One thing I quickly learned is that training really doesn't train you for the job. We learned how to properly clean, where to get the supplies we need and other important things like that, but we didn't learn what the zones were or how a typical day is. I thought when we got one assignment that was our task the rest of the day, but it constantly switches. I also don't know the zones very well, which would've been great to learn during training because I feel like I'm just wandering a place, hoping it's part of my zone.
Friday after my assessment I met my friend Alicia in Downtown Disney. Fun fact: Alicia and I wrote for an online blog but never met until we were both at Disney. We were going to see a movie but it was sold out so we just explored Downtown Disney instead! She extended her program so she has been here for a while and knew of some places to get dinner. We went to an irish pub and I fell in love with it. They had irish dancers and even had Rekorderlig, which is a drink I had while in London.
She also took me to my first Disney resort, Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was absolutely beautiful and we even saw a giraffe! It blows my mind how nice the resorts are because I would never want to leave the resort, even for a park.
I usually don't get homesick, but it hit hard this week. It's a very strange feeling because if I ever did miss home while at school I could just go home for the weekend. Even when I studied abroad I never got homesick. I think what is making it so bad now is that most of my friends and roommates work during the day and my shifts usually aren't until night so I don't get to hang out with people a lot. When I was abroad my friends schedules and mine all matched up that we had the same days off and had classes at similar times so we were constantly together. As soon as I get to work the homesickness wears off, thankfully.
Speaking of work, I found out my favorite shift is bypass, where we let guests go through a backstage area to get to the front of the park to help keep the traffic on Main Street low. We put on Mickey Mouse hands and wave goodbye to the guests. When I see little girls I usually say "bye princess," to them or if they're dressed up as a specific one I'll call them by that name. They're eyes light up and it's amazing to see their reactions.
I had my first celebrity experience at work! Well, I didn't even see the celebrity, but Waka Flocka was at MK on Sunday night. Apparently he was there with his girlfriend and daughter. I'm not a fan of him, but I was hoping to catch a glimpse of him just to say I did. A lot of my co-workers saw him, though! I heard John Travolta visits MK often so I'm hoping to see him eventually.
I had Monday off and I have been dying to explore the world showcase at Epcot, so I did just that. First I went to a discount store for cast members. I heard great things about it so I was very excited, but I realized it's very much a hit or miss situation. I didn't find anything I liked there, but I saw things some of my friends had gotten before so I'll have to try again later.
Eventually I made my way to Epcot and travelled the world. I went to Germany first so I could meet Snow White. She has been a favorite of mine since I was little so I had to meet her!
I continued to go to the different pavilions, stopping at just about every country including Italy, France and of course the United Kingdom. I went to every shop in the UK and found so much merchandise I'm trying to resist to buy, but I do need a Mickey UK shirt eventually. I stopped by the pub to see if they had to same drinks I had while I was abroad and I did find one, Pimm's!
When I had been to all of the pavilions I decided to head back to the American pavilion because a U2 tribute band was playing. I had some time to kill so I watched them for a bit and then made my way to the beginning of the showcase to find a spot to watch IllumiNations, their nighttime show. When it started I realized a fastpass is probably the best way to watch the show so I left and made a mental note to get a fastpass next time.
Having a day to myself in Epcot was much needed. I work the next seven days with a few long shifts so a bit of alone time in the park was refreshing. I realized today that is the worst part of working in MK... The hours are terrible! The other parks close between 9-10 I believe, but MK doesn't close until midnight, unless there are magic hours then they stay open until until later (sometimes 3 a.m.). This isn't good for me, considering I enjoy going to bed early and waking up early so adjusting to this new schedule is pretty difficult.
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