DeSilva soars in the Middle East
TWO YEARS ago, Royanne DeSilva had no idea where Qatar was. Today she lives there, having received an amazing opportunity to become a flight attendant.
DeSilva, who grew up in May Pen, Clarendon, said that she has had to acknowledge the fact that her job consists of more than just serving passengers, in addition to embracing various culture changes.
“I have always embraced the idea of change, so it was not difficult for me. There is so much beauty in the Middle Eastern culture – the food, the language and the traditions. However, not being able to wear shorts and a merino to the supermarket because of the dressing standards gets annoying,” said the past student of the Belair and Glenmuir high schools.
“Of course, (the job entails) serving tea and coffee and occasionally cleaning of toilets, but there is so much more. As cabin crew, we have responsibility for human lives at 30,000-plus feet high. If a pregnant lady goes into labour or an elderly person has a heart attack, we have to respond. Therefore, our training is intense, especially in safety and first aid. It is pretty multifaceted,” she continued.
PHILANTHROPIC ENDEAVOURS
DeSilva also said that her philanthropic endeavours in Jamaica have helped her to be more grounded and to develop an interest in social expansion. She credits the Angels of Love Jamaica charity for the satisfaction that she gets in being philanthropic. It is a passion she is still determined to pursue in the future.
“I studied economics because I want a career in social development. It still is one of my dreams to work with the United Nations. That was how I originally planned to travel the world but this opportunity came up, hence I went with it. Nevertheless, studying business definitely fuelled my entrepreneurial spirit,” she said.