Weekend Time!
Boy, I am glad it's the weekend. As I said before, I've been working the nightshift these past few days (23.00-07.00). By the time I was home it was 08.00 in the morning. I take a shower, have a cup of tea, look at the news and then it's off to bed until 14.00. I get up have a sandwich. While cooking dinner I watch TV, Then it's off to the gym for an hour. Back home, I shower and have dinner and then take a nap until 20.30. By 22.00 I leave the house again and head to Amstelveen. By car though, because the roads are not busy at the times that I work. Social contacts? No way... no time for that. So when AFC asked me to work nightshift this Saturday and Sunday, I was very clear in my answer: Hell no!
I have a lot of heart for the job, but I have more heart for my personal life. There was a time in my life when would've given anything and everything for my job. No questions asked. They could call me anytime for work and I would drop everything for the job (Air Aruba/Ogden, De Palm Tours and KLM). But as you get older, you find that it is more important to find a good balance between work and private life. I mean your family, partner and friends are more important than some job. Sure... money needs to come in, I am not denying that and some people don't have much choice. I count my blessings that I do.
Because I'm with R. who is a Cabin Attendant (CA) and because of my job as a Lead Consultant at AFC and as a part-time CA at KLM, I have a lot of friends that work in the business. We have understanding of the world we work in. Today I can be in my apartment in Rotterdam, but tomorrow I can be in Osaka in Japan and next week Paris in France. Because you don't have a regular life, some people around you that are not in the business don't comprehend it. I've seen many relationships and friendships fall apart because of this. I know it can't be fun for someone to come home to an empty house days at a time.
R. and I have a LAT relationship... you know... Living Apart Together. Meaning we each own our own apartments, but often sleep over at either one. When I first got involved with him, he was still working at KLM Ground Services at Schiphol as was I. That was easy. I still lived by my parents and we saw each other almost everyday. Then he made the transition to KLM In-flight Services. It was still easy, because I understood the nature of the job and most importantly... I also loved my freedom when he was away. The problems started when I got with AFC with the help of Lesley. I was gone for weeks at times! Sometimes I got back to Holland and he already left to another destination. And when he was back, I would have to go again! It was a nightmare and after a while the relationship got strained to the point of us almost splitting up. It was a dark period in our lives. Because it wasn't only him and me, but also his kids Ryan and Dave were involved. He had to spend time with them as well.
Then we sat down and talked it out and made some drastic changes. First I went to AFC and asked them if I could stop being an all-around Consultant and go into a dedicated team. This would mean that travel would be restricted to one part of the world for 90% instead of travelling all over like a crazy person. After much deliberation, they agreed. I went into team #3... the Asia specialists. Then Robin started restricting his EUR (Europe) trip and started flying as much ICA (Intercontinental) as possible. He only has to fly EUR once every 6 months to maintain his flight safety certification on the 737. When flying ICA, the money may be a little less, because EUR does make more money when doing an EUR week. But ICA generates the most free days. And because R. can more or less request his own schedule, we chose this option. And that is how we found balance. I mean we all have our own sets of friends and some of them are our common friends, but we give each other space to do what we each like and make sure we have still have time for each other. So sometimes, the answer to our employers have to be a loud and resounding 'no'.
Now that I am living in R'dam, it made certain thing much easier and it is working. Of course we do have problems now and then, but we try to solve them as they come. And what would have been a problem is me working this weekend. I already had decided that today I was going to thoroughly clean my apartment and do some grocery shopping at the market and supermarket. Sunday I am going to my parents to celebrate Mothers Day. So no... AFC... better luck next time. Sorry Ricardo!
On another note R. just sent me these pictures from New York City, where he is at this moment on lay-over. What does one do when in the Big Apple? Shop 'till you drop with a girlfriend who also likes shopping!
Robbedoes at the Empire State Building
Rob and G. in Manhattan
Dinner in Manhattan after a day of shopping
So anyway, let me go clean my home and then head to the shops and market. Have a great weekend everyone!
I have a lot of heart for the job, but I have more heart for my personal life. There was a time in my life when would've given anything and everything for my job. No questions asked. They could call me anytime for work and I would drop everything for the job (Air Aruba/Ogden, De Palm Tours and KLM). But as you get older, you find that it is more important to find a good balance between work and private life. I mean your family, partner and friends are more important than some job. Sure... money needs to come in, I am not denying that and some people don't have much choice. I count my blessings that I do.
Because I'm with R. who is a Cabin Attendant (CA) and because of my job as a Lead Consultant at AFC and as a part-time CA at KLM, I have a lot of friends that work in the business. We have understanding of the world we work in. Today I can be in my apartment in Rotterdam, but tomorrow I can be in Osaka in Japan and next week Paris in France. Because you don't have a regular life, some people around you that are not in the business don't comprehend it. I've seen many relationships and friendships fall apart because of this. I know it can't be fun for someone to come home to an empty house days at a time.
R. and I have a LAT relationship... you know... Living Apart Together. Meaning we each own our own apartments, but often sleep over at either one. When I first got involved with him, he was still working at KLM Ground Services at Schiphol as was I. That was easy. I still lived by my parents and we saw each other almost everyday. Then he made the transition to KLM In-flight Services. It was still easy, because I understood the nature of the job and most importantly... I also loved my freedom when he was away. The problems started when I got with AFC with the help of Lesley. I was gone for weeks at times! Sometimes I got back to Holland and he already left to another destination. And when he was back, I would have to go again! It was a nightmare and after a while the relationship got strained to the point of us almost splitting up. It was a dark period in our lives. Because it wasn't only him and me, but also his kids Ryan and Dave were involved. He had to spend time with them as well.
Then we sat down and talked it out and made some drastic changes. First I went to AFC and asked them if I could stop being an all-around Consultant and go into a dedicated team. This would mean that travel would be restricted to one part of the world for 90% instead of travelling all over like a crazy person. After much deliberation, they agreed. I went into team #3... the Asia specialists. Then Robin started restricting his EUR (Europe) trip and started flying as much ICA (Intercontinental) as possible. He only has to fly EUR once every 6 months to maintain his flight safety certification on the 737. When flying ICA, the money may be a little less, because EUR does make more money when doing an EUR week. But ICA generates the most free days. And because R. can more or less request his own schedule, we chose this option. And that is how we found balance. I mean we all have our own sets of friends and some of them are our common friends, but we give each other space to do what we each like and make sure we have still have time for each other. So sometimes, the answer to our employers have to be a loud and resounding 'no'.
Now that I am living in R'dam, it made certain thing much easier and it is working. Of course we do have problems now and then, but we try to solve them as they come. And what would have been a problem is me working this weekend. I already had decided that today I was going to thoroughly clean my apartment and do some grocery shopping at the market and supermarket. Sunday I am going to my parents to celebrate Mothers Day. So no... AFC... better luck next time. Sorry Ricardo!
On another note R. just sent me these pictures from New York City, where he is at this moment on lay-over. What does one do when in the Big Apple? Shop 'till you drop with a girlfriend who also likes shopping!
Robbedoes at the Empire State Building
Rob and G. in Manhattan
Dinner in Manhattan after a day of shopping
So anyway, let me go clean my home and then head to the shops and market. Have a great weekend everyone!
posted by Traveller at 4:40 AM
4 Comments:
Nice post Ryan, wish you a good weekend.
Well I made it, yes yes yes Ik ben geslaagd. I got my dangerous certificate 100% geslaagd written on it, duh I got a 10 for it...
And my basistraining certificate I got a 8.6 jupi
Next week I have Codeco training, thats another certificate I am going to get for sure...
the GM of Menzies volgens mij is Osling Toppenberg, isn't he an Arubian Man or so?????? that name sounds familiar to me??????????
And thanks for your post Ryan.
Weet je Ry, niet veel mensen begrijpen inderdaad niet wat het is om steeds weg te zijn. Ze vinden het een glamoureuze leven met veel avontuur. Ik zal niet liegen... ik houd ervan om andere landen en culturen mee te maken, maar het is ook kei- en keihard werken. Afspraken zijn moeilijk na te komen en ralties moeilijk te onderhouden. Je maakt er gewoon het beste van.
Moh
Since I started to work for easyJet and now BA it's more travel & travel. I didn't expect it. My gf is not liking it at all, but it's my job. Anyway I am off to Amsterdam to Pathé.
Laterz buddy.
Les
@ Pikaboo: Osling "Toppie" Toppenberg used to be the General manager at Air Aruba/Ogden in Aruba and later on he continued to ASSA (ASerca Sociédad Anonimo) when Ogden declared worldwide bankrupcy and sold its ground handling division to several companies. Ogden Schiphol was sold to MAG (Menzies), your new employer.
I liked the man... at work. He would never become a friend of mine. Even after he fired my ass, he remained friendly. When Menzies Amsterdam offered him the position, he took it. It was on the Arubian news and newspapers.
Ryan
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