Name: Amar Basic
Position: Flight attendant (narrow body)
Nationality Yugoslavian
Residence: Spain
Position and Duties
I’m a flight attendant in the passenger cabin. These days I work in the A320 fleet. My job is to check that everything is as it should be and ready to go in the cabin, and to tend to passengers while making sure all safety and hygiene measures are observed during the flight.
How did you reach Iberia? And Spain?
I applied to work in Iberia in 2017, after flying for another airline for a time, and also trying office work. I must say I was surprised when they called me, and I couldn’t believe I was going to join the company. To remember those days thrills me even now, as if were only yesterday!
I live between A Coruña and Madrid, but I plan to move to the capital full time as soon as I can.
How have you adapted to living and working in Spain?
Oddly enough, I am practically Spanish, since I was brought up here from a young age, but I am not and will never be 100% Spanish, but neither do I feel Yugoslavian. So I decided to feel like a citizen of the world with close attachments to a number of places.
Adapting to the work environment was no problem. Indeed, our work involves a high and constant level of adaptation, which is fine with me. I think we all like having people from different places in our lives. We are enriched by it.
What differences between the two cultures have you observed?
There’s a big difference between the Balkans and Spain. The scars of war are still very present in the society and the politics of all the countries that once made up Yugoslavia, and this has limited their progress. It is a lovely region –both Bosnia and Croatia can steal your heart, and their traditions are still observed. The cultural mix of Sarajevo, for instance, has led it to be dubbed “Europe’s Jerusalem”. It was always a multicultural city, and even today it is the European city where the largest number of religions coexist, and this is reflected both in local traditions and in architecture.
What impresses you the most about Spain?
The attitude. Spain has a unique personality. The people make this a country I feel proud to belong to, and I and happy to wear its colours on my uniform.
Are there other people from the Balkans working at Iberia?
I wish there were! But, unfortunately, no. Or if there are any, I wish they’d tell me! I need to people I can speak Serbo-Croat with, since it’s getting rusty.
What’s your favourite spot in Madrid?
I still don’t know it very well. But I love to lose myself on walks throught the centre and look and listen to the hustle and bustle. It’s such a lively city with so many things to do, and you feel it at every corner.
In A Coruña province my favourite spot is known to very few people. It’s called “El refugio de verdes”, which means “the refuge of the greens”. It’s a truly magical place, and I urge you to visit. But don’t tell anyone!
A trip you’re planning?
I’d love to do the pilgrimage to Santiago, and I also want to visit the Cies islands and the Cathedrals beach in Galicia. And when I go to Croatia, I have to visit the Plitvice lakes.
Your ideal Sunday
Ignore the alarm clock, get up with the sun, and take the dogs for a walk in the hills.