5 things I learnt in Melbourne

The past 25 days have been the most stressful, most intense days of my entire life. The initial training for my new job hadn't been easy. Every single day had been hours and hours of taking in new information and retaining them. We had practical assessments and written exams almost every day. But at the same time, we had fun. 25 days later, we graduated from Ground School, exhausted, but it was well worth our efforts.

Here are the 5 things I learnt during the course of 12 days in Melbourne:

1. Stock a variety of foodstuff

We couldn't cook in the hotel, and the school had only two serviceable microwaves. Both our hotel and school were miles away from any kind of civilisation, hence we didn't have much choice in terms of food. My roommate, Seri and I stocked on microwaveables, but in just three days, we were in need of proper food.  During our next trip to the supermarket, we grabbed salads, roast chicken and some turkey ham to tide us over the remaining days. Still miss home cooked food.

After 3 days microwaveables, even Macdonalds tasted so damn good.

2. Who knew barter trading still existed?

Okay, not quite. But if Seri and I didn't have something, we'd post an 'advertisement' on the group chat page and wait for a reply. We've been lucky so far, getting detergent, dishwashing soap, eggs.. among other things in exchange for a loaf of bread or fork and spoon.

3. Strike a conversation and be good friends with the hotel staff

It doesn't pay to be mean to anyone. So have a nice chat with the hotel staff while they see what they could do about the complaint of your bedbug infested room or the fact that the housekeeping did a mediocre job of cleaning our room.. and who knows, you might get a free ride to the city!

4. Have some time to yourself, break away for a little while.

When you see the same faces every single day for almost 25 days... there may come a point where you just need some me time. I broke away from the pack for a teeny while to have a quick lunch with a fellow Couchsurfer I met while he was on a holiday in Singapore, and together, we explored the graffiti alleys of Melbourne! Later, when he left for work, I continued strolling down the city, taking in the sights and sound.. and the cold.

5. Have an awesome time, and try not to do anything stupid.

We will remember these two weeks for the studies, exams and assessments.. but all the fun and laughter, and the mischief we got into were the ones that kept us from going completely boring. We had random crashes in random people's rooms at random hours; pyjama party picnic and even in-between-studying soaks in the jacuzzi upstairs!

BEST PART OF GROUND SCHOOL:
One of the colder nights, we headed to the airport to board a freshly landed plane to have a look-see. We had tasks to complete, scenarios to act out and buttons we needed to press. The most magical moment for me was the opportunity to head into the cockpit and got offered to sit in the co-pilot's seat. I was flailing with excitement inside. I was sitting in the First Officer seat in a real life, serviceable aircraft. My life is complete.

WORST PART OF GROUND SCHOOL:
Hours of study, stress, exams, assessments.