RCGstaff: You started your journey first in Bahrein, right? After a while you moved to a neighbour country, Qatar. We assume you have been faced with strong cultural differences from the beginning. How would you describe your life in these countries?
EE: Yes. I moved to Bahrain on the 27th of December 2007 few days before New Year’s and I remember it as if it was yesterday. Obviously the cultural differences stand out right from the start. So the first impression I must admit, wasn’t great. I wanted to go back to Romania straight away. My only comfort was having my best friend with me and knowing that we are in this together. Why the bad first impression? Well, the hot weather, the lack of greenery, no people walking on the streets, no buzz, no life, desert everywhere. It only took me few days to realize I jumped to conclusions too quickly, because as soon as I started the training school I discovered a whole new world, a multicultural environment who would and did give me the possibility to develop and to expand my horizons.
RCGstaff: From your experience, what can you say about the people and the islamic culture in the Middle East? Also we would like to know how was the transition from an eastern european culture to a traditional, muslim country?
EE: I found the locals as being lovely people, friendly and open minded. Under the abbaya and the thobe , their traditional garments, they were normal people just like us with the same desire of enjoying life to the fullest. I spent 3 years in Bahrain, enjoying every minute of it, meeting new people, making long lasting friendships and travelling around the world. Moving to Doha wasn’t a big change as they’re both not just very close, only 25 min by plane, but also very similar. Nonetheless I would say Doha is a bit more restrictive, but with the World Cup coming up they are opening up at a fast pace. When I say restrictive I mean they still have rules and regulations regarding grooming when going out to the mall, for dinner or on a night out, regarding holding hands or kissing in public, or any gesture of intimacy. Some might find it difficult to cope with but at the end of the day you live in their country and you must respect them, which I must say it is not the hardest thing to do. Living in the Middle East throughout Ramadan was the most striking and maybe the hardest experience as everybody must abide by their rules, regardless of whether you’re an expat or not, religious or not. Daytime restaurants and shops are closed, public institutions have shorter duty day, no one is allowed to eat or drink in the public view, clubs are shot for 30 days, no alcohol whatsoever (unless you stocked up before Ramadan). So you just have to stay inside pretty much and try to adapt, which you do, by going to house parties, going for Iftar dinners ( Iftar is their breaking the fast) or if you’re lucky get a good long trip somewhere in Europe or America and avoid all the hassle of Ramadan.
RCGstaff: The Oriental culture is very rich in traditions, rituals and also they have a very wide and specific cuisine which is quite different from ours. Have you managed to adapt your taste and is there any special course that you love the most?
EE: I love the food here. I absolutely love hummus , which I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I recently became a vegetarian so I’m no longer having their traditional food, as in chicken or lamb biriyani, lamb machbous, chicken korma, shish taouk, lamb chops, curries. I adapted my taste along the way. I enjoy a lot spicy food, which I didn’t before. Luckily you can have international cuisine, so depending on the mood, I will fully enjoy an indian Daal with vegetable biryiani, or a tum yum soup, a pad thai and a seafood fried rice. I love going for sushi nights as well or when I miss European food I will go for a nice salad, or fish with veggies at Paul’s or one of the many Italian places. Their traditional desert is um’ali and kunafa which I must say I’m not a fan as they are too sweet.
RCGstaff: You have been living in Bahrein for a while. Is there a favourite restaurant/cafe where you used to go quite often? What about Qatar? Could you please describe the place?
EE: Me and Alice, my best friend used to go to this place called Al Abraj, in Bahrain, with traditional Arabic food and we would have a big portion of hummus, babaganoush, tabouleh, fatoush salad and warm bread. We loved that place and we never got bored of it.
I don’t have a favorite place to eat in Doha, but there are many restaurants that I like. They are really big on brunches, so on Fridays we gather up with friends and we eat and drink as much as we can from 12pm to 4pm. It’s a really good way of catching up with friends and get social. Its also very entertaining and the variety of food and drinks caters for everybody’s taste.
RCGstaff: If you will have to sum up the life of a stewardess in 5 words, which words would you choose?
EE: Unpredictable, fun, adventurous, challenging, addictive.
RCGstaff: In your opinion, which is the most exciting part of your job?
EE: In Bahrain I used to have a roster so I would know my schedule in advance for the entire month. In Doha is different. Working for a private airline means being on standby 24h a day, 7 days a week. The most exciting thing about my job is being so unpredictable. Today I’m in Doha, tomorrow I’m in Seychelles , next week I’m in New York. It’s always a surprise and sometimes you end up in the most unexpected places.
RCGstaff: How many flights you took until now? Which one was the longest?
EE: I’ve had way too many flights to be able to keep count. My longest flight as in duty time was 27 h, which I think was the most challenging I’ve done so far and as in lay-over it was one and a half months away from Doha, which was the best so far as we stayed in New York and LA.
RCGstaff: We know you have been travelling all over the world and you have reached the most exciting destinations, some can only dream about. Could you tell us which is your favourite destination?
EE: I couldn’t pick a favorite place or a destination that had the most impact on me as I’m always keen on discovering new places and they’re all so different. I’ve been to Bergen, Norway recently and I loved it. I’ve been mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery, delighted by the best salmon you could have and blown away by the extremely high cost of living and their good quality of life. I’ve been to so many different places, that is so hard to chose only one. I love shopping in London, Paris, New York. I enjoy a thai massage in Thailand, a Moroccan bath in Morocco, yoga sessions in India, I love the beautiful beaches in Seychelles and Maldives. I love summer in Nice and partying in Cannes. I just love travelling around the world and I’m grateful for having this amazing opportunity.
RCGstaff: Do you collect souvenirs from the places you visit? If so, what kind of souvenirs you like to buy?
EE: I used to collect souvenirs. I like statues, paintings, but after a while I had no place to put them in my mom’s house and I decided to stick to the fridge magnets, which they’re too many now for only one fridge.
RCGstaff: Throughout the years you have been travelling, have you ever been mesmerised by a particular destination because of its panoramic view or local culture? Give us more details about the place and the things that impressed you the most.
EE: I would say Khatmandu. For the beauty of the place, the beauty of the people’s hearts, despite their poverty, for their strong religious beliefs, their temples, their respect for customs and traditions. I’ve been to the place where they incinerate their dead and I saw the whole ceremony, which was quite impressive.
RCGstaff: Do you have any destination on your wish list that you want to visit and you haven't had the chance to do it yet?
EE: There are a lot of places on my bucket list. I haven’t been to South America yet. I want to go on a safari in Kenya, enjoy the breeze on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar, go whale watching in Australia, go in a shark tank in South Africa, visit Petra, scuba dive in the Red Sea, to mention just a few.
RCGstaff: What about the people that you meet during your flights? Is there any story of a random traveller that you met and made an impact on you?
EE: I love surrounding myself with beautiful people inside and outside, with good energies. On my travels I don’t really have enough time to bond with people though, so I couldn’t pinpoint a particular case. But I must say I’m lucky to have amazing friends and an amazing life partner. Couldn’t ask for more.
RCGstaff: Throughout your career, have you ever had a mentor, a person that inspired you and motivated you to follow your dreams?
EE: Looking back few people come to my mind but I must say that I have the utmost admiration, love and respect for my partner, who is an example of integrity, honesty, who has great ambitions and high principles, who’s been through a lot for his young age. And I’m not being biased;)) I just feel lucky for having him in my life and grateful to Doha for bringing us together.
Thank you Elena for sharing your story with us. We appreciate it a lot and definitely we have learnt something from it. Below you may find some images from Elena's personal archive from some of the places she has visited in the last years. We felt in love with Maldive and Thailand and hopefully we will get to visit these places soon. Until then, enjoy the pictures and remember that YOU can live your dreams as well. Don't give up, don't let other people influence you negatively and be the best in everything you do.
Love,
Laura&Elena
I don’t have a favorite place to eat in Doha, but there are many restaurants that I like. They are really big on brunches, so on Fridays we gather up with friends and we eat and drink as much as we can from 12pm to 4pm. It’s a really good way of catching up with friends and get social. Its also very entertaining and the variety of food and drinks caters for everybody’s taste.
RCGstaff: If you will have to sum up the life of a stewardess in 5 words, which words would you choose?
EE: Unpredictable, fun, adventurous, challenging, addictive.
RCGstaff: In your opinion, which is the most exciting part of your job?
EE: In Bahrain I used to have a roster so I would know my schedule in advance for the entire month. In Doha is different. Working for a private airline means being on standby 24h a day, 7 days a week. The most exciting thing about my job is being so unpredictable. Today I’m in Doha, tomorrow I’m in Seychelles , next week I’m in New York. It’s always a surprise and sometimes you end up in the most unexpected places.
RCGstaff: How many flights you took until now? Which one was the longest?
EE: I’ve had way too many flights to be able to keep count. My longest flight as in duty time was 27 h, which I think was the most challenging I’ve done so far and as in lay-over it was one and a half months away from Doha, which was the best so far as we stayed in New York and LA.
RCGstaff: We know you have been travelling all over the world and you have reached the most exciting destinations, some can only dream about. Could you tell us which is your favourite destination?
EE: I couldn’t pick a favorite place or a destination that had the most impact on me as I’m always keen on discovering new places and they’re all so different. I’ve been to Bergen, Norway recently and I loved it. I’ve been mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery, delighted by the best salmon you could have and blown away by the extremely high cost of living and their good quality of life. I’ve been to so many different places, that is so hard to chose only one. I love shopping in London, Paris, New York. I enjoy a thai massage in Thailand, a Moroccan bath in Morocco, yoga sessions in India, I love the beautiful beaches in Seychelles and Maldives. I love summer in Nice and partying in Cannes. I just love travelling around the world and I’m grateful for having this amazing opportunity.
RCGstaff: Do you collect souvenirs from the places you visit? If so, what kind of souvenirs you like to buy?
EE: I used to collect souvenirs. I like statues, paintings, but after a while I had no place to put them in my mom’s house and I decided to stick to the fridge magnets, which they’re too many now for only one fridge.
RCGstaff: Throughout the years you have been travelling, have you ever been mesmerised by a particular destination because of its panoramic view or local culture? Give us more details about the place and the things that impressed you the most.
EE: I would say Khatmandu. For the beauty of the place, the beauty of the people’s hearts, despite their poverty, for their strong religious beliefs, their temples, their respect for customs and traditions. I’ve been to the place where they incinerate their dead and I saw the whole ceremony, which was quite impressive.
RCGstaff: Do you have any destination on your wish list that you want to visit and you haven't had the chance to do it yet?
EE: There are a lot of places on my bucket list. I haven’t been to South America yet. I want to go on a safari in Kenya, enjoy the breeze on the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar, go whale watching in Australia, go in a shark tank in South Africa, visit Petra, scuba dive in the Red Sea, to mention just a few.
RCGstaff: What about the people that you meet during your flights? Is there any story of a random traveller that you met and made an impact on you?
EE: I love surrounding myself with beautiful people inside and outside, with good energies. On my travels I don’t really have enough time to bond with people though, so I couldn’t pinpoint a particular case. But I must say I’m lucky to have amazing friends and an amazing life partner. Couldn’t ask for more.
RCGstaff: Throughout your career, have you ever had a mentor, a person that inspired you and motivated you to follow your dreams?
EE: Looking back few people come to my mind but I must say that I have the utmost admiration, love and respect for my partner, who is an example of integrity, honesty, who has great ambitions and high principles, who’s been through a lot for his young age. And I’m not being biased;)) I just feel lucky for having him in my life and grateful to Doha for bringing us together.
Thank you Elena for sharing your story with us. We appreciate it a lot and definitely we have learnt something from it. Below you may find some images from Elena's personal archive from some of the places she has visited in the last years. We felt in love with Maldive and Thailand and hopefully we will get to visit these places soon. Until then, enjoy the pictures and remember that YOU can live your dreams as well. Don't give up, don't let other people influence you negatively and be the best in everything you do.
Love,
Laura&Elena
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Bergen, Norway
Central Park, New York City
Milan, Italy
Disneyland, Paris, France
Doha, Qatar
Doha, Qatar
Doha, Qatar
Thai food
Greece
Hollywood, Los Angeles
Maldive
Maldive
New York City
Oslo, Norway
Rodeo Drive, USA
Maldive
Maldive
Thailand
Thai temple
Thai temple
Thai temple
Thai island
Thai Island
