Another Delightfully Delayed Personal Post

Once again, I start this entry a little delighted in the fact that it has been so delayed.   As I said in the previous entry, that must mean that I am having fun!  I most definitely am.

Peak season has ended and it's now time for everyone to go back to school.  It's strange being a college graduate this time of year- it's the first time since before preschool that I haven't needed to go to classes this time of year.  (Granted, I have signed up for those Disney University classes that are scheduled to start in early October, but that's a different story.)

Since peak season is over, though, that means that my hours have decreased tremendously.  I honestly don't mind too much.  That means that I am paid less weekly, but I also have a lot more free time to enjoy being at Disney World.  I didn't come down here just to earn money, so fewer hours don't bother me one bit.

Another important update: I am participating in the cast choir for the Candlelight Processional in Epcot!  For the readers who aren't familiar with this, the Candlelight Processional is a big production that is done regularly in Epcot during the Christmas season in which a celebrity narrates the Christmas story and a large choir entertains with Christmas songs.  A certain percentage of the choir is filled with cast members, and I was chosen!  I am so excited.  My first rehearsal is tomorrow night. :)

I am having a blast down here still, but I keep on thinking about what comes after December.  It is already September; my program is practically half over.  I decided a while back that I wouldn't want to apply for a professional internship unless it was in an area that I would absolutely love.  The professional internship job listings finally came out this week, and I saw two listings that I adore:  Disney's Fairytale Weddings Consultant Internship and Disney's Fairytale Weddings Planner Internship. Be still my heart! Did anyone else just hear Heavenly music as you read that?

I meet all of the required and preferred qualifications, my major in college is even surprisingly on the preferred list.  The problem is that I know practically every single girl who looks at the professional internship listings will see those and want to apply.  Now, my dilemma is how I can make myself stand out among hundreds and hundreds of applicants.  I'll be working on my resume big time.

All of the sudden I have this dream of working with Disney Fairytale Weddings and also getting an online degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.   If you can dream it, you can do it, right?

"A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding.  But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive." - Walt Disney

I am so blessed!

Hello, everyone!

I have been awful at updating, but that's exactly what I anticipated.  That just means that I'm having a wonderful time and I'm too busy to sit in front of my computer for too long at a time.   I earned my ears with no trouble at all!  For a little over a month now I've been working all on my own, driving two week safaris every twenty minutes.  It can be exhausting at times, but it's unbelievably worth it.  :)

It has been almost two months since check-in now, and the time has flown by tremendously quickly.  It's hard to believe that I have only a little over five months left!  This is going to be over before I know it.  I just wanted to take a brief moment to blog about the fact that I am amazingly blessed.  I have a lot of personal reasons why I'm blessed, including good health, security, and a wonderful, loving support system of family members and friends.  But since this blog is focused around the Disney College Program, allow me to go on a rant of how wonderful this experience truly is:

So many people save up all of the money that they can so that they can travel across the world and vacation at Walt Disney World for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I, on the other hand, work here.  I have tremendous benefits of being able to go to the parks whenever I want for however long I want, get seemingly limitless amounts of discounts, and even get some free tickets for friends and family.  I am even paid!  It's a humble paycheck, but it's all I need.  Sure, I work long hours.  But I work them by making people smile.  I have the honor of being a maker of magical moments, whether it be by seeing guests' faces when they see an elephant or giraffe for the first time in their lives, or by a simple moment of kindness on stage that just so happens to go a long way.  Every moment that I spend at work may be just a moment for me, but every bit is part of a Disney vacation memory that will last every guest a lifetime.  What a privilege.

Sadly, a lot of college programmers still find room to complain a lot.  That's really a shame.  I really implore anyone who is reading this to avoid being like that at all costs.  It does not matter what your circumstances may be.  When you put things in perspective, you realize that as long as you have air in your lungs you have every reason to have a smile on your face.  And we in particular have particularly special reasons to be joyful.  Having a no-good day every once in a while is one thing, but I think it's important to try to not have a negative attitude be your regular attitude.

I really am so blessed to be down here.  I wish that my closest friends and family could be here with me, but it seems like God decided to send me down here on my own.  I'm making great new friends, though- not to replace the old, of course!  I'm not entirely sure what God had planned for me by sending me to participate in this program, but I am sure that I'm going to try my hardest to make the most of it.

I am so grateful for this opportunity!

"I have watched constantly that in our work the highest moral and spiritual standards are upheld." - Walt Disney

Working on Earning my Ears!

Hey everybody!

If anyone is out there actually reading my blog, I appreciate it!  I've been super busy for these past two weeks.  I had Traditions, DAKlimation (an orientation to Disney's Animal Kingdom), and then plain ol' work!  I'm still working on earning my ears.  My assessment is tomorrow!   We'll see how that goes!

I think that I've gone through a wave of emotions since being here!  There's of course the excitement of "being on vacation" at the happiest place on earth, and that is wonderful.  But then, you get tired.  And overwhelmed.  And homesick.  I was never homesick when I was at college because I spoke to my family and distant friends so frequently and knew that they were always only a few hours away.  But I definitely feel a little homesick here.

That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the program! I do! I just think it's important to note that it might take me (and you, if you are considering doing it) a little while to adjust.  Some days are going to be really hard (for me, yesterday!) and other days are going to be really great (for me, today!), but ultimately, we just have to try to keep a positive attitude and plow on through the good and the bad.  We can do it!

(Just as a personal note: a lot of prayer can help!)

I'll give you guys an update sometime after I *hopefully* earn my ears!  Until then!

"I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic to know that life is a complex matter." - Walt Disney

I Survived Check-In Day!

I stand before you now an official Chatham Square resident!  How amazing is that?!

Yesterday was long, but it was so rewarding finally getting started on this program.  The day began early, checking out of the hotel and meeting two of my roommates-to-be at Vista Way at 7:00AM.  Check-In started early for us, maybe around 7:50 or 8:00AM (don't take my word on that, I could totally be making that up).  We were guided exactly where we needed to be at every moment.  It was such a well-oiled machine.  

At Vista, we received our Program Guides (an information book/rule book/planner/everything-you'll-ever-need-to-know-for-the-next-seven-months book), signed some papers, set up our housing, took pictures and immediately received our housing IDs, and had the option of getting our decal then or later at the complex. Immediately after this, we were directed to go on a bus that would take us to Casting.  I thought that there were a lot of stations at Vista, but that was only the beginning!  It was my first time in the Casting building, but it was a maze of different things we needed to do, mostly involving the forms that we'd filled out prior to arrival, but more importantly, there we found out our work locations!  So here it is, drumroll, please!

Kilimanjaro Safaris!  To quote a non-Disney Gilbert Gottfried cartoon character, "Somebody up there loves me!"  At the end of Casting I received a bit of a training schedule, and I start training on Saturday morning!  I'm an unbelievably excited.  I couldn't have been assigned a better role!

After Casting we were free to move in to our apartments, so that's exactly what we did.  It took me a full 24 hours to actually unpack, and I'm still a little disorganized, but the apartment is lovely. :)

I have today free, and then tomorrow I'll have Traditions.  I'm nervous about dressing appropriately, so I might risk dehydration and wear my suit.  We'll see how that goes! 

That's enough for today! I'm so excited for the rest of the week, and I'll do my best to keep updating regularly!  TTFN, ta-ta for now! 

"Fantasy and reality often overlap." - Walt Disney 

I'm in Florida!

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there!

After about seventeen hours of driving spread about two days, I've finally made it to the happiest place on Earth! :)  I'm so excited.  For a while I felt as if it were a dream, it couldn't possibly be real!  I spent last night with my dad at Downtown Disney and park hopping at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian, and the night ended with watching Wishes! Today we spent the day in the Magic Kingdom, but in the late afternoon dad had to leave for his flight home.  It was surreal having dad leave for home and me stay here. I feel like I've been on vacation and am supposed to head home now!  But the fact is that this is only the beginning!

Tomorrow is my check in day, so I'm going to meet my roommates, find out where I work, and find out where I'll live!  Information overload! I hope I can handle it! :)

I just wanted to post this as a little update.  I realize these next few weeks might be very hectic, but I'll certainly be getting to more parts of the application process later in the blog.  I just figured I should update about this too since it's going on right now!  Expect application advice blogs again later on the blog!

Here's to a wonderful check-in day!

"A man should never neglect his family for business." - Walt Disney

Step Three: Phone Interview [Part 1: Scheduling]

It's official! I'll be checking into my apartment in Lake Buena Vista next week!  It's unbelievable.  All of this talk and excitement is finally coming to fruition.  It's here! Almost, anyway.

But as for now, let's get back to talking about the application process.  I really hope all of this information helps someone someday.  Even if it's only one person.

If you've passed the Web-Based Interview, congratulations!  Engage in a huge sigh of relief.  Pat yourself on the back.  Have your roommate pat you on the back.  You deserve it!  That was stressful.  Now it's time to schedule a phone interview.  At the end of your web interview, you should have received a number and some instructions on how to call and schedule your phone interview.

Due to the fact that you schedule with a real person and not an automated service (at least as of 2011), you can only schedule during regular business hours.  I just so happened to complete my web interview in the evening, so I had to wait until the morning to call.  I was really nervous to even make that phone call, I didn't want to sound silly!  I gathered myself and made that phone call, and before I knew it I was conversing with a pleasant, relaxing voice and felt entirely at ease.  Scheduling my phone interview reminded me a lot of scheduling lunch with a friend or a dentists appointment.

PLEASANT FEMALE VOICE: We have a time open at 5:00PM EST on Friday, does that work for you?
MYSELF: Oh no, unfortunately I have an event to attend at that time.   Is there a time available the following day?
PLEASANT FEMALE VOICE: Yes, we have time slots open from 7:00PM until 9:00PM EST on that following Saturday, the 22nd.  Would perhaps 8:00PM work for you?
MYSELF: Yes! That works perfectly! Thank you very much!

Easy!

One tip in regards to this first call: be polite!  Polite manners include watching your tone and language, saying please and thank you, or even simply ask how the person is doing meaningfully.  This person is probably going to be on the phone all day with all of the applicants calling in, so a friendly caller could be quite refreshing!  You're more than likely not judged on this phone call, but it's always good to be in the habit of being polite and friendly. :)

Next time, I'll provide some tips on how to handle the real deal.  You can do it!

"I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known." - Walt Disney   

We Interrupt this Series of "How-To" Posts for a Brief Announcement:

I registered for Disney classes today! :)

Originally I wasn't going to until I arrived, but I got too darn excited.  I intended to take two classes (yes, two!) in the Disney Exploration Series, and I just found out tonight from one of my hopeful-roommates-to-be that it's only offered in the Fall.   So, I'm currently signed up to take Exploring Disney Heritage on Thursdays and Exploring Leadership on Tuesdays.

It might be a little ambitious of me to set out to take two classes, but Disney Heritage sounded like loads of fun, and Leadership sounded like such a neat experience as well as an unbelievable gem for a resume. :)  Besides, I'll be beginning both in October, an off-peak season, and I'll already be all settled in.  I'm very excited!

I'll undoubtedly talk more about the classes when the time comes, I just wanted to post a little something about it now since I just registered!  And, oooh!  My check-in date is so soon! :)

Next time you "see" me I should be posting about the phone interview.  See ya real soon!

"When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity." - Walt Disney