Bucket List Update

Hi Everyone!

Just a super quick update to say that I'm sorry I'm a slow writer and I promise that I'm trying to write updates as quickly as I can manage.

BUT...

If you want to go check out my Bucket List (Just click the little tab up the top there), you will see that I've updated it with what I achieved during my year at Disney.  I even included some notations on different items.

Now, I'll get back to writing and please comment with any questions or feedback you have, Thanks!

Enjoy!

15 Things I Learned on the Disney Cultural Exchange Program (Part 1)

So I've been thinking about how I could possibly start to blog about my experience and to be honest, it's a little overwhelming.  And since my go-to technique when facing an overwhelming task is to write lists, I figured that's how I would begin this process.  2015 was a huge year of growth and change for me and I learnt a complete butt-load of life lessons (yes, butt-load is the  correct term here).  I learnt so much about myself and other people and I came out a stronger person.  In fact I learnt so much I had to break this up in to 2 posts!  So here's your first installment: 15 Things I Learned on the Disney Cultural Exchange Program (Part 1).

1. Walt Disney World is both huge and tiny at the same time  

Disney is full of paradoxes, and one that I became aware of is the fact that despite how absolutely massive WDW is (it's like the size of a City!) it's begins to feel small pretty quickly when you live there.  People call this effect the 'Disney Bubble' and over time you realize that it really is like living in a huge invisible dome.  That's both a good thing and a bad thing.  It's good because getting around Disney World is incredibly easy - especially when you're a cast member and you can get just about anywhere without too much hassle.  Signage is impeccable and transportation is both plentiful and reliable.  Cast Members are friendly and helpful and cheerful music is always playing.  It's a magical wonderland designed to bring joy and happiness (and to get you to spend lots of money lol).  But sometimes it's so claustrophobic too.  You run into fellow Cast Members all the time, the crowds can be unbearable and the music starts to grate on your nerves sometimes.  The artificial quality of it all can be too much at times and you just want to spend one day without seeing something shaped like Mickey Mouse!  I made the effort to just get out of the bubble when I could and spent time in regular old Orlando.  It kept me same to not always feel like a perpetual tourist.  One of my favorite things to do was to catch the bus to the Florida Mall and just hang out there because it felt so normal, and that was very important for me.

2. I am so much older than I realized

This is what we call truth.  Oh my Lordy me, I am so much older than I think I am.  You see kiddos, in my mind, I'm still a sprightly young 21 year old, full of hopes and dreams and potential and so on. But in reality, I'm 32 year old and cynical and in need of sleep and coffee and with zero interest in clubbing and drugs and I have knees that creak when I get out of bed in the morning.  It took living and working with kids in their 20's for me to realize this.  I'm not meaning to sound condescending at all here, and I made so many great friends with people in their 20's at Disney, but I became very aware of how much I have grown and changed in the last 10 years or so.  I'm actually amazed at how much wisdom I have -I'm so wise now lol!  So It's not so much a criticism on others as it is a comment on myself.  And I've come to realize that I'm ok with myself and my age and who I have become.

3. It's best not to go in with too many expectations

This is a good lesson for life in general, but something I think anyone considering the DCP/ICP/CEP should take in to account.  I had so many expectations about what Disney was going to be like, what sort of job I would have, the fun I would have with my roommates etc and when those expectations weren't met, I struggled a lot to get my head around that.  In reality, I didn't get the job I really wanted, but I discovered that I'm a very good in retail and sales and that's helped me with my current job and plans for the future.  My roommates turned out to actually pretty nasty people and not the sweet and funny young ladies I had imagined them to be, but I eventually accepted that there were so many amazing friendships waiting for me outside of my apartment.  I wanted so much to work at Magic Kingdom that when I was assigned to Animal Kingdom I was truly devastated - but it turned out to be my favorite Disney park ever and I feel like I squandered my time there a little bit wishing for something else.  If my mind had been more one from the start I could have achieved so much more.

4. American's love Aussies and Kiwis

I sort of already knew this, but working in a Customer Service role just highlighted it tenfold.  People went crazy about it, asked so many questions, took photos and imitated my accent.  You get sick of answering the same questions over and over again ("Australia huh?  You're a long way from home!") and sometimes you will use an American accent just to avoid those conversations.  You'll have days where you simply cannot wrap your head around how naive and unworldly the average American is, but then you'll have moments where you're sitting in Miller's Ale House at midnight, trying to explain the complex rules of Aussie Rules football and having American friends actually wanting to watch a match with you and your heart will be so full of love for those crazy kids.

5. There are some really stupid people out there.

So stupid.  So, so stupid.  Disney Cast Members have a little joke that when people come to Disney, they accidentally leave their brains at home.  It's not meant to hurt or belittle people (and it's not something we actually say to guests) but it is unbelievable how many people fail to use common sense at Disney.  And I get it, truly I do - Disney is big and overwhelming and if you've never been there before and you're corralling four kids and trying to read a map and remember what time your fast pass reservation is and what parking lot your car is in.... well, something is going to fall by the wayside.  As a Cast Member, you just have to get used to stupid questions and assumptions and lack of understanding.

6. There are some really amazing people out there.
In 2015 I met some really fascinating people, like the woman whose grandmother knew L.M. Montgomery, the kid who looked like a super-cute toddler version of Thor, or the American father who was a random Aussie Rules Football fan and totally geeked out over sharing his passion with me.  I also made some incredible friends, like the ones who gossiped and giggled with me at work, drove me to Wal Mart at 11pm because we both desperately needed groceries, or took me to get a pedicure when some stupid guy stood me up and I was feeling sad.  People will spout cliche sayings about the DCP like it's a contest, but this one is true: it really is the people that make the experience worthwhile.

7. The roommate game is is tough
This is a whole blog post in itself!  I don't even know where to start with how crazy the whole roommate situation is.  Sometimes people get the most amazing roommates and everything is sunshine and roses and perfection - but that is extremely rare.
Living with strangers is difficult.
Living with friends is even harder.
Sharing a bedroom with anyone when you're over the age of 12 is a giant pain in the you-know-what!
You want to know a person's true character?  Live with them.  The sweetest person can turn into a psychotic monster if they don't like your placement of the toilet paper.  And being crammed into over-populated and aging apartments while you're adapting to a new country and working 60 hour weeks?  Yeah, it's tough.

8. Living in America isn't all it's cracked up to be (but sometimes it is)
This wasn't my first rodeo, I'd been to the US before so I had some idea of the culture and all, but living in America is very, VERY different from visiting there as a tourist.  Of course there's the fun of driving on the wrong (aka: right) side of the road and the excitement of visiting huge super-stores like Wal-Mart, but that novelty soon wears off and you find yourself having to adapt to daily life in a foreign country.  Despite the fact that you're technically speaking the same language, there will be translation issues.  Their paper money is just weird (seriously, so easily damaged!) and pennies will make your wallet triple in weight.  Adding on sales tax to almost everything is a constant nasty surprise, and remembering to factor in a tip (and working out what you're supposed to tip for) will do your head in.  People carry guns like it's not dangerous and going to the doctor is devastatingly expensive.  There is poverty in America that rivals third-world countries, and yet they speak constantly of freedom and how lucky they are, ignoring the violence on their local news programs every night.  Sometimes it's terribly overwhelming.
But then you chat to someone from Alabama about southern hospitality and you fall in love with their adorable accent.  You discover amazing places to eat and interesting products you can't get at home.  You go to a sports bar, eat buffalo wings and watch hockey, american football and baseball at the same time.  You watch the Oscars live and laugh at yourself when you realize you can't just google the winners.  You buy a bag of chips big enough to use as a sleeping bag and then try to explain to your American friends that we use the word 'chips' to mean both crisps and fries.
You realize that America is the weirdest version of Wonderland ever.

Is this thing still on?

Testing...testing...

Well hello there!  I'm guessing by now you had assumed me dead, having fallen to my death on Space Mountain or fed to the crocodiles on the Jungle Cruise - right?  And yes, I know, I went completely awol and didn't blog at all last year.  Bt if you're still with me I'd like to make amends.

For the record, I am back in Australia for the time being, my Disney ICP adventure having ended sometime in January, but I would still like to share my experience with you all.  And hopefully I can help out anyone who is thinking about doing the program in the future.  I make no promises, my updates will probably be sporadic and random at best but I will do my best to keep updating for you.

If you have any areas you're interested in or questions for me, please don't hesitate to let me know!

The Adventure Begins

Ok guys, sorry I have been soon unbelievably bad at updating this blog, but I've got a laptop now so I'm going to try and get some updates up.  I'm going to post these retrospectively, because even though it's been over a month since I came here, I want to share my entire experience.  My goal is to catch up with myself so I can post in a more real-time manner, but for now, I'll start with the beginning of my adventure and my journey to the USA.

So the day before I left Australia, I travelled with my parents to Melbourne.  We stayed the night at my brother's house which was nice because  got to say a last goodbye to my brother and his family.  On Friday morning, January 9th, I got up bright and early and made sure all of my stuff was securely packed before we headed to the airport.  I was excited, but at the same time it didn't quite feel real that I was moving to America.  I got to the airport first and messaged the other girls to let them know where I was.  Before long, Aprille, Hannah and Nichola arrived - I'd met Hannah and Nichola before but it was my first time meeting Aprille.  At this point our flight had been delayed, but we stayed positive and checked in before heading off for some final time with our individual families.  Finally the time came for us to head to the gate so we said our final goodbyes.  I tried not to get too emotional, but it was weird to think I wouldn't be seeing Mum and Dad for nearly a year.

Once we found our gate, we discovered that our flight had been delayed even further.  We were worried about making our connecting flight in LA, but there was nothing we could do about it so tried not to let it bother us.  The airline did give us all $20 vouchers to use in the terminal food court, so we stocked up on snacks for the flight.  Eventually we boarded and settled in four our 14 hour flight to LA.  As far as long haul flights go, it wasn't too bad.  It was my first time flying international with Qantas and I was very impressed.  Having an individual TV screen is so good, and it makes me wonder how I actually coped with my first flight to LA back in 2000 when I had to watch the same three movies as everyone else!  I watched Guardians of the Galaxy and Despicable Me 2 during the flight and went for lots of walks around the cabin and eventually we landed in LA.  We had missed our connecting flight and by the time we got through customs, we'd also missed the second flight they had booked us on!  Unfortunately, the next flight they could get us on wasn't until 10pm and it was only midday!  However, the airline put us up in a nearby hotel so we cold get some rest and relax before our flight.  I managed to catch a few hours sleep at the hotel which kept me going for the last leg of our trip, although the flight to Orlando was pretty tough.

But...FINALLY we landed in Florida at 6am on Saturday morning - about 12 hours later than we had originally intended.  The Orlando airport was very cool - we had to take a monorail from the gate to the main terminal building!  We picked up our bags and headed to the area where Disney's Magical Express picks up from.  We didn't have to wait at all before we got on to a lovely coach bus that we had all to ourselves!  Our driver was very friendly and told us lots of little tidbits about Disney World and Orlando during the trip to the hotel.  The moment we drove under that famous Walt Disney World sign was incredibly surreal, and it was even more special that the sun was just rising as we made our way on to Disney property.

Eventually we arrived at Disney's All Star movies Resort and made our way in to the check-in desk.  Check in was super easy and they even allowed Nichola and I to split the payment for the room which was very convenient.  We got given our magic bands, which have our names on the inside and we made our way to our rooms.  Nichola and I were kind of disappointed because whilst Hannah and Aprille had a room in the 101 Dalmatians area of the hotel (also where Lily and her Mum were), we'd been given a room in the Toy Story section, on the opposite side of the hotel.  But there were more dramas to come.  You see, when we got to the room, it wasn't clean.  In fact, it looked like someone had crashed it for a movie night or something because the beds were unmade and there were food packages everywhere!  Nichola ran back to the front desk so we didn't have to drag all our luggage again and when she returned she said they were going to allocate us a new room but it wouldn't be ready yet.  We left our suitcases with baggage services and went to find Hannah and Aprille's room.  We all had showers and got changed in to fresh clothes which was such a relief after so many hours of traveling!

We'd been messaging Lily, our roommate who was also staying at All Star Movies and she said she was heading down to the food court for breakfast so we made our way down there to meet her.  Once we found Lily and her mum, we snagged a table and got some food - I finally got my first taste of Mickey waffles!  After breakfast we checked out the hotel gift shop, which was much larger than I was expecting, and then said goodbye to Lily as she and her mum were heading off to a park for the day.

We returned to Hannah and Aprille's room and rang up to check on our room, but it still wasn't ready, so we all had a bit of a nap and just sat around watching old school Mickey Mouse cartoons for a few hours.  After a while, I rang the front desk again and they said our new room was ready!  The most exciting thing was that our new room was in the 101 Dalmatians area!  And we found out a little bit later that by some incredible coincidence, we had been put in the room right next door to Lily and her mum!  So crazy!  Nichola and I finally headed to our new room to get freshened up before the four of us caught a taxi to Walmart.  We wanted to see if we could get some bedding before the crazy rush of check-in day.  Walmart was great, but in the end we were all so tired we just wanted to go home.

Back at the resort, we had some dinner at the food court and then I skyped my family back home.  Nichola found Finding Nemo on the TV, so we watched that for a bit and Lily even came around to visit for a while but we were starting to doze off so we settled in to our beds to finally get a well deserved good night's sleep.

I'm still alive!

Hi all!  I'm so sorry this update is a long time coming but I've been so busy these first few weeks in America and I also don't have a computer at the moment so I'm attempting to to this update on my iPad.  This is just going to be a really quick update and I will do my best to put up more soon because I  want to make sure I don't miss out on anything.

First of all, this has been such an incredible adventure so far.  I won't lie and say it has been all sunshine and roses because there have been some huge challenges already, and I've had to learn to adapt my expectations of certain people and experiences.  That being said, I've also had some wonderful experiences and met so many lovely people so far, which far outweighs any difficulties I may be encountering.

I'm just going to go through a few of the basics here and then I'll go back and cover things in more detail in future posts.

Due to delayed flights, we ended up getting to Orlando 12 hours late so we arrived Saturday morning instead of Friday night, but it all worked out fine in the end.  I was lucky enough to be housed with the roommates I'd selected and we were allocated an apartment in Chatham Square (our first choice of complex), unfortunately we were given a 2-bedroom apartment, which means we have triple occupancy rooms/bunk beds.  We were pretty disappointed at first, although it hasn't been as bad as we first though it would be.  Our rent is significantly cheaper than a 3-bedroom apartment and they've also given us 2 fridges, which makes a massive difference in terms of space and storage.  Also, our apartment is really conveniently located near the main entrance to Chatham and it's only a 3 minute walk to the bus stop, so that's fantastic.

I was also initially slightly disappointed with my location as I was placed in Disney's Animal Kingdom park and that wasn't my first choice (I was hoping for Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios) but since my orientation and the training days I've had there so far, I'm actually really excited about working in DAK.  It's an incredible park and my location is great so you'll hear more about that soon. 

Because of my work/training schedule, I didn't get to visit a park until a week after I started, which I was pretty bummed about, but it was definitely worth the wait, and I got to have a day playing at Magic Kingdim yesterday - more to come about that!

I'm going to have to cut it short here because I have to head to work, but I've uploaded a few pics to Instagram if you want to check that out.  I promise to update as soon as I can!

The Day After Tomorrow

I named this post after a movie I quite like.  I also named it that because the day after tomorrow is a very special day - it's the day I hop on a plane and bid farewell to Australia for possibly more than a year!  After all my hassles and struggles, the day is finally here.  The day after tomorrow that is :)

Tomorrow morning, Mum, Dad and I will pack up the car and set off to Melbourne which is several hours drive.  We will spend tomorrow night at my brother's house and then on Friday (the day after tomorrow) I shall be up bright and early to make my way to the airport!  I'm travelling with 3 other girls - Nichola, Hannah and Aprille and we've arrange to meet at the airport at 9am to check our bags etc.  Our flight leaves at 11:55am so we will probably get a coffee and say our tearful farewells before heading through to our gate.

My bags are all packed and I am pleased to say I didn't have much trouble staying under the weight limit, although I have probably taken a lot  more clothes than I will need, but maybe that will save me money if I don't have to buy as many over there (wishful thinking!).  I'm flying with Qantas and one of the reasons I chose that airline is because they allow you two checked bags - I don't think I could pack my entire life in one suitcase!  

I can't quite believe that the day of my departure is almost here - it still feels like a bit of a dream to be honest.  I am starting to get excited but I'm not sure my brain has fully comprehended what's happening yet!  Although, that being said, I have noticed that I'm starting to get little excited butterflies in my tummy and jittery feelings when I think of what is about to happen.  To use a Disney film analogy, I feel a bit like Rapunzel, after waiting years and years for her life to begin, I've finally decided to do something, start an adventure - and it's both terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time!

It is unlikely that I will update again before I get to America, so I shall fare thee well and I'll see you all when I'm stateside!  

Christmas Wishes and Bucket Lists

Merry Christmas everyone!  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve here in Australia and I am writing this from my parent's house where I am spending the festive season.  I'm looking forward to spending some time with my family before I head off to Florida next month!  I can't believe how quickly everything is happening - it's less than 20 days until I leave Australia!

You will hopefully begin to see more frequent updates from me very soon, in fact there's already some blog updates you can check out.  You will notice I've added my bucket list to the navigation bar at the top of the page, I will try to keep that updated throughout my program as best I can.  Please let me know if you have any ideas for things I should add to my bucket list or great things to do in Florida, because I would love to hear them.

Also, I have been feverishly trying to get my DICP Guide up-to-date before my departure because I don't know how much time I will have to work on it once I'm in America.  I'm currently finishing off my posts on the visa process which has been a mammoth task.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy taking some time out to enjoy being with your loved ones.  Thank you to everyone who has been following along with me in this journey so far, and the real adventure hasn't even begun yet!

And the Vlogging Continues

I'm sorry that this is just another vlog update (unless you really like my vlogs, in which case - you're welcome!).  I am officially done with school as of tomorrow so I plan to work on updating this blog a lot more in the coming weeks.  But for now I just want to share my two latest youtube videos.  The first is an About Me/Roommate Survey video and the second is a Disney Tag video.  If you enjoy them, please head over to my channel HERE and subscribe!

About Me/Roommate Survey

The Disney Tag

Thanks for watching!

Vlog Update!

Just a quick update on my vlog.  I took my camera along when I went to Melbourne for my visa appointment, and got some random footage with some of my roomies.  I also share a little bit about my experience at the consulate.  The video is linked below if you're interested!

Visas, Roomies and Packing - Oh My!

Hey guys!  sooo sorry I've been MIA lately - I've just been so super busy and despite thinking "Oh I need to blog" about a hundred times, I never quite managed to actually write the post!  And this one is going to be just a quick update sadly, because I'm in the process of moving out of my apartment but I have plans to do lots of blogging and vlogging in a few weeks once things have settled down.  

So the three big things going on with me at the moment in regards to the program are:

1. Visa:  I have my American J1 Visa!  Yay!!!!  It was quite the stressful experience, but I'm relieved it's over and done with now and I'm all good to go work in the USA.  It took close to two weeks from receiving the forms in the mail to recieving my actual visa, but that was because I had to travel to Melbourne for my visa appointment.  If you live in the same city as he US Consulate it can take less than that.  I won't go into any great detail here and now because I plan to write a detailed post in the DICP Guide so keep an eye out for that!  I also vlogged some of my trip to Melbourne so I'll post that video as soon as I get a chance to edit it.

2. Roomies:  So I've got my Roommates sorted for Disney, which is super exciting.  There are 6 of us in total and I'm already having so much fun getting to know them.  Some of them are from Melbourne too so I got to catch up with them when I went over to do my visa.  Finding great Roomies was something I was really worried about so I feel really calm now that I have that sorted.  I'm sure you will see/hear more of them as time goes on :)

3. Packing:  No I haven't started packing for Disney 2 months early - I'm moving out of my apartment this week so I'm packing up all my worldly possessions and discovering how much crap I actually own!  I'm staying with family for the rest of my time in Australia so that will be interesting, but a good chance to spend time with my loved ones before I head off to the states.

So, that's a really quick update on me for the time being - I promise I will post more once I've got some spare time and I've finished packing and moving!

And we are live in 3...2...1...

Exciting news people!  I now have a YouTube channel!  I won't be uploading much between now and when I leave for Florida, but I have uploaded two videos that you might like to check out.  The first is just a little intro video and the second is a vlog of my interview day.

I will post the videos below, but if you want updates when I add more videos you can head over to my channel HERE and click on the 'subscribe' button.

Here's the Intro video...

And the Interview video...

The Countdown Continues

Helooooo!  Ok, super quick post because I have this amazingly awesome countdown ticker and I just had to share it!  Plus it's exactly 100 days 'til check-in :D

99 Days and Counting

So today is exactly 99 days until I leave Australia!  That might sound like a lot but when I think about all I have to do in the next 99 days I realise it's all going to go so fast.  To begin with, I have a big list of all the things I have to do for Disney like the visa and immigration paperwork and sorting out health and travel insurance.  On top of that I am also moving out of my apartment in about 6 weeks so I need to do a huge sort through of all my stuff and begin packing (my stuff is going into storage and I'll be staying with family until I leave for the States).  I also still have another term of classes, but fortunately I've finished all my major assignments so I just have to go to classes.

In the week since I received my acceptance I've been pretty busy.  Luckily, I am on mid-semester break for this week and next week, so I've been able to start sorting and packing but I've also done some Disney stuff too.  After officially accepting my offer from Disney, I received an email to pay the program fee, so I took care of that.  The next big thing I wanted to take care of was my flights so I popped down to the travel agent to get a quote HOWEVER, when I got home I realised I could buy the flight online myself at a cheaper price, so I ended up just doing it myself.  I'm flying out of Melbourne on January 9th so I'll have 4 nights in a hotel before I check-in at Vista Way on the 13th.

In between all my packing and organising I've been working on updating my blog and in particular my DICP Guide.  Make sure you head over there to see the new info about the Presentation and Interview Process and I'll hopefully have more updates coming soon.

I'm sorry this is a bit of a mixed-bag update, but I'll share more soon!

I'm Going to Disney World!!!!

In case you couldn't work it out from the title - I've been accepted into the Disney College Program - J1 Cultural Exchange Australia/New Zealand!!!!

This morning, at 5:30am, I was in the middle of a dream about Maleficent when my phone pinged.  I woke up with a start, grabbed my phone thinking "An email!"  An sure enough, when I looked, there was an email with a great, big, bold CONGRATULATIONS in the subject line.

I am so proud to say that I have been offered a role in Merchandise, and whilst it wasn't my top choice, it was in my top 3 and one of my High Interest roles so I couldn't be happier.  The best part is that most of the friends I've made on the facebook group have also been accepted so it's a really happy day all round :D

I will write more on this soon, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the happiness of it all.

I'm off to the most Magical Place on Earth!

Thank You Email

Just a quick update that at 7:22am on Friday morning I got an email from Disney.  As soon as my heart started beating again I realised that of course it would just be the expected 'Thank you for Interviewing' Email.  I've put a screenshot of the email below.

Nothing too exciting but it's nice of them to send it out all the same and it's also good to know I've moved on to the post-interview stage (according to my dashboard).  So now the real waiting game begins.  We're supposed to hear sometime before the end of September so that's about two and a half weeks away.  Hopefully I don't go too crazy while I'm waiting and fingers crossed that when I do get a response it will be good news!

Interview Adventures

One of the things I love in life is having adventures, and when  my interview day finally arrived on Tuesday, I was definitely in for an adventure!  A word of warning: It was a long day so this may be a long post!

I went to bed early the night before, setting several alarms so I would wake up in time the next morning.  Now I use the term 'morning' very loosely here because I actually woke up at 2:45am on Tuesday!  So I got up at this ungodly hour and got myself showered and dressed up in my Disney Look compliant business wear.  Stupidly I forgot to get a full shot of my outfit so I can show you that.  Sorry!

I left for the airport about 4:15am even though my flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 6:05am because I wanted to have enough time.  I parked my car in the long-term car park, which is a little distance away from the airport terminal but they have a shuttle bus that will take you from the parking area to the terminal.  The weirdest thing for the day was catching a plane without checking any luggage - I've never done that before!  I went straight through security and found my gate, which was conveniently right next to a cafe, so I grabbed a coffee and sat down to wait.

The plane was on time so we boarded but it was packed!  I'm pretty sure it was a full flight, but luckily I had my trusty window seat so I could sit back for the 56 minute flight, rest my head against the wall, close my eyes and listen to Disney music.  Once we landed in Melbourne, I made my way outside to the Skybus, bought a ticket and jumped on for the 25 minute ride into the city.  It was about 8:15am at this point so after messaging my friend Lily to let her know I was on my way, and then called my parents to let them know I'd managed to get up on time (My mum was worried I'd sleep through my alarm!) and had made it safely to Melbourne.  When the Skybus dropped me off at Southern Cross station, I started to get a bit nervous.  Melbourne public transport is much more complicated than Adelaide public transport, but I took a deep breath, remembered that I lived for 8 years in Sydney - an even bigger city - while growing up, and found my way to the boards where all the train schedules were.  Thanks to a bit of internet research the night before, it wasn't too difficult to work out which train I had to catch and, despite getting caught in a massive crowd of high school kids and nearly crashing into a commuter while trying to read one of the screens whilst walking, I found my train easily enough.

Two stops later, I got off at Melbourne Central and followed the signs to the street I was supposed to go to, except I cam out at a different point along that street than I thought I had, so I was a little bit turned around for a minute until I worked out where I was.  Lily had messaged me to say she was at the cafe where we were meeting, so I was pretty excited to get there.  Lily and I met through a facebook group for the program and even though we had talked heaps, we'd never met in person.  So when I came around the corner and we saw each other, we both ran up and hugged like long-lost friends, squealing with excitement.  It was definitely a special moment and made me feel even more excited about all the new friends I would make and people I would meet if I get accepted into the program.  I got another coffee and a bagel ('cause they always remind me on America) and after spilling some coffee on my jacket (classy) we sat and waited until Nichola and Lauren (both also from the facebook group) arrived.

Lily and Me!  Sorry that I took such a terrible selfie!

Eventually it was time for the presentation (well ok, it was about 10:10am and our presentation was at 10:30am but we wanted to be early) so we made our way to the building and up what felt like an impossibly long ride in the lift until we reached the presentation room!  There was a lecture going on inside, so we waited outside and met even more people.  There was this guy there who was really loud and funny, but it turned out he wasn't actually applying!  I think maybe his friend was or something, but he just joined in for the fun of it.

This was on the screen outside the lecture theatre - I couldn't resist taking a photo!

Eventually, after a bit of a late start, they let us in.  We all showed photo ID and signed in before taking our seats.  Then the presentation began, and I was a barely controlled bundle of nerves and emotions throughout the entire thing!  My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking and yet I couldn't stop smiling.  At one point my lip was trembling from excitement!  The presentation was run by Jill, who is the Disney international programs recruiter who is in charge of the Australia & New Zealand recruiting and also Delinda, who is an Adelaide girl (yay!) and works for the Disney cruise line.  The presentation went for about an hour during which Jill went through all of the details of the program, almost all of which I already knew, but it was good to hear it all in an official capacity.  As part of the presentation, they asked some Disney trivia and gave out Disney International Programs luggage tags as prizes.  Aaaannd...I won one!  I knew all of the answers except one but I got chosen to answer "How many people does the Walt Disney World Resort employ each year?"  I said 66,000, which is what I thought the answer was but apparently I had old information because the answer is actually 70,000 but Jill still let me have the prize anyway, which I was super excited about.

Me with my luggage tag - look how excited I am, haha!

After the presentation we went and found the interview room because Nichola was in the first group of interviews, then we said goodbye to her and Lily, Lauren and I headed off to get some lunch.  While we ate we talked Disney and musicals (I was seriously in the best company!) until Lauren had to head off for her interview.  Lily and I did a bit of window shopping, stopped by the bathroom to freshen up (where I proceeded to poke my finger through my stockings and had to abandon them in the bathroom trash can!  Could I be any clumsier?)  and make sure we were looking our Disney Look best and before we knew it, it was time to head back for our interviews! When we got there, there were still a few people waiting to be interviewed, so we just chatted and made friends and proceeded to get even more nervous.

And then the time arrived.  Jill stepped out into the hall and said "Rebecca" and I just about jumped out of my skin.  For some reason I'd gotten confused and thought that another girl was in the interview time slot before mine, so I wasn't expecting it to be my turn when I was called.  I quickly rushed forward to shake Jill's hand and made my way nervously into the room.

What I did next was just about the stupidest thing you could ever do in an interview short of ripping off all your clothes and setting the furniture on fire: I let my nerves get the better of me.

I am sorry to say that I completely panicked, and it took about half the interview before I managed to get myself back under control.  My answer to the question "Why do you want to do the program?" was not the lovely, heartfelt and well thought out response I'd planned.  It was more like me rambling on about why I loved Disney so much.  Jill even had to repeat the question because I was doing such a rubbish job at actually answering it!  Yeah...not my proudest moment.

I do think that by the end I managed to get my brain in gear, even if I did forget some words (like when I spent what was probably five seconds but felt like three hours trying to remember the word 'retail'), and I made sure to end off with a nice solid handshake and even got to say what my absolute top choice for a role would be.  For the record, my questions were something like this (I may have missed a couple and these probably aren't word for word but it's the general idea).  I've added my own commentary on some:

• How are you?
• Where are you studying?
• What are you studying?
• What are your future career goals after your study?
• So you've been to a Disney park before? (this was in response to something I'd said about Disneyland)
• Have you worked in America before?
• Why do you want to do the program? (asked twice because I'm such a dingbat!)
• I see your top role choices are Operations/Attractions and Merchandise.  How would you keep guests safe in these roles? (I think this was my best question/answer.  I gave examples for both roles, but then also talked about how I would keep people safe as a Character Attendant because she'd somehow missed that it was one of my top roles - actually my number 1 role!)
• How do you feel about living with other people?  Do you currently live with others or at home with your family?

At this point she asked me a series of rapid-fire questions which I guess are questions they have to ask at all interviews.  They were very much 'yes or no' questions, and there wasn't really time to elaborate on them:

• Many of the roles involve working with cleaning chemicals and heavy lifting.  Are you ok with this?
• Are you okay working indoors or outdoors in high pressure environments?
• You may be working in large groups or independently, is this okay?
• Do you have any tattoos or piercings? 
• What colour are your glasses? (Obviously you won't get this question if you don't wear glasses.  Also, this probably seems like a funny question since I was sitting right across the table from her, but the glasses I was wearing are a sort of dark plum colour and it can be hard to tell what colour they are.  For the record, she said I may need to wear different glasses for work, such as black or brown frames).
• Do you have any questions? (I did - I asked two questions and then said that Character Attendant was my top role choice).

My interview felt so ridiculously quick, that when I walked out the first thing I said was "That was so short!"  It honestly felt like five minutes, but the others promised me that it was at least double that.  I then proceeded to tell the others about my brain freeze and how I was sure I'd stuffed up my chances.  Lily was called in soon after me and I continued to chat with the others while we waited.  We waited for the last couple of people to finish their interviews so we could say goodbye and then that was it!  After all the months of waiting and planning and preparing and struggling, my Disney interview experience was over!

Lily walked back to the train station with me and helped me work out what train I was supposed to catch (it involved going two stops and transferring to another train but it wasn't too complicated) and then we said goodbye in the hopes that we will get to catch up again soon when and if we have to go to the American Consulate for our visa appointments.  It was cold and wet and rainy and I was starting the really feel my 3am wake up time (It was about 3:30pm at this point) so I was feeling a bit emotional on the Skybus shuttle ride back to the airport.  Once I got there, I found a quiet spot near the international gate and called my parents to tell them how it went.  I was still feeling pretty teary and at this point I was almost sure I'd ruined my chances in my interview.  I tried to stay as positive as I could but I was feeling pretty disappointed.

After I got off the phone I got some dinner and found a place to sit where they had phone recharging stations because my battery was nearly dead.  By the time I had eaten something I was feeling a bit better but still ridiculously tired and I just wanted to get home.  Unfortunately there was a storm in Melbourne so the airport shut down the runways for a bit, which meant my flight got delayed by about an hour and a half.  I wandered the shops for a while and even found this awesome Disney luggage and neck pillow!

Eventually, after more coffee, chocolate, a wander through more shops, a phone call to my sister, some people watching and countless games on my phone, I was finally able to board my plane.  Once again it was full, but I had my window seat and I was so tired I didn't really care.  When I got back to Adelaide I had to wait a couple of minutes in the cold night air (cursing myself for not taking a spare pair of stockings because my legs were freezing at this point) before the shuttle bus picked me up and took me back to the car park.  I called my mum (legally, using bluetooth) on the drive home and arrived back at my place about 11pm.  I dumped my bag, washed off my makeup and put on some pj's before falling into bed and fast asleep.

What's in My Bag?

Today while I was making lunch my phone pinged.  When I had a look at what it was, I had a notification from my countdown app...

Squeeee!  The excitement and nerves are definitely building!  I've been thinking about my answers to possible questions and double checking all of the details for Tuesday's adventure to Melbourne for the interview and presentation.

One of the things I've been doing to get ready is working out exactly what I'm going to take with me.  I'm only flying to Melbourne for the day so I won't need any checked luggage, but I want to be sure I have all of the essentials in my bag.  Here's a picture of my supplies...

Now there are a couple of things missing from this photo, but I'll go through everything I'm taking:

1. Handbag
Obviously I'm going to need something to put everything in.  I got this bag 25% off at Strandbags because I thought is was a nice-sized, professional looking accessory.  It also has lot of compartments so hopefully things won't get lost in there!

2. Important Documents Folder
The only thing you're required to take to the presentation/interview is photo ID, but I prefer to err on the side of obsessive, over-prepared caution.  In my lovely pink folder I have a printout of my flight itinerary, copies of my CV and Cover letter, a photocopy of my passport, my Proof of Student Status form and a photocopy, and a printout of the confirmation of my presentation and interview times and locations.  I'm also planning to print out a typed copy of some questions I want to ask so I can make sure I get answers for them on the day.   Once I've checked in online for my flights, I'll print out the e-tickets and put them in there too.

3. Notebook and Pens
Just in case I need to take any notes or write down important dates, I've got a small notebook and 2 relatively new pens (just to be on the safe side).

4. Water Bottle
Hydration is important people.  Plus it means I won't have to waste money on buying bottled water.

5. Sunglasses
Very important because I'll be on the move in the sunshine and I want to be able to see properly!  And I'm sunsmart.

6. Passport
Even though I'm only travelling domestically, I thought it would be a good idea to take my passport with me in case they want to see it.  By the way, how cute is my little green passport case?

7. Camera
I've recently bought a new camera and I thought it would be fun to vlog some of the experience and maybe even get a few happy snaps.  Plus, I'm catching up with some family for dinner before flying home so I'll want to get some pics then as well!

8. Tissues
So, so, so important!  These little guys are so versatile - running noses, a surprise sneeze, a particularly poignant moment in the presentation makes me tear up, I get bored waiting for my interview slot and decide to make origami boats...

Plus, how cute is the little packet with owls on it?

9. My Survival Kit
This is the green thing that looks a bit like a pencil case.  That little pvc bag is what I call my 'Survival Kit' and I always make sure to chuck it in whichever bag I'm taking with me (unless it's like a tiny little evening bag and then my over-preparedness must suffer for the sake of fashion).  It's a bit like my own version of Mary Poppins' carpet bag because I had managed to cram so much stuff inside it like: paracetamol and ibuprofen tablets, hand cream, deodorant, sunscreen, lip balm, a hair brush, band aids and a few other bits and pieces.  Very, very handy.

10. Makeup
Since I'm going to be out from about 4am until around 9pm on Tuesday, I figured it's best to have some makeup in case I need to touch up a little bit.  In my colourful little pouch I have lipstick, lip liner and lip gloss, eyeliner and mascara as well as a small compact set that has blush and eye-shadow as well as a mirror.

11. Extra Items
There are a few things I haven't photographed but will definitely be taking:

• Purse with photo ID/Driver's License and some money for food and anything else.
• Phone & Charger
• A couple of snacks like museli bars in case I get peckish
• Possibly a small foldable umbrella
• My Keys (so I can drive to the airport!)

So that's my interview bag!  Hopefully it doesn't get too heavy, I think the water bottle is the only thing that will really weigh it down so hopefully it's not too bad.  I probably won't get a chance to blog again before Tuesday, but I'll make sure to write an update afterwards!

Have a magical day!

The Emotional Equivalent of Space Mountain: Part 3

I've been a bit busy lately but I'm finally getting around to updating the story of my application dramas, and tonight I shall share the conclusion of my tale thus far!

Last time, I had just received an email from Disney's Australian recruiter, and in that email she asked if she could phone me in two days time to discuss my application questions.  To say I was stunned would be an understatement of epic proportions!  I quickly replied to confirm the time for the phone call and then proceeded to spend the next two days wondering what it could all mean.  I figured she was just going to explain the situation to me, but there was that tiny glimmer of hope inside that made me think that just maybe I could still have a chance with Disney.

We had organised for the phone call to be at 8am so on the morning of the call I woke about 7am and just lay in bed waiting for the call.  Around 8:10 my phone rang and I had to take a few deep breaths before I could answer.  The conversation started with the usual pleasantries (I think we may have talked about the weather) before Jill, the recruiter, began to talk about my studies.  She confirmed that I had indeed begun my course in January 2013, but then she said the words that made my heart skip a beat.  It was something along the lines of "And you completed that in December 2013?"

For a moment I forgot how to breathe, how to speak, how to do anything.  

Eventually though, I found my voice and managed to say "Uh, no.  My course doesn't finish until December 2014.  I'm still a student."

Jill sounded surprised and quickly re-checked my application and CV before telling me the wonderful news: A mistake had been made and I was still eligible for the program!  I tried to remain calm as the conversation finished up, Jill promising I would receive the interview invitation in the next few days.  I think I said "Thank You" about fifty times in two minutes!

When I hung up, I just sat there staring at my phone for a couple of minutes, not really sure what to do or what to think.  After a week of devastation at having my dream taken away and finally beginning to adjust to that, suddenly it was being handed back to me.  I will admit that even though I was excited, it did take me a couple of days to re-adjust.  But by the time my interview invitation came through, I was ready to take my second chance and make the most of it.

So after not hearing anything for months, being made NLIC then being told it was a mistake, I finally got to book in my interview with Disney on August 25th, exactly four months - to the day - that I first applied to Disney.  My interview is on September 9th which is now only 4 days away and I'm pretty excited, so I'll make sure to update again soon!

Blog Update

I've been working on my blog a lot lately and there's more to come so I thought I'd give y'all an update:

1. I've finally set aside some time to update my DICP Guide.  See that button up the top there?  Go click on that and it will take you to my guide.  It's a work in progress and I plan to update it as I go through the interview.  I've recently added a tour of the Disney Careers Dashboard (including what those blue status bar boxes all mean!) and a guide to the Disney Look, complete with awesome (if I do say so myself) collages of Disney Look appropriate clothing that I made myself.  There will be more updates to the guide coming soon, so please keep checking back.
2. I'm doing some tweaking on my resources page (Once again, just up there in that row of buttons under my lovely banner).  I've recently updated the blogs section and as soon as I post this I will be adding links to some of my favourite vlogs too, so you should definitely check that out.
3. I've added a new way for y'all to contact me to ask questions, say hi or just to tell me whether or not I should be using the word 'Y'all'.  If you look to the column there on the left (with my smiling picture) and you scroll down a bit, you will see a section titled 'Contact Bec' and then there's a little form to send me a message!  I'll try to get around to questions as quickly as I can.  Of course you can also comment on any of my blog posts, in fact comments are encouraged!  I love to hear from people and I love making new friends so don't be shy to drop me a line.
4. For those of you following the story of my application dramas, I promise that the third (and final) installment is on its way.  If you haven't read about my dramas yet, follow these links to Part 1 and Part 2.
5. My interview with Disney is on September 9th and I promise to do a full report afterwards, so make sure to check back for that.
6. I recently hit 600 page views for this blog, which may not seem like much for some people but it's a very big deal to me.  Thank you so, so, so much to everyone who is reading along, please keep reading and make sure to tell your friends about my blog too.  

Ok, that's enough updating for now.  I better keep my promise and go add those vlog links to the resources page.  Keep reading and have a magical day!

The Emotional Equivalent of Space Mountain: Part 2

I promised I would update my application saga today so here I am, keeping my promise.  When we left off, I was about to call Disney International Recruiting in America.  After working out how to put in the international phone codes I managed to get through to Disney recruiting.  Unfortunately, my delight at speaking to a real person was short lived when I realised that I wasn’t going to get much help.   Unfortunately the recruiter in charge of the Australia and New Zealand program was out of the office (I knew this already as she was in New Zealand conducting interviews) and apparently she was the only one who could tell me anything about my application.  I was told “Your application still needs to be reviewed”, but pretty much couldn’t be told anything else except to call back in about a week when the recruiters would be back in the office.

So, frustrated and confused and a little worried, I waited that very long week until the day I’d been told to ring back.  Because of time differences between Australia and America, I had to wait up until about 11pm for the Disney offices to open so I could call them.  I spoke to a different person this time, but this call was even less helpful than the first.  Despite being advised to call back at this time, the recruiter was once again not in the office so I couldn’t speak to her.  This time I was given some generic information about application reviews involving a lot of variables like experience etc.  When I tried to question further about my application and personal information, it became evident that I couldn’t be told anything specific.  Even more frustrated, I wrote yet another email to recruiting but decided to call back the following day.  Once again the recruiters weren’t available but this time I was told that the delay could have been caused by me being ineligible for a visa.  Still confused, I woke the next morning to an awful discovery – according to my Dashboard, I had been made No Longer In Consideration.

I was devastated.  I didn’t understand what I had done wrong or why they wouldn’t even give me an opportunity to interview.  The explanations I had received didn’t make sense and suggestions that I wasn’t eligible were equally baffling.  I was disappointed, upset and completely bewildered.  Not expecting to really hear much, I nonetheless wrote one last email to recruiting, asking politely for some feedback or at the very least an explanation for the decision to make me NLIC.  To be honest though, I didn’t really expect to hear anything.

And I didn’t hear anything…until 5 days later, when an email popped up in my inbox from none other than the very recruiter I hadn’t been able to contact.  And what she had to say gave me a very small glimmer of hope.

To Be Continued…