What a crazy few days! So on Wednesday, I ran some errands and around 6, I realized I had nothing to do for the rest of the night. So I hopped on the bus, rode over to Hollywood Studios by myself and ended up having so much fun! I rode the Tower of Terror twice, Rockin Roller Coaster once, bought myself a big mint chocolate chip ice cream cone and shopped until about 8:30. Yesterday I worked 6 hours and today 11. That might normally be tough but the annual Food and Wine festival at the Epcot Word Showcase began yesterday. What an event! Basically, around the 1.3 mile pavilion, we have small tents for about 25 different countries. Each tent sells different types of food and wine representative of that country. It is a huge deal each day of the Food and Wine Festival (it lasts until November 13th) is busier than any other day of the year, besides New Years Eve (where we see an average of 80,000 guests in Epcot alone). So what that all means is... it is packed. All day, every day. We are all a lot more busy working to keep the park as clean as people expect a Disney park to be. I am constantly moving with things to do wherever I turn and it makes the time fly by! Also, something that helps is every single day of the festival, we have a special musical guest performing in the American Garden Theater which is an outdoor amphitheater in the American pavilion. Today is was a girl named Taylor Dane and we have everyone from Boyz 2 Men, Sugar Ray, or Hansen coming in the next month and a half. So I'm pretty excited about that! If you know me, you know I love concerts :)
I do have some great little stories from these two days...
Mary Poppins
-Yesterday I was standing near Mary Poppins and watching kids and adults alike greet and talk with her in adoration. As I was watching, I really began to think of what those people were going through as they watched and met her. Mary Poppins is a nanny who has a magical way of pleasing and entertaining the two children she nannies as well as everyone she meets. She is always happy and always wanting everyone else to be happy. She really is an intriguing character and to meet her with that frame of mind would really be an awe-filled experience. I witnessed that time after time as she knelt to talk with shy little girls, held their hands with great care and appreciation, and gave the most loving, longest hugs to the most awestruck girls who ate up every word Mary spoke to them as she held them close and rubbed their back. Guess what happened to me? I teared up.
-During that same hour, I noticed two grown adult women (presumably sisters) each pushing a stroller past Mary and the long line of people waiting to meet her. Sister #1 excitedly said to the little girl in her stroller, "Look Lacey, it's Little Bo Peep!" Sister #2 disgustedly turns around and screams, "SARAH! That's Mary Poppins!" Sister #1, "Oh," as everyone who witnessed this glares judgmentally at her.
Alcohol
-Today I was cleaning restroom and there was a louder, larger woman making quite a big deal about her new back brace, how she needed a certain stall, and how much pain she was in. Right before she left, she said to her friend, "I would totally pop a Demerol but then I wouldn't be able to drink any more beer." No comment.
-Yesterday a flustered young couple was juggling rain ponchos, two little girls, and newly-bought dinner. The woman grabbed the stroller and as soon as she touched it she yelled, "Tyler, why is this all wet?!" He replies nonchalantly, "It's a margarita." No argument.
-One thing that really whomps about Food and Wine is the smell. To work for 10 hours inside a mixture of Hawaiian barbecue, fresh French rolls, and funnel cakes is torture. I thought it was all over when I clocked out tonight but I happened to sit next to this guy from France on the bus. Apparently France has some kind of wine that smells like portabella mushrooms. I almost had to plug my nose to stop my mouth from watering.
That's all for now! I'm exhausted and tomorrow is the Wine and Dine half-marathon here at Disney World. It begins at 10:30 pm and ends at 3:30 in Epcot. What does that mean? Maddi gets to work from 10 p.m. - 4 a.m. where 10,000 runners end a 13.1 mile race and we give them alcohol. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Attention Women
Well, hello! I know this is my second completely spiritual post in a row but it's good for you, I promise :) I don't know if you were able to watch the Relief Society General Broadcast last Saturday, but it was amazing! My favorite talk was Elder Uchdorf's and I want to share it with you. So call you mom, daughter, or sister over and take 20 minutes out of your busy day and watch this.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Please watch this and laugh.
I saw/listened to this for the first time yesterday and throughout my whole day at work, it would pop into my head and I couldn't hold back my laughter. Yeah, people stared. Click here to enjoy.
My Weekend in Bullet Points
So! The last few days...
- On my name tag, it says "Brigham Young University - Idaho" on the bottom so often times, people notice and comment on it. I have now developed this radar for these type of people. Some people read it, give me the once-over, and walk away. Some people look at it, ask where I'm from, say "Oh cool" and leave. And then all the others... they read it, they get this smug look on their face, they ask me where I go to school and I pretend to not know they already know, I tell them, and they say "Oh! We're from Utah!", they look at me and wait for the fellow-Mormon excitement, I become excited because it's my job and say "Awesome!", they expected more and they're like "Yeah!", then I smile and wait to see if they want to talk about General Conference or what new celebrity is taking the discussions, they never do, they walk away. It happens every time.
- I witnessed my first fight yesterday! We'll call the victims thing 1 and thing 2. So thing 1 comes back to its family with some food and they all get really excited. I spy thing 2 scamper slyly across the sidewalk and make its way over to thing 1 and family. Thing 2 goes in to try and steal the eggs. Thing 1 FREAKS out and screams/chases thing 2. Thing 2 retreats and tries to act like nothing happened. Thing 1 was a bird. Thing 2 was a squirrel.
- After fireworks one night, I was doing my job and sweeping all the trash around the pavilion. I was in an area that was rather shaded and hard to see so I continued to sweep things that had an abnormal shape to them. I came across this fist-sized object and didn't think twice but swept it into my pan. It was a little heavier and more dense than I had expected it to be, but oh well. I kept putting my pan up and down to sweep things into it. About 3 minutes later, I put my pan down and, to my surprise, a bull frog hopped right out. I hap swept and rattled a poor huge frog into my trash-filled pan. I stood there, watching it hop away with an incredulous look on my face for about two minutes straight. I am not used to my trash hopping out of my pan. That was a first.
- There is something else that I have kind of noticed my whole life but more-so in the last couple of weeks. After dark last night, I was walking back to the office to clock out and, like usual, I was walking in awe of the beauty of everything around me. Apparently, someone else noticed the same thing too. Let's call him Mr. Softy. So Mr. Softy had no idea I was watching him this whole time but he was walking and he rounded a corner and saw that huge golf-ball-like Epcot icon (it's actually a ride called spaceship earth). Let me tell you, at night it is breathtaking. It stands 180 feet above the ground (and 180 feet below ground to support it) and has beautiful bluish/purplish lights surrounding it against the dark, cloudy night sky. So Mr. Softy had his breath taken away by the sight of it. He pulls out his cell phone, goes to the camera, notices I am passing behind him, puts his phone down to pretend like he's texting, sees me pass by, lifts his phone again, and snaps a picture. I saw that, Mr. Softy.
- I don't know if you knew this, but Florida is the lightning capital of the world. And they don't just say that to brag. It's a daily occurrence. Last night, it accompanied the fireworks show in Epcot perfectly.
- Speaking of fireworks, I spent an evening at Hollywood Studios this last week with a couple friends where (it poured the entire night and...) I got to see Fantasmic! I have seen it at Disneyland, but it has been a while and it is a little different here. So amazing! Also speaking of fireworks, the firework show at Epcot every night? Blows me away. I get chills every time. And I've seen it almost ten times now. It is so great! I just have a thing for colorful fire and the smell of sulfur...
- Today I got to go to Sacrament Meeting again! Yay! And the girls I get a ride with wanted to go early to choir practice. I have never sang in a church choir before but I figured it was more time that I could spend in the chapel, which is the closest place I have felt to being home while I have been here. So we get there and find out the song we're singing in Sacrament Meeting. It was the As Sisters In Zion/We'll Bring The World His Truth Medley. I was floored. Not only is this one of my favorite songs of all time and the soundtrack to some of the most spiritual moments I have ever had at EFY, but the last time I sang it was at stadium singing up at BYU-Idaho with Garrett and my roommates from the spring, all of whom I love and miss so dearly. So I was privileged to stand and sing this song in front of the entire congregation, including the Orlando Temple President and his wife. It was one of the most incredible moments I've had in my experience here. I've never been an avid singer, but have always enjoyed it. I have never before felt the true meaning to the words of a song and truly been able to sing it with everything that I am. It was my testimony and I was sharing it so freely and loudly. I felt the spirit with every single person in that room. It was an incredible feeling.
- So I'm doing pretty well! I love my job and have been talking with family of friends on the phone several times a day which really helps with everything. It lightens up my whole day to get a text or message or call from someone. I love it :) I still have my lonely moments where I see a plane flying away from the Orlando Airport and desperately wish I was on it. But that's natural! Thank you all for your love and support and friendship. It means the world to me! I love you! Have a beautiful Sunday!
First, work-related:
- I watched an elderly couple race each other the other day. Like, ready-set-go status. They were probably about 80. He was running. She was driving a scooter.- On my name tag, it says "Brigham Young University - Idaho" on the bottom so often times, people notice and comment on it. I have now developed this radar for these type of people. Some people read it, give me the once-over, and walk away. Some people look at it, ask where I'm from, say "Oh cool" and leave. And then all the others... they read it, they get this smug look on their face, they ask me where I go to school and I pretend to not know they already know, I tell them, and they say "Oh! We're from Utah!", they look at me and wait for the fellow-Mormon excitement, I become excited because it's my job and say "Awesome!", they expected more and they're like "Yeah!", then I smile and wait to see if they want to talk about General Conference or what new celebrity is taking the discussions, they never do, they walk away. It happens every time.
- I witnessed my first fight yesterday! We'll call the victims thing 1 and thing 2. So thing 1 comes back to its family with some food and they all get really excited. I spy thing 2 scamper slyly across the sidewalk and make its way over to thing 1 and family. Thing 2 goes in to try and steal the eggs. Thing 1 FREAKS out and screams/chases thing 2. Thing 2 retreats and tries to act like nothing happened. Thing 1 was a bird. Thing 2 was a squirrel.
- After fireworks one night, I was doing my job and sweeping all the trash around the pavilion. I was in an area that was rather shaded and hard to see so I continued to sweep things that had an abnormal shape to them. I came across this fist-sized object and didn't think twice but swept it into my pan. It was a little heavier and more dense than I had expected it to be, but oh well. I kept putting my pan up and down to sweep things into it. About 3 minutes later, I put my pan down and, to my surprise, a bull frog hopped right out. I hap swept and rattled a poor huge frog into my trash-filled pan. I stood there, watching it hop away with an incredulous look on my face for about two minutes straight. I am not used to my trash hopping out of my pan. That was a first.
- There is something else that I have kind of noticed my whole life but more-so in the last couple of weeks. After dark last night, I was walking back to the office to clock out and, like usual, I was walking in awe of the beauty of everything around me. Apparently, someone else noticed the same thing too. Let's call him Mr. Softy. So Mr. Softy had no idea I was watching him this whole time but he was walking and he rounded a corner and saw that huge golf-ball-like Epcot icon (it's actually a ride called spaceship earth). Let me tell you, at night it is breathtaking. It stands 180 feet above the ground (and 180 feet below ground to support it) and has beautiful bluish/purplish lights surrounding it against the dark, cloudy night sky. So Mr. Softy had his breath taken away by the sight of it. He pulls out his cell phone, goes to the camera, notices I am passing behind him, puts his phone down to pretend like he's texting, sees me pass by, lifts his phone again, and snaps a picture. I saw that, Mr. Softy.
Now, non-work-related:
- I got my first letter from Elder Chugg! I was shocked by how much he has grown already. My heart is so full and I couldn't be happier! Also concerning Elder Chugg, he has some medical concerns to make decisions on soon so it would be greatly appreciated to keep him in your prayers!- I don't know if you knew this, but Florida is the lightning capital of the world. And they don't just say that to brag. It's a daily occurrence. Last night, it accompanied the fireworks show in Epcot perfectly.
- Speaking of fireworks, I spent an evening at Hollywood Studios this last week with a couple friends where (it poured the entire night and...) I got to see Fantasmic! I have seen it at Disneyland, but it has been a while and it is a little different here. So amazing! Also speaking of fireworks, the firework show at Epcot every night? Blows me away. I get chills every time. And I've seen it almost ten times now. It is so great! I just have a thing for colorful fire and the smell of sulfur...
- Today I got to go to Sacrament Meeting again! Yay! And the girls I get a ride with wanted to go early to choir practice. I have never sang in a church choir before but I figured it was more time that I could spend in the chapel, which is the closest place I have felt to being home while I have been here. So we get there and find out the song we're singing in Sacrament Meeting. It was the As Sisters In Zion/We'll Bring The World His Truth Medley. I was floored. Not only is this one of my favorite songs of all time and the soundtrack to some of the most spiritual moments I have ever had at EFY, but the last time I sang it was at stadium singing up at BYU-Idaho with Garrett and my roommates from the spring, all of whom I love and miss so dearly. So I was privileged to stand and sing this song in front of the entire congregation, including the Orlando Temple President and his wife. It was one of the most incredible moments I've had in my experience here. I've never been an avid singer, but have always enjoyed it. I have never before felt the true meaning to the words of a song and truly been able to sing it with everything that I am. It was my testimony and I was sharing it so freely and loudly. I felt the spirit with every single person in that room. It was an incredible feeling.
- So I'm doing pretty well! I love my job and have been talking with family of friends on the phone several times a day which really helps with everything. It lightens up my whole day to get a text or message or call from someone. I love it :) I still have my lonely moments where I see a plane flying away from the Orlando Airport and desperately wish I was on it. But that's natural! Thank you all for your love and support and friendship. It means the world to me! I love you! Have a beautiful Sunday!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Magic Moments
These are what we learned about in training as those things you see in Disney commercials. Those things that we are now responsible for thinking of and making happen. I had my first one today.
It all started when I was changing trash liners and watching guests pass by underneath the daily thunderstorm forming. A woman in a wheelchair and her husband about 20 feet away from me were working on getting an umbrella out and open when the handle completely snapped. I approached them and all I could see was cracked wood and splinters everywhere. I asked if that had just happened, they said yes and asked for tape to fix it, and I told them I would be right back... I had something better in mind.
Many of you may know that most every major customer-oriented company holds to the motto that "The customer is always right." Well, Disney changed it up a bit and we believe that "The guest is not always right. But they are still our guest." With this in my head, I continued on my mission.
I made my way to the nearest gift shop and after a very short chat with the manager, I walked out of the shop and back towards the couple with a brand new Mickey Mouse umbrella in my hand. As I approached, the husband looked somewhat confused and I handed the umbrella to the woman and said, "This one might work a little better." She looked at me in awe and was speechless. Her husband thanked me and asked to where and when they should return it. I informed him that the umbrella was their newest souvenir. The woman gasped and they both shared that biggest smiles and thanks they could possibly muster. She grabbed my hand and shook it ever-so meaningfully. I told them it was my pleasure and went about my trash bag business. I could see them looking at their brand new umbrella and smiling at each other and before they walked off, the husband walked over to me, looked at my name tag, shook my hand, and said, "Thank you so much, Maddi." My eyes filled once more as I watched him and his wife walk away waving at me.
What a telling story. All I did was replace a broken umbrella. It was really so simple and something I would have done for anyone in any situation. But the legacy of Disney and their impeccable customer service turned this act of kindness into a surreal moment for two grown adults who probably could have afforded another umbrella and would have had a wonderful day anyways. It feels amazing to know that I was part of making their wonderful day something truly magical that they may not forget for a long time. That umbrella is going back home with them in a few days and may sit in a closet and never get used again. But it will always have some pixie dust on it...
It all started when I was changing trash liners and watching guests pass by underneath the daily thunderstorm forming. A woman in a wheelchair and her husband about 20 feet away from me were working on getting an umbrella out and open when the handle completely snapped. I approached them and all I could see was cracked wood and splinters everywhere. I asked if that had just happened, they said yes and asked for tape to fix it, and I told them I would be right back... I had something better in mind.
Many of you may know that most every major customer-oriented company holds to the motto that "The customer is always right." Well, Disney changed it up a bit and we believe that "The guest is not always right. But they are still our guest." With this in my head, I continued on my mission.
I made my way to the nearest gift shop and after a very short chat with the manager, I walked out of the shop and back towards the couple with a brand new Mickey Mouse umbrella in my hand. As I approached, the husband looked somewhat confused and I handed the umbrella to the woman and said, "This one might work a little better." She looked at me in awe and was speechless. Her husband thanked me and asked to where and when they should return it. I informed him that the umbrella was their newest souvenir. The woman gasped and they both shared that biggest smiles and thanks they could possibly muster. She grabbed my hand and shook it ever-so meaningfully. I told them it was my pleasure and went about my trash bag business. I could see them looking at their brand new umbrella and smiling at each other and before they walked off, the husband walked over to me, looked at my name tag, shook my hand, and said, "Thank you so much, Maddi." My eyes filled once more as I watched him and his wife walk away waving at me.
What a telling story. All I did was replace a broken umbrella. It was really so simple and something I would have done for anyone in any situation. But the legacy of Disney and their impeccable customer service turned this act of kindness into a surreal moment for two grown adults who probably could have afforded another umbrella and would have had a wonderful day anyways. It feels amazing to know that I was part of making their wonderful day something truly magical that they may not forget for a long time. That umbrella is going back home with them in a few days and may sit in a closet and never get used again. But it will always have some pixie dust on it...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
If a tree falls in the middle of a forest... do the other trees laugh at it?
That was the wording on the shirt of a guest today. I was laughing so hard... because I always laugh when someone falls... and if I was a tree and I saw another tree fall... then I would probably laugh too... anyways. I probably had my best day yet today! And nothing extraordinary happened, but it was still the best day! I do have a compilation of small stories that might contribute to that title:
A family of five was walking, the dad pushing the stroller and a ten-year-old girl walking in front of it. About 20 yards ahead of them a duck crawled out of the bushes and was clearly in their way. The girl yells, "Dad, watch out for the duck!" The dad sarcastically replies, "Duck? What duck? I don't see a duck..." Girl, "Dad! Stop! Ah! Ugh..." That sooooo reminded me of my dad and Isaac. I was smiling.
A middle aged man holding hands with one of his children was speed-walking toward Norway and said, "Hurry, honey! We have to make it to the ride in Norweigia!" Serious.
I was standing in Mexico facing the huge Mexican Temple when and older woman walked over to me. I got ready to answer her question or graciously receive her compliment on my hair when she stood next to me and smiled straight ahead. After watching her, perplexed, I realized her daughter was taking a picture of the two of us. So I smiled, the camera flashed, she thanked me and walked away. I'm still confused.
I was sweeping the streets and a woman was walking the opposite direction with her mom. The daughter was talking and the only part of the conversation I heard was, "...he hadn't even been alive one second and I was completely in love..." Ahh :) I got chills.
After dark, I was walking the street and a little boy stopped me to trade Disney pins. After 2 seconds, I realized that his family was from England, because of their accents. Boy one, 5 years old, and boy 2, three years old, decided what pins they wanted and their parents helped them take off the pins from their lanyards that were now mine. We have finished our little transaction and the dad said to the younger boy, "Sebastian, you remember what we do when we pin trade with someone?" The boy looks at me and motions for me to come down to his level. I do and he gives me the sweetest, most adorable kiss on the cheek. I think I blushed. It made my whole year.
Just before the fireworks, this group of four loud, happy adults came walking towards me saying, "Let's just ask Sally!" One walked up to me, looked at my name tag and said, "Her name is Maddi!" I was a little lost but he continued, "Maddi, we need you to make a decision for us. Beer or a margarita?" Without missing a beat, I said, "Margarita." He replied, "Margarita, huh? Are you of age? Do you even drink?" I said, "No and no but where else are you going to get an authentic Mexican margarita like the ones in Mexico in Disney World?" That was acceptable and all four of them walked away with margaritas in their hands. You're welcome, Walt. That's $36 right there.
So that was my day at work! Today I actually had a realization. A really big one too. Like, so big that I had tears in my eyes. It started when I was talking to a couple and the woman told me that she had heard about the college program and was supposed to do presentations on it at the local college and wanted to know what I thought of it. Without thinking first, I replied so honestly. I said, "Honestly, it's a job. I work 40 to 50 hours every week." I took a second and looked around at the lights on the different landmark replications and beautiful buildings around the 1.3 mile pavillion. I saw the sun waiting as long as it could to set behind blue/pink clouds and reflecting off of the lagoon. I watched two girls dressed up as Belle and Ariel run to have dinner with their favorite princesses. I continued, "But look at where I work. I get to be inside of this happiness all day long. I'm never going to get this opportunity again in my life. The people I work with are some of the kindest, most interesting people I have ever met in my life. And I get to be a part of all of this. I absolutely love it." I did have tears brimming at this point and the couple thanked me and walked off. But I took a minute to stand in awe. I do have a full-time job where I come home alone to a silent apartment that I wish was filled with my family or friends. But that would take away from the experience that I am going through personally. It is a tough situation for me, but let me just tell you, it pays for itself many times over. When I have a frantic mom come up to me, I spend 5 minutes doing some detective work, and I get to kneel down and let her watch me tell her two daughters that their favorite character is right inside the building, waiting especially to meet them, and their faces light up. Or when a newlywed couple taking pictures of each other is so grateful when I offer to take a picture of them together and it might just be the only picture they have of both of them on their whole trip. Or when a family excitedly approaches me and tell me about all of the fun they had doing the things I suggested when I met them the week before in another park. Or when I get to high-five little kids with a mickey glove on and they think they just touched gold. Or when there is a tired-looking toddler in a stroller passing by and I catch her eye and smile and she beams back. Or when I get to wish Happy 50th Anniversary to a couple walking hand-in-hand down the street. I am so blessed to be able to do what I do. These moments are ones that I will never forget. I was lucky enough to grow up with hundreds of Disney memories and to think that I am taking part in making them now blows my mind. Every time I go to Disneyland, I look at those "Cast Member Only" doors and daydream. As I was turning the key in one today, I realized I don't have to anymore. My dreams have come true in the happiest place on earth.
A family of five was walking, the dad pushing the stroller and a ten-year-old girl walking in front of it. About 20 yards ahead of them a duck crawled out of the bushes and was clearly in their way. The girl yells, "Dad, watch out for the duck!" The dad sarcastically replies, "Duck? What duck? I don't see a duck..." Girl, "Dad! Stop! Ah! Ugh..." That sooooo reminded me of my dad and Isaac. I was smiling.
A middle aged man holding hands with one of his children was speed-walking toward Norway and said, "Hurry, honey! We have to make it to the ride in Norweigia!" Serious.
I was standing in Mexico facing the huge Mexican Temple when and older woman walked over to me. I got ready to answer her question or graciously receive her compliment on my hair when she stood next to me and smiled straight ahead. After watching her, perplexed, I realized her daughter was taking a picture of the two of us. So I smiled, the camera flashed, she thanked me and walked away. I'm still confused.
I was sweeping the streets and a woman was walking the opposite direction with her mom. The daughter was talking and the only part of the conversation I heard was, "...he hadn't even been alive one second and I was completely in love..." Ahh :) I got chills.
After dark, I was walking the street and a little boy stopped me to trade Disney pins. After 2 seconds, I realized that his family was from England, because of their accents. Boy one, 5 years old, and boy 2, three years old, decided what pins they wanted and their parents helped them take off the pins from their lanyards that were now mine. We have finished our little transaction and the dad said to the younger boy, "Sebastian, you remember what we do when we pin trade with someone?" The boy looks at me and motions for me to come down to his level. I do and he gives me the sweetest, most adorable kiss on the cheek. I think I blushed. It made my whole year.
Just before the fireworks, this group of four loud, happy adults came walking towards me saying, "Let's just ask Sally!" One walked up to me, looked at my name tag and said, "Her name is Maddi!" I was a little lost but he continued, "Maddi, we need you to make a decision for us. Beer or a margarita?" Without missing a beat, I said, "Margarita." He replied, "Margarita, huh? Are you of age? Do you even drink?" I said, "No and no but where else are you going to get an authentic Mexican margarita like the ones in Mexico in Disney World?" That was acceptable and all four of them walked away with margaritas in their hands. You're welcome, Walt. That's $36 right there.
So that was my day at work! Today I actually had a realization. A really big one too. Like, so big that I had tears in my eyes. It started when I was talking to a couple and the woman told me that she had heard about the college program and was supposed to do presentations on it at the local college and wanted to know what I thought of it. Without thinking first, I replied so honestly. I said, "Honestly, it's a job. I work 40 to 50 hours every week." I took a second and looked around at the lights on the different landmark replications and beautiful buildings around the 1.3 mile pavillion. I saw the sun waiting as long as it could to set behind blue/pink clouds and reflecting off of the lagoon. I watched two girls dressed up as Belle and Ariel run to have dinner with their favorite princesses. I continued, "But look at where I work. I get to be inside of this happiness all day long. I'm never going to get this opportunity again in my life. The people I work with are some of the kindest, most interesting people I have ever met in my life. And I get to be a part of all of this. I absolutely love it." I did have tears brimming at this point and the couple thanked me and walked off. But I took a minute to stand in awe. I do have a full-time job where I come home alone to a silent apartment that I wish was filled with my family or friends. But that would take away from the experience that I am going through personally. It is a tough situation for me, but let me just tell you, it pays for itself many times over. When I have a frantic mom come up to me, I spend 5 minutes doing some detective work, and I get to kneel down and let her watch me tell her two daughters that their favorite character is right inside the building, waiting especially to meet them, and their faces light up. Or when a newlywed couple taking pictures of each other is so grateful when I offer to take a picture of them together and it might just be the only picture they have of both of them on their whole trip. Or when a family excitedly approaches me and tell me about all of the fun they had doing the things I suggested when I met them the week before in another park. Or when I get to high-five little kids with a mickey glove on and they think they just touched gold. Or when there is a tired-looking toddler in a stroller passing by and I catch her eye and smile and she beams back. Or when I get to wish Happy 50th Anniversary to a couple walking hand-in-hand down the street. I am so blessed to be able to do what I do. These moments are ones that I will never forget. I was lucky enough to grow up with hundreds of Disney memories and to think that I am taking part in making them now blows my mind. Every time I go to Disneyland, I look at those "Cast Member Only" doors and daydream. As I was turning the key in one today, I realized I don't have to anymore. My dreams have come true in the happiest place on earth.
Monday, September 19, 2011
I smell like beer, sweat, and vomit.
It's true. Beer? People drink like crazzzzzy in Epcot. It's definitely more of an adult park so you can get it on every corner. And today, while doing a "trash run", I threw a full bag of trash into the trash compressor not knowing there was a gaping hole in the bottom. Therefore, someone's can of beer all over me. Sweat? Well this one is for a lot of reasons but mainly because I got to my locker tonight and realized I still had my work radio on my belt. So I had to RUN back to the park and RUN back to the locker room so I didn't miss my bus. And I did it :) Vomit? I had my first "code V" today. That's Disney language for "someone just puked all over the floor on their way to the nearest bathroom". We learned a lot about them and I was hoping I would never have to deal with one but I did on my second day and it was great! Haha it was inside a restaurant in Germany and I got to use this sawdust-like stuff (yes dad, you called it) and Disney has that solidifies any liquid instantly. It's pretty sweet, actually!
So here's a little recap on my last four days. Friday, the roommates worked all day so I cleaned the apartment and ran errands. Saturday, I went to Animal Kingdom and Epcot with one of my friends. SO fun! Sunday, I went to church which was amazing. Then I worked my first two real shifts yesterday and today. It has been wonderful so far! I love my managers, co-workers, the guests are mostly splendid, and the work is easy. As a custodian, I either get assigned streets or restrooms. Streets are when I spend two hours taking trash out and cleaning trash cans, and the rest of my shift is spent walking up and down the streets sweeping trash into my pan and talking to people. Restrooms are when I clean restrooms. That's it! It's almost too easy but The Food and Wine Festival starts next week. That's when we get code V's left and right and have to help people to benches. I'm looking forward to that!
Everyone I have worked with is soooo nice. They know I'm new so they go out of their way to show me where everything is and to check up on me in the kindest way possible. I have been so lucky in meeting people from so many different places and with so many different stories. Today on one of my breaks, I sat down across the table from an older man. I noticed his name tag said he was from Colombia (where Garrett is serving) and I started to ask him about it. He spoke broken English and I speak fragmented Spanish so that didn't work out very well. However, the third person at the table was a man from Haiti who spoke English and Spanish and acted as our translator for the whole conversation. What did he say about Colombia? He LOVES it. I have met a few other people from there also and they all can't say enough good things about it. He asked where Garrett is going and I told him Cali. The first thing he talked about was Salsa Dancing. Literally, all four people I have talked to about Cali, Colombia while I have been here have talked about how it's famous for Salsa dancing. So Garrett better come home ready to impress...
I had a really cool experience with two fellow cast members yesterday and today. We were actually talking about long-distance relationships and I brought Garrett up and the "Mormon" word kind of stalled both of them... I waited for someone to say something but soon I just asked what they thought about Mormons. They both admitted they had heard really strange things and were hesitant but weren't sure because I seemed like a cool person. So we kept talking about it and soon they were asking me really good questions. Some of them were hard too but I had the coolest experience! For every single question they asked, I thought for a second and soon a young womens meeting, a fireside, an efy class, a byu-i devotional, even scriptures came right to my head so clearly. I was able to answer all of their questions and they both seemed very interested and I was very relieved. We had talked about it for over an hour and it was such a cool feeling! And today I was working in the same area as the guy who seemed interested and he asked me more! Ahh I'm loving this! Maybe this is why I'm here.
I do have some quotes of the day...
There was a woman waiting with her three young kids for her husband to re-join them out of a pub so they could continue walking. He walks out with ONE beer in his hand and immediately regretted it. She glared at him for several seconds before yelling, "You seriously didn't get me a beer?!" And walking away with the kids while he scrambled for an excuse.
Right after that there was an older couple, probably 80, each on a scooter thing. The husband stopped along the promenade for her to catch up and as she did, she yelled at him, "Hey sexy, you headed my way?"
The last one was a couple with their adult daughter who stopped to ask me where the nearest smoking section was. I showed them and as the father and daughter started walking away, the mom came back to me and said, "We don't smoke, but the person we're looking for does." Don't worry, judgment not made.
So here's a little recap on my last four days. Friday, the roommates worked all day so I cleaned the apartment and ran errands. Saturday, I went to Animal Kingdom and Epcot with one of my friends. SO fun! Sunday, I went to church which was amazing. Then I worked my first two real shifts yesterday and today. It has been wonderful so far! I love my managers, co-workers, the guests are mostly splendid, and the work is easy. As a custodian, I either get assigned streets or restrooms. Streets are when I spend two hours taking trash out and cleaning trash cans, and the rest of my shift is spent walking up and down the streets sweeping trash into my pan and talking to people. Restrooms are when I clean restrooms. That's it! It's almost too easy but The Food and Wine Festival starts next week. That's when we get code V's left and right and have to help people to benches. I'm looking forward to that!
Everyone I have worked with is soooo nice. They know I'm new so they go out of their way to show me where everything is and to check up on me in the kindest way possible. I have been so lucky in meeting people from so many different places and with so many different stories. Today on one of my breaks, I sat down across the table from an older man. I noticed his name tag said he was from Colombia (where Garrett is serving) and I started to ask him about it. He spoke broken English and I speak fragmented Spanish so that didn't work out very well. However, the third person at the table was a man from Haiti who spoke English and Spanish and acted as our translator for the whole conversation. What did he say about Colombia? He LOVES it. I have met a few other people from there also and they all can't say enough good things about it. He asked where Garrett is going and I told him Cali. The first thing he talked about was Salsa Dancing. Literally, all four people I have talked to about Cali, Colombia while I have been here have talked about how it's famous for Salsa dancing. So Garrett better come home ready to impress...
I had a really cool experience with two fellow cast members yesterday and today. We were actually talking about long-distance relationships and I brought Garrett up and the "Mormon" word kind of stalled both of them... I waited for someone to say something but soon I just asked what they thought about Mormons. They both admitted they had heard really strange things and were hesitant but weren't sure because I seemed like a cool person. So we kept talking about it and soon they were asking me really good questions. Some of them were hard too but I had the coolest experience! For every single question they asked, I thought for a second and soon a young womens meeting, a fireside, an efy class, a byu-i devotional, even scriptures came right to my head so clearly. I was able to answer all of their questions and they both seemed very interested and I was very relieved. We had talked about it for over an hour and it was such a cool feeling! And today I was working in the same area as the guy who seemed interested and he asked me more! Ahh I'm loving this! Maybe this is why I'm here.
I do have some quotes of the day...
There was a woman waiting with her three young kids for her husband to re-join them out of a pub so they could continue walking. He walks out with ONE beer in his hand and immediately regretted it. She glared at him for several seconds before yelling, "You seriously didn't get me a beer?!" And walking away with the kids while he scrambled for an excuse.
Right after that there was an older couple, probably 80, each on a scooter thing. The husband stopped along the promenade for her to catch up and as she did, she yelled at him, "Hey sexy, you headed my way?"
The last one was a couple with their adult daughter who stopped to ask me where the nearest smoking section was. I showed them and as the father and daughter started walking away, the mom came back to me and said, "We don't smoke, but the person we're looking for does." Don't worry, judgment not made.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
hablas español?
Big news! We have new internet! All thanks to mommy dearest. I received a package from her today and in it I found an umbrella (it rains here, like, every day), top ramen, peanut butter, dark chocolate-covered raisins, muffin mixes, shoes, licorice, and an internet router! Woohoo! So, I am actually writing this from my bed. Big deal people. Speaking of my bed, I think I'll include a picture of it with this post. It pretty much looks like a prison cot and makes me want to laugh and cry all at the same time when I look at it. Except whenever I look at it, I am always so exhausted from the day that I fall into a deep sleep before my head even hits the pillow... but then I usually wake up right when I land because the mattress is covered in plastic (I don't ask) and it is so loud and the walls are so thin that I wake myself and my two roommates up every time I move. But after that shock, I fall right back asleep.
So it is Thursday night and I have worked for 8-9 hours the past five days! I know that isn't shocking to most adults because that is very normal for a mature and responsible adult; I have had a job at Old Navy for almost three years, but that has always been part-time. I feel like I have joined this club that should be called "Oh, you know, we just work to support ourselves". Okay, I know that was bad but really! I am supporting myself and it's fun. I am now balancing the feelings of loneliness and true independence very carefully.
For the last three days I have had actual on-the-job training with three different trainers and I'll give you a little overview because they were each very unique:
-Trainer 1: He's only three years older than me and we had a lot of interesting discussions that made me feel kind of smart. So that was a plus. As a trainer, he was interesting. He would tell us "what he was supposed to tell us" and then he would teach us "how he did it." He has only been here a year and he is a very nice person but not what I expected in a trainer. Definitely more socially-oriented than anything and he didn't try to hide it.
-Trainer 2: My favorite! She was a middle-aged mother from New Jersey who loves her job so much. She trained us on restroom cleaning and she was so happy! She made sure we knew everything and felt completely comfortable. The thing that I got out of her training the most is that, if we love this work, it isn't work anymore. And let me tell you, she loves this work. There were a few times when she was talking to us about the difference we actually make in people's vacations and lives and I had to, once again, swallow my tears. One metaphor she told me that I will never forget is that we need to see ourselves as Minnie Mouse. We are married to Mickey and he has a really, really big house. He has a lot of family and friends over all of the time and we want them to enjoy themselves in a clean house so we need to do that for them!
-Trainer 3: I actually had him last week in some of my early training and I really like him! He is a really funny guy and definitely makes personal connections. He emphasized human relations and workplace safety. He actually pulled me aside (the other trainee was a guy) to tell me that if I ever feel uncomfortable around another guest or cast member, I need to report it immediately. And he instructed the male trainee to take care of me and every other female cast member. Definitely not something I expected at Disney, but it made me feel great!
So I am now officially done with training! I am a cast member at Walt Disney World, Epcot! For the second half of my shift today (after my written and manager assessments, which I aced) I was able to walk around the World Showcase and clean and interact with guests. I know this is a long post already but I just wanted to point out a few things I noticed:
-Because of my appearance, I had three different parties come up to me and ask if I spoke Spanish or just began speaking in Spanish and expected me to follow. That's what I get for forgetting three years of high school Spanish and dishonoring my heritage. I discovered that through Disney, I can take a free Rosetta Stone Spanish course. Now might be the time.
-Disney has these different colored pins for guests celebrating special occasions (i.e. "Happy Anniversary", "Just Engaged", "Family Reunion", "Happy Birthday", "Just Married", "I'm Celebrating", or "1st Visit"). The next time you visit, if one of these is applicable, and if you aren't bothered by smiling people around you, please put it on. They are so nice because other guests who see you and read it will smile at you and cast members will always congratulate you. I love it!
-Smiling. I always forget how happy people are. Half of the people I make eye contact with are already smiling which makes my job so much easier! While I was taking my last break, I was the only one in the break room and I caught myself smiling at nothing. As soon as I enter the park and a guest smiles at me, my smile comes... and stays. I'm going to have some major wrinkles around my eyes when I get home so don't stare.
What else is going on in my life? Tori is going to Homecoming on Saturday and I'm very stoked for her! Garrett (now Elder Chugg) reported to the MTC yesterday! I got to talk to him a couple of last times this week and it was so great. He was so ready to finally be out there and I am extremely excited for him! He is really going to be so great. No... like, really. I have the next two days off! I'm planning a huge Wal-mart trip and exploring the gym here at the complex. Maybe spend my evenings in the parks to watch fireworks. Maybe if I have a spare hour, I'll catch a bus to Hollywood Studios and ride The Tower of Terror. We'll see...
My work costume... nice, eh? :)
the cot.
Garrett and his sister, Ashlyn the last time I skyped them the day before he left!
So it is Thursday night and I have worked for 8-9 hours the past five days! I know that isn't shocking to most adults because that is very normal for a mature and responsible adult; I have had a job at Old Navy for almost three years, but that has always been part-time. I feel like I have joined this club that should be called "Oh, you know, we just work to support ourselves". Okay, I know that was bad but really! I am supporting myself and it's fun. I am now balancing the feelings of loneliness and true independence very carefully.
For the last three days I have had actual on-the-job training with three different trainers and I'll give you a little overview because they were each very unique:
-Trainer 1: He's only three years older than me and we had a lot of interesting discussions that made me feel kind of smart. So that was a plus. As a trainer, he was interesting. He would tell us "what he was supposed to tell us" and then he would teach us "how he did it." He has only been here a year and he is a very nice person but not what I expected in a trainer. Definitely more socially-oriented than anything and he didn't try to hide it.
-Trainer 2: My favorite! She was a middle-aged mother from New Jersey who loves her job so much. She trained us on restroom cleaning and she was so happy! She made sure we knew everything and felt completely comfortable. The thing that I got out of her training the most is that, if we love this work, it isn't work anymore. And let me tell you, she loves this work. There were a few times when she was talking to us about the difference we actually make in people's vacations and lives and I had to, once again, swallow my tears. One metaphor she told me that I will never forget is that we need to see ourselves as Minnie Mouse. We are married to Mickey and he has a really, really big house. He has a lot of family and friends over all of the time and we want them to enjoy themselves in a clean house so we need to do that for them!
-Trainer 3: I actually had him last week in some of my early training and I really like him! He is a really funny guy and definitely makes personal connections. He emphasized human relations and workplace safety. He actually pulled me aside (the other trainee was a guy) to tell me that if I ever feel uncomfortable around another guest or cast member, I need to report it immediately. And he instructed the male trainee to take care of me and every other female cast member. Definitely not something I expected at Disney, but it made me feel great!
So I am now officially done with training! I am a cast member at Walt Disney World, Epcot! For the second half of my shift today (after my written and manager assessments, which I aced) I was able to walk around the World Showcase and clean and interact with guests. I know this is a long post already but I just wanted to point out a few things I noticed:
-Because of my appearance, I had three different parties come up to me and ask if I spoke Spanish or just began speaking in Spanish and expected me to follow. That's what I get for forgetting three years of high school Spanish and dishonoring my heritage. I discovered that through Disney, I can take a free Rosetta Stone Spanish course. Now might be the time.
-Disney has these different colored pins for guests celebrating special occasions (i.e. "Happy Anniversary", "Just Engaged", "Family Reunion", "Happy Birthday", "Just Married", "I'm Celebrating", or "1st Visit"). The next time you visit, if one of these is applicable, and if you aren't bothered by smiling people around you, please put it on. They are so nice because other guests who see you and read it will smile at you and cast members will always congratulate you. I love it!
-Smiling. I always forget how happy people are. Half of the people I make eye contact with are already smiling which makes my job so much easier! While I was taking my last break, I was the only one in the break room and I caught myself smiling at nothing. As soon as I enter the park and a guest smiles at me, my smile comes... and stays. I'm going to have some major wrinkles around my eyes when I get home so don't stare.
What else is going on in my life? Tori is going to Homecoming on Saturday and I'm very stoked for her! Garrett (now Elder Chugg) reported to the MTC yesterday! I got to talk to him a couple of last times this week and it was so great. He was so ready to finally be out there and I am extremely excited for him! He is really going to be so great. No... like, really. I have the next two days off! I'm planning a huge Wal-mart trip and exploring the gym here at the complex. Maybe spend my evenings in the parks to watch fireworks. Maybe if I have a spare hour, I'll catch a bus to Hollywood Studios and ride The Tower of Terror. We'll see...
My work costume... nice, eh? :)
the cot.
Garrett and his sister, Ashlyn the last time I skyped them the day before he left!Monday, September 12, 2011
truth is...
I’m still alive, I promise! Here’s the three-day low-down. On Saturday, I swam and laid out by the beautiful pool here at my apartment complex. Then I ran a few errands and finally bought some more groceries (you can relax now, I have milk and butter). I met some more people and relaxed all day! All of this is tiring! On Sunday, I had a custodial training class for eight hours. You would think that in a custodial training class, we do things like practice using the right chemicals and tools for certain cleaning jobs, right? Wrong. Instead, twenty new cast members got to watch two elderly instructors pretend to use the right chemicals and tools. For eight hours. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I got home so I listened to a CES fireside at my apartment with my roommates. The cool thing about Sundays here is that they have a singles ward for the college program students that meets every Sunday morning like a regular ward but they also have something called “night church”. Because Disney requires all college interns to have a full availability, we don’t know if we will definitely be able to attend church every Sunday morning, which is a huge bummer. So night church is for those cast members who are working on Sunday mornings; it is basically just a short Sacrament Meeting at 8:00 pm. But this Sunday they had a CES fireside instead, so we listened to that on our dial-up/whatever-you-wanna-call-this-stupid-internet-cord-that-should-have-been-discontinued-like-ten-years-ago. That brings us to today! Eight more hours of training about Epcot! It was actually so interesting and I learned so much about the park that I’m going to grow to love. We were able to tour around the whole park and even ride a few rides. I learned that I will be working specifically in the World Showcase part of the park. Epcot contains the World Showcase and Future World; originally two separate parks but they were combined for financial reason (who ever thought that the Disney Company had to cut back on something…). So the World Showcase is basically a huge man-made lake with eleven different countries represented around it in miniature parks. Each country contains restaurants, movies, attractions, bands, replicas of cultural icons, and much more. Working the eleven different country lands are over 500 cast members who are actually natives of the country they represent. In fact, a lot of them are young adults who are here on a one-year working Visa that allows them to teach us Americans their true culture. All in all, I am so excited to learn so much about other cultures over these next four months!
Just a side note: I hope everyone understands that I am having a lot of fun. I think that my durable optimism may be too much sometimes so I wanted to just give a small dose of reality straight from my mind this very second. This kind of stinks. I am not superwoman here… I can’t just be thrown into any situation and be completely comfortable from the beginning. This is the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my life. It hasn’t even been a week yet and I am exhausted and have had to fight doubts that I can even finish the program. I have gone through a lot of different experiences in my life and have had so many leadership opportunities and I feel like I have jumped into and conquered, if I may, each one, so why should this one be any different? I honestly don’t quite know yet. I do know that I am here for a reason. That reason is still very unclear, especially when every single aspect of my life seems to be ten times tougher than I thought it would be. I came here with no one I knew from home and expected to magically (no pun intended) make best friends who I could depend on or even meet someone who would be okay with me hugging them just because I need a hug. But those things haven’t happened yet. I don’t intend to worry anyone or invoke pity on myself but I just feel like I should be truthful. Sometimes being down here sucks and I just want to crawl back home. But I can’t do that. I may not have any family or good friends here to lean on, but I do have my Savior. He is the reason I have been able to do everything that I have this far in my life and He isn’t going to give up on me now. He has kept me here for the past six days and He is going to keep me here and keep me safe and keep me comfortable for the next 112 days. He has been through this exact loneliness that I am going through and He knows what I need to overcome it. He wouldn’t bring me here if He didn’t. So I am going to be searching for the reason that I am here, and I’ll keep you informed. I know that Disney doesn’t really need me to keep contribute to their story but I have a feeling that I need Disney to contribute to mine.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Let the magic begin...
Here is a little background on Disney World that may help you understand my ridiculous emotion in this post more clearly. Walt Disney World started out as "The Florida Project" introduced by Walt in 1963 after the success of Disneyland. Walt died of lung cancer in 1966 and the park wasn't that far into development. His brother, Roy, took over the company and re-named the park "Walt Disney World" in memory of his brother. The park opened on October 1st, 1971 (I know, the 40th anniversary is coming up in a couple weeks and I'm going to be here for the celebration!). Today, Walt Disney World covers 47 square miles! That is the size of the city of San Francisco! It has four different parks: -Magic Kingdom: home to Cinderella's Castle and comparable to Disneyland with Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Main Street, Adventureland, and Liberty Square. -Disney's Animal Kingdom: themed around animal conservation, largest Disney theme park in the world. -Epcot: stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, celebrates human achievements of the past, present, and future. -Disney's Hollywood Studios: comparable to California Adventure, it has been said to be "a Hollywood that never was—and always will be." Walt Disney World employs 66,000 cast members at one time and each month, sees over one million guests.
Well, well, well. I got to sleep in today! And it was very much needed. Yesterday was draining... it all started at 5:45 am when I woke up. I got ready and met the bus at 6:45 to go to my first day of training, called "Traditions". It was basically a five hour introduction to the Walt Disney Company and how we, as cast members, need to keep the integrity and legacy of the Disney name intact not only here, but forever as we now represent the company. So... Disney rocks! Haha but really. I absolutely loved all five hours. Those darn emotional genes that my Grandpa Hamilton passed down to all of his posterity kicked in as soon as I walked into the Disney University Building and got to walk the halls reading Walt Disney quotes and being reminded of the incredible amount of happiness that one man has brought into the world. We were able to watch several different videos of testimonials and words of advice from cast members, Bob Iger (Disney CEO), Walt Disney, and several other prominent people. I literally had to blow on my eyes to try to dry the tears before they could drop as I could see that no one else in the room was quite as joyous as I was. About halfway through the meeting, one of our instructors was teaching us about the four keys that Walt focused on when creating his parks (safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency... in that order) and he and our other instructor had this little scripted argument. I kind of started to freak out in my seat because I figured they had something up their sleeve. The instructor up front finally said, "Why don't we go look for examples of the four keys... in the Magic Kingdom?" Now that doesn't sound excited. You guys, I had to stop myself from jumping up or screaming Hallelujah. I have never been to Walt Disney World before and the Magic Kingdom had always had this amazing appeal to it. I. was. so. excited. So we all put in these little ear buds that our instructors could speak to us through and we caught a bus (of course) to some backstage area. From there we entered the underground tunnels. Yes, it is true. Walt designed underground tunnels that allow cast members to travel quickly and without being seen underneath all of Magic Kingdom. While down there I saw Belle running to her next meet and greet, a costuming center where they stored and fixed all costumes (It looked like Tigger was taking a nap while his fur was hung out), and the underground garbage system used throughout the whole park. We finally ended up behind two very large doors. I wish you all could see me fidgeting like no other. Our instructor had this huge smile on his face and said, "You know where we are?... Main Street USA," And opened the doors. Magic. That's all. One of the girls in my group and I were beaming so brightly. That' feeling was incredible. It was like I stepped into another world. I forgot that I was a cast member, and an adult, and might have been squealing about everything. On a professional note, it was so interesting to finally see everything in action. The next time you are at a Disney location, take note of all of the small details, the cleanliness (that's me), the happiness or most everyone's face and especially the cast members, and the intimacy you feel because of the eye contact everyone gives. It's amazing! Anyways, we spent about an hour there and then returned to our classroom. Needless to say, the entire morning was inspiration, I am so excited to create happiness!
Yesterday afternoon, I went with a friend of mine to Magic Kingdom to play! On the bus ride there, a thunderstorm touched down. So, ten seconds after we got off the Monorail at the entrance to the park, we were soaked. And it stayed like that all night. But it was so warm outside and we had so much fun! We spent a few hours there and the went over to Epcot for an hour or so. Loved it! Free admission to all four Walt Disney World Parks might just be the best job perk ever.
Oh yeah...
Well, well, well. I got to sleep in today! And it was very much needed. Yesterday was draining... it all started at 5:45 am when I woke up. I got ready and met the bus at 6:45 to go to my first day of training, called "Traditions". It was basically a five hour introduction to the Walt Disney Company and how we, as cast members, need to keep the integrity and legacy of the Disney name intact not only here, but forever as we now represent the company. So... Disney rocks! Haha but really. I absolutely loved all five hours. Those darn emotional genes that my Grandpa Hamilton passed down to all of his posterity kicked in as soon as I walked into the Disney University Building and got to walk the halls reading Walt Disney quotes and being reminded of the incredible amount of happiness that one man has brought into the world. We were able to watch several different videos of testimonials and words of advice from cast members, Bob Iger (Disney CEO), Walt Disney, and several other prominent people. I literally had to blow on my eyes to try to dry the tears before they could drop as I could see that no one else in the room was quite as joyous as I was. About halfway through the meeting, one of our instructors was teaching us about the four keys that Walt focused on when creating his parks (safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency... in that order) and he and our other instructor had this little scripted argument. I kind of started to freak out in my seat because I figured they had something up their sleeve. The instructor up front finally said, "Why don't we go look for examples of the four keys... in the Magic Kingdom?" Now that doesn't sound excited. You guys, I had to stop myself from jumping up or screaming Hallelujah. I have never been to Walt Disney World before and the Magic Kingdom had always had this amazing appeal to it. I. was. so. excited. So we all put in these little ear buds that our instructors could speak to us through and we caught a bus (of course) to some backstage area. From there we entered the underground tunnels. Yes, it is true. Walt designed underground tunnels that allow cast members to travel quickly and without being seen underneath all of Magic Kingdom. While down there I saw Belle running to her next meet and greet, a costuming center where they stored and fixed all costumes (It looked like Tigger was taking a nap while his fur was hung out), and the underground garbage system used throughout the whole park. We finally ended up behind two very large doors. I wish you all could see me fidgeting like no other. Our instructor had this huge smile on his face and said, "You know where we are?... Main Street USA," And opened the doors. Magic. That's all. One of the girls in my group and I were beaming so brightly. That' feeling was incredible. It was like I stepped into another world. I forgot that I was a cast member, and an adult, and might have been squealing about everything. On a professional note, it was so interesting to finally see everything in action. The next time you are at a Disney location, take note of all of the small details, the cleanliness (that's me), the happiness or most everyone's face and especially the cast members, and the intimacy you feel because of the eye contact everyone gives. It's amazing! Anyways, we spent about an hour there and then returned to our classroom. Needless to say, the entire morning was inspiration, I am so excited to create happiness!
Yesterday afternoon, I went with a friend of mine to Magic Kingdom to play! On the bus ride there, a thunderstorm touched down. So, ten seconds after we got off the Monorail at the entrance to the park, we were soaked. And it stayed like that all night. But it was so warm outside and we had so much fun! We spent a few hours there and the went over to Epcot for an hour or so. Loved it! Free admission to all four Walt Disney World Parks might just be the best job perk ever.
Oh yeah...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
BINGO!
Day two? Check. Today was rather mild, actually. After waking up from the longest nights sleep I've had since I was four, I dyed my hair! Why? Because I was notified that it isn't natural to have a random blonde streak in your black hair if you look to be Mexican/African-American/Greek/Middle-Eastern/Polynesian/whatever-the-heck-people-guess-I-am. But I agree, so it's all good! After dying my hair to make it look more natural (ironically) I got ready for the day and caught a bus to a housing welcome meeting. Here in Orlando, they have four different apartment complexes for the cast members. About half of one of those complexes is full of BYU students from all three schools, which is so fun! That meeting lasted about two hours, during which I sat front and center. Being my father's daughter, as soon as I counted the people in line and the open seats and realized I would be in prime "volunteer" territory, I looked for a way out of it but nothing came quick enough. So I sat through the whole meeting keeping a very friendly, but not too comfortable smile on my face and making a polite, but not exciting amount of eye contact with our presenters. I escaped with only being the subject of three different situations during which I was massacred with a fake axe, accused of smoking marijuana, and accused of stealing my roommates fancy party skirt. Not too bad... I did learn that there are exactly 7,226 students in the college program right now and at least 500 of them are expected to be terminated for various violations. Some of these may include drug possession, smuggling people into the apartment complex in the trunk of my car, stealing my roommates food, or carrying more than 2 ounces of pepper spray. Cross your fingers that I won't get caught ;)
I then came home, ate a snack, and caught a bus for Grocery Bingo at the next complex over! Don't judge me yet... I haven't aged 50 years already. Grocery Bingo is... well, kind of what it sounds like. So go ahead and judge me. I heard it's very popular so I arrived about half an hour early and was in line behind about 100 people. When they finally opened the doors at seven (and about 300 more people were in line behind me) I was shocked. They had a live DJ, strobe and colored lights and lasers, fog machines, and projectors. Seriously? Coolest thing ever. The fit 300 or so people in the room for the first round where 20 people won two huge bags of groceries! It's a college student's dream! If there was a tie, we had a dance-off and we had random sing-along songs too. After an hour, they emptied the room and allowed the remaining hundreds of students cram in to press their luck. It was sweet to say the least. I went grocery shopping last night but all I got was oatmeal, a jumbo box of spaghetti noodles, two cans of tomato sauce, frozen vegetables, three boxes of macaroni and cheese, ritz crackers, and three boxes of rice-a-roni (I know, I forgot milk, butter, salt, and pepper. So I can't even make the mac and cheese, rice-a-roni, or have any flavor in my food. Don't remind me). And the total comes to... $20. Mom, you taught me well. So here I am, new-grocery-less and eating my late dinner of spaghetti and tomato sauce with frozen vegetables. But don't worry, there's always next time for Grocery Bingo.
I then came home, ate a snack, and caught a bus for Grocery Bingo at the next complex over! Don't judge me yet... I haven't aged 50 years already. Grocery Bingo is... well, kind of what it sounds like. So go ahead and judge me. I heard it's very popular so I arrived about half an hour early and was in line behind about 100 people. When they finally opened the doors at seven (and about 300 more people were in line behind me) I was shocked. They had a live DJ, strobe and colored lights and lasers, fog machines, and projectors. Seriously? Coolest thing ever. The fit 300 or so people in the room for the first round where 20 people won two huge bags of groceries! It's a college student's dream! If there was a tie, we had a dance-off and we had random sing-along songs too. After an hour, they emptied the room and allowed the remaining hundreds of students cram in to press their luck. It was sweet to say the least. I went grocery shopping last night but all I got was oatmeal, a jumbo box of spaghetti noodles, two cans of tomato sauce, frozen vegetables, three boxes of macaroni and cheese, ritz crackers, and three boxes of rice-a-roni (I know, I forgot milk, butter, salt, and pepper. So I can't even make the mac and cheese, rice-a-roni, or have any flavor in my food. Don't remind me). And the total comes to... $20. Mom, you taught me well. So here I am, new-grocery-less and eating my late dinner of spaghetti and tomato sauce with frozen vegetables. But don't worry, there's always next time for Grocery Bingo.
Ex.Haust.Ed.
Before the actual post... funny story. So I wrote all of this out last night and planned on connecting to the internet (we don't have wi-fi in my apartment. I know, I checked to see if I was still in the 90's too) to post it for ya'll. So I laid down to rest my eyes because I have never been so tired in my life. And I woke up twelve and a half hours later.
I’m here! I would like to thank Walt Disney for making all of this possible.
San Francisco with the family was great! We had a wonderful dinner, dessert, and city visit before hitting the airport. I narrowed my whole 4-month life into two checked bags, a purse, and a pillow. You know how the weight limit on checked bags is usually 50 pounds? Well, bag number one was 50 and bag number two was 49 (thank you, thank you). Walking past security and to my terminal in the San Francisco airport was quite a strange feeling. I had never felt so independent before in my life and it was invigorating! But all I could do was sit and wait with the other independent people to board the plane. Once in the air, I found myself seriously deliberating between whether I should get some sleep or stay awake so I could have cranberry juice and pretzels when the flight attendants came down the aisle. Hunger won and I waited patiently along with the rest of the anxious passengers who would sneak glances at the ever-closer metal cart until the attendant gestures to them and they unassumingly pretend like they haven’t decided exactly what they want. I also read this amazing devotional address given by Elder Holland to BYU in 2009. It’s a great reminder for people of all ages to live life looking forward and backward appropriately. Then I slept for about two hours before landing in Georgia. I made my connecting flight and, once in Orlando, found my shuttle that brought me to my Vista Way apartment complex.
(Before I continue, I must make a statement. It whomps to travel alone. Short road trips aside, I have always had someone with me and this was the first time I realized I have taken that for granted. The journey is always so much better with someone to people-watch with, someone to hold your stuff when you don’t want to take it into the bathroom, someone to laugh at the corny safety video with, someone to argue with the baggage claim lady with when you know she’s wrong, and someone to laugh at all of my jokes that I had to laugh at myself for instead.)
I made my first three friends on the shuttle! We went through about an hour of registration lines together where we met some more people then had to take our luggage to our apartments. A couple things I’ve noticed so far: the people are SO nice! Whether their job is to give the same speech 17 times in one morning, check tax forms, move luggage so the college interns don’t have to drag it through winding lines, driving bus-loads of kids in muggy heat, take fingerprints, or answering endless amounts of repetitive questions, they never get annoyed! They always seem happier than we are and so grateful to be serving us. What a testament for working in a job that you love! Another thing: buses. At least eight different ones every day and at least 45 minutes on them each time. Buses are how they transport all of us CP’s (college programmers) from our apartment complexes to the Wild Animal Kingdom, to the Florida Mall, to Walmart, to Downtown Disney, to WalGreens, to Epcot, to the Magic Kingdom. Moral of the story? There are eleven buses constantly running different routes for us. And once we study the route times for 20 minutes, all we have to do is flash our housing pass to the driver for a free ride.
So today I spent two hours in the Walt Disney World Casting Center! The place where the princesses had to go to audition, the place where the perfect Mickey Mouse personality was chosen! It was so neat! It was definitely my first magical moment and it lasted for the whole two hours. I went through the entire process of becoming a Disney Cast Member and received my assignment for my time here. I am part of the custodial team in Epcot! You may be laughing or rolling your eyes but I am beyond excited!
Over and out.
Maddi Hamilton.
Keeping EPCOT spotless.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather
Today's the day! The sun is shining! The tank is clean!... The tank is clean?! (Name that movie... Finding Nemo) Alrighty so I'm sitting in my living room with two fifty-pound suitcases, a carry-on bag, and my purse. I'm half watching The Children of 9/11 while writing this. My family and I are leaving about 2:30 to drive down to San Francisco to beat the rush hour traffic. We're going to dinner somewhere in the city and then they're dropping me off at the airport! My flight leaves at 10:40 pm Pacific time and I hope to be able to fall asleep! I have a layover in Georgia at 6:00 am Eastern time and I finally land in Florida at 9:30 am Eastern time. Once I land, I'm on my own and my adventure officially begins. The plan is to catch a shuttle to the Vista Way Apartments next to Walt Disney World and stand in lines all day long in true Disney fashion. Once I'm all settled in tomorrow night, I'll make a new post even if it's a couple sentences long. Because I really have no idea what to expect and once I am there I predict I won't be able to hold in my excitement for very long. So, I'm shutting my computer down to pack it away and I'll talk to all of you tomorrow!
Here are a couple pictures from the Taylor Swift concert. Yeah, she was incredible.
Here are a couple pictures from the Taylor Swift concert. Yeah, she was incredible.
Friday, September 2, 2011
i've got to move like Jagger...
Okay, so I'm about to post the link to this blog on facebook... Get ready, world! :) It's late Friday night and I've been packing and filling out tax forms and signing contracts and buying business-style clothes for my Disney classes for the last couple days. I can't wait! And starting tomorrow morning, I think I'm going to be super busy so I might just have one more post before my flight on Tuesday night! I'm working my last shift at Old Navy tomorrow and immediately after that is the Taylor Swift concert. Ohhhh boy. Then Sunday is church and my official "catch-up day." Monday will be spent packing and working out one last time. Tuesday I will probably be running around town because everything important will somehow wait to come to my mind until the final hours before I have to leave. So now what you're here for... I will be keeping this blog because nearly everyone I talk to about this new adventure wants to know the inside scoop on my trials and triumphs down in Orlando. What's the easiest way to let everyone know how I'm doing? I think it's this blog! I hope so at least... :) I'll share as much as I can with you! But I did actually read the contracts I had to sign today and there may be some things I have to withhold. But you'll never know what you don't know...
p.s. Wondering about the title of this post? Well, my father has this bad habit of mis-interpreting song lyrics. The thing is, he doesn't have the best hearing so he doesn't know he's wrong until he is singing it out loud and we all look at him with that "seriously... you think that is what they say?" face. Tonight at the grocery store he was supposed to say "I've got the moves like Jagger." Not so much...
Since I never posted Hawaii pictures from out trip earlier this year... Here are just a few of the many.
This is me, Tori, and Isaac at the most unique and beautiful LDS church I've ever been to in Honolulu.
This is one of the only family pictures we took the whole time... :( at the Polynesian Cultural Center... another :(
I love the contrast in our hair... and she even had to work for those waves.
Isaac :) during the best sunset of the two weeks!
And Tori doing what she did best... collecting shells. This is the same night as the last one.
p.s. Wondering about the title of this post? Well, my father has this bad habit of mis-interpreting song lyrics. The thing is, he doesn't have the best hearing so he doesn't know he's wrong until he is singing it out loud and we all look at him with that "seriously... you think that is what they say?" face. Tonight at the grocery store he was supposed to say "I've got the moves like Jagger." Not so much...
Since I never posted Hawaii pictures from out trip earlier this year... Here are just a few of the many.
This is me, Tori, and Isaac at the most unique and beautiful LDS church I've ever been to in Honolulu.
This is one of the only family pictures we took the whole time... :( at the Polynesian Cultural Center... another :(
I love the contrast in our hair... and she even had to work for those waves.
Isaac :) during the best sunset of the two weeks!
And Tori doing what she did best... collecting shells. This is the same night as the last one.
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