Traditions and "Earning My Ears!"

I left off when Ana and I were arriving at Disney University for Traditions. The bus ride there was quite an experience. We get a behind the scenes look at the new Fantasyland construction and it was so neat to see Disney from the inside! The beginning of Traditions was basically an introduction to the company policies and procedures. As our leader was explaining the Disney Basics, he stopped and said, "You know what, maybe you would understand better if we showed you. Anyone up for a trip to the Magic Kingdom??" Yay! How exciting! We even got these cool headsets that made us look so official. I asked someone to take my picture as I posed!

 

It was, hands down, the coolest experience of my life. Not only did we go to Magic Kingdom, but we went through the underground tunnels! As we came out of the tunnels we were standing at a large wall, it looked like an everyday construction site. Normal signs, normal workers, nothing seemed like Disney. Our leader told us to look around and soak it all in. Remember the sights, sounds, everything about the moment we were in. Suddenly, he OPENED the wall in front of us, and we were on Main Street, U.S.A.! The magic of Disney instantly hit me and the whole atmosphere shifted from reality to fantasy. I will never forget how awesome that was and just that experience made the whole internship worth it! After we walked around MK for a while, we headed back to the classroom to wrap up the day. As we were finishing up the videos, someone knocked at the door. It was Mickey! He had a special gift for all of us...our name tags! Here is a picture of mine!

I was BEYOND thrilled to see my name on a Disney name tag! Soon after that, traditions was over and we hopped on a bus back to Chatham. It was a very long day and I was exhausted, but I had two days off so I planned on enjoying them at Disney! That's exactly what I did. I sat around the apartment until Sam got home and she and I hit the parks three days in a row! I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to drive to Hollywood Studios simply to ride Rock 'n Roller Coaster once and leave. The fact that doing something like that is completely reasonable is unbelievable to me! My Disney ID is probably the most valuable thing I have ever owned, haha. I can get into any of the parks for free as well as park for free and receive discounts on merchandise! I fully enjoyed my days off and had my first day of training on Saturday. It went well, just more talk about the Disney Basics, and my real work didn't start until that Tuesday. I trained for about four days with different trainers, did online learning, and.....wait for it.....I FINALLY EARNED MY EARS! Woooohoooo! I was so excited to remove the"Earning My Ears" badge from my name tag. I feel like a real cast member now, LOL. I am working in both the Swan and Dolphin resorts and I may also pick up shifts at the Boardwalk resort. I am only working with one other college student, most of the other cast members are older, but I love them all. They are so sweet and helpful. Our shops aren't the busiest, but I have really great hours compared to the late night shifts at the parks. I have had so much fun visiting with guests the last few days! I've always loved the experiences I've had at Disney, but actually making the magic is even more fun! If you're ever in the area, stop by the Swan and Dolphin and say hi! Have a magical day!

Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering what our apartment looks like, here's a video tour that I made. Enjoy!

Welcome Home!

Alright, I admit it....I have been slacking! It's been forever since I've posted here. I have been so busy and we just got our internet set up. No more excuses, I will fill you in on everything that has happened since finals week!

Finals were crazy, as expected. I finished my semester with a 3.26 GPA. Not bad, but definitely not a 4.0 anymore. Hopefully I can bring it up! Anyway, after my last final my parents met me to help me move out of my dorm. It was a long drive home, and I ended out getting my first ticket. I was completely exhausted and it took me almost a week to catch up on sleep! My mom decided to pack for Disney the day after I got home from Monroe. If I've learned anything over these last 19 years, it is to never argue with Mama. It's true what they say, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" I spent as much time with my family as I could over that week, and I cherished every second. Another thing I have learned the hard way is that friends will come and go, but family is ALWAYS there. I never take them for granted and I am so blessed to have all of the love and support that they give me. I was so sad to leave them that I almost changed my mind. Of course I couldn't turn down this opportunity, though, so I stuck it out.

My mom and I woke up around 4am Sunday morning and got ready to head to Florida. I told Grace and Brennan bye the night before, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my whole life. I was glad that I was able to tell everyone goodbye at different times, saying goodbye to everyone at once would have been completely overwhelming. After my mom and I were ready to head out the door, we woke up Daddy and I told him goodbye. I only thought telling Brennan and Grace goodbye was hard, telling my Daddy goodbye and seeing him tear up completely broke my heart. Around 5:15am, we were officially on our way.

We had the ideal trip, no problems whatsoever and we made excellent time. I was very glad that my mom made the trip with me, it was nice to spend that time with her and she was a great help. I couldn't have done it without her! We got to Orlando around 5pm on Sunday and we unpacked the car and settled into the hotel. We had a long day ahead of us, so we had dinner at the hotel and went to bed early. The next morning we dressed and headed to Vista Way to wait in line to check in. We got there around 6am and waited in the parking lot for my roommate, Samantha. She got there around 6:15am and we went to get in line. Check in wasn't until 9am and believe it or not, the line started at 4:30am! We had a long wait, but it was nice to get to know Sam and her parents. We planned on getting a 2 bedroom apartment at Chatham, but we needed two more housemates. Lucky for us, the girl in line behind us had no roommates and also wanted a 2 bedroom at Chatham! Her name was Ana, and she and her mother were super sweet. We originally planned on living with another girl named Hannah, but her plane was delayed and she ended out sleeping in the Atlanta airport. She didn't get to check in until 10am, so we had to find other girls. When it was finally time to check in, Samantha, Ana, and I all went together. We were lucky enough to get the room we wanted, we would just have one random housemate placed with us to room with Ana. The check in process took a few hours, and then we got on a bus and headed to casting. SO exciting! This is where we would be assigned roles and get all the rest of our information. Samantha got merchandise at Magic Kingdom in Adventureland, Ana got merchandise at Downtown Disney, and I got merchandise at the Swan and Dolphin resort! We were all happy with our roles and when we were finished we headed back to meet up with our parents. After meeting them, we all headed to Chatham to move into our new apartment! Chatham is absolutely gorgeous. It looks like a fairytale. We got the last building all the way in the back, but our room is conveniently on the first floor! Instead of making multiple trips, we started moving in right away. It was an exhausting process, but it went rather smoothly. After we moved everything in, we met our last housemate and Ana's roommate, Tess! She is also very sweet and we all get along great. She is working attractions at Magic Kingdom in Frontierland (Splash Mountain)! Around 3pm, Sam told her parents goodbye and my mom dropped us off at our housing meeting which lasted until 5pm. My mom decided to have an "adventure" while she waited for us and she used the GPS to get to Animal Kingdom Lodge to buy some zebra domes! She had a little but of a challenge getting back, but eventually she made it in time to pick us up. We dropped Sam off at the apartment, I packed an overnight bag, and my mom and I headed to the grocery store. The store was packed and it was hard to get around everyone. We probably spent about 2 or 3 hours there, and we eventually headed back to the apartment to put everything away. Once we finished, we told everyone goodnight and headed back to the hotel. It was definitely the longest day of my life, and I was exhausted. Despite how tired we were, we planned to spend the entire next day at Magic Kingdom. As planned, we woke up early and dressed for the park. We got to Magic Kingdom just after rope drop and it was still as magical as ever. The feeling of walking down Main Street toward Cinderella's castle is unexplainable.We split a delicious blueberry muffin from the bakery for breakfast and the we wandered around the lands. It was the most relaxing trip to Disney I have ever had, and it was so much fun! We didn't rush for anything at all, and we enjoyed every second. For lunch we had burgers and fries in Frontierland. We even took the monorail to the Grand Floridian and relaxed in the lobby for a while. From there we took a bus to DTD and did a little shopping. We took a bus back to the Wilderness Lodge, and it was beautiful! From there we took a boat back to Magic Kingdom where we spent the rest of our day. We stayed there until closing and ended our day by watching the Wishes firework show. It was beautiful and we enjoyed it. I am so blessed to have a mother that I can also call my best friend. We greatly enjoyed our day, and I wouldn't change it at all. We grabbed some KFC for dinner and headed back to the hotel. We were exhausted, but we still cut up and laughed all night. Neither of us said anything, but we were both soaking it all in. She would be leaving the next day and I would drop her off at the airport. We woke up early, made a quick trip to Target, and headed to the airport. It was the saddest goodbye yet. It was for real this time, she was leaving and I was on my own. Reality set in quickly and I knew I had to be strong. We hugged each other and cried, neither of us wanting to let go. She headed inside and I drove away. Just as I turned on the radio, I heard the perfect song.

http://youtu.be/VL893RIp3gg

I suddenly knew that I was exactly where I needed to be. I stopped crying and felt a wave of confidence and strength. It was a long drive back to Chatham. When I finally got there, only Ana was home. Sam and Tess had traditions at 8am and Ana and I had traditions at 2pm. I relaxed a bit and then we walked to the bus stop to head the Disney University!

Procrastination at its Finest!

So let me being by apologizing for lying to you. I know I was supposed to be in "finals mode"....but it's just not happening! How's a girl supposed to think about chemistry and pre-calculus when I have princesses on my mind?! I only thought waiting to be accepted was hard, but this...this is WAY harder! I have a chemistry final Monday night, pre-calc final Tuesday morning, Wednesday is "dead day" (no finals so we can "study", lol) and then I have my last two finals on Thursday. I will be SO relieve when I am finished with school so I can get home and start preparing to leave again.


It's all coming up so fast, it's a little overwhelming. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I have no idea what to expect and I'm the type of person that likes to know EXACTLY what I'm getting myself into. Nevertheless, it's coming fast whether I'm ready or not. Thursday I will officially move back to New Iberia for about a week and then I have to pack up again and move to Orlando. I don't know who wouldn't be overwhelmed by that!

As much as I wish I could stay in la-la land for a little while longer, today is Sunday and I just have to start studying now. On a side note, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I just got off the phone with my sweet mother and she was telling me all about her morning. They went to church and my little sister, Grace (she's almost four), went to the nursery. When they picked her up, she explained, "Moma, I got in a fight at church. A little girl hit me so I hit her back. We hit each other twenty times." Now if that doesn't make you feel like an excellent mother...LOL! My mom was also very happy with her gifts, she even got a gift certificate for a massage! I can't tell you how jealous that makes me...MAN I could use a massage! Oh well, one day my time will come.

What IS the Disney College Program?

I know that same of you may not even know what the Disney College Program is, so I though that now is the best time to fill you in!

The Disney College Program is basically a paid internship through WDW. You have to be in good standing with your university and meed any of the other requirements that Disney has, including the "Disney Look". The first step to apply is to complete a WBI (web based interview) and if you pass, you will have three days to schedule an official phone interview (COMPLETELY nerve wracking, trust me!)

The lady who interviewed me was super nice and it almost felt like I was just talking to a friend. I had read about a million blogs about phone interviews so I kind of knew what I was getting into. For example, Disney is very different from any other job in the sense that the whole Disney experience is basically a show. Instead of a job, you have a ROLE. Instead of being an employee, you are a CAST MEMBER. Customers are GUESTS, etc. The most important thing about the phone interview is making sure that you can translate your personality through your voice. (Ever noticed that you very rarely find a rude cast member at Disney?? This is why!) After the phone interview, you have to wait about 4-6 weeks for results, either by mail or email. Doesn't sound so long, right? WRONG! This was the longest wait of my life, seriously.

After about three weeks, I FINALLY got an email! It was a Friday afternoon after I took the hardest Chemistry test of my life. I was having a pretty bad day, so I hoped it would be good news! It wasn't. I was officially  pending. Pending it basically like a wait list. About 15,000 students around the world apply for the DCP and only about 6,000 get accepted. After that email, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't get in and it wasn't meant to be.

Although I convinced myself that I wasn't getting in, I still checked my email religiously just to get some closure. The first Friday of Spring Break, I realized at about 11:30 at night that it was the first day I didn't check my email, so of course I grabbed my phone and logged in. TADA! I see the words: "Disney College Program: Your Invitation!" I flew out of bed to go tell my mom, who was asleep and jumped out of bed like I was a killer or something. As excited as I was, I knew that I had already accepted my Peer Leader position at school, which is a complete honor to be selected for, especially since I'm so young. Even though both choices were amazing, this was one of the hardest decisions of my life.

After about a week of going back and fourth, I finally decided that I only get one life to live and school will always be there. The relief I felt after making my decision was indescribable. I am basically leaving my entire life and everything that I have ever known for seven months. No matter what happens while I'm there, I know that this will be a life-changing experience. Just by making this decision I've realized that I have to life my life for myself, no one else. This may seem like the "easy way out" to some people because I will be basically getting a break from school, but it is exactly the opposite for me. I am an extremely hard-headed person and when I have my plan laid out in my head, I stick to it like it's nobody's business. Straying away from my plan was VERY hard for me to do, but through this I am fully and completely relying on God's plan rather than my own.

This excerpt from "Come Away My Beloved" is one that I randomly opened to one day while I was contemplating this decision. If this is not an answer from God, I don't know what is!

 "O My child, be quick to obey. For the moving of My Spirit may at times be inconvenient to the flesh, and may at other times be diametrically opposed to reason, but obey Me regardless of the cost. The more difficult the assignment, the richer the reward. I will not force you to make the choice, nor make My will inescapable. There will always be an easier way open to you and, to your mind, one that will seem more reasonable, involving less risk. I have calculated the risk to test and develop your faith as well as your obedience, and in the choosing process, I give you an opportunity to prove your love for Me. I intend to lead you into an increasingly abundant life, and by crucifying the desires of the flesh, to liberate your spirit. Trust and give Me a free hand. It will be a joyful surprise when the end is revealed."

Preparing for the Disney College Program

Hello everyone! My name is Courtney, for those of you who don't know me, and I was recently accepted to be a Merchandise Cast Member at Walt Disney World starting this May! I am currently a sophomore pre-pharmacy major at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Although I LOVE my university, I can't help but be more than thrilled for the opportunity to live/work at WDW for seven months!


I am currently in finals mode and preparing to take the all-horrifying exams that every student dreads. I am finding this exceptionally difficult this semester because I seem to be distracted......hmm, wonder why? I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT DISNEY! Me, little old Courtney from South Louisiana, is going to get to LIVE at WDW!

It may not seem like it now, but leaving for Disney was a very hard decision for me to make in the beginning. I was accepted for another, very prestigious, role at my school and was very upset to have to turn it down. (Although I have to admit, the thought of being able to see Cinderella's castle whenever I want to makes it a lot easier to deal with!) I have spent a lot of time talking with my advisor and I should still be able to apply for the position at school next Spring with no problems!

So, since I have officially talked off the ears of everyone around me about Disney, I have decided to write this blog to record everything from now until the dreadful day of January 3, 2012 when I have to snap back into reality and leave the happiest place on Earth. Until then, I will use this blog to keep everyone who is interested up to date with everything going on. I will leave you (for now) with this:

"All of our dreams can come true, if only we have the courage to pursue them." -Walt Disney