explicit details step by step how a normal birth will take place. To emphasize her dialog, she handed out pictures, some in color of close ups starting with the first sight of the baby’s head to show up, or just hair, in some cases. Some of the classmates got almost cross-eyed looking at these pictures, losing the coloring in their faces. Others were obviously embarrassed or even having their stomachs turning. The two girls sitting on either side of Herbert one to hand the pictures to him and the other to take them, didn’t know where to look and how to act, being in this painful situation. While Miss Mazoor kept on explaining those pictures with a seemingly diabolic satisfaction seeing the unpleasant effects on these young girls, pointing out that many of them will experience those endeavors when they become mothers.
With a big grin, she is nodding her head, asking,
“Is there anybody who would like to be excused?”
Nobody dared to do so.
She didn’t forget to mention that it had never applied to herself because being single, how could it be? Who knows what her purpose was to mention it. Maybe she was under the impression talking to three year old children.
Now she announced to show a film, in color of course (at this time, it was still not a normal thing on 16 mm film), of a normal child birth.
She underscored again, it will be very drastic and explicit, and she had to tell the students, that in earlier classes, girls had been passing out during the show.
Was she hoping the power of suggestion would work?
The film was planned to be shown the following day.
This assemblage of tormented bodies, discussed how to master getting through this presentation without showing their oppressor any weakness.
They were tormented bodies, because every day a lot of inoculations were given to face a world of germs and diseases.
The movie was shown and nobody passed out, but it was detected, many of the spellbound observers had their eyes closed or looked somewhere else, but not at the presentation.
Fortunately Miss Mazoor did not face the audience but looked at the display.
Afterwards she announced her admiration and congratulation to this class, being the first one, in her career, where no one had failed.
It was not the only movie the tortured audience had to endure. They had to watch accidents with burns, cuts, and other injuries. Those were all very realistic and gory, made in Hollywood, especially for the training of fire fighters, police, coastguard and military. Not easy to watch. One has to swallow a lot not to get sick to the stomach. It is the same feeling when a doctor put the tongue depressor too deep and gagging occurs. How many times did you see in the movie theaters a film where young to-be doctors observe their first live operation and keel over at the moment when the scalpel draws blood? The whole audience roars with laughter. It will terminate abruptly when it is you, being confronted with a similar situation.
These hours of torment seem to last forever but did finally end and this group of flight attendants to-be found themselves in the subway to Kew Gardens where the home, away from home was.
VERY FEW PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR DINNER, THIS EVENING!
“Why?”
Bunches of papers were handed out to be studied in the evening. A very serious business, the whole future was in the balance, not just to get good notes, like in school. So, everyone was studying very intensely. The dark shadows under the eyes affirmed it.
Not only were the evenings engaged with studying, a home had to be found. The hotel was eating up the pennies too fast. Some established flight attendants volunteered to assist those newcomers finding a room or an apartment. A very welcome gesture to establish the feeling to belong to a group of professionals who have a bond towards each other like family members have. And a big family it is indeed! Even today after more than twenty years after the demise of Pan Am.
Among endless movie shows, there was one, produced by the Canadian Air Force, with the theme, “Loss of cabin pressure!” A most interesting issue to observe the reaction of people in a minus pressure environment. In this hermetic sealed chamber the air is sucked out slowly and the aviators inside are closely observed. They have all an oxygen mask dangling in front of them to be quickly attached to their faces, over their mouth and nose, that is. This is done by a trainer wearing his mask at all times. Each individual in this compartment is performing a simple assignment, like it is done in a pre-kindergarten school. Put a star-shape form in the place where it belongs, put a cube in a diamond figure, and so on, in its place. It is easy child’s play, yes? Not so, when the ever so important oxygen is not present. The first sign of depletion is a silly grin, the star goes where the diamond shape is supposed to go. All of a sudden the controls of the hands are not there anymore. No coordination whatsoever, the eyes close and the head becomes too heavy. That is the time when the instructor puts the oxygen mask on this individual. The recovery is spontaneous and the thumb up sign is given, as the instruction was prearranged beforehand.
It was a very important lesson for flight attendants to recognize a slow decompression. They will be the first ones to be affected since they are active, while the rest of the people, including the pilots, are seated and therefore being in a rested position, needing less oxygen.
“What do you think about a stewardess bringing back trays to the galley, at the end of a meal service, and throwing them on the floor, instead putting them on a counter?”
Instructors of annually emergency training sessions like to ask this question.
“Correct, it is a slow decompression.”
These recurrent training classes, once a year, are required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) in order to keep the flight status current.
Someone failing the test at the end of the training class will have an immediate vacation.
The test can be repeated a few days later and if failed again the vacation can be permanent, without pay!
What other job has such strict requirements?
Pan Am, however, conducted those tests every half a year.
After all, it was the “Most Experienced Airline,” as the slogan proclaimed.
On the other hand, a sudden decompression announced itself by a loud explosive boom and a sudden fog lasting only a few moments. Air rushes out of nose and mouth and the oxygen masks fall out of the compartments above the seats. Clever, as the designers of aircrafts are, there is always an extra mask provided. For example over a two seats there are three masks and so on.
The reason is, there might be a baby on a lap, needing the mask. But also a flight attendant or any other person in the aisle must grab a mask really fast, since there is only a short time of consciousness remaining, namely seven seconds.
And that isn’t much time!
Those three days of medical preparation and agony behind those “Sky Walkers,” to be, the fourth day of training was a wet one.
No, it was not raining, no umbrella needed but bathing suits and one bathing trunk. The day was scheduled to simulate a ditching (landing on water) and the anticipated problems of such a calamity. A bus took this group to a nearby swimming pool, including, this time, a male instructor.
All imaginary passengers and crew were supposed to be in good shape, after the plane had come to a stop on the water and was floating. No injuries of any kind.
But some girls asked to be excused to go into the water because of their monthly.
The instructor didn’t want to hear anything about it and mockingly said in a high voice:
“No captain, you cannot ditch this airplane today because I have my……!”
He was looking at Herbert with a big smirk, nodding his head.
None of the girls smiled and Herbert was looking at the water as if he expected to see a dolphin or something very interesting in there.
This