Busy Days at Disney

Since I last wrote many things have happened, including:

• Moving rooms in the apartment (my new roommate's name is Sam)
• Family visiting for a weekend earlier in the month. It was wonderful seeing them and showing them around my new world.
  
• Saying goodbye to my dear friend Nick. His program ended so he went back home to Michigan. I have yet to find a "replacement friend".
  
• Flying home for Landon's first birthday! He's growing up to be such a character!
• Creating a guest magical moment by explaining the whole pin trading process and then giving them a pin to  get started in the craze themselves.

I'm sure more has happened, but those are the things that are standing out at the moment. Today was very busy in itself. I learned how to make water art  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62USrmpuCWA) and spent an hour or so of my shift entertaining guests with my drawings of Mickey and Minnie. Towards the end of my shift, the night got really busy. I had a little girl start up a conversation with me while I was closing a restroom. She was in a stall and just randomly asked if I was the cleaning lady. I said yes I was and we ended up talking for about 10 minutes. I'm sure her parents were a bit worried that she had been in the restroom for so long, but I made sure she got back to her family safe and sound after our conversation was done. Then I had a lady approach me and tell me I have a very strong positive energy. She gave me her card and said to give her a call if I wanted her to do a psychic reading. Personally, I think all that stuff is pretty sketch, but it put me in a good mood to be told that. Then I dealt with my first unattended bag situation. I suppose to most people, that's not very exciting, but custodians get excited about the small things.
  Well I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is ready to head back to school! Have a magical day!

Meeting a Celebrity

  Meeting Disney characters is all fine and dandy, but it's still nothing in comparison to meeting a real celebrity. Nick and I were eating at The Three Broomsticks in Wizarding World a day or so after the end of a big Harry Potter convention in Orlando. He was in his Hufflepuff robes, which also encourages employees to talk to him. Thanks to a very kind, helpful waitress we found out that Evanna Lynch AKA Luna Lovegood was eating out on the balcony. My heart jumped a little bit when she said that and Nick and I were quick to agree that asking for a picture and being rejected is better than never asking and never knowing. We left our table and nonchalantly walked out, taking pictures of the castle and surrounding area. Once Nick worked up the courage, he walked right up to her, apologized, and asked for a picture. Pansy Parkinson was there as well and he got a picture with both. I stood there while they talked about LeakyCon, contemplating asking for a picture, knowing I would kick myself if I didn't. Right as they were preparing to say goodbye, I asked for a picture and being as kind and gracious as I imagined her being, she said "Of course" and held her arm out for a side-by-side picture. I couldn't thank her enough, but didn't want to be a crazy fan girl either. After talking a bit more, we said goodbye and went back to our meal. We both just sat there for a few minutes, shaking and in awe over the fact that we just met Luna Lovegood. I was so happy I cried a few tears of joy.
  The rest of my day was made. I was in a slow zone at work, but every time I felt my smile slipping I just thought, "I met Evanna Lynch today!" and I was giddily happy again.
  I hate giving him more credit because he does not need any boost to his ego, but it is all thanks to Nick that I got to meet one of my favorite characters/actors from the entire Harry Potter series.

Journey to Space

 Sunday morning, I was awake bright and early to see the backstage area most CPs look forward to exploring: Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland. My wonderful managers set up a tour for DTD custodial cast members and since one of them had worked the attraction, we learned a lot about Space. Seeing/riding with the track lit up definitely made it less scary. We were able to walk the track and learn a bit about operations. I was surprised to learn that Space is the slowest coaster on property, maxing out at 28 mph. In the dark though, with strobes lights flashing, the ride feels much faster and more intense than other coasters. Overall it was a really interesting trip and I look forward to seeing more attractions backstage.

Here's an idea of what it looks like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXyTPdOjWlo Nothing compares to seeing it in person though!

Playing Catch-Up

 I am not keeping up with this blog as well as I had hoped. Some days too much happens and by the time I am free to write, I would rather sleep. On slow days, I am usually just not in the mood to blog. So I am taking a page out of my wise cousins' book and am going to try the bullet-point method of blogging.

• Two weeks ago I went to Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba, a permanent show at Downtown Disney. The show was created special for Walt Disney World and cast member received a discount until the end of June. I have never seen anything so amazing. There were times in the show I could not clap because I was frozen in awe. Here's a link if anyone wants a taste of the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pxCDoeJgbQ
• Last week I finally made it to a beach! Wednesday Nick, Josh, and I made the drive to Siesta Key and spent the day relaxing in the sun. We also found a Kilwin's ( I found out that's a MI thing), which I was really excited about. It was a great day, but I'm just now healing up from the awful sunburn I got. 
• Friday, as most people know, was the final launch of the US space shuttle program. A whole group of DTD custodians made the trip over to Cocoa Beach early Friday morning (by early I mean 1 o'clock after everyone was done working) and we slept in cars parked along the highway in anticipation for the launch. I have never been into space exploration, but when the 9-second countdown started, I got chills. It was an amazing sight and well worth the point I received for calling-in for my morning shift at work.
• We have already had a mate move out and are expecting to get a new mate any day now. I look forward to meeting her and hope that she fits well into our house dynamic. 

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

Just Another Post

  I don't feel like anything extraordinary has happened lately, but that's not to say I haven't been busy. The most exciting event has been the backstage tour of the Beauty and the Beast show at Hollywood Studios. I finally got to see the show and then we met Belle and her prince (not the Beast) and got to walk onstage and see all the costuming things. It made me miss performing.
 Which reminds me that I mentioned auditions last time. I ended up going with one of my mates (Jenessa), Amy and one of her mates (Sara). None of us were offered a role, but it was still a really good experience and I would like to go audition again when I can. All that happened at the audition was this: there were about 180 or so girls and they pulled us into a room in groups of 60. Two ladies looked at us in groups of ten. They then called out the numbers of the girls they wanted to stay and thanked us for coming out and auditioning. Only one girl was called from our group if that gives you any idea of what standard Disney holds for their performers.
  That was Tuesday. Wednesday I spent the day at Universal with Nick, my neighbor and fellow Downtown custodial cast member. It's always fun to go to Wizarding World with him because he wears his Hufflepuff robes and everyone asks for pictures and/or directions.
  We're going to have our first visitor of our program this week. Sam's fiance is flying down from Indiana on Tuesday and we're all going to eat in France to celebrate her being here.
  Other than that, I'm planning on just relaxing on my days off. I worked quite a bit this week, not as much as  some, but still a lot. Hope everyone's finding their own adventures and having fun!

One Month Down, Six to Go

  I've been at Disney a month now. It went by so quickly and yet it feels like I've been here for a much longer time. More has happened in one month here than three months back home. Work is going great; I love my job and my co-workers have been wonderful. Living with 7 girls I don't know has been interesting. Learning to live with all the different personalities has probably been the most difficult part of the program so far.
  I have really enjoyed meeting so many different people here. I still try to talk to someone new every day. Lately, I've been talking to the entertainers on West Side and the merchants in the Marketplace.
  Amy and I are going to Look-Alike Auditions on Tuesday. Amy is from England and also works Custodial in Downtown Disney. I'm really hoping she gets offered to be a friend of Alice. I am hoping to be friends with Tinkerbell.
 

Remember the Time....

 ....I was in a parade at Animal Kingdom? Yeah, that was real-life yesterday.
 I had initially planned on going to the parks alone, but ended up meeting my friend Molly and her two Irish visitors there. Right after meeting Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore, a cast member approached us and started talking about Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. We had never seen it, but we said we wanted to. He proceeded to ask us if we would be interested in being in the parade. We said of course we would!
 So we met Brian at the brown gate outside Safari at 3:10 and got suited up with the rest of the lucky guests. We were on the tiger float. It was just the four of us girls sitting in a rickshaw-like contraption, waving and smiling like 4-year-olds. We danced (as best we could since we were buckled in) and sang and called out birthday and anniversary buttons and blew kisses to all of our adoring fans. That hour (that I could have sworn was only 10 minutes) has been the best part of my program so far. Molly and I both agree that we do not want this parade to be our last, so entertainment auditions here I come!

Around the World in 80 Minutes

 I determined that since I have now been here almost a month and still had not met any, it was time for me to seek out some Princesses. Armed with my camera, sun block, and sunglasses, I headed out for the World Showcase in Epcot to meet the princesses in their own countries. Pretty simple enough goal, but when you add in saving the world from 7 evil villains (mind you I only foiled one sinister plot) it becomes a bit more difficult. I was charged with the task of traveling to China and finding the Jade Monkey stolen from the temple by Monkey Fists. That's right. I got to be Kim Possible for a day.

 After a quick mission, I got back to finding royalty. I found Belle and Aurora in France, Mulan in China, and Jasmine and Aladdin in Morocco. Mulan was my favorite interaction. She was so sweet and told me I reminded her of her friend Tinkerbell! It's not my goal in life to look like Tink, but when a character tells you you look like another character, it gives you hope for the future.
 I went into work at 5:30, but when I got there, they said someone could leave if they wanted to. I thought it over and decided I would like to make it to Star Wars Weekend before it's done for the year, so I left, suited up in my Star Wars costume and headed into the Studios with Jenessa and Amber.

 It was a lot of fun to see all the Star Wars fans there. We walked around, watched the big Hyperspace Hoopla show, went on Star Tours, and the Tower of Terror once it got dark. Oh and we took a drawing class! I learned how to draw Bolt.

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/star-wars-weekends-2012/

 Lauren is finally awake now so I have to go dance, but I hope everyone has a great day!

International Bus

 Tonight was pretty uneventful as far as work itself goes: no code v's, no lesbians hugging me, and no people taking pictures of me. However, I probably had the best bus ride of the program so far. I started talking to Maria, an ICP from Mexico that works Downtown Custodial with me. I have decided to take advantage of all the opportunities here and asked her to teach me Spanish. We made a deal that I will help her with English and take her to see American things (this is her first time in the U.S.) and she will teach me Spanish and cook me Mexican food and teach me to dance the salsa.
  I think I was one of two Americans on the bus home tonight. After Maria got off, the girl sitting next to me started talking to the other ICPs about Cantonese and the difference between it and Mandarin. She proceeded to teach us a few words, which I already cannot remember. My overall goal is to become fluent in French, but if I can pick up some Spanish along the way, I'm definitely ok with that.

Where I'm Meant to Be

 Two nights ago, I found myself walking around Epcot's World Showcase waiting for the nightly IllumiNations fireworks show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gAnSBlvRZg). Even with so many people crowding and rushing around, it was really peaceful. I think that's a good sign of how content I am with my life right now. Since I arrived almost 3 weeks ago I haven't worried about college or future plans at all. For once, I'm not in a random environment where I have to find a nook to be safe and comfortable in....I'm happy everywhere here! I am finally working for a company that expects the best out of its employees and that values and recognizes hard work. Even though I am not in my dream role with Disney, I am so happy to be here.
 Given the chance, I will audition to be a character performer, and as scared as I am, I am also confident enough that I have the talent and ability to land my dream job. Perhaps it won't happen the first time I try out or even the second time. I might start out being a fur character and then progress into a face character. But either way, I want to put myself out there and let Disney see what I have to offer and live with no regrets.

The Lagoon and Chick-fil-A

 Disney had mercy on me today by giving me two days off in a row! A break couldn't have come at a better time either, because yesterday I woke up with the flu and a fever. I had my final day of training last night at 4 o' clock, but only made it through an hour of the assessment. Thankfully, my coordinators and manager had pity on me an sent me home early without giving me any points (3 points equal a reprimand and 3 reprimands means I'm shipped back home to Michigan). I came home and crashed last night, which meant I missed the spaghetti and cupcakes Sam and Lauren made for everyone, but I woke up around midnight and had a wonderful, reheated dinner.
 Woke up this morning feeling great, but still spent the morning resting. Dedra and I went to Typhoon Lagoon for the afternoon since we get free entrance to the water parks until early June. I loved the atmosphere of the park and had a lot of fun. I lost my sunglasses on one of the slides, but a kind lifeguard relocated them for me and I had another "magical moment".
 There's a Chick-fil-A hardly two miles away from our complex and every time I pass it, I comment about how I have never eaten at one. Apparently I've never said it around Dedra because she promptly turned around and pulled into the drive-thru. So today, I tried Chick-fil-A for the first time and it was wonderful! I have never had a shake as good as their Banana Pudding shakes. MMMM! I suspect they'll be receiving a part of my paycheck every week!
  At the moment, I'm waiting for Lauren to get out of work so we can all head into Magic Kingdom. During Traditions we walked Main Street U.S.A., but didn't get anywhere near the Castle. Today, we're going to ride a few rides and watch the Wishes fireworks show. Hopefully it doesn't rain on us, but if it does I'll be ok with coming home to rest. My thoughts are with everyone back home, thanks to everyone who has been keeping me updated!

Training and the Studios

 Yesterday I had my first on-the-job training in Downtown. I was training with one other person, who I thankfully had met a few days ago. Basically, they taught us how to sweep and change trash. My job is not a difficult one. However, I do feel very official because I get to carry a radio and earpiece with me. I was given a lanyard and pins so I could participate in the Disney Pin Trading craze. So far I am enjoying the guest interaction. As one of my trainers kept saying yesterday, the amount of interaction is decided by the individual. He chooses to carry bandages, 5 different languages of maps, and he does pin trading, which ups the guest interaction. Some guest show hosts (custodians) don't carry any of that and simply do their cleaning duties. I hope to be like Dave in a few months, but I feel like I need to acquaint myself with the area more before I can be that helpful.
 I wanted so bad to just come home and crash last night, but I don't want to miss out on anything while I'm here. So instead of sleeping, Molly and I met up with Lauren and Jenessa at Hollywood Studios. It was my second time to the park during the program. Molly rode the Tower of Terror and Rock n' Rollin Coaster with us despite of all her opposition to them. We walked the whole park last night, something I hadn't been able to do two nights ago. I had been disappointed the first time because everything has changed so much. Queues are more built up and all the extra space that was there 11 years ago has been filled in. I was very sad that the things I remembered (the fire truck and Muppet fountain) were gone. Last night though, we stumbled upon both and I had a Magical Moment! I'll have to go back again to get pictures.
  In our wanderings, we also came across the Jedi Academy show. Kids 12 and under are invited to join the academy and be trained in the Jedi ways. After they have mastered the moves, Darth Vader arrives to turn them to the Dark Side! Needless to say, Molly and I were freaking out! After the show, we rushed to the newly opened Star Tours ride. Any loyal Star Wars fan has to ride this! I wanted to get back in line, but the park was preparing to close. Oh well, it's another excuse to go back.
 I have the morning off today, which is why I actually have time to post. I have training in cleaning restrooms from 4 to 12:30 today and recycle and Back of House training tomorrow morning. Hope everything is going well for everyone else out there!

Traditions and Friendosaurs

   Today was Traditions, a class that basically outlines how Disney expects us to act when we're onstage. It was four hours of learning what makes Disney such a great, respected company: safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency. We also learned a few secrets, but if you want to know those, you'll have to take the class yourself. At Traditions, we also received our Main Entrance Pass and our coveted nametags.

 

   The afternoon was spent cleaning and rearranging the apartment and watching YouTube videos with Sam. We had planned on going into the parks once everyone else returned from Traditions, but with time issues, we found ourselves once again in Downtown Disney. Lauren, Mary Kate and I made dinosaurs at Build-a-Dino (Apatosaurus and Ankylosauruses, respectively)  We explored the shops a bit more, watched one of the night performers, and stumbled into a restricted area in search of water. We're finally back to the apartments, which consisted of paying a toll twice (our normal guide didn't go with us tonight). Most (if not all) of us have orientation to our respective parks tomorrow, so we're watching a movie and hitting the hay. And remember, Safe D Begins With Me!

Hakuna Matata

   I am finally all settled into my new apartment with my wonderful new mates! I have one true roommate, Lashon, and 6 other apartment mates that I shall forever just refer to as my mates: Jenessa, Jillian, Dedra, Mary Kate, Sam, and Lauren. After waking up at 6 to get to registration at 8, I waited in line for a good hour and a half, filling out paperwork and talking to other CPers, before boarding a bus to Casting in Downtown Disney. I worked myself up about today way too much. Everyone was friendly and talkative and I made a lot of new friends. At Casting, our place assignments were given out. I will be working Custodial in the Downtown Disney Marketplace. At first, I was not too thrilled since this means I'm away from the main park area, but after visiting the area, I realize that I'll have just as much fun there as anywhere else.
   After Casting, we were set loose to find our apartments. (If anyone wants my address to write letters, just ask!) I chose to live in Chatham Square and as mentioned before, have 7 mates. We have a nice place with a living room, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, 2 fridges, and 2 pantries.
   Cutting this short so I can go play Apples to Apples, we went to Downtown Disney to scout out the Marketplace and eat at T-Rex, a dinosaur version of Rainforest Cafe. They're yelling at me, so I'll write more later!
 

All Packed With No Where To Go

   Well my Disney adventure begins in 4 short days! Since getting home from Ferris last week I've been busy packing, fixing my car, and spending time with family and friends. This evening has been spent packing my car up and getting last minute paperwork together. Everyone has asked if I'm excited to be going to Disney....the answer: of course!! To some degree, it seems as if my excitement stage has come and gone, but I know as soon as I set out Monday morning, I'll be obnoxiously excited again. It's such an amazing opportunity and I can't wait to be there! One of the few things I am stressing about is the roommate situation. I really can't imagine that I won't get along with the other girls though.
 Tomorrow after lunch with my mom and David, I'm heading down to Detroit to spend the day/night at a friend's house. From there I'll be going to TN to stay with an aunt Monday night and Tuesday evening will be spent less than two miles away from my new home in Lake Buena Vista, FL. What a grand adventure this shall be!
 

Purple Folder

I finally got my coveted purple folder from Disney today! It really didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know, but it was still great to have it in my hands. Two weeks ago before going on Spring Break I accepted my invitation to the program and paid my fees, making me an official employee of Disney. Today I met with my internship coordinator and figured out how the internship is going to work with my schedule and scholarships. 

 My move in day is May 18th, which means I'll be leaving Michigan May 16th. Yes, I am driving down. I would hate to be stranded in another state without my car. My program is done January 3rd, so I'll be back in time for Spring semester at Ferris. I'm really going to miss my family and friends, both new and old, but I know everyone is really excited for me and I'm going to have an amazing 7 months at Disney World!

Everything Happens on Tuesday

First off, yesterday was Justin Bieber's birthday. Just a random fact there. It was a pretty rough day for me overall, just one of those off days I guess. So at 10:45 I decided to check my email before I headed off to sleep.  I wasn't planning on checking my Disney email account, but by then, it was a habit. I am so glad I checked it!! I saw an email with the title "Your invitation" and my heart almost stopped! I opened it up and skimmed the first line. 
"Dear Joyanna, Congratulations! You have been selected to participate as a Custodial Cast Member on the Disney College Program in the Fall Advantage 2011 Season."
I almost screamed I was so happy! I grabbed my computer and ran to inform my wall-mate and everyone else who was still awake that I got accepted! I called my mom crying because I was so happy! After that I called and texted everyone I could think of. Definitely didn't get as much sleep as I should have, but after I got settled back down I spent an hour or so researching my new job.
   As a custodial cast member, I will be cleaning and sweeping specific areas of the park.  There is a lot of guest interaction involved, which I am really excited about! I officially accepted the position in the program today. I will be moving in May 18th and will be returning January 3rd. 
   I cannot wait for this semester to be over so I can start work! 

Waiting, waiting and more waiting

Today is the two-week mark from when I had my interview, which means I can start expecting my acceptance letter anytime now. Actually, I've been looking for it since I had the interview! Every day I check my mailbox expecting a big purple envelope and every day I am disappointed.  On the bright side though, I haven't had a lot of free time to just sit around and fret.  I've been scrap booking, playing volleyball, babysitting, practicing for the play, doing Insanity and hanging out with everyone on my floor, and of course going to classes and doing homework. This semester has been going really well and if this Disney thing falls through, I'll be perfectly happy to come back to campus next year!

Phone Interview

A lucky cricket wouldn't have made my interview any better! I was so nervous and worked up about the interview, but it turns out there really was no need to be. My interviewer was very nice and I calmed down as soon as we started talking. She just asked general questions previous work experience, times I gave good guest service, why I wanted to be a character attendant, if I felt comfortable delivering speeches if I got a job on attractions, and the biggest question of all was "Why do you want to work on the WDW College Program?" 

She did not say anything about the interview going good or bad, but I felt like it went really well. Now I am just waiting for a letter or email to arrive to tell me my destiny with Disney. I probably won't be updating here until I get that news. They said it would probably take 3-4 weeks to process my application, but you can be sure I will let you all know the outcome of the interview as soon as possible!

Thank you to everyone who encouraged and prayed for me! You all have helped me more than you can ever know!

Snow Day and Preparation

Thanks to the Snowpocalypse of 2011, Ferris campus was closed and classes were cancelled today. Having the day off of classes gave me ample time to study up and prepare for my phone interview tomorrow. It was really good to just be able to sit down and collect my thoughts about why I want to work for Disney and why I am an excellent candidate for the program.
Everyone on Terrace (my floor) has been really helpful and supportive. My friend's sister was in the program and she was able to tell me a bit more about the interview process, but the most helpful thing my floor has done for me is helping me get psyched up for my interview! The girls and I have been talking almost nothing but Disney for the past two days and they have really boosted my confidence!
In exactly 12 hours, my fate with Disney will be decided! Although, I won't know that fate until March-ish.  That is going to be the longest 4 weeks of my life!

Start at the Beginning

For those of you who do not already know, Disney is my dream job. Has been for quite some time.  After a rough couple of first weeks at college, a very wise cousin of mine gave me some very good advice. Do what makes me happy. I immediately thought of Disney and started researching.  Eventually I came across the Disney College Program, a paid internship opportunity. After months of researching, planning, talking, thinking, and praying, I have finally taken my first steps toward becoming a Disney Cast Member! Just as a note, every Disney  park employee is considered a cast member, so don't get your hopes up about coming to Florida to see me as Ariel (although I may work up the courage to audition while I am down there).
Today I sent in my application and passed the web interview. I have a phone interview scheduled for Thursday morning and I really could not be more nervous. I know I will fit right in at Disney, but there are always those nagging thoughts that maybe the interviewer won't like me or something like that. In the case that I am rejected from the program, this blog will cease to exist, but if I am accepted, I plan on updating everyone on every step of my journey to Disney....that is if anyone cares to listen :)