A calming effect

Picture this, an aircraft on a one and a quarter hour flight from Maradi to Niamey, facing a turbulent weather predominated by stormy rainfall. All passengers on board have their hearts in their mouths and fright has taken over their motor control; some drop their phones while others fail to cling on to the books they are reading. Their necks are rigidly restricted to only looking forwards or giving a scared bow. They lack the fortitude to look outside the window. Some resort to prayer while others just close their eyes searching for solitude and hoping this experience comes to an end. Suddenly one of the passengers looks up, then another, then all of them. Lo and behold, the reassurance they’ve been searching for rests upon the serene face of a flight attendant. At that time, Delphine Nyakundi had no idea of the force she possessed on this aircraft. While her face seemed calm and reassuring, her heart was facing a turbulence of its own. After landing, the shaken passengers queued in front of a perplexed Delphine and began thanking her one by one. She was their beacon of hope amidst the horrors of uncertain tempestuousness. “My primary job is ensuring the comfort, safety and wellbeing of all passengers. By now, my job is innately ingrained to a point I execute my duties instinctively,” she said. In addition to this, Delphine’s days are anchored by one simple rule: time consciousness. She gets offended whenever the sacred trait of punctuality is violated. This veneration of time and its sanctity was passed down from her father, a Major in the Kenyan military. This year, Delphine has been appointed as one of the cabin crew instructors at 748 Air Services, a role so dear to her that she has taken a further step in perpetrating the knowledge and experience she’s amassed. At her designated church forum, she speaks to robust teenagers who look up to her as a template for the path they intend to pursue in life.