Confessions of a Hostie 3 by Danielle Hugh Page B

uniform has seen it, and worn it, all.
    When crew talk about our uniform it is
usually in terms of how comfortable or uncomfortable it is, yet the
uniform must meet all sorts of other standards. Apart from looking
stylish, it must be made of fire-retardant materials and not hinder
us in an emergency.
    A little rarely known fact is: male flight
attendant neckties, in most airlines, have a Velcro quick-release
section so that if the tie was grabbed with enough force, the
Velcro would unhitch and the tie would come off. It is similar with
police officer's neckties. I'd be surprised if passengers, and even
some crew, know this. Realistically, we are more concerned with the
uniform being comfortable. We spend so many hours in the air and
beyond. In all my years of flying, and wearing different uniform
styles, I must say that the designers and manufacturers do an
amazing job. There are at times teething issues, but if half the
clothes in my wardrobe were as durable and looked as good after a
16 hour flight as what my uniform does, then I'd be very happy.
     
    Julia refers to one of the crew uniforms from
decades earlier. She absolutely loved it, so much so that she took
the uniform to a tailor in Hong Kong and had the exact same outfit
made - 'in different fabric and color of course' she added. Julia
said that in all the years she wore the tailored outfit nobody ever
tweaked that it was the same style as her work uniform. She did
admit that she never took the outfit away on trips, only wearing it
to non-crew events.
    One of the guys tells a similar story about
one of his work suits. He also had a tailor-made suit based on his
uniform, but only after the work suit had been superseded with a
new style. Although different buttons and coloring, he too
reiterated that no one ever put two-and-two together. Not that he
would have cared, he revealed.
    I can't say I have clones of any of my
uniforms in my closet, yet I understand the rationale behind their
thinking.
     
    We have talked (and drank) for hours,
deciding to finish our drinks and then call it a night. I must say
I really enjoyed the company and the conversations. We agree to do
it all again tomorrow night. I will be meeting Julia in the
morning. She mentioned she is going to the same shopping center as
I was planning to go, so we've set a time to meet in the hotel's
lobby and then share a cab.
    A good night should be followed by a girly
day of pampering, shopping, and self-indulgence. Yippee.

 
digging a hole for
yourself
    I wake up early, not 2.15 a.m., but still
early. I hit the gym before having breakfast by the pool. While I
eat breakfast, Julia strolls by. She woke early, ordered room
service, yet assures me that she is always up for another coffee.
She joins me to excitedly discuss shopping and pampering plans for
the day.
    Julia mentions a fabulous massage and spa
joint not far from the shopping center. I've actually been several
times before - loving the place.
    'Have you had the massage and full body scrub
combo?' she asks.
    I haven't. I am intrigued.
    'One hour of massage, I like oil' reveals
Julia, 'and then a further hour of being massaged with a body scrub
lotion. It's a bit rough, not painful, but you feel fantastic
after.'
    'Count me in' I say with excitement.
     
    I am still in my gym gear, so I return to my
room for a shower and to get changed before venturing to the hotel
lobby where I'll meet Julia.
    I have a spring in my step entering the
lobby, but only momentarily. My heart sinks as sitting in a lobby
chair is Wendy. I politely say 'good morning' before she continues
to explain why it is not a good morning at all. With or without
sleeping tablets, this girl must dream negative thoughts.
    'No, no, no' I think when Wendy reveals she
is going to the same massage place as Julia and I. It gets worse;
she invites herself to share a taxi. She has never been to the
massage place before. She asks a myriad of questions, mostly about
price. We are in Jakarta; to us