Disney on the Fritz

[thedailyshow]

Trevor breaks down the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

[wdwpres-deactivated20190130]

[nimcks]

[thedisneyking]

this is beautiful.

[disneyonthefritz]

If I could do it all again...

I want my blog to be more than just a recount of the things that happened. I plan to include stories, but it won’t be like many blogs you will read about the DCP, or at least that is my hope. You can read about Traditions and what that is like on tons of other blogs, and you can read about check in and all that on hundreds of other blogs and articles. I want my blog to be more of what the experience is as a whole, what I felt during it, what I took away from it. I want it to be about the Disney College Program opportunity and not simply just what it is – on a surface level.

That being said, on to my next post. This is actually a post that was asked of me, and actually by more than one person, so I thought that it might just make a good post.

“If you could go back and do it again, what would you do differently?” This is something that means a lot to me, because as just about all of you know by now, I have made some huge mistakes in my life. If I could go back and do college all over again? OMG. In a heartbeat there are a hundred things that I would do differently, on so many levels. The Disney College Program is really not too much different, in the sense that I would do things differently. Luckily, by the time I moved to Florida I had my shit together a lot more than when I moved to Potsdam.

Anyway, I digress.

I would have had more dates with my roommates. Now, I loved my roommates (most of them) to pieces. They were terrific humans, with their own quirky personalities. A ton of my friends spent tons of days with their roommates, and went on park dates, etc. with their roommates. I would have worked on spending more time together with the ladies of 3510.

My advice to newbies? Cherish your roommates. Have Roomie Nights In, play games, go to the parks, go to the beach, have Sunday Dinners. Put effort into that relationship, and work on forming that bond. They’re the ones who will be your live in family away from home. <3

I would have visited Animal Kingdom sooner. Because it’s great. And Primeval Whirl is there. 

Animal Kingdom – I would have found you sooner and loved you longer <3

My advice? Visit all the places. Take advantage of days off, and your free entrance. Go the water parks (because there’s BUCKETS of ice cream….) and visit all the parks. Ride rides and do fun things. Perouse Downtown Disney, just go out and do Disney.

I would have hung out with friends more. A lot of my days off I sat home, or wasted it on laundry and errands or whatnot. I spent a lot of time with my coworkers, and I am so happy that I did. However, I had a ton of non-custodian friends that looking back I wish I would have made it a point of hanging out with more. They’re just as important as the ones sweeping along with me.

My advice? It’s okay to have non work friends, and in fact, its nice sometimes. Spending 40 hours a week together can be a lot, and non work friends are just as important as the ones who clock in at the same computer you do.

I would have checked off more items on my Bucket List. I had a panic at the end of my program, and that’s when I had the least amount of money and thus limited. I wish I had explored Florida more, visited the beach more, and just really worked on doing my Bucket List items. Luckily, I am moving back to Orlando within a couple months, so I will get to, but there is more things during my program I just wish I had done

Advice: Go. Explore. Do it. Don’t spend money on going out to eat and go do fun things. Maybe non-Disney things.  

I wish I would have taken more photos. I have a lot, but there are tons of moments that I missed out on capturing.

Utilize Photopass (even though there’s watermarking now, boo!) and take way too many photos. You can always delete bad photos, but you can produce a picture from a moment that’s already passed.

I wish I would have planned out my future more. I called out a lot at the end of my program, and used 2 call outs for a trip back to NY. That dampered my extension and hindered my return to the company. Looking back now, I wish I would have suffered through work sick, and worked harder to not have to use points for my trip back home.

Don’t call in unless you’re basically dying. Even if you think there’s no chance you’ll work for the company again, better safe than sorry.

[disneyonthefritz]

For my college program, I worked Custodial for the Magic Kingdom.

I know at first it doesn’t sound that great. That’s what I thought, too. However, I accepted the position because I would do literally anything for the chance to work at Disney, and do this program. Even if that meant cleaning puke and washing public toilets - literally.

Training for custodial is much like training for every other position at Disney, it’s completely overwhelming. There’s so much information and ways to do things and chemical names and zones and radio codes and what to do and what not to do’s that it’s enough to make anyone crazy. Oh, you also have to know directions to literally everything in the park, and know how Fastpass works and what time is this show and when is the fireworks and where can I buy this merchandise and what’s the wait time for Space Mountain? Well, what about Thunder Mountain? Where’s Mickey’s house? What time is the 3:00 parade? How do I get out? Don’t even get me started on that crying mom over there, her three year old is lost and grandma wandered off from the family, again. There’s 70,000 people - you have to find little Timmy and grandma. And take your break on time, but don’t rest too long, and keep good show and I know that’s not your zone but you have to clean it anyway. Have fun wearing all white and lifting dirty trash liners, all day. Smile when you clean that puke, yes guests still ask you questions. Don’t bend to pick that trash up. Always have your pan and broom, don’t let it go because it’ll stolen.

omg. I wanted to scream too. And I did. I cried a lot my first month. I complained about my job all the time and I thought that I hated it. I had never been to Disney World and couldn’t give directions and I have a bad foot and walking on it all day caused me unbearable pain. There’s so many codes to know, and know how to clean, and know how to talk on the radio, and deal with guests. It’s not fun cleaning puke and pee and poop and food and anything else you can imagine. It’s you who gets called to clean it, it doesn’t matter what “it” is. Even blood, you have to clean it. Curse you, Dumbo Tent.

No, it’s not glamorous. You’re far from being a princess, and you don’t get to work in the air condition. Trash liners are heavy, and gross. The compactor smells, and god bless you if you pick up recycle. But, thinking back on it. I’m not sure there is any other job I would have wanted to. Being a custodian humbled me to my core, first and foremost. I realized there are many custodians that I never thanked that I should have. It’s thankless job, and it’s a hard job. But it’s appreciated. Seriously, take a second and imagine what Disney World would be like if there were no custodians. Now, imagine what your high school would have been like without custodians, omg don’t use the j-word. What about literally any public place you’ve been to. Imagine if there wasn’t anyone there to clean it. Cleaning after 70,000 is hard. But, it humbled me, and I am thankful for that. I will never take anyone for granted again, and I will forever treat the custodian with as much - if not more - respect than the CEO.  It also taught me that I can work harder than I thought I could. I am way more capable of hard work and long hours than I ever gave myself credit for, and it prepared me for the rest of my life. I feel like I can do it, now. “If I can clean Tomorrowland for 13 and a half hours, I can do anything.” It gave me a sense of pride. My co-workers often picked on me for being the one to excuse myself from backstage shenanigans to go sweep my restroom, or doing more trash runs than I really needed to. But I was proud of my work. I wanted my restroom to be the cleanest one in the park, it bothered me when I would hear guests complain. The coordinators and leaders began to trust me, and checked on me less and less - sometimes not at all. That made me want to work even harder, because the little they did visit I wanted to show them that they’re right in trusting me.

 Then there are the guests.I have never been one of those “I hate people” people but I am now. I have never wanted to punch a stranger in the face before working at Disney. They’re annoying and mean and rude and holy shit are they absolutely disgusting - especially women. They ask stupid questions and they demand a lot. They think this whole shebang is just for them, and they should because that’s how cast members treat them. They are utterly infuriating. But you can’t let those ones ruin it. Ignore them. Don’t give them free stuff or give them wrong directions. Whatever. Because there’s guests that will change your world. My favorite part of my job was getting to walk all over the park with families, because no other cast members can do that. I’m not limited to a certain zone or land. You need to know where Thunder Mountain is? Here, let me walk you there. Oh, and yes - surprise - go down the fast pass lane. I used to carry around hundreds of stickers and would give out almost all of them. I used to also carry around an autograph book, and would ask little princesses for their autographs - to this day one of my favorite souvenirs.  I loved being a part of the magic. I love creating magic. Seeing them smile, and hearing “you MADE our vacation!” is truly heartwarming. And guest like that, make it all worth it. There’s nothing like asking a sick Make A Wish small princess laugh, loading her with stickers and free ice cream and jumping the Elsa line only to have them come and find you, and ask if you’ll watch Wishes with them. It’s a life changing moment when that little princess grabs your hand, and squeezes it, and she asks you, “Is my wish too extreme?” You want to tell her no, you want to take the sickness from her and have it yourself, and you don’t even know her. But, you’ll cry during Wishes. No worries, they’ll email guest relations about you. :) However, you will cry for 20 minutes straight and be heartbroken when the mother e-mails you and tells you that the little princess passed away. There’s nothing like that.

  And the most important thing that Disney gave me was a family. Your fellow custodians know how much your job sucks. They know how annoying and how special the guests are. They know what it’s like to have to climb all over the play area in Dumbo Tent cleaning pee and they understand when you complain about the number of calls Space Mountain gets. They understand the heat, and the long hours, and the late nights, and the hard restrooms. And no one will ever understand like your co-workers. Your roommates won’t be able to understand why Wishes holds your heart and why on last nights you all watch them hand in hand and sob. Your friends at home can’t understand how middle of the night iHop or Ale House dinners create a bond that’s unbreakable. Your coworkers will be there with you at 3 am, and in the heat, and will help you with your trash runs and sweeping your restrooms and that’s a special kind of bond not even Dr. Phil can explain or comprehend.

If you have any questions, PLEASE message me. I am always willing to talk about cleaning up my home. <3

10-98

[disneyonthefritz]

This is not so much a vlog as it is a slideshow, but it details a lot of what I've been up to since coming to Disney! :D 

[disneyonthefritz]

Disney On The Fritz! (A Disney Randomness video)

I randomly came across this video, and as it shares a title with my Blog and Vlog,I thought I'd share it for fun! 

[disneyonthefritz]

Random Update #Excited

Helllllloo! There hasn’t been a whole TON of updates since my last blog post, but in an attempt to keep everyone updated and to help make posting regular blog updates a habit, I wanted to make sure I posted something.

First and foremost – my mess, The Mess. The messiest of messes. For those of you who don’t know – they’re the closest friends I’ve made at Disney so far. Granted, I’ve certainly made friends outside of this circle of people but they’re the tightest. We started as simply the people who frequented the Google Hangouts the most, and it’s become this magical… family. It doesn’t matter where we are in the country, I know that they’re there. There hasn’t been a day that’s passed in about a week and a half that I haven’t talked to them. I’m excited to get to Orlando and actually meet them face to face. They make me feel much better about up and moving across country to a state where I know a total of one person…who is still half an hour away. I love you guys, my package deal.

Secondly – I have found my roommates! They’re beautiful and they’re super sweet and they’re great. There’s four of us hoping to live in The Commons. I’ll be living with Annie, Taylor and Ellen and I have a good feeling about it! I think that we’re going to live together well and it’s gonna be swell! J

Third – if you are a future DCP intern, I HIGHLY recommend that you join in on the Google Hangouts that happen. They’re a good way to get to know that people that will be down in Orlando with you for at least 5 months. The more the merrier! We always welcome anyone that wants to join in on the craziness and the chaos. Also if you have found yourself in your own mess, your own circle of magical CPs, have your own Google Hangouts with them! You’ll feel much better about the move and about the program! If you’re a little camera shy, Google Hangout allows you to turn the camera off and simply talk or even just type.  I also suggest having Google Hangouts with the people that you will be living with. You’ll be thankful for it later. It gives you a chance to get the awkward small talk out of the way and to discuss certain things that may come up.

If you have any questions, PLEASE ask them below or contact me through Facebook, or what not. If there’s something that you want me to specifically blog about, also let me know! I’d be more than happy to touch upon it.

[disneyonthefritz]

4 parts of a whole! 

Today the 4th member of our little Disney apartment family joined us, making our house full. Taylor joined Annie, Ellen, and myself and I couldn't be MORE excited!! <3 I can't wait to move in with these girls and get to know them! 

We are not officially decided on a complex but I can't wait to figure it out  with these girls. They're already incredibly nice and I can just tell we're going to live together fabulously. 

Things are coming to getting, ends are being met, knots are being tied... I just have to dot some i's and cross some t's. Disney gets more real every day. 

Having this aspect of Disney settled definitely not only makes me more excited but calms some subconscious nerves. I never like things to be too far up in the air. 

This just made it a little bit more real! 

99 days until Disney! Double digits!! 

[disneyonthefritz]

I really don't think that it has actually hit me yet, it hasn't sunk in - I'm going to Disney. I'll be living and working at Disney. I'm moving to FLORIDA in a little over 3 months. Uhm, what? It hasn't sunk in. 

I am still nervous, and I've already been accepted. I have my dates, I paid my fees, I've read the acceptance letter about 15 times. But still, in my mind, I'm nervous something will go wrong, something will go askew. Something will come up, it's not actually going to happen. I didn't get my Congratulations postcard - that's a bad thing. Why didn't I get it?

But, I have been LOVING this experience, man, what an experience. Getting to know "my Disney friends" has been great. From cute and funny snapchats, to liking posts on Instagram, to helping each other out answering questions and giving support on Facebook and - my favorite of all - spending time getting to know each other on countless regular Google Hangouts. They're my favorite. It doesn't matter if there's 10 people in it or 2, the people are kind and funny, they're sweet and genuine, and it's good to get to know people before I move down there. They're some of the greatest new people I've ever met. When I talk to them, it feels like I've been friends with them for years. 

I just can't wait to go! <3 

[disneyonthefritz]

2 outta 3 ain't bad ;)

So, today was exciting! I found two girls who I'll be living with while in Disney, and we're most likely going to be living in The Commons. I'm really happy! While part of me wanted to wait until most everyone was accepted, thus having more selection and knowing who all will be available to room with, most of me is happy that this is another thing that I don't have to worry about. I still have to find someone to share my room with, but there's a few potential ladies I'm talking with / waiting to hear back from SO this is good. I like this. Their names are Annie and Ellen and so far they are so nice and, they think I'm funny, so like, that's already a big plus. I can tell just by the little we've talked and the Facebook stalking I obviously did - we are going to get along really well! They were what I was looking for in roommates! It's another obstacle that's (mostly) jumped over. I feel better knowing that I have roommates, that I can talk to them and get to know them. Pieces of this puzzle are being put together and I can't wait to see the whole picture!! :D

[disneyonthefritz]

So I decided to make my roommate survey as a video, as well. 

And video 1 of the Vlog portion of my Disney experience!! 

[disneyonthefritz]

Roommate Survey!! :)

BACKGROUND

§  Name: Brit La Fritz

§  Gender: Female

§  Orientation: Straight

§  Relationship Status: Single

§  Birthday/Age: April 26 / 22

§  Current Location: Potsdam, NY

§  From: Savona, NY

§  School: SUNY Potsdam

§  Major: Double major : Theatre and Theatre Education

§  Are you allergic/allergies to anything? Yes! Bees, latex, and coconut

§  Do you have any siblings? Bahaha I have TONS!        1 biological sister, 3 step sisters, 1 step brother, 2 half-brothers, 1 foreign sister, and 2 found family sisters <3

DCP DETAILS

§  Are you applying for WDW or DL? Applied to both, got accepted to WDW

§  Flying or Driving: Flying. My car is dying a slow and painful death…

§  Your Role?: Custodial

§  What program are you applying for? I got accepted for Spring Advantage

§  Do you want to live in Wellness or Non-Wellness? Non-Wellness

§  How many people do you want to live with? It doesn’t matter to me!

§  Which housing complex would you like to live in?: I’m preferring Vista or Patterson or Chatham

§  Alumni? Not yet

LIFESTYLE

§  Do you party? How often? I do. In college I did basically every weekend, however I don’t drink while I’m at home, over summer / winter / breaks and such. So it varies on how busy I am, if others want to, what’s going on, etc.

§  Do you smoke? No

§  Do you drink? Yes

§  Can you cook? Yes and LOVE to…especially baking!!!

§  Are you a night person or morning person? Kind of both, weirdly

§  Do you snore? I’m told I do.

§  What does your bedroom normally look like? I’d say lived in. I clean it once a week so it’s neat, I make my bed most days, and don’t ever let it get too messy. I keep common rooms cleaner usually because others live there and visit but I’m pretty clean.

§  Do you like it when your room is hot or cold? I would rather be cold because you can add clothes and blankets but I prefer comfortable, normal. I’m not usually picky about this.

§  Would you rather go out or stay in? It depends, I enjoy both.

§  What do you like to do on your days off/the weekend? Again it depends. I’m a people person and I like to hang out and do stuff and have fun and hang out or go exploring but I’m also content with reading or keeping to myself. It really depends on my mood / tiredness / what others are doing.

§  Do you work out a lot? A few times a week…I really need to do more of that.

PERSONALITY

§  Three words that describe you: creative, talkative, caring

§  One good quality: I really just want to help people and make them happy.

§  One bad quality: I have baggage, I can be loud

§  Are you outgoing or quiet?  outgoing

§  Do you like hanging out with people or keeping to yourself?PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE

§  What would you want in a roommate? Someone who is respectful, caring, nice. Someone who doesn’t mind having people over, someone who is social, easy to get along with. Someone okay with occasional drinking, someone who likes to have fun and hang out. A good person.

§  What are your biggest pet peeves/dislikes? I’d say taking / using my things without asking? I don’t know! Haha That or passive aggressive notes, like, just talk to me to my face, you know?

§  Are you messy or organized? Somewhere in the middle

§  How do you feel about sharing? Just ask me first, and go for it!

§  Do you like having people over a lot? Yes! :D Not like too late at night or like 24/7 but yes

§  Favorite thing to do: How do you even answer this question?? There’s so many!!

§  Favorite Music: I like musical soundtracks, Disney music, and country the most.

§  Favorite TV Shows: Gilmore Girls, Once Upon a Time, American Horror Story, Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, Parks and Rec, stand up comedy

§  Favorite Movies: omg. There’s SO many… uhmmm Toy Story (all 3), Bridesmaids, The Heat, Tammy, Pitch Perfect, a lot of Disney / Pixar movies, Princess Diaries, Mean Girls, My Sister’s Keeper (if I need to cry), I love movies a lot so there’s literally tons!

§  Favorite Food: I like ice cream. :P I’d say spaghetti, chicken, and pasta (I know spaghetti is pasta….) and pizza top my list.

§  Favorite Candy: Oh gosh, uhhh Kit Kats / Reese’s Cups / Sour Patch Kids!

§  Favorite Drink: Chocolate Milk

§  Favorite Color: Purple

DISNEY!! Oh, no… please don’t make me do this…..

§  Favorite Character: I don’t have one, really!! My favorite princess is Anna, Merida, and Mulan. They’re tied.

§  Favorite Movie: Stop it. I can’t. I like Toy Story, Frozen, Aladdin, Brave,

§  Favorite Disney Channel Show: Can I say Evens Stevens anymore?

§  Favorite Park: I’ve never been to either!

§  Favorite Ride: I’ve never been!! I’ll let you know when I know! ;)

BACKGROUND

§  Name: Brit La Fritz

§  Gender: Female

§  Orientation: Straight

§  Relationship Status: Single

§  Birthday/Age: April 26 / 22

§  Current Location: Potsdam, NY

§  From: Savona, NY

§  School: SUNY Potsdam

§  Major: Double major : Theatre and Theatre Education

§  Are you allergic/allergies to anything? Yes! Bees, latex, and coconut

§  Do you have any siblings? Bahaha I have TONS!        1 biological sister, 3 step sisters, 1 step brother, 2 half-brothers, 1 foreign sister, and 2 found family sisters <3

DCP DETAILS

§  Are you applying for WDW or DL? Applied to both, got accepted to WDW

§  Flying or Driving: Flying. My car is dying a slow and painful death…

§  Your Role?: Custodial

§  What program are you applying for? I got accepted for Spring Advantage

§  Do you want to live in Wellness or Non-Wellness? Non-Wellness

§  How many people do you want to live with? It doesn’t matter to me!

§  Which housing complex would you like to live in?: I’m preferring Vista or Patterson or Chatham

§  Alumni? Not yet

LIFESTYLE

§  Do you party? How often? I do. In college I did basically every weekend, however I don’t drink while I’m at home, over summer / winter / breaks and such. So it varies on how busy I am, if others want to, what’s going on, etc.

§  Do you smoke? No

§  Do you drink? Yes

§  Can you cook? Yes and LOVE to…especially baking!!!

§  Are you a night person or morning person? Kind of both, weirdly

§  Do you snore? I’m told I do.

§  What does your bedroom normally look like? I’d say lived in. I clean it once a week so it’s neat, I make my bed most days, and don’t ever let it get too messy. I keep common rooms cleaner usually because others live there and visit but I’m pretty clean.

§  Do you like it when your room is hot or cold? I would rather be cold because you can add clothes and blankets but I prefer comfortable, normal. I’m not usually picky about this.

§  Would you rather go out or stay in? It depends, I enjoy both.

§  What do you like to do on your days off/the weekend? Again it depends. I’m a people person and I like to hang out and do stuff and have fun and hang out or go exploring but I’m also content with reading or keeping to myself. It really depends on my mood / tiredness / what others are doing.

§  Do you work out a lot? A few times a week…I really need to do more of that.

PERSONALITY

§  Three words that describe you: creative, talkative, caring

§  One good quality: I really just want to help people and make them happy.

§  One bad quality: I have baggage, I can be loud

§  Are you outgoing or quiet?  outgoing

§  Do you like hanging out with people or keeping to yourself?PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE

§  What would you want in a roommate? Someone who is respectful, caring, nice. Someone who doesn’t mind having people over, someone who is social, easy to get along with. Someone okay with occasional drinking, someone who likes to have fun and hang out. A good person.

§  What are your biggest pet peeves/dislikes? I’d say taking / using my things without asking? I don’t know! Haha That or passive aggressive notes, like, just talk to me to my face, you know?

§  Are you messy or organized? Somewhere in the middle

§  How do you feel about sharing? Just ask me first, and go for it!

§  Do you like having people over a lot? Yes! :D Not like too late at night or like 24/7 but yes

§  Favorite thing to do: How do you even answer this question?? There’s so many!!

§  Favorite Music: I like musical soundtracks, Disney music, and country the most.

§  Favorite TV Shows: Gilmore Girls, Once Upon a Time, American Horror Story, Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, Parks and Rec, stand up comedy

§  Favorite Movies: omg. There’s SO many… uhmmm Toy Story (all 3), Bridesmaids, The Heat, Tammy, Pitch Perfect, a lot of Disney / Pixar movies, Princess Diaries, Mean Girls, My Sister’s Keeper (if I need to cry), I love movies a lot so there’s literally tons!

§  Favorite Food: I like ice cream. :P I’d say spaghetti, chicken, and pasta (I know spaghetti is pasta….) and pizza top my list.

§  Favorite Candy: Oh gosh, uhhh Kit Kats / Reese’s Cups / Sour Patch Kids!

§  Favorite Drink: Chocolate Milk

§  Favorite Color: Purple

DISNEY!! Oh, no… please don’t make me do this…..

§  Favorite Character: I don’t have one, really!! My favorite princess is Anna, Merida, and Mulan. They’re tied.

§  Favorite Movie: Stop it. I can’t. I like Toy Story, Frozen, Aladdin, Brave,

§  Favorite Disney Channel Show: Can I say Evens Stevens anymore?

§  Favorite Park: I’ve never been to either!

§  Favorite Ride: I’ve never been!! I’ll let you know when I know! ;)

[disneyonthefritz]

The Beginning of a Magical Journey!

So this one time I went to college at SUNY Potsdam. A handful of my friends did this program called the Disney College Program and I spent several semesters enviously looking at their statuses and jealously clicking like on their photos in Florida and at Disney. I spent all that time thinking "That would be fucking AWESOME, but things like that don't happen to me." 

But, wait. Why can't they? 

Mainly, I really couldn't afford to just not be at Potsdam for an entire semester. I would get too far behind and I can't afford financially to stay longer. Also, I couldn't leave the family I had made there. Potsdam is the only place in the entire world that has even felt remotely like home and I couldn't spend more time than I already will in my life away from it. Plus, I knew I would be MORE envious and jealous seeing Potsdam posts when I am not there, and I could be. 

Then things changed. I changed. And one of my friends who did it told me that you can do it the semester after you graduate. What? Seriously? GAME ON. 

I began to already get excited. I couldn't wait until the applications went up and I signed up to get e-mails telling me when things were up, I followed the Twitter page....

I was side tracked when I spontaneously decided to apply to Peace Corps, and almost got in. I got to the last step, and was denied. I was devastated but I couldn't help but feel like I was giving up my Disney dream going into the Peace Corps. Everything happens for a reason. The Peace Corps can wait, Disney won't. 

So, the little girl who watched Toy Story DAILY growing up, set her sights on something more magical: Disney. 

Then on August 23rd at 4:00 I got the e-mail: now accepting applications and within seconds of reading that e-mail, I was applying. 

The ball began rolling quickly! 

August 23rd; 10:40 pm: "Thank you for Applying"

August 23rd; 10:48 pm: "Immediate Action Required Web-Based Interview"

August 23rd; 11:48 pm: "Schedule Phone Interview"

August 26th; 9:45 pm: my cell phone rings, it's Disney! My interview lasts about half an hour, and it's super predictable and goes so well! I spoke candidly with the woman about life at Disney, the program, her favorite aspect of working at Disney, my work experience, my college experience, roles I clicked "high interest" on, and the fact that she was so surprised that I had never even visited Disney, not once! 

Now, most people say at this point, they became a nervous wreck checking their e-mails 24/7. Maybe it's because the Peace Corps makes you wait like a month for each step or maybe it's because I got wrapped up in student teaching but I wasn't a nervous wreck and I didn't check my e-mail any more frequently than normally. 

But, September 12th at 12:11 pm they had sent me an e-mail. Maybe I should have checked. But I was actually randomly checking my phone in the women's bathroom of my dorm hall when I read the e-mail later that night. "OH! MY! GOD!" I yelled, from the bathroom, and ran to my room and immediately called my mother, who was excited. She set out trying to figure out how to pay $350 in 7 days while she was vacationing in NC (an incredible woman, she is.) and I called my grandmother, who is convinced everything is a scam, and was happy but nervous and more negative than I wanted. Then I thought of my good friend Sarah who lives in Florida for grad school and how I would be living so close to her. Finally, an excited and happy response! 

I told people and made the status and received more support and happiness I could have ever imagined I'd get. I thought I wouldn't be able to go, because of not being able to come up with the money, but it happened. My mother texted me on my way in to teach and I couldn't WAIT to get home and pay and move on the less stressful, more happy things. I paid the 16th of September and picked my dates: January 12th - August 7th! I was casted for a role in Custodial and I was okay with that. It made me think of the phone interview conversation I had, when I told the woman sometimes I clean when I get stressed and felt like she had actually listened and thought about our talk. 

Things slowed down now, I'm in the Facebook group, beginning to meet people and I spent way too much time today watching vlogs and reading blogs about the program. 

I will also be making a vlog but a night out with friends is CALLING my name! <3 So, tomorrow you can expect that! 

  Hang on all, it's going to be one ROLLER COASTER of a MAGICal ride <3 Thanks for coming along for it. :)