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| White Hat Volunteer Sheena & 8-week Old French Bulldog Sage! |
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| This is Sage the French Bulldog! Today was her first time flying with WestJet! |
Seriously???? How can you have a bad day at #yyc airport when you get to love puppies?
I started volunteering on Thursday mornings from 7 am to 11 am, weekly at the Calgary Airport as a White Hat Volunteer. White Hat Volunteers are ambassadors of hospitality to the tourists who pass through the airport from all over the world. So opportunities like I had today, to meet little Sage, was simply an honor. This little sweetie pie traveled from Hamilton, Ontario and was heading to Fort McMurray, Alberta. Her mom said she slept from Hamilton to Calgary and was a good little girl. When she arrived in Calgary, she was ready to play with everyone and give free kisses to all kids who stopped to say hello! She is going to be such a good little girl! I had so many other amazing moments at the airport today but Sage was the winner of my heart.
You know, spending time at the airport has opened my eyes to so many opportunities and events that happen to people. At the airport, my job is to look at people and anticipate if they require assistance in any way. What I noticed, many people are busy trying to get to point B from point A, that they completely miss everything happening around them. (Very similar to life!) When they get lost or they are confused, there is a distinct look in people. That's where I come in. My job is to make things simpler for them to get to their destination. Sometimes I can help and sometimes I cannot. I do know that I always try to treat people the way I would like to be treated.
Another observation about people and airports is the amount of stress that lives within the walls of an airport. With our recent times of having top security to keep people and planes safe from terrorism and violence, passengers often travel with fear and anxiety, which makes the security process more stressful than it needs to be. Security is there to keep us safe and it is not there to hassle people or make your day bad. I have always found when I explain this to people, their anxiety decreases and the process becomes calmer and quicker. The more people become confrontational and defensive, the more difficult it becomes. Trust me, I have met a lot of these security people and they are just trying to keep everyone safe and doing their job. (Don't get me wrong, I have seen some on an ego trip. They never seem to be long term employees anyhow!)
Rules of the airports are actually very simple. Arrive early. Follow the rules of the airline. Never assume. Always ask if you have a question. Prepare yourself by familiarizing what to do. Where I see problems are people arriving late, assuming they can, never checking the rules, thinking that the rules do not apply to them and wanting to argue and be blame others for the mistakes. (Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.)
At the end of my shift, I have never felt as though it was a terrible day. I have always felt filled to the brim with satisfaction for my experience and the time helping others.
Until tomorrow! See you on Day #12!
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