories that I am about to unfold.