Apologies for taking so long to update this. Quite a lot has happened in the last few weeks which is why I’ve been rubbish at taking the time to write it all down, but it has been yet another fantastic month!
I finally got around to posting my family’s Christmas presents home. I felt terrible for not sending them back in December but there was just no time before. I got on the bus to the post office, and let me tell you it is a bit of a trek. Early in the morning there is only one of these buses an hour, which means that once you get off you have to wait there for an hour before you can get picked up. This didn’t work too badly for me as I had loads to sort out, but it does mean that with a long journey there and a long journey back its a good few hours of your day. It felt so nice to be sending packages home, but its certainly not something i’ll be making a habit of as it was really expensive! As a one off though I didn’t mind. I tied the trip into my grocery shop as well, as the bus also goes past Publix and getting the bus means I could buy heavier stuff without having to walk home.
This last month has also seen the start of me getting back into academia, which the geek in me has found pretty exciting. A lot of people who live in the housing complexes are domestic students who are here on college programmes, and Disney offer courses on different topics which they can use towards collage credit. Being a graduate and a CRP, I don’t need to take any courses, but I wanted to take advantage of learning as much as I can from Disney, so I signed up anyway. It was $9.99 for an 11 week course which I thought was great value, and its 4 hours teaching time a week, plus we had to buy a textbook (I paid $60 for a kindle version) to read and we are expected to do assignments and quizzes most weeks. I’m studying Human Resource Management, which is a topic I’ve always been interested in but never explored properly, and I thought this would be a good introduction course. I’ve had two weeks of classes and it seems very good so far. I like the instructor and a lot of the people in my class are nice, though at the moment everything covered has actually been quite basic. I’m hoping it will get a bit more challenging so that I feel like I’m using my time effectively, as having to be in available and in Orlando every class day makes future travel harder, and also swapping shifts is harder as I now can’t swap my Tuesday like I could before because of class. But I am hoping it will be worth it. I believe these new courses are offered 3-4 times a year, so if they are good I would do another one to expand my knowledge base, as there are quite a few topics to choose from.
Disney also offer an exploration series, which is an 8 week seminar course where you learn how Disney specifically handles different areas of business. These courses are only 2 hours a week and require no homework, so instead of a proper certificate you get a certificate of attendance. I’m doing Cast engagement, which is pretty similar to my other course so I thought they would complement each other well. The two sessions I’ve attended in this course have been excellent, even though it’s a 8:30 on a Monday morning! Both classes require business casual dress, which is doable for me but because I had limited room in my suitcase I only bought a few dresses as I didn’t expect to have to dress smartly all that much, and I don’t want to spend money on more clothes that I’ll only need a few hours a week- so if you’re coming out and want to do a course that may be something to consider.
Disney education resources are pretty great to be fair. In each housing there is a computer labs where you can use computers for free, and in vista way there is the learning centre, where they have people available to help if you are struggling signing up to something online or if you need any more information. They actually helped me to sign up to another series of seminars on generic business skills like speaking in public and interview skills. I’ve been to the one on resume writing, which was probably the best class of its kind that I’ve been to- full of useful and practical knowledge and delivered by a great speaker, so these are definitely going to be worth going to. The learning centre also has a writing lab, where you can get your work checked over for free if you make an appointment. I got my first assignment checked over, as I know that Americans have different rules for grammar and spelling, and the referencing system is also different so I wanted a bit of help with that, and again the girl who helped me was fantastic, so i’ll probably use the service again. It’s so nice, as I do miss the university environment and I feel like I’m getting that back, without it being over whelming like my last few months at university were!
I did go to a talk on Professional Internships, mainly out of curiosity. Even though after this year I know I’m not going to be ready to settle down into a career, I did start to think that in a few years time if I do want to settle down Disney would be the place I could see myself, as I love the work culture here. However, Disney very very rarely will take anyone into management if they are not a domestic because it involves sponsoring visas, which means my chances of me getting a career in the Walt Disney World are pretty slim. I was a bit sad at first, but I guess its a good thing I know what my options really are this early on, and I can concentrate on the options that are open- apparently good steps for internationals to take are in the Cruise Line and in Adventures by Disney, so maybe in a few years time I may look at those options. It’s really great to have so much information readily available, which is why I really do love working for Disney.
So other fun things that have happened recently…. I saw Disclosure at the House of Blues, who were AMAZING. I usually see rock bands live, so I wasn’t sure how this sort of music was going to translate to an in concert experience, but they put on an amazing show and I had so much fun! HOB is a great concert venue, so from now on I’m going to keep my eye on upcoming events and try and go again.
I’ve also tried to continue going to the parks before work to make the most of my days when I’m not working until the afternoon. I’ve been to Hollywood Studios quite a few times with my friend Amy, because we both really love the animation classes, there, where animators teach you how to draw characters. Over the rest of my programme I’m going to try and draw as many of the characters as possible- I’ve heard that there are well over 50 so I won’t be able to do them all, but i’ll do what I can! It’s a really wonderful free activity to do before work and it’s nice knowing someone that is as into it as I am! And the drawings are going to be nice to take home, because they’ll be something I’ve spent time on doing and collecting, so it’s a bit more special than stuff I’ve just bought.
I still feel like I haven’t seen enough resorts, which is something I need to change. I did briefly visit the Grand Floridian last week with my German friend Michelle, who I love but don’t get to see all that much because of different work schedules. We went for lunch in one of the cafés which was quite simply stunning- beautifully decorated, wonderfully friendly staff and fantastic food- I tried the French onion soup to start and then had a steak and lobster burger which was incredible. Best part of the meal was that because we were cast members they had a special offer where we got 40% off, so even with tax and tip it didn’t work out too expensive at all. I had to go to work after lunch so I didn’t get to explore the resort as much as I’d like, but just seeing the little area that I did made me fall in love with the place, and I can’t wait to go back properly!
I also spent a few hours in Fort Wilderness, another of the deluxe resorts. It was Connors birthday, so he rented a cabin for a night and a bunch of us went to visit and have a few drinks. Me and Kim went up together early in the evening and spent good few hours there having a good laugh-we did nearly get lost though because that resort is humongous, but it’s really cool and the theming makes you feel like you are somewhere else entirely. I’d certainly love to rent a cabin again, but probably with fewer people and a lot less alcohol as I think it got a little rowdier after we left early in the morning, and you have to be careful with how much noise you make, as it is a family resort after all!
I also took a mini trip out of Orlando- there was a groupon voucher online to swim with manatees in crystal river, which is a few hours North West of Orlando, so I went with. Few friends who live downtown. It was so much fun, even though it was pretty cold, it was worth it once you got into the water, and you completely forgot about the temperature. Manatees are more common at this time of year where the come to rest in the springs, so we were promised a good experience, which turned out to be entirely true! As we left the boat and started snorkelling up river, I looked down… and saw 3 manatees almost directly beneath me! And It carried on from there: there must have been dozens in the spring that we visited, including really large ones and a few smaller ones. You’re not allowed to swim directly above them and I tried to adhere to that rule as much as I could, but there would be so many moving around that sometimes you felt like you had nowhere else to go! They were real beautiful and gentle creatures, and not fazed at all by us lot swimming around them, in fact some were quite curious. I’d recommend anyone to do it if they get the chance, especially as it’s a way to interact with wild creatures that doesn’t cause any harm: they’re very strict on how you interact with the manatees to protect them, and once you’ve swam out of the spring there’s no mark that you were there as you don’t leave any litter behind.
After that we drive back to Orlando and had a quick nap because we’d been up so early in the morning, before heading out to a craft beer festival. This was where you bought a ticket that allowed you to go to around a dozen bars and sample different types of beer. We met up with a bunch more people I’d never met, and it was strange hanging around with people who lived in Orlando but who had nothing to do with Disney- quite refreshing actually, even though I’m a Disney geek myself. We walked through downtown for a few hours going to all the different bars, though it was probably more stumbling towards the end of the evening. It was so great to do something a bit different, and it made me like downtown Orlando more than I had previously.
Final exciting thing is that my Dad has booked his flights to come see me! He’s going to here for 10 days over Whitson week, which is fantastic as that’s where my birthday falls. I’m in charge of booking hotels and sorting out a vague plan for when he comes which will be very exciting. I can’t bloody wait til he comes out here- I feel as close to him as I always have despite living so far away, but its still hard not being with him as often as I would like so I’m really pleased that he’s able to come visit.
So that’s what’s been happening recently, quite a lot I know! Accounts for why I’m so tired right now anyway! Will update soon…
Lots of love xxxxxxxxxx
Emma's Disney Blog 