Witnessing Dreams Coming Ture

Alrighty, so today was a fun day.  My roommate Kelsey and I walked to the outlet mall on the hunt for shoes.  It was a good time.  After we got back, Katie, Kelsey, Kasey, and I headed over to Epcot to spend the day there.  It was tons of fun.

We rode "Spaceship Earth" a.k.a the ride inside the big golf ball. This will be the ride that Kasey is working at so we had to scope it out.  The costumes she will be wearing are not that bad.  They are actually kind of cute.

We decided to head towards the newly renovated "Test Track"  to get a "Fast Pass" and on our way we stopped and had to say hello to the mischievous Chip and Dale.  Of course we got our picture taken with them.  Those two are a dangerous duo with all the tricks up their sleeves.  Luckily they didn't try to use any on us.

Among the other characters we met today were Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, and Duffy.  While we were in line waiting to meet Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto, the most adorable little girl was standing in line ahead of us.  She had her "Photopass" card and was anxiously waiting her turn.  She had to have been no more than two years old.  She kept waving the card and saying, "Mickey! Mickey! Mickey!..."  She was so excited..

When it was finally her turn to meet the characters she gave each of them a big hug and kiss.  She was like a professional at this.  After she gave her hello's she turned around, posed, and said "Cheese!" with the biggest grin on her face.  No one had to tell her what to do when.  It was the most adorable and comical thing ever.

Moments like these are the reason why I wanted to work for Disney.  I wanted to be there to see all of the children's dreams come true when they see their favorite characters.  I wanted to be a part of the magic that happens every day, all year long.  I can only hope that these children who are running with smiles on their faces throughout the parks will believe that their dreams can always come true.

I look forward to the many memories I get to witness within these next few months.  Tomorrow is when it all begins.  I start my lifeguard training, finally.  I cannot believe I have been down here a week already.  I feel like I have always been here.  I know my role isn't necessarily one to make dreams come true, but I get to see a whole other side to the many families who come to the parks.  I cannot wait to start lifeguarding at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

I will keep you all posted on how the three days of training went soon!

"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly, and unquestionable." -Walt Disney

A Very Busy Week 1

Sorry it has taken me so long to write another post.

So yesterday we woke up at 4 a.m. and met in line at Vista Way by 5.  We thought it was pretty early but others were lined up at 3 o'clock in the morning! Needless to say with us lining up at 5, we were able to still get the apartment complex that we wanted.  We will be living in Chatham for the next 5 and a half months.

 These signs guided us through to the Welcome Center to begin the check in process.  The time was finally here.  All of my dreams were

My roommates are Katie, Kasey, Kelsey, and Jenn. They are really awesome and we have so much fun together.  Katie is my actual roommate and so we share a room.  Originally, there were 6 of us but as of yesterday at about 7 a.m. the other girl called and said she was not going to do the program anymore.  She was already in Orlando though, but whatever.  It's probably for the better.

 Check-in day was very long, as suspected.  By like 8:30 yesterday morning we had everything completed and ready to go but then Jenn and I had to go take a drug test in order to be a life guard.  That took up more time of our day.  Because of this, our bus time to go to Casting got pushed back from the first time of the day to one of the last times of the day.  It kinda really stunk but we got through it.  It added extra hours to our day but we got through it. 

I ate at Chick-Fil-A for the first time yesterday after the drug test.  I went with Jenn and our new friend Kevin.  We tried ordering lunch and then realized it was only 9:30 in the morning.  It felt like it was dinner time but the normal world was just eating breakfast.  We still had hours to go before we could even get back to our rooms. 

Casting was really amazing.  It was a lot of double checking paper work and getting information about our jobs but it was making everything official.  I will be working at the Caribbean Beach Resort at the many pools they have.  I have a few pictures of Casting so hopefully I will have those up soon.

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After casting, we finally headed back to see our apartment to move all of our stuff inside.  The apartment was a mess when we got there.  It had not been cleaned yet because there was a misunderstanding and we were actually not supposed to be given this apartment yet.  Luckily they could get a cleaning crew in so we could have a clean apartment.

After moving everything from the car to the apartment, it was time for Jenn, Kevin, and I to go take our swim test.  That lasted about an hour.  We were given our training schedules there.  After we finished, we were finally done for the day.

The next day, so Wednesday, we all had the day off.  Katie and I ventured to Wal-Mart for the first time using the Disney transportation busing.  That was not very fun.  We did, however, survive so everything is all good.  We went to the pool when we got back and there we met some more awesome people who are now our friends.  Four of them are from Australia, so we talked to them about the country.  They showed us Australian money and talked about kangaroos.  It was lots of fun.

Thursday we had our housing meeting.  Here we got the rules and guidelines of our apartment complex.  It was really fun.  When we entered the room they had music and lights playing, making it feel like a celebration.  This meeting lasted about an hour.  We actually wore our swim suits underneath our clothes so we could go straight to the pool after because it was very hot out.

At the pool, we swam.  The water is the coldest water I have ever jumped into.  It is definitely not heated.  But, hey, I got tanlines from laying out by the pool for about two hours.  It was a very successful day.

Today, Friday, we had traditions at 8:00 a.m.  We got on the bus at 6:45 this morning and headed towards Disney University.  It was so amazing to see a whole different side of Disney.  Traditions was our first official day of working for the company.  We went through the expectations of you from the company and watched some inspiring videos.  We also took a tour of the Magic Kingdom and the Utilidors, which are the tunnels under the Castle.  Amazing!!

At the end of traditions, we now had our official Disney ID card and our name tags for work.  The ID card is also our free access to the parks so this meant we were headed into the Magic Kingdom to play for the first time since arriving.  Our group consisted of me, Katie, Kasey, Kevin, Chris, Melissa, Michelle, Kody, Hayley, Nathan, Estelle, Tony, and Ashley.

This group of friends I have made in the past few days are all awesome people.  We have so much fun together.  So far we have started a flashmob/dance party in the center of Downtown Disney, sat by the pool, built a blanket fort in my living room, laughed uncontrollably numerous times, and played in the Magic Kingdom.  I can already tell these next five months will be the best time of our lives and that we will have great friendships that last forever.  I cannot wait to see what else is in store for us.

We ended our night with the "Wishes" fireworks show at the castle and a stop on the monorail at the Polynesian Hotel for some delicious Dole Whip.  It was the best thing I have ever eaten.  After an exhausting day, Kody, Kevin, Katie, Kelsey, and I have decided to go hang out over in Hollywood Studios tomorrow.  Here, I will be riding the Tower of Terror for the first time in my life.  Wish me luck and I will        keep you posted on how it all goes.

"We're all just children, reaching for our dreams. They're shining high above us, and even though it seems, so far we put our faith and hope on a shooting star."- "Wishes" (Magic Kingdom)

Mission: Navigating Orlando

I have arrived safely and successfully in Orlando!  My flight was only 2 hours and 15 minutes long, which put me in Orlando 30 minutes early.  I had no problems flying by myself.  Once I exited the plane, I figured I would get lost or something.  But I didn't!

In order to get to the baggage claim area of the airport I had to take the monorail.  I was very pleased with how well everything was labeled and directing me where I needed to go.  I was able to get my two giant suitcases, one hockey bag, and my back pack and carry them to my aunt's car. 

My aunt drove out to Orlando to meet me for the night and make sure I get to where I need to be.  She parked her car in the parking garage so she could come in and help me with my luggage.  Well she got a new car about a week ago and, needless to say, she forgot where she parked.  That was an adventure trying to find a white SUV type car in Florida.  That's like the only car here!  I would say after about 15 or 20 minutes we finally found her car and loaded my bags up and headed to our hotel.

We got a little lost getting from the airport to the hotel but not really.  We just ended up taking a right when we should have gone left so it was an easy fix.  Once we found the location of our hotel, she couldn't remember which of the three Marriotts we were staying at.  We figured it out and everything was just peachy. 

After we got to our hotel we regrouped and ventured out to find lunch and a grocery store to get my groceries and such.  Got that all taken car of.  After that, we headed over to Vista Way to scope out where I will be going tomorrow at 5 a.m. to stand in line for check-in.  Yes, that means I will be waking up at 4 a.m. and I am not a morning person at all.  Only for Disney will this happen.  I promise.

After visiting Vista Way, we brought the groceries back to the hotel and decided that we wanted to go shopping shopping.  This meant Outlet Mall!!  We spent the remainder of the afternoon there, finding really good deals on designer items. 

The weather here today was a nice 70 degrees and a little overcast.  It sprinkled a little bit on and off throughout the afternoon but for me it was perfect weather.  I got to wear flip flops in January! That usually doesn't happen so that made it even better.  Tomorrow it is supposed to be at least 80 degrees. 

Being exhausted after our long day, we ordered a pizza for dinner and sat in the hotel watching "The Bachelor" on ABC.  My aunt was against this but after watching the two hour season premiere, I am proud to say that my aunt has stated, "Well there goes my Monday nights.  I have to see what happens now and keep watching."  Hehehehe.  I have converted her to "The Bachelor" drama! 

Well that's about it for now.  I have a very long day ahead of me tomorrow.  I will hopefully start having pictures up soon!!

"Remember, you're the one who can fill the world with sunshine." -Snow White

All Packed and Ready to Go!

Okay, so I leave on my adventure in 10 hours and 31 minutes.  I will be heading to the airport bright and early.  This will be the first time I will be flying by myself so this could get interesting.  After I board the plane, it will be just three short hours until I land in Orlando.  Sleeping the whole flight is sounding pretty good right about now since I have to be up so early.

I have this feeling that the next few days are going to be very exhausting.  Disney will be keeping us busy and constantly moving.  From what I hear, move-in day can be a very long day and an even longer day for lifeguards.  On top of checking in and moving into our apartments we will be completing the testing portion of the training.  This is so that if someone can't complete the test, they can be placed at another job location.

The test consists of swimming 200 meters, retrieving a brick from the bottom of the pool, and treading water for 2 minutes without the use of our hands.  Not too bad considering I was a swimmer for about 13 years.  Now, technically, this test is the "deep water" test.  This is for those who are chosen to work at the two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

The "shallow water" test consists of swimming 50 meters and retrieving a brick from the bottom of the pool.  This is much easier test.  I am hoping to work at a resort just because I have never been a lifeguard before.  I feel like a resort swimming pool will be better to start out at instead of a water park.  A swimming pool will be much more calm than all of the water slides and wave pools and all the people at once.

At the end of the day on Tuesday I will probably pass out on my bed for the night due to exhaustion.  I'm going to save all the unpacking for another day.  I am under the impression that we will have Wednesday to do so and get to know roommates.  Also, on Wednesday, my first adventure in the Disney area will most likely take place.  I want to go out and explore the area and probably venture to Downtown Disney.  We're going to have to see where the wind takes us.  I will let you know how it all goes. 

Basically, I'm going to go down there tomorrow with an open mind.  I am beyond excited and can't wait. No matter what, I have already had my dream come true.  Just to be given the opportunity to have this experience is amazing.

Grandmother Willow said, "Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one."  I know in my heart this is the right path for me.  I know that this is not going to be easy.  I will be working many hours and have schoolwork to keep up with.  I am going to be meeting new people from all over the world and creating friendships that could last for a lifetime.  I am ready for whatever is thrown my way.  Wish me luck!

How it All Began

Welcome to my blog!
I thought I would start out by telling you a little about myself and how this endeavor all started.

 Once upo....
Alright, so I'm just your typical college student trying to earn a degree so I can have a job out in the real world someday (hopefully).  I'm studying Communications and Rhetoric with a minor in Graphic Design- I know a mouthful, right?  I'm about to take the semester off from my university to do the Disney College Program in order to fulfill my internship requirement.  I have been hired as a Lifeguard and will be placed at a water park or resort.  This will be my first time lifeguarding but I have a background of about 13 years of competitive swimming.  If you’re wondering "Why the Disney College Program?", keep reading and you'll soon understand. 

For those of you who know me, you'll know that I am, what some might say, a "Disney Fanatic."  This is probably an understatement.  I was raised on Disney.  If it's Disney, you name it I grew up with it.  This is mainly because my mom is really into Disney as well, though in my opinion, I've got her beat.  I basically get more excited over something Disney related than the average four year old. 

My all time favorite Disney movie would have to be "Mary Poppins".  This has been my favorite since, well, as long as I could watch movies.  I had it on VHS when I was little and I would literally watch it all day long.  I'm pretty sure I wore out the tape (it's a good thing DVDs were invented).  Anyway I still love this movie.  The music, the dancing, the story, everything.  Tell me it wouldn't be "totally wicked" to jump into a chalk drawing with the one and only Mary Poppins!

 When my family would go on vacation, it would always be to Disney World.  Every year we would make a trip down to see Mickey and all his friends.  I have been to Disney World about 15 times in my lifetime and Disneyland once.  I was at Disney when the Animal Kingdom opened.  I was there when Cinderella's Castle was decorated like a giant birthday cake for the 15th anniversary of the Magic Kingdom.  Now I'm about to be there for five months during the "Year of the Ear" and I am beyond excited. 

As you can probably tell, the Disney College Program is something I just have to do.  It has been a dream of mine to be a part of the magic and do the program since middle school.  I am proud to say that my dream is definitely about to come true. 

Walt Disney once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."  This, I consider to be my motto.  I truly believe in this.  You can't let anything stop you from going after your dreams.  Once you put your heart into something anything is possible.  You can't be afraid to be passionate about something even if others may think otherwise.  Trust me, if I had let others get to me about the little things, I would not be doing this right now.  Disney can bring up a lot of controversy and opinions just like most things in life.  But you just have to live your life for you.  Now go out and live your dream!