Wow, well I haven't been on my blog since the middle of my program. A lot has happened and I've had a lot of great opportunities. The reason I decided to come back to the blog is due to the fact I have been accepted for my second College Program, and I couldn't be more excited. I have accepted a role in Full Service Food and Beverage! I'm so excited, it is something super different than what I was doing for the company prior in Main Entrance. Anyway, with all these acceptances going out and seeing people excited about it being their first time, and then seeing other people excited about their second or third program, it made me start reminiscing about mine. I look back on my program and there are so many reasons to why I want to do another, and well, actually create a career with the company. So I know people are always telling you to not live in the past, to learn from it and live in the present, well if it wasn't for my past college program I would not be where I am right now, ready to graduate and begin my climb towards the career of my dreams. Here we go, back to January 2012, the beginning of what would be some of the best 8 months of my life.
January 9th, 2012, its 6:00 am, I'm wide awake, standing outside of Vista Way with my future roommates talking their ears off a mile a minute, I was filled with excitement. I knew I was standing with new friends, but I didn't know how much these friends would mean to me in a few short months. That day stands out in my mind so clear, I could recreate it perfectly if I ever needed to, I was beginning to live the dream I had since I was that little girl smiling ear to ear each time I stepped on Main Street USA; I could feel her that day, she was proud, I could feel every emotion from happiness to fear, anxiety to enthusiasm, everything. This was it, I'm about to become a Disney Cast Member.
Traditions only continued to fuel the fire inside, it makes you feel so alive, that you are now a part of something so special and so important. That day I cried out of pure joy because I was handed my name tag, this was real, I had dreamed of this so many times; about my first day on the program, it was an overwhelming emotion. It made me think back to high school, when I would tell friends and family what I wanted to do with my life, where I would be. I specifically remember telling people I was going to be on the college program, spring semester of my junior year, and there I was, exactly where I said I'd be, 5 years ago.
Magic Kingdom Parking, this is home for me. I made lifelong friends, along with learning a lot about other people, and a lot about myself. I made friends with people from all over the country, people I would have never thought I would get along with or thought I'd have similar interest. People surprise you, and I've learned you can surprise yourself. Each of these people had their own personal story that brought them down to Florida, these people are amazing and I have so much respect for them. Not only did the job teach me about my work ethic, but helped me learn to communicate with people from around the world. It taught me to put myself in a their position, think about how I would feel in a foreign country where I couldn't understand the native language-- this is a lesson I'll continue to use the rest of my life, trying to see through another person's perspective really does something to you; I have so much more respect and interest towards people in general now. I learned that my temper can get the best of me, and I learned that tough skin isn't always a bad thing to have. The things I took out of the that parking lot; the memories, the laughs, the tears, yelling, lessons, jokes, bruises, I could go on. Every time I think back to my time in the parking lot I picture the break room, I see a booth and in that booth I see familiar faces; family. They're laughing and playing cards, stuffing their faces with food from Hess at 1am, realizing they're going to be there for another 2 hours! The parking lot is Dennys or IHOP at 4am, Cowboys on Thursday nights, and Magic Kingdom during the day. Hollywood studios for first time rides, or drinking around the world for birthdays and fun. That parking lot are the serious conversations in the middle of the night, tears exchanged from relating to one another, its advice and life lessons from anyone with a story, and its that feeling of caring for these people as if you had known them forever.
As much as I would like to say my program was all smiles and laughs, its still life, and it doesn't stop just because you are living in fairytale, but it helps. Things happen, you react, and you need to move on. One thing about moving away from your home is always homesickness, missing your friends, or the places you're used to spending time at. And its hard, you have to find ways to deal with it. I did, I went through the phases of wanting to head home, of missing the important people in my life, but I reminded myself I was there for a reason that was bigger than what I was feeling. I had to make some tough decisions, ones that changed my life; I still forget my reasoning for certain decisions at the time, but the choices had to be made and they impacted my life as they should. These decisions paved way for the rest of my program, and who I was becoming during this stage in my life. I was growing so much and had so much going on, I can't stress the importance of this time.
The next part of my program would be equally as important as the beginning, maybe more so? I was transferred to a new location when I extended my program; EPSN Wide World of Sports, Guest Ops. Before I would get to experience that new location, I worked PAC in Magic Kingdom for a month, actually getting to meet the other CPs that had been working at WWOS their entire program. This was actually a lot of fun, PAC was a great experience along with the people I was able to meet and get to know, some of these people becoming super important to my experience. Eventually I started at WWOS and I loved it. I didn't know I would have so much fun with this position, the people you work with can definitely impact the job. Knowing I was going to laugh and have incredible conversation everyday made this job 20x better than it already was. Not only was it a learning experience seeing this side of a sporting event, but it helped me meet and talk to people I would have never had the chance to know. The memories from the complex are always fresh and have a special place in my life, and I'm lucky enough to have created a lifelong friendship from that place too. I'm forever thankful for that.
I could write for pages about my memories, and experiences on certain occasions. I've got stories on stories from work to fun, sometimes I feel like I could write a book from all of them. But these stories are for me and the people I had the opportunity to share them with at the time. I could ramble on about wheelchair races, the hillbilly, ERS/slaps, Jack, the van, licenseplates, pointing at the circle, magical moments, complex 1, giraffes,1206, and the list could go on, you could only understand if you were in that moment and I'm thankful for that. Each of these little things remind me of something and someone. They bring me back to the program and to the people I spent it with. I'm lucky enough that I still get to share these moments with these people because the program was just as special to them, and they chose to stick around.
The college program WILL change your life, but it is up to you whether it will be a good or bad thing. Going into it with an open mind is key, and I promise you will not be disappointed. I've been able to witness multiple reactions of people after they completed their program, all ended with the person making big decisions that had been impacted from experiencing the program. For me, I was able to discover the appropriate career for myself and grow as person. I realized where I belonged and where I would be able to accomplish things I previously have been dreaming of. I learned how to relate to people from all walks of life, and how to respond them. I've continued to grow and take the lessons I learned while on the program to my life back up north. I think its important to take your experiences from any time in your life and use them to positively impact the present.
Now as I prepare for my next big chapter, this being graduation and my second program, I can't help but keep relating things back to Spring 2012. I have that experience to thank for where I am now, and where I will be heading in the next couple months. So here we go, Spring 2012 closed its chapter a little over a year ago, and now I'm preparing to open the next one, January 2014, I'm Ready-- SEE YA REAL SOON!
"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable." -Walt Disney
