Here We Go Again

     So, I have been back in school now for nearly a year following my Great Disney Adventure. Everything's been going swell, all the ups and downs and all arounds of life have been upon me. When I got home I got a second job at P.F. Chang's in Dedham because Disney had me so used to working 40+ hours a week that coming home and working 3-6 hours was a real difference. I've been very blessed in that I have met so many amazing beautiful people in the last year and been given so many new opportunities. I have kept in touch with my friends from Disney who live everywhere from New York, to New Jersey, Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia and beyond.
      At the beginning of this semester I was given the opportunity to apply for a two week study abroad program in Italy through my school. I, unfortunately, did not get in. About an hour after receiving my "nice try" email, I put in my Disney College Program application for the second time, because as a friend of mine said: I was always good enough for Epcot's Italy. Also I have a lot of friends going back down at this time as well (e.g. jealousy). This application was a lot less planned then the last one, but I am now the proud owner of a second acceptance letter and a second chance. May I present myself as a Custodial Cast Member (again!) for Fall Advantage 2013:)

So hold on to your hats ladies and gentlemen, buckle your seatbelts, and please keep your hands and feet inside because we are going for a ride!

Chapter 12: The end

So I've officially been home for a week. Massachusetts is exactly the same as I left it, I was thinking that people were lying to me but its like this place was frozen in time. And that sort of makes me realize the drawbacks of it. In Florida everything's exciting and ever changing and there was always something for me to do. Massachusetts is calm and quiet and there's nothing to do after 8pm. I'm happy to be home, it's comfortable, but I wonder if my adventure changed my shape a bit, it feels like I don't really fit here anymore. Living in Florida made me a stronger, happier, more confident person. I know what I can handle, I can interact with strangers and handle tense situations. I'm becoming more comfortable in my own skin and with who I am, all thanks to the people I met and the experiences that I had down there. It's strange to think that I've only been away a few months, it feels like I really did go on an epic adventure, and if I felt like relating some of my more fun stories, you would understand that I really have, but those stories are going to be kept close to my heart, where I can treasure them and laugh at their awesomeness forever. I would recommend this program a million times over. Sure starting off was hard and it's not like every day was coming up roses,(my last three weeks it rained everyday. Every. Day.) but it was so totally worth it to have the memories, the experiences, and the friends that I made.  I did go seasonal, and I will be heading back down there soon, because I'll admit; Disney now owns a piece of my heart, but part of that is the amazing people that I met and fell in love with. Thank you guys for listening to me prattle on, its nice to get some brain exercise and get my thoughts out there one way or another. This may be the end of my Disney College Program adventure, but this experience has made me realize that there is so much more to do, life is an adventure.

Chapter 11: The Most Horrible Blogger in the World

So confession: I've sort of been too busy having fun lately to write a blog entry. Hope that didn't sting. I've just really thrown myself into this for the last two months. I wish I'd done it the whole time though and really taken advantage of this opportunity. I have some amazing friends down here and it hurts because, harsh reality: after this I'm probably not going to see them again. But right now I'm trying to this the right way. I'm working my butt off, hanging out with them all night, and using my few days off the right way. I hang out with all my coworkers which is great because we hang out while we're working too (double the clean. sort of..)  I've gone on many an adventure down here and I would recommend this experience to anyone. I love this place and wish I'd extended my program. But, second best; I'm becoming a seasonal cast member. I will be coming back in July to do my seasonal hours and then again in December/ January. I have to figure out a lot of things, such as living arrangements but I really love this place and I would probably come back to work here as a real employee someday. I'm gonna be honest and admit to myself that it'll never be exactly the same. This Friday half my friends are leaving and then next Thursday, I'm leaving. This experience could never be copied, simulated, or reanimated. I just wish that I'd done it right from the beginning, made every day count because right now I'm looking at the final countdown. I'm already starting to pack (just gotta figure out how I'm getting to the airport...).  But I'm going to leave you with some visual aids of my last few weeks:

Chapter 10: Countdown to Home

Being down here has definitely changed me. I feel more confident in myself, I'm more positive, and I have the skills to handle situations I never would have been able to tackle before. That being said, I am still the awkward Dorkzilla that left Massachusetts hoping for adventure. I remember when I left everyone kept warning me that I wouldn't want to come back home. I protested, because even though I hadn't left yet I already missed normalcy. Now I'm sadly beginning to feel that way. I miss the familiarity of home, being with my friends and family, and working at the library, but I've grown accustomed to this more independent style of living. I love being down here, (although I hate the weather down here, it's disgustingly humid. I feel like I'm baking in an oven *Ding* the Jillian cookie is ready!) I get to work all around the word (the ultimate study abroad), I work relatively independently, and I love the people that I work with and the people that I get to meet and talk to because I am a Disney Cast Member. I've met so many amazing families who have spared me a few minutes of their time to share their vacation with me. I've also been spending a lot of time hanging out with the custodial kids. It's nice, we're all different people and we probably would never have hung out with each other if not for working together. We definitely never would have met if not for this program.  I'm trying to make the most out of my remaining time here by hanging out with friends and going to the parks as often as possible. I will always remember the amazing times I've had down here, like knowing every word to Illuminations, pin trading with little kids (as well as serious collectors), the final wave, the amazing people I get to work with, taking family photos, making Magical  Moments, having my photo  taken with guests (I just had my photo taken with a group of Chinese businessmen), and my personal favorite from the other day; being asked if I was a princess and replying "Why no I'm not, but I mean most of them started off cleaning right? I'm just too impatient to wait for my knight and shining armor. (and a mite too feminist but what little kid would understand that?) I can't really sing though so that's out. But I mean I guess if I ever decided I wanted to be a princess, there are plenty of frogs around here. All I have to do is pucker up." 
But so just over a month until I go home, I hope to go back to writing an entry per week, but hey, come on, I'm a busy lady. And I'm easily distracted by shiny baubles and the temptation of sleep so we'll see how this works out.
P.S. Went to the beach yesterday with some friends. It was great. Except that I somehow wandered like 3 miles away. But that's a story in itself. For next time perhaps..

Chapter 9: Life down here

      Living down here is different from living at home. At home I can walk to pretty much anywhere I need to go in town, here? Not so much.  I do the majority of my shopping at the Dollar Tree. Yes that includes grocery shopping. I get canned vegetables, frozen meals, pasta, even ice cream at the Dollar Tree (my body is no temple). It saves me a lot of money plus its wicked easy to get to. I just walk out of Vista Way, past Walgreen's (where I get milk if I want some), cross an eight lane highway, and down a bit. Its about a five minute walk  and yes there is a crosswalk to the highway,  promise. Maybe. I take a bus everyday to work. I usually leave for work about an hour before I have to clock in, like today I'm working at 2.15 and I'm leaving here at 1.20. There is a later bus but it's my personal preference and I do keep about half of my costume in my locker and half of it at my apartment so it takes a little while to puzzle piece it back together (mostly because the second I leave work its flip-flops, flip-flops, flip-flops..). I get a lot of media from the Vista Way Learning Center. They have a small library of books and DVDs (at first glance I sort of wanted to laugh when they called it a library because I definitely own more books than they do, but now I'm just grateful to have something). Being down here makes me want to watch a lot of Disney movies. I have watched a ton of movies since getting down here. I watched Pinocchio and appreciated the artwork a whole lot more ( watch it, it is incredible), saw Fox and the Hound for the first time. Hated it. Also watched the first three original Star Wars movies (I liked those). I've taken out a good dozen books and my roommates and I have also gotten a couple games from there before, Clue, Apples to Apples, Mad Gab. It's great for us because of how close we are to the Learning Center, especially because its open until midnight, so I'll usually pop over there after work.
        One of the things I love about working at Epcot is that 99% of the bus empties out when we stop at the Commons (which is the housing for the International kids). So even if you get on an insanely crowded bus, after the first stop you're nearly alone. Most of the International kids are really great. Sometimes they'll talk over you're head in another language, but usually its just because its easier for them. Its really awesome to have them all here in one place, it just makes me (Queen of Questions) want to explode. So next time you're walking around Epcot talk to some of the international students, they're here so we can learn from them. I promise they're really from their countries and not hired actors, I've been asked that before. One thing though, please don't ask if our German students are Nazis. Please, think first.
     Okay, let's make a list of some of the awesome stuff I've gotten to do so far: My roommate Jillian and I went out to eat at the restaurant in Morocco. It was awesome, the food was delicious and the belly dancer was very cool. It was really funny though because this pair of prepubescent boys kept standing in front of Jillian to take pictures of the belly dancer. I went on the "Around the World at Epcot" Segway tours with my friend/coworker, Julia. We had a blast. We were the only two in the tour group and they were really nice to us because they knew we were Cast Members. I did crash. I'm not the best at stopping on those things, and there was a Mexican tour group involved. No more words.
     I went to Typhoon Lagoon on Tuesday with some College Program girls I met on a Facebook group. I know that sounds dangerous, but it was mostly just awkward, me and these three girls who were roommates and already knew each other. But they were really awesome and we ended up having a great time so I'm really glad that I went. I got to do a Goofy birthday surprise the other day at work, it was great. (Can't spoil the surprise guys, sorry.) I also learned how to do water Mickeys.  My coordinator LeeAnn, who is amazing, taught me how. I have to practice a lot more before I can do it in front of people, but I'm really excited about it, it's something I really wanted to do as a part of custodial when I came down here. I've also witnessed some pretty great family moments and I've talked to a lot of guests, and every conversation makes me feel like I've just had a bit of my soul lifted up towards the sky.
    I will leave you with my favorite moment of the week: the other night I was walking through Mexico at around 10 o'clock (the park closes at nine), making sure everything was clean, when this elderly couple goes by me in their electric wheelchairs. I waved good bye to them and wished them a goodnight and they did the same to me. After they'd gotten past me the woman turned to her husband and said "See ya later old man!" and pounded on her gas, leaving him in her dust. He sped up and yelled back at her, "You can't get rid of me that easily!"

Just for laughs and giggles, take a look at this:

Chapter 8: time in review

I love my job. Always have. I love my job back home at the library, I love it down here and every other little thing in between. But you know what makes a job amazing? People. People make or break a job, and here at Disney it's no different. Not just cast members but guests too. The people I work with, I wanna be friends with forever.  I have met so many people being down here that I never would have back home, and for that I am amazingly grateful. Especially being at Epcot where I get to work around World Showcase and meet transplants from everywhere. I love that part of my job I'm sort of a world traveler, every day I get to do a different country (actually it's usually two). My top three favorite assignments are UK/International Gateway, Mexico/Norway, and China/African Outpost. Each one has amazing people (not to say that the other ones don't) and a lot of variety (in a good way) so I never know exactly what I'm gonna get.  The most interesting things happen to me on the job, I have had my picture taken several times.
     Last night this group of young guys approached myself and two other custodial guys and asked if we would take a picture. I assumed he meant of them so I reached for the camera, but the custodial guys I was with were already arranging us into their group.
        Some of the people that are guests are amazing too and in "the real world" I would have never been able to talk to them because it's considered weird to just start talking to people. I'm so lucky to have met some amazing people and to have had some amazing conversations with them. I get to interact with small children and ask them how awesome their day is, and their parents think it's the cutest thing. The second I'm no longer in costume that all changes. Most guests don't really notice other people that they perceive to be guests. I can no longer say, "Happy birthday princess!" to a little girl in a Jasmine outfit wearing a birthday button. I can no longer be freakishly cheesy and bow to them or apologize because Rapunzel was taking an extremely long time to brush her hair back stage.
    The other day I was opening the Odyssey Center when a little girl walked by me in her Princess Jasmine outfit on her way to the Norway Princess Breakfast and I said "Good morning Princess!" She stopped and whirled around looking for whoever I must be talking to, before realizing I was speaking to her. I talked to her for a few minutes. She told me it was her birthday but the button took away from her outfit so she had it on the coat which she refused to wear. I told her that she was starting off her day right and if she saw Snow White at the breakfast to say hi for me (because Snow White is a close personal friend of mine who had started out her happily ever after with a small cleaning career ("Whistle While You Work")). The little girl said she would and began to walk away. I looked after her for a moment and got back to my sweeping, but when I looked up again she was looking back at me and tugging on her mother's hand. Her mother let her run back to me quickly so I knelt down to see what was up. She told me that she couldn't tell Snow White "hi" for me because she didn't know my name. I told her my name was Jillian and asked hers in return. I told her that Snow White and I would have a conversation later about the little girl special enough to care about a custodial girl's name.
One thing I have realized working here is how sheltered Walt Disney World is, people feel safe here. They leave their strollers parked outside of restaurants brimming with personal belongings, they will let their kids speak to strangers (like me), and they just do things they probably wouldn't in New York City. I could not say "Happy birthday Princess" to some little girl on the street, her mom or dad would think I was a creep.  But here it's just part of the magic,something that makes the Disney World go round.


I would like to dedicate this blog entry to my grandfather, Walter Eben Lynch, whose 83rd birthday would have been today. I love you Papa, and I miss you so much, especially being down here because I wanna call you every day and tell you all about my adventures. I guess this is as close as I'm going to get.