KUALA LUMPUR: Family and friends of Malaysia Airline flight MH370 victims have been left without “closure” following the Malaysian government’s decision to end the four-year search for missing jetliner.
Georgina Tan, a former colleague and friend of many of the cabin crew on the MH370, told Arab News that she had been deeply depressed for almost two months after the flight’s disappearance in March 2014 and was still affected by the incident.
“Looking back, looking at the time the plane was off the radar, strikes a chord with the rest of us crew members. You can even imagine what they were doing at the time. It’s scary. I used to be on that particular flight every other week,” she said.
Tan was a Malaysian Airlines cabin crew member for 20 years and was in the same fleet as the MH370 crew.
“From the first week when the plane disappeared, I had nightmares,” she said. “I still have hopes that we will find them and what had happened to them.”
Tan refuses to condemn the MH370 pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the subject of criticism by several international media outlets.
“I knew Capt. Zaharie as a responsible and liberal man. It’s not like him to bring people to death based on his private grievances,” she said.
Tan, like most families and friends of the MH370 victims, is unhappy over the Malaysian government’s decision to halt the search for the ill-fated aircraft.
Malaysia has conducted joint search operations with several other countries for the past four years at a cost of more than $200 million, but has found no sign of the missing flight.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a press conference on Wednesday: “We have to come to a stage where we cannot keep on searching for something that we really cannot find.”
The government would consider resuming the search if new evidence surfaces. It would also release a full and final report of the search in July, he said.
Tan said she agreed that the search “is going nowhere, so they needed to stop spending unnecessary money.”
She welcomes the government’s promise to release a report because many families were “drawn away from the real facts of the case.”
However, Tan wants the government to reopen the case, with more detailed investigation.
“There were many leads. All we need are good investigators to handle the case,” she said.
The Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared 38 minutes after taking off on March 8, 2014. The flight, carrying 239 passengers and crew, vanished from the radar and was never seen again.
Former cabin crew’s ‘nightmares’ over missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight
Former cabin crew’s ‘nightmares’ over missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight
- Texas-based Ocean Infinity failed to find the wreckage of missing MH370 after scouring the Indian Ocean bed for more than three months.
- The Malaysian government has said it will release a full and transparent report on the search for the missing aircraft.
Why some women choose Galentines over Valentines and how they might celebrate
- O’Sullivan is one of many women who find it empowering to focus on female friendship rather than relationship pressures
- Other ways to mark Galentine’s Day include going to a play, hiking, karaoke, playing cards or just having coffee
Christie O’Sullivan of Trinity, Florida, has spent 21 Valentine’s Days with her husband, but her favorite celebration was one spent with a girlfriend before she got married.
They took the day off work, got massages, and went out for cocktails and a fancy dinner.
“For me, it was 10 out of 10. That whole day was intentional,” said O’Sullivan. She remembers it as empowering “on a day that’s usually filled with pressure to be in a relationship, or sadness because I wasn’t currently in one.”
Galentine’s Day became a pop culture phenomenon with a 2010 episode of the TV comedy “Parks and Recreation” that celebrated female friendships around Valentine’s Day. Amy Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, gathered her gal pals on Feb. 13.
“What’s Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year,” said Knope.
Honoring female friendships can happen any day of the year, of course. Whether on Feb. 13 or another day, here are some ways to create a fun-filled experience:
Making it a party
Chela Pappaccioli of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, has been hosting a Galentine’s Day bash at her home for the last three years. She has a bartender and a DJ hired, and this year invited 45 of her nearest and dearest. So far, she has 34 confirmations, and is assembling gift bags for her guests to take home. There are no men allowed “unless the bartender happens to be male.”
The event may be extravagant, but Pappaccioli says it’s worth it.
“It’s an escape to just be with your girls, be silly, do something fun and just focus on the friendships you’ve created and enjoying each other’s company,” she says.
Learning how to do something new
Liz Momblanco of Berkley, Michigan, who describes herself as a “serial hobbyist,” invites her friends to take classes like cookie and cake decorating, calligraphy and stained glass.
“I enjoy learning something new and having a shared experience,” said Momblanco, who has attended day retreats for women that offer activities like floral arranging, yoga or a cold plunge.
Marney Wolf, who runs the retreat company Luna Wolf, says providing an opportunity for art and creativity builds community.
“It bonds you, whether it’s the smallest thing or really deep. You watch these grown women turn into almost like a childlike kindergarten response like, ‘Oh my gosh! Good job! You’re so talented!’ That little lift is the easiest thing to do,” she said.
Filling a Valentine’s void
Wolf takes care to schedule Galentine’s-themed retreats near Valentine’s Day because some women don’t have someone to spend Feb. 14 with.
“I know it can be a really lonely time for people and I think some take it for granted,” she says.
Pappaccioli said a couple of divorced friends come to her party, and “even if you’re married it can be depressing because your husband may not be doing what you want or your boyfriend may not support you in the way you want,” she says.
“It’s nice to know that you don’t need that. You can still celebrate the holiday, but turn it around a little bit and celebrate the relationships you want to.”
Creating different kinds of bonds
Galentine’s Day get-togethers can forge new friendships. And spending quality time with a friend provides an opportunity to put the phone away, avoid distractions and build memories.
O’Sullivan is a social media strategist for businesses but appreciates that her bestie Valentine’s Day was without cellphones.
“We could be fully present — no photos, no texts, no nothing,” she says.
“So while that means there’s no actual record of that day occurring, it also means the details became a core memory without it.”
Some celebrate Galentine’s Day by just going out for coffee or playing cards. You might go with a group of women friends to a play or museum, or take a hike or a workout class.
Other ideas include thrift store shopping, country line dancing, roller skating, karaoke, junk journaling, and getting manicures and pedicures.
