TCM BELGIUM WELCOMES A HIGH-FLYER: MEET VERA DEVRIENDT

Vera has been working at TCM Belgium for a few months now and gave us her contagious smile on a daily basis, before the corona appeared. Since then, she has transmitted her joie de vivre to us through Teams. Vera’s friendly demeanour is one of the reasons we wanted to welcome her to TCM, but that is of course not her only asset.

 

Vera TCM BE employee

Hello Vera, before you found the job of your life with us 😉, you used to fly high! As a flight attendant at Brussels Airlines, you have undoubtedly encountered a lot of fun, interesting, but also stressful situations. So, the pandemic does not stop you from enjoying life.

 

 

What was one of the best situations you have experienced?

 

There were so many good times, but the best memories are the birthdays that I celebrated with my colleagues while traveling. The overflowing collegiality of these evenings was exceptional!

 

The hospitality of the local people also touched me enormously. For example, we were partying in a typical African nightclub in Cameroon on a weekday. Suddenly, at 4 a.m., all the lights went out except for one spot. The owner, who must have had clairvoyance skills, appeared singing with a gigantic cake that he managed to magically create at that time. It was wonderful.

 

And what was one of the most stressful times?

 

I remember very well the moment when, after take-off from Brussels, the captain informed the crew that we would probably need to make an emergency landing. One of the front wheels was hit and leaking. We had to burn some fuel first to lighten the aircraft before landing. So, we flew over Brussels for a long time, and people knew that we were returning to Brussels because of a technical problem, without knowing the gravity of the situation. The captain braked the rear wheels for as long as possible, so that he could simply put his nose on the ground and roll slowly. It all ended well, but when I got in the car after that flight, all the adrenaline wore off and I felt very tired.

 

We also had to land in Kinshasa during riots. For safety reasons, everyone had to turn off the lights so that we were not an easy target in the sky. The landing in the dark and in complete silence was quite bizarre. After landing, life immediately returned to its normal course.

 

The Zaventem (Brussels) attacks were of course also a very stressful time, even though the crew was in Manchester at the time. We all wanted to go home and to see our families as soon as possible, but that was not possible. We had to stay there for a few days; surrounded by the compassion of the locals. To keep us busy, we visited the Manchester stadium. We had our uniforms on. The guide asked us where we were from, and everyone started clapping when we replied that we were from Belgium. It was a very moving moment. You realize that the attacks not only hit Belgium, but all of Europe. I avoided Zaventem airport for a year, like many other colleagues. I felt like my house had been attacked.

 

You were also able to discover many cultures thanks to Brussels Airlines.

What did you learn from this period?

 

I mainly did long haul flights to Africa and America. On these flights, I met people from the most diverse origins. My view of the world has widened, both literally and figuratively. Brussels Airlines also gave us lessons on different cultures and how to adapt to them.

 

For example, on African flights I have often heard “I would like water to drink”. For them there is water to drink and water that is not drinkable. I also remember a passenger who came on board with a long robe, a kind of mitre and a stick. He stopped by me with a smile from ear to ear and announced that he was going to explore Belgium with his “tribe”. He also brought a soup pot for 30 people (no idea how he got it on!), and everyone was allowed to join. Very strange but very intimate. They had a very family attitude, if I compare to our society which seems to me more individualistic.

 

You are from Deurne, but your family lived in Iran and the Philippines.

 

My father was a policeman and my mother came from a family of expatriates. She wanted to leave Belgium and secretly registered my father for an exam to become a commercial representative. My father passed this exam.

 

I was 7 years old when our lives completely changed. My parents, my brother and I adapted to the new customs in Iran (strict diet, women had to be covered and could not wear make-up, …). And I went to French high school, so in a new language for me. There were no other Belgians, but I got acquainted, then friend with Lebanese, Spanish, Nigerian and other pupils. We also went skiing every weekend (in Iran yes 😊) with the French, the Swiss and the Dutch.

 

Then I lived in the Philippines for 10 to 19 years. My parents chose an Asian destination because of the culture, the climate, and the friendliness. And Filipinos are very nice people! I was so happy there that when I was 18, I begged to be allowed to stay another year before I returned to Belgium. By this time, I had already lived half of my life in the Philippines, made many friends and spoke a few words of Tagalog (indigenous language, but most Filipinos also speak English). There was a big gap between the rich and the poor, but before I left the country the middle class was also growing strongly.

 

Has this mobility favoured your adaptability?

 

It certainly had an impact. The contrary would be surprising. It is natural to adapt to local cultures and customs. But the situation also meant that I also got to know many different norms and values ​​from my Japanese, Brazilian and Korean friends. For example, I ate kimchi at the Korean friend’s house, and snails at my French friends’ house, even if it was not always with great enthusiasm 😊.

 

When I started speaking Tagalog, I could more easily follow conversations with local friends, and I also asked them to speak Tagalog to me. In French high school, I learned the Marseillaise (but the Belgian national anthem is less familiar to me).

 

It is also a requirement at Brussels Airlines to be open-minded, there is no room for homophobic or racist beliefs. Many colleagues were LGBT. And all passengers deserved the best service, regardless of their culture.

 

Second part of the interview with Vera.

 

25 May 2021

TCM BELGIUM WELCOMES A HIGH-FLYER: MEET VERA DEVRIENDT

Vera has been working at TCM Belgium for a few months now and gave us her contagious smile on a daily basis, before the corona appeared. Since then, she has transmitted her joie de vivre to us through Teams. Vera’s friendly demeanour is one of the reasons we wanted to welcome her to TCM, but that is of course not her only asset.

 

Vera TCM BE employee

Hello Vera, before you found the job of your life with us 😉, you used to fly high! As a flight attendant at Brussels Airlines, you have undoubtedly encountered a lot of fun, interesting, but also stressful situations. So, the pandemic does not stop you from enjoying life.

 

 

What was one of the best situations you have experienced?

 

There were so many good times, but the best memories are the birthdays that I celebrated with my colleagues while traveling. The overflowing collegiality of these evenings was exceptional!

 

The hospitality of the local people also touched me enormously. For example, we were partying in a typical African nightclub in Cameroon on a weekday. Suddenly, at 4 a.m., all the lights went out except for one spot. The owner, who must have had clairvoyance skills, appeared singing with a gigantic cake that he managed to magically create at that time. It was wonderful.

 

And what was one of the most stressful times?

 

I remember very well the moment when, after take-off from Brussels, the captain informed the crew that we would probably need to make an emergency landing. One of the front wheels was hit and leaking. We had to burn some fuel first to lighten the aircraft before landing. So, we flew over Brussels for a long time, and people knew that we were returning to Brussels because of a technical problem, without knowing the gravity of the situation. The captain braked the rear wheels for as long as possible, so that he could simply put his nose on the ground and roll slowly. It all ended well, but when I got in the car after that flight, all the adrenaline wore off and I felt very tired.

 

We also had to land in Kinshasa during riots. For safety reasons, everyone had to turn off the lights so that we were not an easy target in the sky. The landing in the dark and in complete silence was quite bizarre. After landing, life immediately returned to its normal course.

 

The Zaventem (Brussels) attacks were of course also a very stressful time, even though the crew was in Manchester at the time. We all wanted to go home and to see our families as soon as possible, but that was not possible. We had to stay there for a few days; surrounded by the compassion of the locals. To keep us busy, we visited the Manchester stadium. We had our uniforms on. The guide asked us where we were from, and everyone started clapping when we replied that we were from Belgium. It was a very moving moment. You realize that the attacks not only hit Belgium, but all of Europe. I avoided Zaventem airport for a year, like many other colleagues. I felt like my house had been attacked.

 

You were also able to discover many cultures thanks to Brussels Airlines.

What did you learn from this period?

 

I mainly did long haul flights to Africa and America. On these flights, I met people from the most diverse origins. My view of the world has widened, both literally and figuratively. Brussels Airlines also gave us lessons on different cultures and how to adapt to them.

 

For example, on African flights I have often heard “I would like water to drink”. For them there is water to drink and water that is not drinkable. I also remember a passenger who came on board with a long robe, a kind of mitre and a stick. He stopped by me with a smile from ear to ear and announced that he was going to explore Belgium with his “tribe”. He also brought a soup pot for 30 people (no idea how he got it on!), and everyone was allowed to join. Very strange but very intimate. They had a very family attitude, if I compare to our society which seems to me more individualistic.

 

You are from Deurne, but your family lived in Iran and the Philippines.

 

My father was a policeman and my mother came from a family of expatriates. She wanted to leave Belgium and secretly registered my father for an exam to become a commercial representative. My father passed this exam.

 

I was 7 years old when our lives completely changed. My parents, my brother and I adapted to the new customs in Iran (strict diet, women had to be covered and could not wear make-up, …). And I went to French high school, so in a new language for me. There were no other Belgians, but I got acquainted, then friend with Lebanese, Spanish, Nigerian and other pupils. We also went skiing every weekend (in Iran yes 😊) with the French, the Swiss and the Dutch.

 

Then I lived in the Philippines for 10 to 19 years. My parents chose an Asian destination because of the culture, the climate, and the friendliness. And Filipinos are very nice people! I was so happy there that when I was 18, I begged to be allowed to stay another year before I returned to Belgium. By this time, I had already lived half of my life in the Philippines, made many friends and spoke a few words of Tagalog (indigenous language, but most Filipinos also speak English). There was a big gap between the rich and the poor, but before I left the country the middle class was also growing strongly.

 

Has this mobility favoured your adaptability?

 

It certainly had an impact. The contrary would be surprising. It is natural to adapt to local cultures and customs. But the situation also meant that I also got to know many different norms and values ​​from my Japanese, Brazilian and Korean friends. For example, I ate kimchi at the Korean friend’s house, and snails at my French friends’ house, even if it was not always with great enthusiasm 😊.

 

When I started speaking Tagalog, I could more easily follow conversations with local friends, and I also asked them to speak Tagalog to me. In French high school, I learned the Marseillaise (but the Belgian national anthem is less familiar to me).

 

It is also a requirement at Brussels Airlines to be open-minded, there is no room for homophobic or racist beliefs. Many colleagues were LGBT. And all passengers deserved the best service, regardless of their culture.

 

Second part of the interview with Vera.

 

25 May 2021

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