Busy Busy Busy

       This past week was absolutely crazy!  The combination of classes starting, work, and trying to have a social life leaves time for nothing else.  My days off are fairly set to be Mondays and Tuesdays.  This is nice because my Human Resource Management course is four hours every Monday for the next 11 weeks.  The class seems fairly interesting thus far however I am not looking forward to the amount of reading involved!  My other class, Organizational Leadership, seems like it will be a little more fun.  This one meets every Thursday morning for four hours which means I will generally have a six hour shift following class.  I also had my first Disney Internships and Programs workshop this past Friday!  It was the Resume Writing workshop that showed us how to put Disney on our resume and helpful tips on what companies are looking for.
       It has definitely been a crazy weekend at Space Mountain!  We have had down times just about every day for various reasons which is sadly inconvenient for our Guests.  I did, however, have the chance to evacuate people from the track a couple times which is something I had never done before.  I feel like I learn something new everyday at the mountain.  It is such a complex working environment but has already taught me a lot about myself and how to work professionally in a very different atmosphere.
       Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!  It was a great time!  We saw the Villains' show in front of the castle and even took pictures with Maleficent and Dr. Facilier with help from a very kind Character Attendant.  Maleficent is definitely one of my favorite characters and she doesn't come out for pictures all that often so needless to say I was pretty excited!  We also watched the special Halloween Parade then made our way over to watch the fireworks.  On our way there we stopped and tried the Nutella waffle sandwich from Sleepy Hollow. It. Was. To. Die. For.  Imagine a giant waffle covered in Nutella with fresh fruit on top, it was delicious! We then ended up finding spots right next to the Walt statue in front of the castle which turned out to be the best place to watch the fireworks!  It surprisingly wasn't very crowded and gave us a straight on view of the castle.  It was a great show that included a finale with fireworks shooting from 180 degrees around Magic Kingdom!  After that we visited some friends who were handing out treats in Tomorrowland.  Something special about the Halloween parties is that you are free to roam all around the park where there are several treat stations in each land.  This means you leave with tons of candy and a lot of temptation for the next month!  Toward the end of the night we were also able to find the Decapitated Dans!  They are a spooky twist on Main Street's Dapper Dans a four man acapella group.
       This last week was definitely very busy but I wouldn't trade a single minute of it!  I am having so much fun and gaining invaluable experience I would never have found anywhere else.

How the Time Flies

 
        What a journey this program has been so far!  I feel like I wake up, immediately start my day, work, sleep, then start all over again... and I love it!  This busy schedule has made it difficult for me to update as often as I would like however I am going to try to be more diligent.  That being said, I am having so much fun at my job.  Working at Space Mountain is pretty stressful considering we have people's safety in our hands at all times!  It is so much fun, though, working with other CPs and learning how to be professional and show ready in a safety critical environment.  Disney has such a high standard for every aspect of even the simplest jobs that makes me believe excellence can be found in any work place! 

       When I am not working, my days are full of park and resort visits, golfing, and spending time with friends.  I have taken time to experience all four of Disney's parks and still feel like there is so much to do!  Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios, a water/stage show, is probably one of my favorite attractions in Walt Disney World.  Space Mountain is also definitely growing on me.  I have even been privileged to ride it with the lights on!  It is an experience that very few get to have and gives you a whole new look at the ride itself.  Many people don't realize how slow the roller coaster actually goes which is a whopping 27 mph!   

      I have also made a few trips to the Disney golf courses.  For CPs to get to the courses, we either have to drive or take a bus to the Polynesian resort where we walk another 15 minutes to the clubhouse.  Having a cast member discount makes playing and practicing a lot more affordable!  The greens aren't in great shape but the aerating doesn't help that much.  I am looking forward to playing more with other CPs and getting the full effect of the wildlife and nature that Florida courses have to offer!

       One of the best things about this program are all the friends I have met so far!   I have found myself surrounded by people from Minnesota, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, and even Hawaii!  They come from all over but somehow our cultures combine divinely.  My roommates are absolutely spectacular and I can't explain how lucky I am to have found a group of girls so easy to live with!  Beyond that, the friends I have made through work and the various Disney events have added so much to this program!  I had such high expectations coming into the Disney College Program and have already found them far exceeded!

Why I Love My Job

In the past week I have been going nonstop from training to park hopping to golfing!  However, between yesterday and today my training took a halt and I was assigned to park strollers for 8.5 hours both days.  By today I can tell you I was wishing to go back to Space Mountain!  I can also tell you how to operate just about any stroller you can imagine!  As I was organizing a group of strollers I stopped to talk to an elderly gentleman.  We proceeded to talk about where I was going to school and how he even had a Lutheran girlfriend from Iowa when he was younger!  After we were done talking he wished me a wonderful day because I had made his day wonderful. 
Even though I spent hours doing the simplest of tasks it was so fulfilling to have made a difference in one person's day.  And the best part was that all I had to do was be kind.  Throughout the day I saw children light up when I gave them stickers and a woman who was so grateful that I took 15 minutes to talk her through Magic Kingdom and the other parks.  Though these magical moments were only about 10% of my day they remind me why I love Disney so much.  At Disney World we all have the opportunity to hold ourselves to higher standards than most jobs.  Whether we are parking strollers, serving food, or performing in a show.  We all have the power to give someone else a moment of happiness.  And that is what makes working at Disney worth it.

The Journey Thus Far

The Disney College Program is already proving to change my life for the better!  I am having a ton of fun and keeping VERY busy!  My days have been full of Traditions, park visits, and training!  I have also met some fantastic friends along the way!  My first day of training was August 20 and involved a tour of the Magic Kingdom and finding out that I am working on Space Mountain!  This is one of the most popular attractions at any of the Disney parks and should definitely keep me on my toes! 

The next day included more basic training for all the Tomorrowland attractions.  Our group even got to meet PUSH, the trash can that moves around and talks to guests!  He called us the Tomorrowland parade and initiated us into the PUSH fan club by making us perform "I'm A Little Tea Cup." 

Today we started training at the Mountain which was thrilling and frightening at the same time!  There is so much we have to be on alert for as each guest's safety is in our hands at all times.  I had a blast meeting my trainer who is also from Iowa!  It was an all around fun, stressful day and it will only get better from here!

Check In

Today has been an absolutely exhausting, splendid, and all around great day! 

Bet, Gary, and I took off bright and early this morning from Ocala at 5:00am.  We arrived at Vista Way around 6:40 where there was a fairly short line.  I had 2 FULL suitcases and golf bag which I couldn't lug to the check in area by myself.  Soon after, my roommates came to the rescue! We met right away and they helped me out by storing a couple of bags until I was done.  I have to say I am so glad I found these girls on Facebook before check in because they are all wonderful people! 

Check in only lasted a couple hours.  We waited and waited, had our photos taken for housing IDs (which turn out to be surprisingly close up!), and then we got our positions.  I found that I will be working at Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom!  However, right after this happy news I found out that I also had to take a drug test.  I believe this is something that most if not all attractions workers have to do.  After everything we all met at the our apartment in Patterson Court.  It is extremely nice!  Everything is in good shape and it is much bigger than we could have imagined! 

We finished the night off with a late dinner and a trip to Target!  It was an awesome day with some awesome people! 

Tomorrow I am off to casting with my house meeting on Wednesday and Traditions on Friday!

Magic Everywhere

Today I met and had lunch with a wonderful couple after church.  They mentioned that they have been going to Disneyworld since the day before it was opened!  It was amazing being around two people who have experienced so much and still see the wonder in Disney!
Bette Rae and I also made a trip to Ocala's Shalom Park.  It has a beautiful walking area that winds through all sorts of nature including a thought provoking labyrinth.  It was an absolutely wonderful day!
I can't believe that in less than 24 hours I will actually be working for Disney! I also don't know how I'm going to handle all these little lizards! They're just everywhere!) I'll update tomorrow when I figure out where I will be working!

On My Way

I'm sitting in the Cedar Rapids airport right now ready to fly away to Sanford Orlando!  It has been a bitter sweet morning.  I can remember over 400 days ago when I started my countdown to the day DCP applications opened.  There is a rush of nervousness, excitement, and a wonder of the unknown.  Saying goodbye to everyone has been much harder than expected, but the tears we cry are happy ones.  Even though we won't see each other for months, it is worth it with the knowledge that it is making a dream come true. 
I am monumentally excited to stay with my Auntie Bet and Uncle Gary for the next few days!  They have been so kind to let me into their home and drive me all over Florida. I really can't thank them enough!
This adventure is just beginning and I can't wait!