Transfer to \'Dhobiwalla? What\'s That?\" I Asked.

¶ … transfer to 'Dhobiwalla? What's that?" I asked.

"Oh!" he said, laughing heartily as he leaned back comfortably in his seat, scotch in hand. "They're the laundry service in India!"

Mr. Patel was one of the many corporate clients with whom I worked on several occasions, spending hours at a time confined to the flight cabin while crossing trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic paths. The conversations that come up while we are miles in the air range from what our favorite fruits are to movies, to -- as I learned that day -- how we best like to do our laundry. Mr. Patel also told me the names of fruits and vegetables that I could barely pronounce at first but once I tried them in Bombay I have never been able to stop my cravings.

One of the most enriching aspects of my career as a flight attendant has been my encounters and interactions with people from all walks of life and from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Especially as I have worked in different flight sectors, from government to commercial to corporate to private, I have met men and women who are rich and poor, from everywhere from India to Iceland. As a result, I have become flexible, able, and willing to work with diversity.

My people skills will seamlessly translate to campus life as a student at UUU, a world-renowned school that attracts students and professors from around the world. As a returning student in her fourth decade of life, I offer the campus community a unique perspective on both career and self-development. I have been married; I have traveled around the globe in various capacities; I have met unique persons, from corporate executives to dhobiwallas. My exuberance and affable personality has earned me a positive reputation from my companies' clients and my immediate supervisors. Moreover, I bring to campus life an open-mindedness and flexibility that can be rare traits in the world today. Because I have witnessed and worked with so many different perspectives, I am able to weigh and balance many conflicting ideas at once and navigate between them.

Moreover, I my unique life experiences contribute to my overall knowledge about interpersonal as well as professional relations. I will interact just as well with advisors and professors as with students and with both I can share my stories, hopes, and dreams. I have set aside many of my dreams until now: I am returning to school with intense focus and determination that I hope will rub off on my classmates. Therefore, I feel that in all my classes I will offer inspiration, hope, and enthusiasm for others who might be struggling or bogged down by heavy course loads. Also, as a returning student and 43-year-old women, I can offer advice to younger students who might not be used to balancing family, career, and school at the same time. I will offer strength of spirit and support to all my classmates and together we will meet the academic challenges at UUU together.

Because I have done so much traveling and because I have worked for so long in a profession that has exposed me to different lifestyles and opinions, I truly enjoy meeting people from around the world. I expect UUU to have a diverse, international student body and I know that I will fit right in as a student. I look forward to studying at UUU full-time, immersing myself fully into coursework, working with professors, and also participating in the enriching social aspects campus life.

Essay 2: Have you participated in any programs 'OK. Take a deep breath ... hold it, hold it!" Sue looked up at me, barely suppressing a giggle. Our first aid examination was almost over: as flight attendants we were required to renew our license each year. Coworkers of mine like Sue inevitably complained at this time of year.

"Oh here we go again," she would say, rolling her eyes. "I mean, I know it's good to know this stuff, but really, it takes up like the whole day!"

I couldn't agree less! Ever since I became a flight attendant over a decade ago I relished keeping up-to-date with the latest technical procedures related to our profession, not the least of which was the first aid and other safety measures. Each year when our first aid exams came around, I envisioned myself as a technician, in scrubs instead of my flight attendant uniform. In fact, I expect that scrubs and nursing shoes are a lot more comfortable than what I have had to wear on board flights.

As much as I loved the service-oriented and interpersonal aspects of my career, and of course the world traveling, I always felt drawn to working with medical technology. In fact, before I put my ex-husband through law school I wanted to become a dental hygienist. Dental hygiene still fascinates me, and I feel in many ways it reflects my current career as a flight attendant. Both dental hygiene and working on airlines entail a combination of knowledge about service and technology; both professions demand my keeping on my toes, keeping up-to-date with the latest techniques and technologies, and also keeping in touch with all sorts of different people from around the world. Radiology in particular fascinates me for many reasons: just like soaring through the air, radiology is slightly dangerous and I appreciate living on the edge a bit. Also, it appeals to the part of me that is fascinated with the inner workings of the human body: I have always wanted to have a few skeletons in my closet, literally. To be able to work with x-rays and related technologies would satisfy the longing of mine to look at bodies from the inside-out. Also, I know that radiology is a particular field of medical technology that is being constantly updated. Because I am enthusiastic and technologically proficient, I look forward to learning about and working with the latest technologies. I need a degree from an institution as reputable as UUU in order to find the ideal professional position in a medical or dental office of my choice.