Florida Life

Want to know the best thing about living in Florida? You get to spend all your free time at the pool.

Want to know the worst thing? There are lizards everywhere and even a few snakes. I almost stepped on one without realizing (because I was texting and walking, which is a something Disney does not advocate and I totally get why now). The snake was close to the entrance to Patterson apartments, so now I'm always nervous when walking to or from the bus stop.

Other than the snakes and humidity, Florida life is great! It's probably very enjoyable for me right now because I haven't started working yet. Here is a quick glance at what my apartment looks like since I know some people are curious (hi parents!).

I got the top bunk!

Closet and bathroom in the back

Walkway through the complex

Obviously I didn't take a picture of my roommates room, but theirs is like ours just without the bunk bed. Each bedroom has a bathroom with a sink outside of the bathroom. My only complaint is the bathroom set up.... I feel bad showering if my roommates are sleeping because I feel like I'll wake them up. I also feel bad blow drying my hair because there is no door to block the sink from the bedroom and that is where the plug. We're all understanding that we may have to shower early in the morning or late at night, but I wish there was a door so I wouldn't be so disrupting.

There is also a pool, work out center (which I haven't seen yet but heard is tiny), a few laundry facilities and security always on watch. All the other complexes' have a bus stop except Patterson, we walk to Chatham.

Traditions

*SPOLER ALERT* If you're a future DCP hopeful this post will give away some surprises you have during traditions so you may not want to read the this post to keep the magic alive while you're here.

I had Traditions on Friday, which is an introduction to the Disney family. We learn about the Disney work ethic, how to make guests day while at work and a little bit of Disney history. We even got our first pair of ears! This took place at Disney University, which happens to be very close to Magic Kingdom, so we took a little tour there, as well. We got to go in the underground tunnels, which isn't what I expected, but they're just tunnels. Nothing too fancy!

Once we got out of the tunnels we were "backstage," an area that guests don't see. We were getting ready to enter MK when Mary Poppins walked by! She is officially the first character I saw.

We walked around MK for a bit and saw how cast members interacted with the guests. Eventually we began to make our way back to Disney University, but as soon as we got backstage again we saw some more characters, including Goofy who gave us all a hug.

Back at Disney University, we went over a few more items, but then got a surprise visit from the boss himself, Mickey Mouse! He also brought our name tags!

We were free to go after that so we all boarded busses and headed back home. Since I had the early Traditions (had to be at the bus by 6:55 a.m... I got up at 5:30 a.m.) I had the entire afternoon to do whatever I wanted. We had gotten our work cards, which also let us into parks, so Kellie, a girl I met at Traditions, and I went back to MK for the rest of the day.

We met a lot of characters.... Tinkerbell, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Ariel and we saw our boss again, Mickey. I bought an autograph book (and item on my bucket list!) and got a very good start on it!

At some point in the day there was a lady in front of us who asked if I was from Michigan (she saw my Michigan sticker on my phone) and then we got onto the subject of how a hand is a map for Michiganders and her family found it odd (I believe her husband is from Texas and that is where they live now). I feel like I meet at least one Michigander whenever I go somewhere on Disney property.

Kellie and I rode a few rides, got dole whip for the first time and eventually watched Wishes at the castle. Thankfully Kellie is as much of a Disney fanatic as I am and got excited about meeting the characters, watching the shows and just being in the park.

We eventually left MK around 11:30 p.m. and we were exhausted. After Traditions and exploring the park, it's safe to say it was an eventful day.

We were only in the park for half of a day and I already completed a few bucket list items and got a start on some others. Hopefully I can continue to mark off more items these next eight months.

My Work Location Is....

This post may seem all over the place but that is because that's how my day was so just bear me...

Let me just say, I did NOT expect to wake up in sweaty clothes this morning. This humidity is no joke and I better get use to it soon. I think showering twice a day is necessary now.

Anyway, this was one of the longest days I've had in a long time. I got up at 6:00 a.m. so I would have enough time to get ready, eat, re-pack my things, check out of the hotel and walk to check-in. I had to check in at 8:00 a.m. so I left my hotel at 7:30 a.m. to make sure I got there in time. I ended up being one of the first ones there so I waited in line and met a girl who ended up living in the same complex as me (Patterson, as I would find out later).

Check-in was quit the process. First we found out our work location. My role of custodial will be taking place in... MAGIC KINGDOM!!! I'm super excited to tell everyone this because this was one of the top locations I wanted! After we found out our location we got our housing assignment, then took our photo for our i.d. (the humidity made this one of my worst photos ever), got our housing key and then got into groups to go over our itinerary for the week. Thankfully, my week is pretty relaxed.

Next we had to fill out some more government forms, talked about safety and then we were off to go to casting. My time for casting wasn't until 12:00 p.m. and Madison's wasn't until 12:30 p.m. and by this point it was only 10:00 a.m. (even though it felt like we had been awake for 12 hours already). Because we had time we decided to get on a bus to go to our apartments. I'll talk about the apartments later.

After I dropped my stuff off, I went to Madison's apartment and then we went to casting. Honestly, I was so tired by this point that I don't remember much about casting. It was a lot of waiting in lines and signing papers. However, I did meet a fellow Chippewa there! He was helping with casting and when he saw my Mount Pleasant address he asked if I went to Central and then said "Fire Up Chips!"

Walking into Casting

We also got our orientation schedule at casting and I don't have orientation until Monday. This is a good and bad thing. Good because I have time to relax (and work on my tan), but bad because I am really excited to start working.

We were done at casting pretty early in the afternoon so I came home, unpacked a bit and then went to Madison's so we could go grocery shopping.

 Just a tip to future cast members: Tell your bank you're leaving for Florida before you go. Once all my groceries were rang up my card was declined so I had to call and get that all straightened out.

Because I had no food I went out to dinner with Madison's roommates (one who is also from CMU) and thankfully they went to Walmart after dinner. I just bought breakfast for tomorrow, a blow dryer and hangers and figured I'd go major shopping after my housing meeting tomorrow.

I also made my first Disney apparel purchase today! I bought a lanyard because I almost lost my apartment key today. Of course it had Disney princesses on it.

Back to the apartments, I will probably take pictures later but take my word when I say these are nice apartments. Maybe it's the palm trees outside that make it so nice, but I think I'll like living here. I have four other roommates and I'm the only American. One is Canadian, one is Italian and two are African. They have all been here for a few weeks now so I was the only one moving in today, which was actually quit nice.

Again, sorry for how all over the place this post was. Hopefully the next few days won't be so hectic so my posts will be more sequential.

A Not So Magical Day

Today was a lot more eventful than I had expected. My plan was to get on two flights, get to my hotel and relax. Unfortunately that is not how my day went.

Just as I was getting ready to leave my house for the airport, I got an email from my airline saying my flight was delayed by 25 minutes. This normally wouldn't be a big deal, except for the fact that I only had a 58 minute layover in Atlanta, which happens to be a HUGE airport. I stress very easily, so this wasn't sitting well with me.

Here's a quick run-down of my morning: Got to the airport, checked in my luggage and got told that the airline had booked me on another connecting flight in case I miss mine. Once I said my goodbyes to my parents I went through security, which is normally a breeze for me. This time they checked both of my bags. Once I finally got through I went to my gate and saw that my flight had been delayed again. When we boarded and got in the air they said we were going to land just before 3:00 p.m. My flight was supposed to leave at 3:05 p.m., but I was determined to get to that connecting flight.

As usual, they let the people with connecting flights get off first so I was running off the plane. As soon as I got off I found a screen to see which gate I was supposed to go to and didn't see my flight, so it had already taken off. I found a Delta kiosk, got my ticket for the other flight they booked me on and saw I had to go to another terminal.

I made my way downstairs, got on the the subway to take me to the other terminal and then made my way back upstairs to find my gate. As soon as I got there they started boarding. I was basically running through the airport and it was hot so by the time I got to the gate I looked like I had ran a marathon. It was terrible.

On this flight I sat next to an adorable old lady and we chatted for a bit before we took off. She asked what I was going to Florida for I said to work at Disney and she was so happy for me. She told me to make the most of it and travel as often as I can since I am young. It reminded me of a conversation I had in London with an older lady at a bus stop. It's conversations like those that always stick with you.

Anyway, my biggest concern was that my luggage wasn't going to make it to Orlando since I got on a new flight. Once I found the luggage claim (after walking in the opposite direction... ) I saw my luggage right away and ran towards it because I was just so happy it arrived!

I booked a shuttle to take me to my hotel, so I went to the kiosk for it (Mears Transportation... I recommend it!). I had booked my shuttle online earlier in the week so I printed off my ticket at the kiosk and went to check-in. Once I did I got one of the buzzer devices you usually get at a restaurant that tell you when your table is ready... Same thing but this told me when a shuttle was available for me. I had to wait a while, but it wasn't too bad.

Finally, I made it to my hotel and wish I had arrived a day or two earlier... It's so nice! The first thing I saw was a sign that said "Movie Theatre." When I looked inside I noticed it's aimed for little kids, but they were showing "Tangled" all night and was thinking about stopping by later to watch because it's my favorite Disney movie.

When I checked in the lady told me how to get to my room, but what she said didn't match the map she gave me and I went by what she said. I walked to the wrong building (because there are four buildings, I believe). I was wondering the hallways and walked backed outside because I saw there was an elevator and I was on the second floor. When I got in the elevator I let go of one of my bags to hit the "2" button and my bag must've hit the "Emergency" button because I heard a girl on a speaker ask "Is everything okay in the elevator?" I had no idea where it came from so I yelled "Yeah sorry!" pretty loudly because I wasn't sure if she could hear me. I was also laughing when I said this because I realized what my bag had done, but when she responded she was laughing, too, so I don't think it was a huge deal.

After the elevator fiasco I couldn't find where my room was located. I walked the entire second level and couldn't find it so I went back downstairs (and was very careful in the elevator this time). I found a worker and asked him where I was supposed to go. Turns out I was in the wrong building... Oops! He showed me where to go and I easily found my room.

There is an Applebee's in the hotel so I went there for dinner. My waitress was from Michigan... I got excited to see another Michigander! The rest of the day wasn't as eventful, which is what I needed. I was hoping all day would be a little less stressful, but a relaxing evening is better than nothing! Especially since tomorrow is going to be a big day: I check into Disney!

Packing

While I wouldn't say I've traveled all my life, I have been fortunate enough to do quit a bit of traveling these past few years. Between packing for college, study abroad, a few trips to Chicago, Boston and now Florida you would think I would've mastered how to pack, but I haven't. My friends will be the first to say that packing is not my speciality. I usually pack too much, but for some reason never pack enough pairs of underwear (weird, I know!).

While preparing to go pack for Disney I searched high and low for a list of exactly what people packed. I found the generic "business clothes, shorts, jeans, etc." but I needed a list of how many of each item people brought. I figured I couldn't be the only one looking for this type of list so here is my packing list for future Disney hopefuls to see. I am flying (one suitcase, a carry-on and a backpack), so I will have three main lists of what I'm packing, what I will ask my parents to ship to me and what I will buy when I'm down there.

I decided to go into Disney housing blind so I have no idea who my roommates are or what they are bringing, so my list isn't as precise as it could be.

PACK
Clothes
-Swim
 -Three bathing suit bottoms and four tops
 -Bathing suit cover up
-Hats
 -2 baseball caps
 -1 floppy hat
-Pants
 -Jeans: 1 blue, 1 black and 1 white pair of carpis
 -Shorts: 2 jeans (1 high-waisted), 1 black, 1 patterned, 4 work out
 -Comfy: 2 full length leggings, 1 capri length leggings, 1 pair of yoga pants, 1 capri length  sweatpants, 1 pair of patterned pants, 1 pair of work out capris, 3 pajama shorts
-Tops
 -Tank tops: 5 'fun', 5 basic camis (1 black, 1 grey, 1 beige and 2 white), 3 plain tank tops (1 black, 2 grey, 1 white)
 -Shirts: 8 'normal' shirts, 4 nicer ones, 1 flannel, 1 jean button up
 -Sweaters: 2.... It does get cold in Florida!
 -2 zip-up sweatshirts
 -1 grey cardigan and one black cardigan
-Other
 -3 dresses
 -2 skirts (1 skater skirt and 1 plain black one)
 -Socks, underwear, bras (pack as many as you think necessary)
 -Coats (1 rain jacket, 1 jean jacket)
-1 business outfit, consisting of shorts, white top and a blazer

*The numbers on clothing items may not be exact, but if they aren't they will only be one or two numbers off... I had to leave stuff behind to fit it all in my suitcase.

Shoes
-Sneakers (With inserts! Long days of standing on my feet... This is also what I wore on the plane)
-Black flip flops (for beach and pool)
-Sandals
-Flats

Toiletries
-Toothbrush
-Dental floss
-Face wash
-Face lotion
-Razor/Shaving gel
-Tampons/pads (Sorry boys.... It happens)

*Some of these items I will just be packing travel size of, depending on what I can fit in my suitcase. I'll buy bigger items once I'm down there.

Miscellaneous
-EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTATION!!! (Passport, drivers license, social security card... Whatever you decide to bring)
-Camera
-Tripod
-Chargers (Phone, laptop, portable phone charger, Kindle charger)
-Kindle (I know I may not have a lot of time for reading, but when I do I like that I can get a book quick)
-Batteries (Just a few.... I'll buy a bigger case of batteries once I'm down there)
-Blanket
-Mattress pad
-Sheets
-Nail polish (Four "Disney Look" colors and three fun colors)
-One beach towels
-Bathroom towel
-Lock (You get a locker in your closet at Disney housing)
-DVDs (Put them in a travel CD case so you save a lot of space)
-Pictures from home
-Umbrella
-Water bottle
-Pillow Pet (As a carry on... Using it as a pillow until my real one gets shipped to me)
-Lunch box
-A bag of popcorn (Since I'll be a hotel for a night I want to be prepared in case I get hungry! I'm hoping to find something or breakfast the next morning once I get to Orlando so I can eat before check-in)

SHIP
-French press/coffee grinder
-Tea kettle
-Pillow
-Blanket
-Combat boots (For the colder months)
-Rain boots
-1 hoodie

BUY
-FOOD
-Bathroom items that I only brought in travel size
-Storage containers
-Lotion (Body, aloe and sunblock)
-Hair dryer (Mine wasn't going to last much longer, so to save space I left it at home)
-One beach towel
-Nail polish remover
-Toothpaste (Had to throw mine away at security at the airport)

TIPS:
-Drive if you can! It will make packing a little easier
-SPACE BAGS!!! They are a lifesaver and really do save space (even though I didn't believe it... Thanks for making it all fit, Mum!)
-If you don't have space bags, roll your clothes
-If you're flying, ask your parents to ship some things down to you

Bucket List

I want to make the most of my time at Disney, so I thought the best way to do this was to make a bucket list. Here it goes:

1. Fill an autograph book
2. Meet all of the princesses (and princes if they're out)
3. Meet Tinkerbell (She falls into the next item on my list, but I need to make sure I meet her)
4. Meet as many characters as possible
5. Try Dole Whip
6. Be the first one to enter Magic Kingdom
7. Be the last one in Magic Kingdom
8. Visit all four parks in one day
9. Explore the parks on my own for a day
10. Take a picture in front of the parks landmarks
11. Drink/Eat around the world in Epcot
12. Get a passport and travel Epcot
13. Actually ride rides (The last time I was at Disney I was on a princess hunt)
14. Do the Wild Africa Trek in Animal Kingdom
15. Go to each Disney resort
16. Have tea at the Grand Floridian
17. Go to ESPN Wide World of Sports complex
18. Eat at Be Our Guest
19. Experience character dining
20. Eat at Cinderella's Royal Table
21. Go to the holiday events
      - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
      - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
      - Christmas Day Parade taping
22. Dapper Day
23. Pin trade
24. Eat the Kitchen Sink... Not by myself. I'll need help.
25. See Cinderella's apartment (I know it's a long shot.... Maybe I'll be lucky enough to have to clean it)

Outside of Disney:

1. Go to Universal (HARRY POTTER!)
2. Go to a baseball game... Hopefully when the Tigers are in Florida
3. Eat at Margaritaville
4. Go to a beach
5. Go to a concert (One Direction..)
6. Blog AT LEAST once a week (but to be honest it will probably be more than that)

Be sure to check back and see which items I cross off! I'll also be sure to write blog posts on each item.

Disney Bound

As you may know, I am lucky enough to be moving to Florida to participate in the Disney College Program! For you to fully understand my excitement, let me take you back to my younger days...

Growing up with three older brothers definitely helped shape who I am. You could say I was a girlie-girl when I was young because of that. When I was younger I wore dresses everyday and was in love with Disney movies. My favorite was Snow White. I had all seven dwarf dolls and loved to dress up like her.

Let's fast forward a few years to college. I was lucky enough to also have a Disney-obsessed roommate my freshman year so we were constantly watching Disney movies. I found out about the DCP my freshman year and was set on doing it. I talked to my school's Disney rep, talked to students who had done the program and knew I had to join in on the magic.

Here's the thing... I haven't even been to Disney World yet! Of course I've been wanting to go since I was little, but I never went. I had my mind set on participating in the DCP the spring semester of my sophomore year.

The summer before my sophomore (actually, about two weeks before school started again) I decided I wanted to study abroad. I put my Disney dreams aside for a bit longer and decided to travel to London.

My family took a family vacation to Disney World the Christmas break before I left for Europe. I remember being in awe of the parks. I stood in line to meet the princesses (with my dad... He's a trooper), had an autograph book and watched any parade I could.

Meeting my childhood idol back in 2012

I specifically remember during one parade looking at my mom and saying "I want to work here!" She said she knew I'd say that. I don't regret going to London instead of Disney at all, by the way. I was lucky enough to go to Disneyland Paris while abroad!

As I was preparing to graduate I had to make a decision. Did I want Disney or my big city dream? At first I was set on Disney. I had wanted this for four years, after all. The more I talked to people about graduating the more mixed feelings I got. Some people were excited about Disney, while others were saying that it wouldn't help me get a "real" job. I started to believe the people who didn't like the idea of Disney and began to apply for "big girl jobs." I tried to get Disney out of my mind. 

One day I was talking to my mom and she asked if I was going to apply to Disney in case none of the other jobs worked out. It was weird timing because that week Disney was all I could think about. Later that week I filled out my application and the rest is history!

I'm moving to Florida to work at the most magical place on earth! Working for Disney is something I am very lucky to say I am doing and cannot wait to start this magical journey.