Everything I Needed to Know I (Re)learned in Disney World

So maybe I didn't learn everything I needed to know here. Actually most things I needed to know I learned a camp, but that's besides the point. I have been given the opportunity here to learn not only about the Walt Disney Company and gain business experience, but to drive home some lessons that are not always in the forefront of my consciousness. The last two weeks have been somewhat eventful for me on a personal level. I have no desire to go into detail on my personal life, so I will not. If you have some burning desire to hear me to recount the last two weeks, you can call me, but I promise, it's not that exciting. I digress; with a fair amount of recent self reflection I have narrowed down what I have recently relearned into three very relevant lessons.

1. I am young and have so many things left to do and accomplish. But I have time.
I think a lot of people my age forget this all too often. One bump in the road is by no means the end of the world. Hell, 17 bumps in the road are not the end of the world. That's just part of life and it makes us stronger, preparing us to kick butt and accomplish our potential in the future. I know this all sounds terribly cliche, but it's really important to remember. Everybody needs to slow down, enjoy the present and celebrate little successes. While it is so important to chase your dreams, be patient. The Disney College Program reminds me of this every day. No one is going to walk out of college and into an executive position at the Walt Disney Company. You have to work from the ground up here. Everyday, CPs are on the front line helping guests and making magic. In order to create the guest oriented culture that this company is known for, most of the professionals start off being paid minimum wage to straighten Mickey plush toys in a crazy park merchandise store or sweating inside a giant Pluto costume. I love the culture of this organization and how it treats its people. After a little experience here I know I would really like to continue my professional relationship with the Walt Disney Company, but I also know that none of it will come easily.

2. I have a support system of amazing people who I love and who love me.
I am a damn lucky girl. The other day when I wasn't feeling my best I walked out into the common room in my apartment I found the most glorious pink box on the kitchen table filled with Georgetown Cupcakes from my mommy. On the way out the door to recycle the box I almost tripped over the box of flowers that my best (read: only... I'm kidding. But really...) friend, the lovely Miss Nikki Jenner, had sent me. I am by no means saying that I expect presents when I'm sad, but I am very thankful for the people who let me know they're thinking of me when I'm not at my best. To top it all off, my mom changed her plans and got on a plane and came to visit me for the weekend, (which was absurd amounts of fun as well!) Really what I'm getting at is that I love my family and friends so much. I know it's okay for me to not always be at 100% because no matter how far away I am, they will be there to make it better. I'm truly never alone, which gives me the courage to things like move to Florida by myself. Something I really need to remember as my imminent college graduation quickly approaches.

3. I need to make the most of the opportunities I'm given. Especially opportunities that involve improving myself.
I don't know if has completely hit me yet that I'm living in Disney World. This is just such a cool place to live. There is always something going on. People save up thousands of dollars for years to come on vacation here and I am lucky enough to live here and enjoy much of Disney World for free. From a career standpoint, I am in an amazing position to network and get my foot in at a Fortune 100 company. I realize how important it is for me to spend some of my free time building these professional relationships. Disney aside, I also have the opportunity to live in central Florida, in the beautiful sun while it gets colder at home. In addition, working full time allows me to actually spend my time outside of work however I please (NO STUDYING!!!) Time is an opportunity that we all let slip away far too often. With all of this in mind I have resolved to spend more of my free time (1) building relationships, both personal and professional, (2) exercising, and (3) going to the pool.

Again sorry this is all a bit cliche, but it's cliche for a reason.

Have a Magical Day!
Jess

Brief (but Inevitable) Rant About Gender Roles in Disney

Before I say anything I really need to preface this post with a few notes. First, I am by no means a gender studies scholar, nor do I intend on making any academic claims. I've only ever taken one women's studies course. All of what I say is just my observation. My tenancy to notice these things has everything to do with the strong, intelligent, outspoken women with whom I tend to surround my self. Second, I love Disney. And I love princesses. I still do want to be a princess when I grow up. I often spend my time at work wishing I either had a little girl to buy every single princess dress for or that they made them in my size. Lastly, I like other things too, like playing sports. Generally I love doing anything that involves excessive amounts of dirt or mud. Mud is a much less glamorous accessory then say... a tiara, but will complete an outfit just the same.

So yesterday I was in Team Mickey, the sports themed store in Downtown Disney. They sell ESPN gear as well as professional and college team merchandise, most of which is Disneyed up a little bit. I stopped for a minute to think about what they had for women. There was some cute v-neck t-shirts which I'm all for. And there was this ugly t-shirt that said something along the lines of "Yeah I'm a women. Yeah I know football. Yeah I dress like a an 8-year-old on her way to soccer practice." in a glittery, feminine font. Apparel-wise that was it. There were of course the typical Disney souvenirs as well like bobble head figurines, key chains, the works. Most of which depict the male Disney characters playing various sports. No Minne. No Daisy. No princesses. I don't think sends the right message to aspiring princesses/professional soccer players, such as an 8-year-old version of myself. In addition, there are definitely men that look much better than me in "women's" v-neck shirts.

So today I was stock trained at the Emporium. It was a really long day where I was shown where everything is stored in our 6 different stock rooms. That is not an exaggeration. There are six stock rooms and I will never remember where anything is. All of the children's merchandise is categorized both in our stock system and on our floor as either girls or boys. The Star Wars figurines and the blue Crocs are in the room labled "Boys" while the jewelry and pink Croc's are in the room labled "Girls." I just don't understand what it would hurt to take these labels off what is ultimately just children's merchandise. Those labels that end up defining what gender is supposed to be can alienate children (and people in general) that do not fit into the binary that Disney uses to define gender. Based on what I grew up believing and what I've been told by this company, Disney is in no way about alienating people. It is about creativity and imagination, part of which is encouraging individuality. So why can't a girl dress up as Buzz Lightyear instead of Cinderella and a boy collect princess pins instead of Cars pins? I really just think everyone would be better off.

So in conclusion, Disney merchandise severely under-represents Mulan. She's the most kick-ass princess of them all.

Family and Food (and Wine)

So yesterday was literally the most glorious day in Disney, as my Dad and little brother, Danny, were down here visiting for the day on their way to Jacksonville for the Redskins game tomorrow. Not to mention the fact that it was the first day of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. We did everything you could hope to do in Disney World in one long, exhausting, magical day. It was really nice to have some familiar faces around, as I am constantly in the process of trying to make new friends down here. We started off in the Magic Kingdom bright and early and were waiting outside when the park opened. Because of my crazy work hours I have recently been sleeping from about 4am-Noon everyday, so this was a difficult, yet needed adjustment to my sleep schedule. As all good tourists do we begun the day with a picture in front of the castle. I happened to ask the only cast member that has no idea how to use a camera, let alone an iPhone to take the picture for us. To be fair, he was pretty old, but still. After several tries we got this:

Good enough. Then with my mad camera skills I took this one:

Lines were short, so we rode everything multiple times. Dad ate a turkey leg. Danny and I had churros and Dole whip pineapple floats. Very nutritious, I know, but everyone was happy. Then off to Hollywood Studios. We rode the Tower of Terror twice and then the Rockin' Roller Coaster 3 times in a row. Literally my dream. I sat out while they did Star Tours because simulator rides make me incredibly nauseous. While they rode, the usual Orlando 4 o'clock downpour began, so we bought Mickey ponchos and hung out in the Star Wars store:

The rain calmed down and we headed to Epcot. Since it was the opening of the Food and Wine Festival, the park was a mad house, but well worth it. During this event, Epcot sets up food and drink kiosks from all around the world, made up of countries that are and are not included in the World Showcase. Naturally, we blew off our dinner reservations and ate everything in site while spending way too much money. To give you an idea, here is a list of everything I consumed and the kiosk it came from:

Craft Beers
 -Abita Purple Haze
Australia
 -Shrimp on the barbie with pepper berry citrus glaze
Mexico
 -Lime-strawberry margarita
Cheese (yes, there was a cheese kiosk)
 -Swiss cheese fondue with sourdough bread
Hops and Barley (America?)
 -Maine lobster roll
 -Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock
Florida Local
 -Floida Orange Groves, Key Limen (Key lime wine... nom)
Japan
 -Spicy hand roll
Morocco
 -Baklava
 -Sangria
Canada
 -Canadian cheddar cheese soup

This festival goes until November 12. It will literally be the end of me. I'm going to eat so much and spend so much money. (Come visit me... All the noms are here.)

Today I went out to lunch with Dad and Dan in Downtown Disney before they went on their way to Jacksonville. I could not have asked for a better way to spend my time off. And now I am back to the the Emporium this evening from 6-12:30. At least its not too late of a shift and I'm not closing. At this point any time I have a shift ending before 1 am, I get excited that I'm getting off early. That's the cast member life I guess. I don't really have anything to complain about. I'm having a great time, and although I miss everyone at home and at school, I am so incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. On that note here is my shameless plug. Apply for this program. Its a really easy application process, you'll learn a lot, and have the adventure of a lifetime! Here's the link to apply:
http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/

Have a magical day!
Jess

People Here are Very Bad at Driving

I'm not even going to try and be creative with the title of this blog post. Everyone that drives in the greater Orlando area, whether they are from here or not, are not only awful drivers, but they are mean while doing it. I almost broke down in tears on the way home from work tonight after being cut off literally five times in a row. It's so bad. Everyone here needs to calm down and leave five minutes earlier, so they aren't in such a hurry and don't feel the instinctive need to cut me off anytime they come anywhere close to me. Okay, just had to briefly rant. I feel better now.

In other news, work is really good when I'm not driving there or driving home. Because we're in Disney World and everything happens two months early here, it is Halloween in Disney. I have worked a couple of the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties at the Magic Kingdom. It's lots of fun and brings a little variety into the parade and fireworks lineup. People go nuts over these parties. We sell t-shirts and pins that are exclusive to the Halloween party and they literally fly off the shelves. Especially the pins. People pay absurd amounts of money for those things. One pin is $14. You can also buy the box set for $125 or the framed box set for like $200 or some absurdly high price. Yeah... and people actually buy those things.

But despite everyone here being nuts, I'm really enjoying work. It goes by really fast, and I'm really enjoying talking to all different kinds of people from all over the world. Plus, today at work they had nachos and potato salad for Emporium cast members back stage. This place really knows the way into my heart. Needless to say I was one happy plaid-clad Disney lady. Speaking of plaid, I will leave you with this thought...

Sorry if this hurts your eyes. This is what I wear every day.

Working For the Mouse

So as of yesterday I have successfully completed my training at the Emporium on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. It has been such a whirlwind of information and learning. The store itself is GIGANTIC so I am still trying to figure out where everything is. And I'm sure as soon as I have some idea, they will move stuff around and I will be back where I started.

My costume is top notch.

This does not even include the silly little tie, my pantyhose, or my grandma shoes. There will be pictures of me in it to follow. I think I may have won the ugly costume contest. However, I did meet a girl the other day that works in the Animal Kingdom that told me she was jealous of my costume, which as you can see by the full length plaid skirt and ruffly shirt that buttons all the way up and chokes you a little, this girl was blatantly lying.

I don't really mind wearing it all that much though. Every one else is wearing the same thing and its a lot of fun to be part of the show. I was never much of a performer (except for my foray into Beginning Acting at W&M and my days at Slayton House drama camp... I played Harriet Potter in Harriet Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.) Working here though I find it easy and a lot of fun to be a part of the giant show that is Walt Disney World. This particular show involves me having a lot of conversations (especially with kids,) which for me beats performing on big stage or being the center of attention any day. Interacting with the guests is by far my favorite part of my role.

In the past week I have had a lot of training but, being in Walt Disney World, I had to have a little of my own fun as well! I spent a magical day in the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios with some of my roommates. And by magical I mean there were no lines at all. For anything. Except Peter Pan, but we got a fastpass for that. Morgan and I also spent an evening in Epcot. We ate in Italy. I ate a very delicious (very expensive) pizza. Then we watched the show, IllumiNations, which involves a lot of fireworks and a giant tv screen globe that opens up and there's fire in the middle.

This place outdoes everyone else in all aspects of their parks. Every little thing is thought out. Like did you know in all Disney parks, the castle is due north of the park entrance so the sun is never in front of or behind the castle during pictures. Who thinks of that? The only thing I've seen them be outdone in is their colonial themed areas, but Williamsburg may have biased me slightly. Everyone thinks I'm a weirdo when I can point out consistencies and discrepancies in the mock colonial architecture... Thank you Williamsburg.

Alright, well I'm off to another magical day off in the parks. I love and miss everyone at home and at school.

Have a magical day!
Jess

Adventures in the Utilidor

So I made it safely into Orlando Tuesday night, stayed in a hotel for the night, and checked in with the Disney College Program on Wednesday morning. And I mean MORNING. You get instructions from the program before you arrive saying that you can check in between 9 and noon. Reasonable, right? Wrong. The first person in line got there at 1 AM. I was told if I wanted to get into one of the good apartments I had to get there really early. I got in line at 6:30 AM and it was still dark. Needless to say I was not pleased. Not to mention that I had to get in the back of a giant line. So that happened and I did not enjoy it. Nothing should be aloud to happen before the sun comes up.

Then I signed some things and they let me and my roommate, Morgan, request where we want to live. We ended up in an three bedroom apartment in Patterson Court. The other four girls have been at the program since earlier in the summer. The apartment is very nice, especially in comparison to the conditions I've been living in at 400 for the past two years. The complex is beautiful. There's a clubhouse, a gym, and a pool on the property. And palm trees everywhere of course.

Next they printed us ID's and sent us off to the casting building. The outside of that building is painted like the argyle socks Walt Disney used to wear and the inside is like a giant maze with golden Disney statues on giant pillars and pictures of a lot of happy people all over the walls. The first thing that happened upon arrival at this building was they told all of us our "roles" or where we would be working. I am working in the Magic Kingdom on Main Street USA West, which I believe is the Emporium. I pretty excited about it. Hopefully it will be super magical... but really.

The past couple of days have been pretty slow. I couldn't go to the parks because I didn't have my cast (staff) ID yet. There was a lot of lounging, pool, gym, and generally just getting myself situated here. This morning I attended a class called Disney Traditions that all CPs attend. It was really long and early. I had to be on the bus by 6:45 this morning to go to Disney University. We learned about Disney history, values, procedures and what not. The best part was a walk we took through the Magic Kingdom.

We entered through the Utilidor, the hallways that are directly under the Magic Kingdom... super sneaker. I got a little emotional as we walked down Main Street because it was my first time in the park on this trip and I just really love this place. I know it's a little cheesy, but I really cannot wait to be a part of it all. I also got this cool name tag today:

Pretty official, right? And it's got some Tribe pride too! I will definitely keep everyone updated with the rest of my costume. I believe I receive that on Monday. Preview: it includes grandma dress shoes and black hosiery. I also have heard some rumors of brown plaid... GET EXCITED! So I'm off to the outlets to buy my grandma shoes!

Have a magical day!
Jess

The Road to Mickey

I have spent the past couple of weeks between home and Williamsburg. My time in Williamsburg has really been a treat, as I have absolutely no responsibilities there at this point in time. Most of these days were spent with people I will miss so much over the next semester. In my time spent at home, I only pretended that I had no responsibilities. I spent some great time with some of my favorite people at home, but I actively ignored my pile of belongings stacked up in a corner of the dining room.

I did a couple of little things to get ready, mostly to trick my mom into thinking maybe I would be packed in time to leave today, but nothing that useful. Earlier this week I did go shopping for professional business lady clothes, but this was also in large part due to my mother's planning. (I got 2 dresses, 3 pairs of pants, 5 shirts and 3 cardigans at Marshall's for $300. Had to briefly brag about that deal. My mom did all the work. She's the best.) My unwillingness to pack should not be mistaken for inability, however. I've packed myself for both camp and school countless times. I'm pretty good at it actually. I just have recently found myself resistant to change. I felt incredibly overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of packing up all my things and heading off to a new place with all new people. This feeling is probably not eased by the fear that surrounds my rapidly approaching graduation from William and Mary. Now that I am completely packed and on my way to Orlando, I'm still a little bit stressed, but I think it's the good kind of stress; the kind of stress that is interchangeable with excitement.

So here I am, in the Hilton Garden Inn right of of I-95 in Savannah, Georgia writing this blog post. It was really nice of them to give me free internet. It took 10 hours and almost 600 miles to here. Overall, it was a pretty easy drive. 95 is not at any point an exciting road to drive on. South Carolina is literally the longest most boring, desolate state to drive through. All of the excitement ends after South of the Border:

As I get closer and closer to my experience in Disney, my nerves are easing and turning into excitement. Despite my resistance to change, I know this experience will be great for me. I will arrive in Orlando tomorrow and check in on Wednesday. So begins my adventures in the most magical place on earth! There will be much more in days to come.

Have a magical day!
Jess