Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 07/98) - Onale Anderson's work history is varied.

And though the 25-year-old has sold real estate, wired houses and worked on a cattle ranch she never considered those jobs possible vocations.

She even saw bartending and selling Drum advertising as temporary.

Now a NWT Air reservations attendant, her eyes light up when she discusses the company she has worked for since June 1 and how she considers her job a likely long-term position.

"I would never be able to get a job like this down south," she says. "For one, I'm not bilingual."

Personable and with a bubbly spirit, Anderson says she likes interacting with people and helping them smooth out any flight concerns.

Still, sometimes she is on the listening end when there are complaints about the airline and flight scheduling.

What keeps her motivated is the adrenaline rush she gets when flight time nears and reservation requests grow at a fever pitch.

"I work for NWT Air, which is now owned by First Air, but we also handle flights and check in passengers for Air North," says the two-year resident, originally from Manitoba.

The airline's computer system can be complicated, she says, with several different procedures for distinct types of flights and for determining when it is possible to exchange tickets.

"I still learn something every day," she says.

Anderson works about 25 hours per week at NWT Air.

So what keeps her busy are two other jobs: about 16 hours per week working at the front desk at the Finto Hotel and about 10 hours per week working at the Nanook Lounge at the Eskimo Inn.

"Now, I'm just about to head off to get a massage," she says, looking still energetic but a little drained from a shift.

Outside work she spends a lot of time on her home computer, communicating with several people in her on-line support group for people with Ehlers Danlows Syndrome.

That is a congenital hereditary condition where her joints can be dislocated easily.

"I also like movies but I don't have a VCR right now," she added.