When they give you the world, they forget to tell you that you can’t give it back …
I’ve learnt this lesson the hard way.
That when they give you the world, they forget to tell you that you can’t give it back.
“For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards,
for there you have been and there you will long to return.” – Leonardo da Vinci
In which I interpret as, once you step outside your own life and see how small you are and how big the world is – there’s no turning back.
The first time that I ever saw a passport full of stamps, I knew that there was no turning back. Without pause I fell in love with the different languages and colours that consumed it, with all the dirty pages and little stamps that defined it.
I was enchanted, and I wanted my life and my passport to be just as colourful.
I wanted my pages to be just as full.
So after University and at the eager age of 21, I jumped at the chance to move to Australia alone. Backpacking the country, I fell in love with wanderlust. With having no plan and no friends, but ending up with both. With having no map and no directions, but ending up exactly where you should.
After Australia I soon moved on to Thailand, with a map of Koh San Road written on the back of a receipt and a Canadian passport in my pocket. After exploring South East Asia for 6 months, living and teaching in Southern Thailand and experiencing the most surreal interview of my life in Bangkok, I accepted a job offer from Emirates airline that moved me to Dubai, showed me the world and filled up my passport.
Living in Dubai was an extraordinary experience and a career as a flight attendant in the Middle East literally had it’s up’s and downs. But after 2.5 years of flying and after 53 countries, I decided to hang up my red hat (but not my red lipstick) and head home to the true north strong and free.
That was seven years ago now, when I moved home to one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Vancouver, British Columbia. But after trying on one too many jobs that never quite fit, I realized that I’d found the family of friends I was looking for but not the career opportunities I needed. So on a rainy day in January, I applied for the Remote Year.
The stars aligned for me when I was invited to join the Ikigai group and on August 1st, 2016 I hopped on a plane and moved to Europe, to begin my year of living and working with 75 other digital nomads, in 12 different cities around the world.
I found where I belonged, while on Remote Year. But what I also found, was what I least expected; a smart, kind, and American (!) partner, who has been by my side ever since. For the past 3.5 years, we lived together in 23 countries in 24 months, before finally moving to Singapore, where we now call home.
I created Catch me if you Cannie when I came down from the clouds, as a vault to store my memories in and a place to share my stories. So if you want to go on an adventure, whether with a boarding pass or one of my favourite books, I hope that you find what you’re searching for – I hope that you find some happiness here.
x Annie
13 Comments
Hi Annie,
I love the stuff you`ve written and I agree about the experience of flying. I don`t get to fly often, but I have flown a number of times. And yes, it is true that once you`ve been there, you will definitely long to be back up there.
I will drop by once in a while to check on your new stuff.
Keep it up.
Kennedy
hi kennedy,
thank you so much for this. i very much appreciate your kind words and encouragement 🙂 if you have any questions, i’m always keen to talk about flying, travelling and trying something new. cheers!
hi Annie, nice to run into you the last few days. lets keep in touch. cheers, t
Loved your story on Sarajevo. I too have a soft spot for the city after visiting it twice while my husband worked there with EUPM (European Union Police Mission). The tunnel museum really proved the tenacity of the city’s residents and I loved seeing the colourful pots of flowers set on a shelled balcony – to me it was the family’s way of saying f*ck you – you bombed and shelled me and I’m still here!
Hi Brenda,
Thank you! and thank you for visiting my blog. It sounds as if you have done quite some travelling yourself and that Sarajevo pulled on your heart strings the way it did mine. I’ve always found it so fascinating that such a war could have happened in Europe while I was playing hopscotch as a five year old in Kingston. We’re so lucky to have been born where we were and exploring the world always reminds me of that. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Hi Annie,
I am looking at applying for Emirates Airlines. I am going to the open day interview in Calgary Canada. Do you have any advice for me in regards to the interview process? I have training in both commercial and corporate flight attendant schools. What else do you recommend for me with applying for jobs?
Hi Michelle, on open day look professional. No chipped nails, etc. Play up any customer service roles that you’ve done, or any experience you have living abroad. Emirates invests a lot in you (between flying you over to Dubai, six weeks training, etc) so they want to know that you’re a smart investment. Don’t say things like “its an opportunity to travel the world.” Instead, say that in any job you do, you want to work for the best. Emirates is the best, and they will instill skills in you that will be valuable for a lifetime – so focus more on that. I hope this helps!
Would love to have you on my radio program . I just read the piece you were mentioned in Oyster. My episodes are on quality of life. I have had people like Gary Lett (on Frequent Fliers) and Veronique Rivest (Sommelier for Air Canada Signature Class) as guests. I am certain you and your advice would be interesting and a valuable source of information for my audience.
Hi Hugh – sounds interesting! Please send me an email at catchmeifyoucannie@gmail.com.
I just read part of your article about things you did not know about flight attendants. I beg to draw issue with the BMI rating and the weigh in once a year. I have been on a couple of flights in the past year where the flight attendants had to turn sideways to get down the isle in order to not bump shoulders with passengers. I believe the rules for weight and or appearance have passed. If you fly much in the cabin of us airlines you will likely notice what I’m talking about. I’ve observed that the 1st class seats seem to get the more “FIT” flight attendants ass well.
Hi Ralph – I certainly agree! In North America, (where flight attendants are protected by unions) airlines never make you weigh in each year. But for the big three in the Middle East (Qatar, Etihad and Emirates) where FA’s rights are not protected, I can assure you this is the case. I hope this helps clarify things!
Hi there,
I wanted to stop by and give my genuine feedback on your website. I really enjoyed to read your content, I think it’s interesting and very well written. I’ve been on your website for an hour or so and very enjoyed it.
I didn’t find your Instagram page though, do you have one?
Best,
David
Thank you David!