I’ve recently had an email from housing saying that I have only 6 weeks left and I need to send them my details for leaving the country. That’s insane. I can’t believe that its come around so quickly! I well and truly have the fear now. In so many respects I am ready to leave, but then I think of saying goodbye to everyone and seeing wishes fir the last time and I really start to get upset. So for now I’ll think instead about all the exciting things I have done!
The best thing that has happened since my last post was that I went home for a week. When I applied for the programme I originally decided I wouldn’t spend money on returning home when I could spend the money on another trip somewhere else. But my cousin was getting married while I was away and she asked me to be bridesmaid, and that completely changes it for me and I knew I had to be back. And actually, even without the wedding I was so glad to be back. I have recently started to miss home terribly- I think its because now I’ve been sway for so long that it’s really hit me. After being home for a week, I really appreciated what I have here in america and its helped me enjoy the last few weeks even more. But it also made me less nervous about coming home St the end of my programme. I currently have zero plans as to what I’m going to do when I return and was getting a bit worried about it, but just being at home with my family and my pets made me so happy that I know it’ll be fine and I’ll be able to figure things out when I’m ready. So I would now actually really recommend going home to people. Yes, flights are expensive but it helps change your outlook on a lot of things for the better, and helps you look on the programme with fresh eyes.
In America though I’ve also had some pretty sad times now becssue so many of my friends have now finished their programme. One of the nice traditions that we do is called last tables. Your last day is always an am shift on the Wednesday, and anyone who is not working comes in to eat at the restaurant to be served by whoever is leaving, and I’ve done that twice now where both times several people have been leaving that day. It’s so weird as these are the people theta in’ve soent most of my programme with and have been some of my closest friends, and not having them around isn’t very nice at all. I keep coming into work and expecting to see one of them. I know we’ll see each other again, but it just won’t be with the regularity of ease as it is here, but it’ll be so nice to have friends back home with whom you’ve made so many wonderful memories.
On mine and Amy’s last night together we went to magic kingdom and tried to get in at Be Our Guest, the beauty and the bests themed restaurant inside the beasts castle. Reservations run out months in advance, so the best way to get in is to keep going to the podium and seeing if there are any cancellations. We waited outside for an hour before there was room, but we finally got in! It was well worth the wait as the restaurant is beautiful and so well themed. There’s a study room, the west wing (where we ate) and the ball room, and you can meet the beast in his study as well. The food was ok-nothing special compared to other Disney restaurants, but the atmosphere was amazing and it was so special for me and Amy to be there as we’d been talking about doing it for months, and it was the last thing we did together just us two.
I’ve done a few more resort strays as well- contemporary( where we stayed club level so had all the free food, and and an amazing view of magic kingdom and wishes from our balcony) Coronado springs, old key west and the treehouse villas at Saratoga springs. The treehouses were absolutely incredible, as they sleep up to 8 so we had a larger amount of people go and a living room where it was nice and easy to chill out. When I went home I booked a resort stay for the night before my flight home and the night I returned from home. A taxi to the airport is about $40 and with cast discount and splitting between us a room isn’t that much more expensive, and you get free transportation to the airport and its a much nicer experience. And it was so lovely to come from home straight to all my friends saying they’d missed me. Made me feel very loved ❤
So on to nights out- still a big part of the programme! I still go to lasses regularly, and I even now have a position which was fantastic and completely unexpected on my part. I’m songbird, which means I have to make sure everyone is singing and changing our songs- for fun when we’re in the taxi and when we’re playing the other countries to show us as one nig team working together. All very noble haha. One thing I will say is this year I have become a much better drinker- I can stomach beer now which I couldn’t before (we play with beer for the games so you have to be able to drink it) and I’m getting better at downing it when we play waterfall, so I’ve divinely achieved that this year!
There have also been quite a few more throw ins as we’ve had lots of large groups arrive-again some really great people. I do love throw ins because they’re in bars not clubs so you get a good chance to talk to people that you sometimes only see on nights out. Theres a lovely atmosphere, I think because every can’t help but think of their own throw in and how much has changed since their own throw in. I’ve also been to backbooth a few times which I love, and Ibar which is cheesy music that isn’t my thing but I have a good night with everyone anyway. The one place I haven’t been to in agesis House of Blues. Its my favourite club of all time and I’ll probably miss it more than some of the parks so I need to make sure I get back there. There was also another international party in glitz, which is basically like a big happy Mondays meet up but none of the games, just dancing and unlimited alcohol(when you can actually get to the bar). Cracking night out. Me and Sammy have also been to city walk a few times, which is universals version of downtown Disney but. uch better because its a night out for grown ups not kids. They have some really nice bars there, including a karaoke kne but where you are backed up by a live band! We’ve had some really nice nights there, and I’m glad we went even though we kind of started quite late into my programme.
In city walk as well there is the hard rock hotel, where I went to see Deep Purple play. I was so excited when I knew they were touring and made sure I had an am shift so that I would definitely be able to make it and it was well worth the effort. All of the band members are really old now nut they still put on a great performance, and they’d included some really interesting elements into their set, like when all the lights were turned off except for ones at the end of the drummers drumsticks which also lit up the back screen in time with the best which was really cool.
In the cinemas in city walk as well they also put on a live rocky horror show as they show the film, and that was really entertaining. I’d never seen the film before and I think you need to know it to get all the jokes from he film. Nevertheless it was a great laugh and I would love to do it again.
Halloween Horror Nights have also started at universal- me Sammy Jen and Annie went last night. They have a rocky horror show there which is a shortened version of the show and with universal show-ability it was amazing! They also have scare zones where people come and frighten you as you walk around, and of course the scare houses. I’ve done them before at home but was all of a sudden really scared to do it and wanted to back out, but the others helped me and and I ended up really enjoying them. I’ve nought a frequent fear pass so I’ll be able to go as many times as I want for the next month or so so I’m hoping to go again a few times. Mickey not so scary has also started. I’ve got a ticket to go in a few weeks, but I’ve already seen the fireworks as I went with Chloe to see them from the contemporary which was lovely. I saw fanstamic that night as well (taking any opportunity I get to do these things now I’m near the end) and after hallowwishes we sat on the beach for a while and I really knew I was so lucky to be here.
Ive also had a new roommate move in we had a bunked installed a few months ago but no one came, but now aya, my Japanese roommate has moved in. She is really lovely actually- she’s going to be working guest relations in animal kingdom lodge so our ours are basically going to be opposite. Only bad thing is that with three of us and all our stuff in the room it is VERY crowded and I honestly feel like I’m living ins hostel room, which I resent a little bit as after a long day at work I want to come back to a room I feel comfortable in.
Last bit of good news- I finally ticked one of the major things off my bucket list and went skydiving! We went to the skydiving space centre which is next to the Kennedy space centre, which is about an hours drive. It was me will Ashleigh and Sammy. We did the highest tandem fall in the world-18,000 feet! We were all tricking it before the jump, especially as there was so much waiting around to do. But then after all that waiting it happened really quickly and they barely gave you enough time to think. I would recommend anyone to do it- the feeling was indescribable. It was expensive, especially as for something like that you want to buy all the photos and videos you can, but it was worth every penny.
So, that’s a quick overview of the last month. I can’t even fit all of the wonderful smaller things that have happened over here into this post. Will miss it all so much when I got home
Until next time xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Emma's Disney Blog 