I’m back in Groveport, Ohio this week for a quick break from training in Hong Kong. Cathay builds a few weeks break into our schedules because they don’t have the training staff to carry everyone straight through without any pauses. It saves them money on per diem and hotel costs, it allows us to recharge our batteries at home, and helps get rid of our alloted vacation for the year.

It’s certainly nice to be home for a little over a week, but on the flip side, I’d almost rather stay in Hong Kong until the job is done and training is over. Training has been very stressful and all through this break I have it lingering over my head that I have more, hard exams to go back to in Hong Kong. Also, just as I get back on Ohio’s time, it will be time to head back to Hong Kong and I’ll have to start my time change adjustment all over again, while I’m trying to pass tests in the simulator. My circadian rhythms are going to kill me.

I have a very hard and stressful simulator check to go through when I get back (I appreciate any and all prayers!) and passing that, I move on to flying the plane with revenue passengers on board as I start my line training. Line training is normal procedures that would be used each day, like flying under normal circumstances. In the sim, we practice emergencies and non normal flying that would be unsafe to learn in the real plane. After the sim, we move to the real plane to learn normal flying. Flying is really the least difficult aspect of normal flying. The hard stuff is all the knowledge that needs to be recalled and fully understood, like: fuel policy, regulations, company policy, calculations for alternates, fuel for alternates, how much fuel would we need at a certain point in our flight to get to a safe landing, etc. The list goes on and on. From what I’ve heard, the training I’ve been through so far is nothing compared line flying, so it will be time to hold on tight. If you think of me, say a prayer, it’s going to be the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my 30 years.

But this is what I signed up for, right? :o)

After getting home late on Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, the remnants of hurricane Ike rolled through central Ohio. The same storm passed over my parents house a day or so earlier and didn’t cause much harm. Because of this, I was thinking that it would be an even less traumatic event, as we live so much farther inland than my parents. I was wrong. The winds picked up to about 75 miles per hour and knocked down tree limbs all over the city, including our back yard. We now have several trees in our yard that will probably not live to see next summer. One branch fell within a few feet of our Passat that would have most certainly totaled the car. Thankfully, it missed and life continues.

Then the power went out! No lights, no cool air, no fans, no TV, no internet, no nothing! It ended up being off for almost two days, and what a bummer that was. I couldn’t sleep at night because my time was still 12 hours off, set to Hong Kong time. I woke up Sunday night about 11:30 p.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. I tried, but to no avail, so I got up. When one can’t sleep at night, usually, it’s no big deal to go downstairs (as to not bother the other half) and pass the time by doing the usual: watch TV or a movie, read a book, listen to music, surf the web, add a blog entry, or whatever. In my case, with no power, there was absolutely NOTHING to help me pass the time! I tried to play “real old school” and read the Bible by candle light, but after almost going blind and burning my fingers on hot, dripping wax, I gave that up. The only other thing to do was go drive around in the car.

I checked up on Laura’s grandparents house to see if they had power (they did) and moved a branch out of the middle of main street. I adjusted and aligned the headlights, took out the trash, and snacked on some chips — and I still needed to kill several more hours before sunup! If you ever find yourself jet-lagged in a house with no power, be prepared for some serious torment.

The power is now back on, and I’m catching up on e-mail, this blog, and getting ready for my parents to visit in a few days. They are flying up on Thursday to stay for several days, and after all the stress of training, they will be a sight for sore eyes. I’m looking forward to them seeing all the hard work we’ve put into the house and catch up with them in person, instead of over the phone with Vonage.

Once they leave, it will be time to head back to Cathay City. It will be a bittersweet trip back into the “teeth of the tiger.” I want the training over, but at the same time, it really is an amazing experience, one that I will remember for the rest of my life: Learning to fly a 747.

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