That's the thing about life here....It's a roller coaster.

So, obviously my previous blog was not the happiest of blogs, but it's the truest one I have published so far. That was raw emotion as I sat alone in my room one night sobbing. I felt truly alone, even though I have made so many new friends, and talk to my friends from back home all the time. I felt alone. That's not something we talk about often, feeling alone, no matter how strong and tight knit your support system is. 

Everyone feels alone at times. It's normal. 
It's life. 
The next day I was 100% A-Okay. and it's funny because sitting here that night I felt like if nothing else I was not going to be okay again. I was going to spend the rest of my program feeling miserable and depressed. 

I don't. 

Like they said, "you will have good days, and you will have bad days" That day was one of the several bad days I have had...But I have also had many great days! 

Story one: 

A fellow cast member came up to me and said "I have a guest here who would like to ask you a favor." and I was really confused, like what stranger specifically asks to ask someone for a favor. It was an 11 year old girl, named Sara. We talked for a few moments about; where she was from, why she was here, and then what her favor was. She told me about her friend, who's name she didn't mention out of respect. She told me she was supposed to come on vacation with her family, but sadly was stuck in the hospital because she was too sick to come. She has been fighting cancer for 2 years. Sara told me how she had made a promise to her best friend to film a video with every cast member she could get. In said video she wanted us to dance. She proceeded to teach us a little dance and then we waved and said feel better. 

I know this isn't a lot, but I cried, 
It was a really good day. and I am so glad we were able to help make her day. 
If said video ends up on youtube, then don't tag me in it, because I probably look like a wreck.


So don't let my previous blog stop you from coming if you are planning to apply, it's not all bad. 

Have a magical day. 

Depression, anxiety, and fears...

I know what you are thinking, depression? How can someone living in the happiest place on Earth be depressed? It's easy. I just up and moved my life 23+ hours away from home, away from every single thing I have ever known. and for what? To spend 9 months making magic happen for other people. Don't get me wrong, some days I am having the time of my life. But then there are days like today where I just want to sit on the floor of our shower and sob. It's a constant roller coaster of ups and downs...and I honestly don't know how much more I can take. 

I feel alone, in saying this, but I know that there are probably dozens of you feeling the same way I do. But I feel like I don't have anyone to talk to about it, because everyone keeps expecting me to be sooo happy with all the things I have going for me while I am down here...It's crazy. I can't even believe that I am not entirely happy. But I know it's possible, judging by the amount of CPs that have already self-termed. 

What an interesting word self-term. It's Disney speak for 'I quit' ... I don't think I could ever do this, unless something really bad was happening at home. No matter how alone in this I am feeling right now I know that the minute my plane landed back in New York I would regret it. I didn't come here to regret anything I have done, so I can't leave knowing that I will feel that way when I get home. 

I am so anxious about screwing up though, no matter what the reason. It's constantly in the back of my mind now. Always asking myself if I am following the rules, or doing something the right way, the wrong way, and any other way possible. So much is lost in translation when you are being trained by 4 different trainers that you are rarely ever sure if you are doing something the "right way" or the "Disney way" and it's driving me nuts. At my previous/current job back home there was only one uniform way to do things and one trainer...but here in the course of my training I trained with 4-6 different trainers, sometimes that was more than one in a single day. Crazy. So I am never entirely sure if I am doing something right or wrong. But I make it work I guess. 

I am so afraid of getting termed, or self-terming, or screwing up, or anything involving getting in trouble. It's making me more depressed just to think about it.

So recently my dog, Lucky, was hit by a car back home. He's doing okay, but just the thought that MY dog is home suffering and I am NOT there is killing me. Had anything serious happened to him I would have been packing my bags as soon as I found out. It's killing me inside that I am not there for him right now. 

It's just been a rough  couple of days, but the grass always gets greener right?...right?

Kayla.

It's been awhile

Hi everybody! This is my first blog post in like three weeks, wow. I just went from one extreme to another, posting more than once a day, and then not at all. 

Time is literally flying by right now, I don't know if it's because I am working so much, sleeping in all my free time or because I have actually made some really great friends and have been having the best times with! 

This program is wonderful, don't get me wrong, but it's not what we thought it would be. The amount of work they have us doing is crazy, the hours are crazy, and the Brazilian tour groups...are CRAZY. 
Brazilian tour group season just started, as did hurricane season. I don't know which one I am more afraid of...haha. Being a College Program participate I am automatically signed up to be on Disney's Hurricane Ride Out Crew. Which means that in the event of a hurricane they will bus me to a Disney hotel where I will sit and entertain guests, help pass out food, blankets, etc for up to 72 straight hours with pay. I feel like there is a lot of pressure on us to step up to the plate on this one...Well....I may be having a panic attack during this event...since they are busing us over during it. 


So I saw FANTASMIC for the first time, and if you have never seen it, you must. Oh my god it is wonderful! I absolutely loved it! 

My favorite parade by far is the Festival of Fantasy  I have seen it like 6 times so yes, I absolutely love it.

We learned that we do get fastpasses, and you can bet that now that we know we are actually using them when ever we can.

It's going to be a crazy busy summer though, because what they are calling the "cp gap" is coming up. It means that the cp's they currently have a lot of them are leaving in just a few weeks, so right before the summer gets underway. and then the next groups of cps don't start coming until August/September. So those of us that are here they are going to be using like crazy. I am waiting for the nice pay checks to roll in! 

Have a Magical day everyone! 

Kayla!

Poncho?

Poncho? Have you heard of this magical device? You might want to invest in one before moving down here. Two is day there where we have had rain/thunder storms. It's slightly depressing! Who wants to go play in the park in the rain(I mean I suppose people who pay a lot of money to get into the park)...which isn't us...but still. The storm yesterday lasted for HOURS, and of course we were stuck in a traffic jam (due to an accident, as we found out later on) for a good 20-30 minutes on I-4...I don't recommend getting on that road if you can avoid it. 

So lately, I have been noticing that people are all about being "trolls" or "bullies" on not only that Facebook page, but in person as well. I can't stand bullies. It's really not that hard to be a decent human being, if you can't find that quality then don't go bashing people. It's just not right. 

Can't we all get along? 

We all have different goals to reach during our time here, if you don't agree with someones opinion that's absolutely fine! But you don't need to be rude or put them down because of it. I have a solution for you; hold your tongue. 
Haven't you ever heard the saying if you don't have anything nice to say don't say(type) it at all. This goes for guest interaction as well, you may come across guest that are a tad bit ... or more, rude to you. It's not your place to tell them off or answer them sarcastically. As a matter of fact you better be so damn sweet it hurts when you answer them.

We ALL need to learn what respect is. 

Surprises!

So yesterday was a day full of birthdays! In case you hadn't heard it was Donald Ducks 80th Birthday!! And one of my very special roommates also celebrated a birthday yesterday! 
We surprised her! Which in itself was surprising because with 6 of us total living here it's hard to find time to get everyone in on the idea without having her find out. 
But somehow we pulled it off and surprised her at 1am on the morning of her birthday because otherwise there was not a time everyone was going to be home to see her! 

She cried, we cried because she cried. It was fun. 
We got to met Donald on his 80th birthday! 
We shook our tail feathers with him! 

We decided yesterday night after work so around 3 or 4 to go to Magic Kingdom, well it was ungodly hot we lasted maybe 3 hours and decided it was time to come home.  Of course at this point it being Florida and all we were walking back to the bus is the beginning points of a storm.
But I think tonight we are going Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom again. 

Until next time! 
Have a Magical Day

Smiles for days

It's been three weeks now since I moved, and not a day goes by that I don't miss something from home. But you wanna know something? Even on the days where I don't wanna get out of bed or go do something I have made myself. I don't want to let the fact that I am home sick keep from enjoying EVERY single thing that there is to enjoy down here in sunny Orlando Florida. 

Tis the season for all my favorite shows to start back up, to bad I don't get any of those channels in my lovely vista way apartment. How's everyone else enjoying their housing complexes? We actually really like our apartment. It;s got hard wood floors, high ceilings, two fridges. I'm not going to lie, living with 5 other girls can be a huge problem sometimes. But we make it work. I love them all so much, it's like my own little family, we have each others backs. 

Orange is the New Black came back on Netflix last night so I am currently binge watching that.

Other than working a lot, it's like living in a vacation. 
I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me! 

Have a magical day!

Heart Of House

You know how everything at Disney is magical out about and perfect all the time? It's people who supply that Disney magic and make sure that the right amount of pixie dust is used on every item. 
They are the Heart of the House. They make sure everything is organized and moving smoothly throughout the shops and stalls.
I worked my very first Heart of House shift today. Yeah, that shift where I had to catch a bus at four o' clock in the morning. I was not thrilled about going, actually I was rather upset with the fact that I had to go at all. Because you see there was a problem with my schedule. 
Today was: 6-4-14.
and I was scheduled to work heart of house, non-trainee. 
Here's the problem. My Heart Of House training was schedule on 6-11-14. 
Ya see the problem ? ... 6-11-14 has NOT happened yet. But thank god there was a wonderful trainer there today to teach me the ropes. Bad side to this story. I still have to go in and re-do my raining on the date that i am scheduled to actual training.
It's only slightly irritating. 

But today was actually a lot of fun, I met a lot of cool people! 

We made what we were doing entertaining because had we not the day would have dragged on endlessly. 

I am glad I actually sucked it up and made the best out of my day, and we finished just in time to be a part of the dance party. Which I am sure you can see by searching all star dance party. Oh lordy. 

Have a magical day guys!

Living the fast life.

I think last night was the first night I realized that there would be days I wouldn't see my roommates in any manner besides in passing. 
I had to be to work at 5am, my bus left at 4am, so I got up at 3am....It wasn't an enjoyable time. As I crept out of my room trying to be quiet not to wake up my roommate. I was greeted by questions from three roommates who had just gotten home a little over an hour before. 

Our chat was brief, and I'm not going to lie, I was so tired I hardly remember any of what was said to me. But still we had a moment to sit and catch up, since I hadn't seen one of them all week because when she was working I was sleeping and vis verasa. It's hard. I haven't slept more than 6 hours between the last two nights. 

I'm not used to this. 

They said once your program really got underway you wouldn't really have time to do much expect on days off. While this is us all fighting to have a social life. It's not going to be easy, but like everyone says "You are young" or "You only get to live this life once, so experience it."
Can't do that if My eyes are shut. 

Although, I will advise if you are a pale girl OR guy to load up on sunscreen as I sit here typing this with a second degree sunburn. Trust me, you do not want this. Or sun poisoning. It's the worst.

So we have a surprise planned for my roommate this coming week! It's her birthday! *Excited screaming* 
I love celebrating birthdays! and since we are so far from home and our families, we wanna make this special for her. For all of us really. 

It's funny that every single time we go into the park, at least one of us says, "I can't believe we actually get to live here." OR "This is really our life" 
When I applied I said over and over again. Eh...I'll apply but I doubt I will get in. To my shock here I am sitting in my comfy Vista Way three bedroom apartment. It's crazy. So if you are reading this and haven't applied, do it. It can't hurt to apply. You may be surprised that you may be the perfect candidate that Disney is looking for. 
All I wanna do today is sit here and blog, but like I have nothing else to say. 


Have a Magical Day!

Good days, Bad Days, and other.

We knew getting into this program that it would be just like any other job, with a bit more magic, but it would still present good days, bad days, and days that are just normal. 
I for one have worked in retail for a long time, I know the good days. I know the bad days. I know the normal days. 

Yesterday at work it was mainly a bad day. I won't get into detail as it mainly reflects the way I was treated by a higher up, and that isn't something I would spread and ruin a career. 
But there was a moment last night when I was ready to pull my hair out that one little girl reminded me why I am so happy I now work for Walt Disney World. 

I had been at work for maybe an hour when another cast member approached me with a young guest. She looked at me and said "This little princess has a huge request for us." This little girl seemed to be are 8-10 years of age. She explained to be that her bestfriend was supposed to come to Disney with her but was unfortunately home in the hospital fighting cancer. So she made a promise that on her trip to Disney she would film a video with as many cast members dancing with her as she could to make her friend happy. 

I wanted to cry then and there. 

I couldn't imagine going through that so young, and being so brave. She taught us the dance she wanted us to do, and we did it while they filmed us. 
Now this video could end up viral, and I probably looked like a complete fool. But to see the smile on her face when we all jumped on the chance to help her...It was truly a magical memory, not only for me, but for her. 

So when we do have bad days we can't just pout and decided that we are done and wanna leave. No. We need to stay, because there will be days where your smile(Your REAL smile) never leaves your face. Where the magic is obviously all around and spreading joy! 

Don't let the bad days get to you guy! 

Today, I am going to Animal Kingdom for my FIRST TIME. 
I cannot wait! 

So tell me about some of your magical moments so far! 

Have a magical day. 
Kayla!