And then we were one year older…

Wow, what a year 2017 has been! In a space of 12 months, my life has been turned upside down. Some would say that my life has been quite normal, others would say it’s been a roller coaster ride. We all have different perspectives and come from very different worlds, and sets of ‘norms’. Even my husband and I – as much as we think we have similar morals and values – we come from very different places and do our best to ‘negotiate’ on how we see the world.

So 12 months ago, where was I?

I had just moved into the place where I now live. I was engaged to a lovely man – although someone I never thought I’d marry; and hey, here I am 12 months later, and so happy that I did! I was questioning my values in some areas; about to meet my future mother-in-law – which has been a very interesting 12 months of getting to know each other… similar to the way a group experiences dynamics, you know, the whole forming, storming, norming, performing cycle… however not sure where exactly we are up to with that; I was in the midst of organising a wedding, and still dabbling with the idea of whether I have a wedding planner help me or not as I was predicting a mental breakdown happening with all the organising that needed to be happening interstate combined with the minimal amount of spare time my job and lifestyle allows, and at the same time, learning how to be a mum to a gorgeous cavoodle fur baby, called Princess Charlotte or Charlie for short.

People say what doesn’t hurt you makes you stronger. Well in some ways I definitely think I’m stronger – I’ve definitely had to learn to negotiate, and understand how to truly put others’ needs ahead of my own desires… which previously I thought I did, but this last year, I really had to do not just think it!

With all of this in mind; I’m now typing at the computer at the dining table in my beloved house, listening to my mostly awesome (sometimes annoying) dog who is now barking at the neighbours’ dogs, and reminiscing about whether I actually succeeded or failed this year. Either way, no matter my analysis – or whether my friends, family or husband agrees with me as their viewpoint will always be different to mine as we all wear different pairs of shoes – the year has now gone. In many ways, I’m glad it’s over, but then again I’m sad I still don’t have answers and solutions to some of my frustrations and questions.

For the first time in a long while, I definitely think this year has hurt me and not just unanimously made me stronger. I used to think I was invincible in many ways. Overall, I have usually been in good health, physically and mentally, and exercised a lot both from a cardio and weights perspective in order to stay fit and slim. This year hurt my mental wellbeing and health. I think it burnt me out.

Learning how to live with someone else is always an interesting dynamic. I love my husband dearly, but learning someone else’s habits and having to work out what works for you and what doesn’t can be a challenge. Similarly for them too. Neither of us are perfect. Neither of us have the world totally understood and why things happen or why there aren’t always solutions to all the problems we encounter whether individually or together; so learning more about each other every day, how we tick, what matters most to us, and learning to be a couple, not just two individuals living under the same roof has been a very interesting learning experience for both of us. It’s definitely made us closer but wow, I take my hat off to those that have been married for so many years and make out that it is easy!

My parents have been married 43 years, and although I have seen them quibble here and there, it is very rare. May my husband and I have that enjoyment when we are old and grey too! I should also add here too, that our honeymoon in the middle of this year was the best thing that ever happened to our relationship. It brought us closer and really gave us a chance to remove ourselves from all the stresses of work and everyday life, and truly just get to appreciate each other and the commitment we have made to each other to be lifelong friends, lovers and partners as we grow old together – and hopefully one day as parents too.

Back to feeling burnt out. So, 10 months ago, I was healthy, running, swimming, living life and slim as can be. Now, I’m rundown, have chronic fatigue, am heavily overweight, and frustrated at all the time I have spent going for blood tests, seeing doctors and receiving conflicting information on how I should be living my life, and what medicines I should be taking or treatments I should be following in order to get my health back. Never have I really sat down and appreciated how lucky I was to have such good health for so long; but this year, it feels like it has come crashing down. 

Maybe my body and mindset was holding out till I was married and once that all happened I gave in to all the ‘goings on’ of my life. Maybe it was organising a wedding, and moving, and working, and travelling, and and and… that just shocked my system too much to be able to fight back. It’s so hard not knowing. Not knowing whether my health will come back; being frustrated that it may take a long time to get back in shape, and repair my gut health; frustrated that I still can’t work out which doctor or therapy or method of treatment to follow. If it wasn’t for my amazing husband believing in me and the medical systems around me, I think sometimes I would have lost my motivation to go to work that day and just face another doctor’s appointment. I love my job. I love my husband. I love my dog. I love my friends. I’m just sad with how my health has turned around and how overweight I feel and look.

I don’t fit into my awesome wardrobe of clothes. I don’t feel comfortable in most things I’m currently wearing. I’m not happy that everyone thinks I look pregnant when I’m not. I’m not happy that people keep asking why we aren’t pregnant yet – which is pretty much impossible until I get my health in order and get my physical strength back (and mental strength too). I don’t want to buy clothes in a bigger size as it’s just too upsetting to face the facts and be reminded constantly of how unhealthy I feel and am.

For someone who often has the answers; and usually tries her hardest to come up with solutions… I am stumped with this one and so frustrated you can’t imagine. So as I conclude this blog post; I look back on 2017 feeling very fulfilled in some ways and totally empty in others. It’s a very strange feeling.

All I can hope for is that 2018 goes back to my ‘normal’; that I can somehow get to be healthy, fit, slim and feel physically at my best; that I can still have a wonderful and supportive husband by my side; that my job that I enjoy can still be my stability despite the many times I have to catch up hours for medical appointments; that I can one day (not necessarily in 2018) say yes I am pregnant to the many people that criticise or ask why we aren’t yet; and where I can feel mentally strong to take on the next challenges of life, which I am so eager to experience. May everyone have the strength to fight their battles and have the support networks they need to continue being the awesome people we should be.

And so… (although both of my grandmothers are now older and I am so grateful to have them in my life, particularly earlier this year when they were witnesses to my marriage; I hope they have the courage to fight on too, as long as god will allow it)… we are now another year older… and just like that… tick tock tick tock, I went away on holidays, and returned to face the adventures of 2018.

Ps. I should have also thrown into this entry the terror of the Bourke Street mall incident in January; but need I say more. I saw too much that day; the injured, the dead, the SWAT team, the police presence, the media coverage, right outside my front door. It impacted my work routine, where I walk in the office, my anxiety of the next holiday season, and any time there is a major emergency in the city. It wasn’t pleasant; may it now be a thing of the past (mindful of those who died that day).

Self-reflection

Life is a journey. We are always growing as a person. It's not a rush even if various timelines and goals may have preferred dates assigned to them. Sometimes it's good to reflect, do an audit of oneself, really look at what's important - values, friendships, goals, career aspirations, lifestyle - and to not just fill up one's life with 'stuff'; else you'll be too busy to really appreciate the world and people around you, and miss out on the good things along the way, rather than simply achieving your dreams.

I've learnt a lot this summer - I've met people far less well off than me. I've met people smarter than me whether you judge them based on emotional intelligence, academic intelligence, street smart, and more. Everyone has something to offer this world, no matter what their "world" is, and everyone can learn from one another - whether it be a skill, a behaviour, a topic of interest, an emotion, a perspective. Keeping an open mind and believing you are better off with that person interacting with you, no matter what they have to share, or how they touch your life is key. Whether it be for a minute or a second, always give people a chance and treat them as though they're a king until they do wrong by you. And if they do happen to do wrong by you, maybe even give them a second or third or fourth chance to make things right, especially if they didn't realise they were doing something wrong.

Sometimes I forget to appreciate the world I live in, the people around me, the people who invest in me, the people who inspire me and more - as I seem to always be focused on wanting to make a difference in other people's lives, and being the best I can be. Taking a step back, and actually acknowledging what people offer me, and give to me, and do for me can be really healthy too. It may be companionship, it may be a smile, it may be a hug, it may be a conversation, it may be friendship, it may be a service such as a bank teller, musician, waiter, or flight attendant. These people all contribute to life, and whether or not we have a good or bad day, or have something to smile about, or something to talk so fondly of. They do their jobs for the love of it (usually, not just for money). My family and friends do it because they like you and want you to be happy or feel appreciated or fulfilled or simply because there is a connection they enjoy sharing. Don't ever forget that.

I am a school teacher and a health coach because I want to give back. I may also be a perfectionist and have too high an expectation of people. I'm working on shifting this mentality so that people who find me inspiring can also feel appreciated and that giving their best is good enough, even if there are more goals which can be achieved, or there is more energy in the tank, or there is a way of striving higher or getting better grades, or making more money or whatever that "stretch" factor may be. We all have dreams and it's good to dream. Reminding people of reality is good too, but not if it makes other people feel worse for it. If anything, I always try to help those close to me to get to their goals if I have an ability, skill or knowledge, that will assist them and my sharing is of benefit to them, and wanted by them. Sometimes people want to do something for themselves, and just because I can already do it or have the know-how, people need to feel fulfilled by realising their own sense of achievement. It's hard being patient and not getting frustrated; but learning how to give people a chance and observe their growth and development can be even more rewarding for everyone, which at the end of the day, the team collective is more important.

In conclusion, never forget to love life and appreciate anything and everything around you; as one day it could be too late. You may no longer be in good health, someone may no longer be alive, you may no longer get to have that one last experience. Slow down, and remember to be grateful. When I see strangers on the street, I like to smile at them as I walk by, and they often smile back - or just think I'm weird, one of the two. But the key factor is to do these things when I'm stressed, or sad, or frustrated, or tired, and simply uncomfortable, not just when I'm happy, relaxed, awake and alive, inspired and in my comfort zone. We all do things differently depending on how we are feeling at the time. My goal for personal development right now is to learn how to do those inspiring acts and be grateful for anything and everything around me no matter how I'm feeling inside. And if something is causing me to be down or frustrated, try to investigate what's causing that emotion rather than ignoring it and unknowingly impacting on others. I know I will be better off for it; and hopefully those around me - whether they are strangers or loved ones - will be too.

Education and the variety that exists in Australian Schools

I have been working in Australian schools for over a year now, in a teaching capacity. It has been extremely interesting seeing how different the education systems are, and how the cultures vary completely. For example, depending on the geographic area, or whether the school is government funded or a private or independent enterprise, depends on how well the students are behaved and whether they are motivated to learn.

What is most evident is the fact that students in general at government non-selective schools are not interested in 'getting ahead' in life and it's very sad. I'm not sure if it's because their parents don't inspire them to learn or lead by example, but most kids are in high school because it's compulsory and not because they're actually interested in learning.

I taught over 100 students last week and asked them what their favourite subject was. Over 80 per cent said Fitness and Training or Sport. Further, their favourite past-time is playing video games or PlayStation games after school.

This is in contrast to a private school I was working at last term, whereby as much as the teenagers misbehave occasionally, as this is a normal thing for people of this age to do, they still show respect towards their teachers, and have a built-in attitude to learn, even if they know it's hard or they're not an A+ student in that subject. They try, they enquire, and more so, they show respect.

That is what drives me to teach and educate our future generations. I came out of the corporate world 2 years ago to change careers and make a difference in our community. Education, I believe, is one of the keys to success. And if I can play my part in educating our youth, hopefully overall they will make something of their lives and make a valuable contribution to the society in which we live.

Aside, the government a few years ago injected a huge amount of money into Education and schools. My concern is that people say they want better teachers in government schools. How do you expect to attract better teachers if the conditions are awful and the students show no respect towards the teachers? I am far more attracted to places where the students are interested in learning and show respect, than schools whereby my values are challenged every day and I fear my safety and question my profession. Parents need to teach their kids how to respect others and their elders. Then, you may be able to attract teachers that are of high calibre and inspirational, and seen as mentors to those kids who are less fortunate.

After working in one government school for over four weeks now, I have seen the difference and definitely don't like it. Last Monday, my personal safety in a classroom was compromised. Another student was behaving so unruley that he even picked up my personal devices such as the iPad and threatened to smash it on the ground if I didn't follow his demands. I sent for help and received none. Another teacher was walking passed in the corridor and so I asked him for help. He insisted that it wasn't his area to interfere despite me pleading for assistance.

Sometimes I wonder whether the staff in these schools are just as unaware of respect and standards not just the students?

Knowing I have another contract at a private school next term, I have now resigned from this short term government role. It was not for me. The culture is not me and the people I was interacting with do not overall have the same values as me. Knowing when you're in over your head is important; and ensuring I'm educating students who want to learn is my primary focus.

Today I'm doing CRT at a lovely private schools girls college and couldn't be happier. The Year 12 class' students have approached me three times in the last half hour asking for assistance with their maths, business management and general advice. I couldn't be more obliging if I tried. They want to learn and I'm over the moon at how much they respect me and value my opinion.

The education system is slowly changing. Thank god there are schools and students out there who value people like me!

Death and Reflection

Last week, in a space of 24 hours, I was notified of four people that had passed away.

One of them was Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple Inc and someone whom although I had never met or knew, seemed to spark a wave of mourning across the world. His innovative mind changed the world, so too his thought leadership and approach on running of a global brand and company. My ex boyfriend is a big Apple fan, and although it took me a while to switch, I now prefer Apple products too.

Another recent death was a former nanny of mine, aged 91, whom even though it was over 20 years ago that she looked after my brother and I, and whom I didn’t really like, I often thought of where she had ended up. My strangest memory of her was when she would run after me around the house waving a tea towel!

The third person was the daughter of a friend of my mother. She was in her early 20s and had Cystic Fibrosis. I had met her when I was younger. My mother was deeply saddened by this passing, and so it had an effect on me too. This friend of hers she knows from school days.

The fourth person, and the one that had the most impact on me was a girl, now married for a couple of years by the name of Ilana. She was two years ahead of me at school, and was 34 at passing. She died of tongue cancer. How sad. She lost her father about a year ago; and my thoughts go out to her sister and other members of her family too.

Ilana was always full of life and even though I don’t think I’d seen her for maybe a decade, I remember chatting to her in school, and was good friends with her cousin.

From what I hear, the funeral parlour was full to the brim, and scores of people were huddled outside trying to hear the ceremony’s proceedings. The prayers that evening were also packed to the rafters.

Furthermore, last Friday/Saturday was Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. It’s the holiest day in the Jewish religion and is when your fate for the next 12 months is determined (so they say). During prayers, the memorial prayer “Yizkor” is said – for immediate relatives who are no longer alive, and to remember those who have fallen that have no one to remember them (eg Holocaust victims).

In the month leading up to this day, you are meant to have repented for your sins, asked friends and family for forgiveness, so too God.

Surely, the two out of four people here that are Jewish would have asked God for a good year ahead - whether they’re believers in God or not…

And to add a personal note, I’ve just come out of a long relationship, with someone whom I loved dearly, and thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. His absence as my best friend, companion, confidante and partner has had a huge impact on my life; more than I thought it would. I feel in many ways like he has died, and that a piece of my heart died with him.

There are many forms and reasons for grief and loss, and everyone handles these acts differently. I hope we all have the strengths to get through them and see a brighter future and light at the end of the tunnel, however long it may take.

There are two people whom I know that are currently suffering from cancer and receiving treatment. No doubt there are more cases out there. My thoughts go out to these people, as well as their network of supporters. May God write you in the Book of Life this year; so too my two grandmothers who are in their elderly years.

So in reflection, I’ve just been wondering what’s going on in the world lately, with so many people leaving in such a short space of time. Of course this isn’t a new occurrence and people come and go all the time; I guess it’s just that this time, I know of these people… and it’s made me think…

Ps. On a happier note, I also know of several people who have recently had babies. Some of these children are back in hospital experiencing complications, others are at home May they all grow up to be big and strong, and lead healthy, happy, nurtured and long lives.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

Not happy Qantas! Not happy!

Dear Qantas,

I don’t usually give you and your brand a hard time, but this time, I’ve had enough.

As a current Qantas Club member and Frequent Flyer, I usually enjoy your service, however recently, the experience shared on your aircraft and with your staff and airport services has been absolutely appalling.

Bad weather, strikes, you name it and you have blamed everyone except for taking responsibility.

I’m sick of defending your brand to other passengers who choose to use Virgin Australia and Tiger Airways; especially for those of us who commute between Melbourne and Sydney on a regular basis.

First of all, Thursday night was not a bad weather night. Wednesday was – granted. Surely 24 hours later you can get your act together. I was booked on a flight. I got bumped off that flight because even though I had spoken to your telephone staff to check my flight had not been cancelled, I was told not checking in online would not be an issue, especially when I didn’t have a printer at hand to print the boarding pass; and that checking in at the airport would not be a problem. Wrong.

First complaint: Let the passenger know that checking in online can be done without a printer, and the need to print a boarding pass beforehand.

Second complaint: If a passenger has booked a ticket and the flight is still going ahead, do not bump that passenger onto standby, simply because you stuffed up and need to have other passengers get to their destination sooner.

Next issue. Well done for sending me a text message to say my flight was one hour late. Only problem is that when I did got to the airport, I had been bumped and put on standby; where there were no other available flights leaving that night. Maybe the text message should have said “call us” if you weren’t planning on having me fly that night anyway!

Lucky for you, within 20 minutes of arriving to the airport and complaining to staff lingering around the check-in area, you had put on a “special service” flying from Sydney to Melbourne to accommodate the backlog of grumpy passengers; and lucky for me, my dinner expectation was now catered for in the Qantas Club lounge.

Third complaint: All of your flights that night ended up leaving late or being cancelled. There were no weather delays etc and by Thursday, you should have been back on schedule. No excuses.

Next. Turns out that the special service flight that landed in Melbourne after midnight; yes, we were all exhausted and this started my terrible weekend in Melbourne – being exhausted is not a fun way of starting a relaxing holiday… so too, NOT HAVING ANY LUGGAGE! – so it turns out, none of the passengers’ luggage was loaded onto this aeroplane!

Fourth complaint: Usually when you lose luggage or a passenger doesn’t receive their luggage at the other end, you send a text message telling us so. Why I know this? Because you lost my luggage AGAIN on my return flight!

Fifth complaint: Which airlines loses a passengers luggage in both directions?! Yes, twice in two flights! Talk about trying to win over customers. I’m losing patience and fast.

So what happened next… Hmm. Let’s see and where do I start?!

We arrived after midnight on Thursday night, only to head to the carousel thinking our luggage would arrive. But no. Not only was there no announcement on the aeroplane, there wasn’t even an announcement when we got down to the baggage services area.

Some poor lady who was exhausted and frustrated with the day’s painstaking mistakes by the airline staff was handing out paper forms, telling people in the nearby vicinity that no one’s luggage had been put on the plane as there were concerns the flight wouldn’t get to leave before Sydney’s curfew came in.

Our flight was meant to leave at 10. It left at about 10.40pm. You still had 20 minutes to get our bags on the plane; and even more so, the special flight service was announced at about 8:45pm, so you had from then until about 2 hours later to get our bags on the plane. Seriously Qantas.

Sixth complaint: Lack of communication. As mentioned above, we had no idea our bags weren’t on the plane. We weren’t told this even when we were all exhausted and waiting around till almost 1am trying to find out what to do about our missing bags. In the end, we were told to fill out a form and the missing luggage report would be filed on the computer system overnight. I went up to the Baggage Services counter, after waiting about 20 minutes for my turn to reach the counter (yes, many people had already given up by now so the line wasn’t too unbearably long, mind you at that time of night, everything seemed to take forever), and asked for them to process my report then and there so that I could have a reference number. The lady there said she couldn’t access the system at that moment in time and to trust that the report would be done overnight and I would have a number by the morning…

Again. Fail! I even put an urgent on my form.

Seventh complaint: If you know that your phone line for handling Baggage Services is going to be very busy and “experience longer than usual wait times”, why not put on more staff to handle the incoming calls?! I think I must have rung Qantas at least 6 times in the last 6 days… and to waste over an hour each time, simply waiting for you to pick up the phone when you’re the ones that have made the mistakes day after day in the first place, this is ridiculous!

I finally got through to a human being after waiting over an hour (using my mobile phone!!! on a 1300 number) to be told that my hand written form had not yet been entered into the system and was ‘next in line’. So much for being done overnight and stating that the urgent forms would be done first!
Eighth complaint: You gave me a reference number to then be able to trace my bag’s movements online using the World Tracer; or to use when calling up the Qantas Baggage Services line on other occasions. Problem: Your online system wasn’t tracking any bags so no one knew whether the bag was in Sydney, Melbourne or otherwise.

Ninth problem: You can’t just say to your passengers that no compensation will be offered, as the bag was lost due to bad weather!? The bag was misplaced because your staff chose not the put the bag on the plane. If the aeroplane was able to fly then bags are able to go onto a plane. Especially when it wasn’t even raining in the hours leading up to the plane leaving Sydney.

The lady on the other end of the phone line basically said that no compensation would be offered and I should speak to my travel insurance company. Most people buy travel insurance for overseas holidays, not domestic ones, especially when using their ‘most trusted airline’.

I had to borrow my grandmother’s clothes that day, for a 9am commitment on Friday. No shops are open then. No toiletries on offer. Nothing. Can you understand how embarrassed I was walking around in someone else’s clothes, almost 60 years old than me! And then I had a job interview to go to and you could tell the lady noticed my discomfort in my appearance. I did apologise in the end, but I shouldn’t have had to!

I rang Qantas again on Saturday morning as the WorldTracer online status still said there was no sign of my bag being tracked anywhere, only to wait for over 75 minutes this time around. Again, I used my mobile and I had places to be on the Saturday morning.

Tenth problem: Surely after someone hasn’t had their luggage returned to them within 24 hours, they deserve compensation – especially if they’re a loyal, frequent flyer, and Club member?!

Again, the lady on the phone line said no, and that there was nothing she could do because of the bad weather that had affected the entire airline network since Wednesday night. I asked if I could buy things and claim the receipts. She said I could do what I wanted but there was no guarantee of reimbursement.

Surely, an airline has insurance for these sorts of catastrophes, with inclement weather and having to put one customer out after another, including missing flights and no luggage…

Currently, I am in a temporary job, and have been unemployed for a few months leading up to this role. Consequently, I am trying to save my pennies, especially until my next more permanent role comes around. Because of this, I spent no more than $25 to buy toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a pair of socks. Luckily, I had two spare pairs of underwear in my hand luggage.

Thanks to a lovely friend, I was able to borrow some clothes that fit me and look more my age, to make it through Saturday and Sunday. However, that said, I was very frustrated during my first three days in Melbourne, having got minimal sleep Thursday night due to the late arrival of the planes, no luggage, and the stress of having to sit on a phone for an hour each time I called Qantas, and not having my clothes to wear. Only three days into my 4.5 day holiday did I get to relax as my luggage was back in my possession.

Eleventh problem: So much for getting to have a holiday!? Do you know how stressful it is for someone to not have their luggage with them, AND for your electronic system to not even know where it is.

To make matters worse, I have a friend that flew from Melbourne to Sydney on Saturday, with a less than 24 hour turnaround, as he was then flying over to France to attend the Cannes Film Festival.

He was so angry about the situation, and with no time to wait around for his misplaced luggage, he ended up going into the Sydney CBD to shop for an entire new wardrobe for his commitment overseas, let alone a new suitcase too. I wonder if Qantas is going to compensate him. You had better. He’s an up and coming movie producer; who’s worked on projects both here and abroad. He won’t be doing any brand placement for you in his films down the track if you don’t pull your socks up Qantas!

Twelfth problem: After learning my lesson, from the online check in experience on Thursday, I decided to do an online check in for my return journey. Exhausted as can be as my holiday was not at all a holiday, and with an early morning flight on Tuesday: 1) The flight was again late; 2) I received a text message upon arrival into Sydney to tell me my luggage was not on the flight; 3) My special meal was not on the plane either.

Address the no luggage issue. I ask, how can you get it wrong twice with the same passenger in such a short space of time? You have a 30 minute cut-off to get our bags from the check-in area and onto a plane. My bag was there in lots of time, so why can’t your team get it onto a plane in time?

I acknowledge you had a baggage handling strike last Friday. I acknowledge that your company is having MAJOR problems. Still, get it right. You may have a good track record in the sky – or used to anyway before your A380 dramas last year – but seriously, you need to sort your ground staff out too.

Furthermore, I made sure that when I did my online check-in that the meal request was in my booking. It was. Yet, when I was on the aeroplane, waiting for my breakfast meal to arrive, I was told by the crew serving the ‘normal’ meals that my meal was not on the plane and hadn’t even come through as a request.

Thirteenth problem: Do your systems not talk to each other? If my online booking says that I have a special meal, doesn’t that mean your catering company will provide one for me during the actual flight? I couldn’t have the breakfast as I’m lactose intolerant and all of your cereal meals had yoghurt through them. I didn’t even know to go to the Qantas Club lounge this time around to get something before the flight, and seeing as though I had a job to get to upon arrival into Sydney (mind you, I was even late for that when my luggage wasn’t on the carousel – yes, I am seeking compensation for wages amongst other things, as I’m currently paid by the hour and had to miss out on more income!)…

The staff on the flight said I need to call up Qantas each and every time I request a special meal, just to make sure that it is provided. Surely, if my booking says there’s a special meal requested I should be able to trust that it will be provided?! Why waste customers’ time even more, and how should we know to do this. If we make a request, then please provide.

And, maybe when you do stuff up, at least have fruit platters as a back up for customers to consume!? The head steward approached me as I was leaving the plane to offer a small packet of nuts and the business card of Qantas Customer Service to provide my feedback, and so here I am…

Do you really think a small packet of nuts is enough to provide as breakfast, the ‘most important meal of the day’?!

So again, I was back at the Baggage Services desk on Tuesday morning, placing a report as my luggage had not come on my flight. This time at least, the SMS received at 8.30am said that my luggage would arrive around 10am on another flight. Again, I was on the phone to Qantas at lunchtime (waiting again for over 30 minutes this time), wondering where my luggage was as it had not shown up in the WorldTracer system as having arrived in Sydney or been scanned to get delivered by a courier.

Fourteenth problem: It was only after the lady at the other end of the phone line rang Sydney airport to find my bag (and yes, she noted my anger that this had happended twice in two flights), that she said, “oh yes, the bag has arrived, it just hadn’t yet been scanned and put on the system”; and of course, until this happens, the courier couldn’t deliver it. Finally after 5pm, my bag got delivered to my mother’s work address, as she had a car with her and kindly offered to drop it to my house later in the evening.

Qantas, I bought my Qantas Club membership in June, in anticipation of catching several flights with you over the next financial year. I am very sad to say that I am EXTREMELY disappointed in your service, staff, customer experience and more over the last few days and don’t know what to do about this money badly spent, and the fact that I feel trapped, knowing I have thousands of points stored in your frequent flyer program, and am hesitant to have any further dealings with you.

I am born and bred in Sydney Australia and have always been a loyal supporter of the Qantas brand. Other airlines were able to get their systems and processes sorted due to the inclement weather on Wednesday night, with little hassle and impact to customers.

Why is it, a brand that is trusted by so many, has been so terrible lately? You have become arrogant. You have forgotten about the people who have supported you over the years – whether it be through international or domestic travel. Yes, the industry may be suffering right now, but you as a company are not. You’re still making billions of dollars every year and your shares are still performing.

So seriously, get your shit together and start behaving the way your reputation dictates, else you will be losing even more customers as months go on. Virgin Australia is currently rebranding themselves as new, hip, and a trusted brand. You had better catch up else we won’t be calling Qantas, the flying kangaroo and Australia home anymore.

I look forward to hearing what your ‘customer service’ staff have to say for themselves…as I know your CEO won’t be the one reading this.

I work in communications; I know that you have a stock standard template that responds to complaints like mine.

Please get your act together, as the loyal customers that actually choose to fly with your airline, and not because of corporate deals and contracts etc, are seriously losing faith in your service.

Yours sincerely,


Mishij


Ps. It’s time your passengers were offered compensation… if not a mental holiday then a physical and financial one!

Teaching 8 year-olds about Australia

One Monday morning whilst visiting the USA, I was offered the chance to teach a class of third-graders about Australia. My partner’s mother said that her cousin is a school teacher in Erwin Tennessee, about a half hour drive from where we were staying… and that it would truly make her day to enrich these children’s lives if they could learn about cultures and songs from around the world first-hand; especially as they hadn’t yet covered Australia.

With much pride, and my boyfriend in had as a safety blanket, we headed to Tennessee. Taking as many goodies as possible to keep these kids interested – eg, clip on koala toys, postcards of Australian sights and cities, Minties, Fantales, Vegemite and more – we taught the class of eight year olds for just over an hour.

They kept me totally amused with questions like “Can you ride in the pouch of a kangaroo?”, “Can you go hunting in Australia?”, and thinking the capital city, Canberra, is similar to the word Cranberry. In their defence, it was only a few days out from Thanksgiving!

After singing our national anthem “Advance Australia Fair”, and teaching them “Waltzing Matilda”, they sang their US anthem too.

A fun time was had by all. Here’s a photo from the experience.

Time to be Thankful

I’ve just returned from a whirlwind tour of the USA’s east coast, covering 14 states in 12 days. Why you may ask? My partner is American and so this year we decided to spend Thanksgiving with his family, gathering for a few days at his uncle’s place about an hour north of Atlanta – in between zooming around the land to see family and friends in all directions!

Celebrating my first Thanksgiving holiday was definitely a treat! Seeing the turkey so delicately cooked and carved, to experiencing fried ochra, pecan pie, turkey stuffing, and all the other traditions associated with this holiday. In the late afternoon I also drank some moonshine.

As we won’t be back over Xmas time, we also had our big present giving session. My partner’s family always manages to go above and beyond all expectations I ever have of this. Last year, we brought lots of gifts and received suitcases full too. This year, was the same – however, we weren’t caught out with the luggage restrictions, as we had a suitcase dedicated to the presents going home – which we were very thankful for.

I never realised that Thanksgiving is essentially a harvest festival, allowing people from all backgrounds and religions to get involved. “Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. While there was an underlying religious element in the original celebration, Thanksgiving today is primarily identified as a secular holiday.” (Wikipedia)

We live such busy lives nowadays, when do we ever take time to step back and reflect on what we have, and to be thankful for it?! “Amen” to celebrating the good things in life – and to be surrounded by friends and family once a year to acknowledge it.

Not so keen on the way retail stores then have “Black Friday” – the biggest shopping day of the year for the US – but hey, I enjoy a good bargain too, so why not. Mind you, queuing in traffic and cashier lines for hours isn’t pleasant, especially in the middle of the night :-)

Another thing to appreciate is the talent of my partner. His former life involved him being an artist; and as we travelled around the country, I was lucky enough to view many of his artworks. From Xscape Lounge in Durham, NC, where we had drinks one night, to his friend Ty’s place in Washington DC. Clearly his natural ability in this area is admired by many – and although he hasn’t been able to get into this line of work since graduating from his recent postgraduate studies, which brought him to Australia, it was very special admiring the walls where his paintings now hang!




Cheers to enjoying the good things in life; and taking time to reflect on them.

ps. To view photos from the holiday, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/michelle29jacobs