Running around....

Yeah for days off!!! I decided that today I was going to spend the day wandering around Animal Kingdom. Now I know what you are thinking, “Why in heaven’s name would I want to go to the very park I work at on my day off?” Well, the answer is simple, because even though I work there, I only see one building 5 days a week for 6 – 8 hours, and there is so much more that needs to be explored!

My day started on the 8:44am bus to Animal Kingdom where it would first drop me off at wardrobe so I could switch my dirty costumes from last week with nice new ones for this week .When I got back home I was met by a surprise birthday package from my best friend, Kira, who is currently living in Germany! I was so excited! She sent me German chocolate and a wonderful letter! It’s been so long since I’ve heard from her!


Then it was back out to the bus stop to catch a bus back to Animal Kingdom. It was so strange walking through the main entrance. When I go for work, I peel off to the right before the main entrance and make my way backstage where it takes me 2 minutes to get to work. Today, however, I had to walk through the whole park (okay, just a part of it) to get back to where my restaurant is located. It took about 10 minutes! I couldn’t believe it! On the way there, I stopped long enough to get a picture of Flame Tree, my “home away from home” if you will. Once at Resto, I decided to stop in for lunch and visit my friends while they were working! I ordered our Shrimp Po-Boy, which was DELICIOUS! After I was done eating, I took pictures of Resto. I love all the decorations! Just thinking about the amount of imagination that went into to creating that one location boggles my mind!

Then it was time to wander! But I didn’t manage to get very far because I got distracted by the “Finding Nemo The Musical” which was starting soon (just my luck!). And because I love that show so much and because I really didn’t have a plan for the day, I decided why not see it again?! (That makes 3 times since I’ve been here! And I will keep seeing it over and over!) It truly is an amazing show! Today, I saw the best actor playing the turtle, Crush. His vocal range was amazing! And the song “Go With the Flow” is quickly becoming my favorite! I already have it memorized! Check out this amazing youtube video (I don’t know if it’s the same guy that I saw or not) of the song!

When the show ended and we were all getting ready to leave the theater, Mother Nature decided THAT would be the PERFECT time to let a massive rain fall! It was pouring! You couldn’t see five feet in front of you! The cast members working at the theater were all very nice, they said that we could stay until it slowed down, but at the same time they were trying to get ready for the next group of guests coming in to see the finial production of the show that night. I stuck around the theater for 20 minutes or so hoping the rain would slow. It didn’t, of course, but lucky for me, I remembered my Disney raincoat (no hood, boo!) and had that to keep some of the water off me. I got tired of waiting and made a break for the bus stop. I was freezing by the time we got back to Chattam, I was soaked to the bone! So I made a snap decision to get on the Wal-Mart bus to buy a hoodie and sweat pants. (I really didn’t think I’d need those in Florida, I guess I was wrong.)
While waiting for the bus at Wal-Mart, I received a text message from one of my roommates begging me to come save her in Downtown Disney. She was there with a guy she met down here and she said the whole situation was just awkward. He wasn’t really talking to her. He didn’t really say anything to me when I got there either. Bright side of the evening, we at Earl of Sandwich, and my meal was so good! I will go back there to order something again! Anyways, we finally convinced this guy that we needed to be going for the night and he offered to drive us home, instead of us having to ride the bus back, so that was nice of him.

Back at home, I was still so cold that I put on my new warm outfit and climbed under all the covers on my bed and took a nice nap. And now that I’m up again…. Who knows what I’ll do now!

Deployed

I’ve been deployed! I don’t know why, but for some reason or another, for this week I’m being sent to work at another restaurant in Animal Kingdom. I will be at the newly reopened Flame Tree, which means that I had to go get a NEW COSTUME! I like wearing this one because it feels like I’m wearing my PJs to work, but at the same time, I feel more comfortable in my Resto costume.

I had no idea where to go this morning or any idea about Flame Tree at all, so I was very grateful when I met a woman named Susan who showed me where the backstage entrance was and introduced me to everyone at Flame Tree so I would feel included.

It was weird being somewhere else. First of all, I had to walk through the park to get to the location, which is on Discovery Island, right around the corner from Dino Land USA, where I usually work. Also, everything but the kitchen is outside in the open. And there was no music playing! But, when Flame Tree opens at 11am, it is the most fun! We get to bang on pots and pans and yell and make a big deal so that all the guests know that we are open and ready for them to come! I suggest hanging around Flame Tree at opening to see this for yourself, it’s a lot of fun!

Because I’m not trained at this location, the only thing I could really do was filler on the counter, which was fine because you get to interact with the guests, but it’s done so differently than what I’m use to. There are four people who bring the trays of food to the guests, and four other people who fill the drinks orders and take only those to the guests. In theory, this method should work, however, it doesn’t because we aren’t suppose to take the food to the guest UNLESS they have their drinks and 9 times out of 10 the food will be sitting on the counter because the drinks people are so far behind in filling the order because the printers haven’t been working properly. Then you get that random guest who ordered only food and no drink, so we will be holding their tray on the counter not knowing they had no drink (they are the ones who get mad, which is totally understandable).

Anyways, that is what I will be doing all week long because I’m not trained to work in the kitchen. But I guess I could help prep for the next day, or help cast members clean. Who knows…. All I know is that I am going to be so glad to go back to Resto! It’s been one day and I miss it already.


Oh, one other thing about Flame Tree that I love! You can watch the parade if you are working on counter because it goes right by! Also, Flame Tree cast members are assigned PAC (Parade Audience Control) duty, which is something I wish we got to do at Resto. I think it would be a lot of fun to help out along the parade route, friends I’ve told this to who do PAC think I’m crazy, but I wonder if it has more to do with they get to do it all the time and I’ve never had the chance.

Extra Magic Hours

Ahhhhh! Yesterday I worked my first “Extra Magic Hours”! Usually, Animal Kingdom stays open until 5:00pm, but on certain days during the week, we stay open until 8:00pm for Guests staying at the Disney Resorts. This means that my work location was also opened until 8:00pm instead of our usual 5:00pm.


I didn’t have to be at work until 1:00pm, so I spent my morning sleeping in, playing on facebook, doing laundry, and watching the Today Show! Thinking about it now, it’s a really good thing I didn’t have to be in until the afternoon because I needed the sleep after the late night I had yesterday! (But trust me, I’m not complaining about it at all! Last night was about as perfect as a night can get!)

Once at work, I spent most of the day bussing tables, sweeping the floor and taking out the trash. Not glamorous work, but someone has to do the dirty work in order for the whole restaurant to run smoothly. And besides, part of the magic is coming to a place that is clean and organized! And my managers must have thought I was doing a good job because they decided that I would also be closing bussing at the end of the night, but holy cow, thank goodness that is a two person job! There is so much to do and we only have an hour and a half or so to do it! I’m not kidding, I felt like I was running from one task to the next trying to get out on time. I think I clocked out at 9:50 and the bus didn’t come pick the cast members up until 10 something. Then it was an hour home (thanks to sitting at Vista Way for 20 minutes), so by the time I walked back to my apartment, changed and ate something for dinner it was well after midnight and lucky me, I had to be back at work at 11:00am! But, that was fine with me because I knew that once I clocked out at the end of the night, I was going into a 4 day weekend!!

And now I just can’t wait until tomorrow! I will be spending the day running around one of the parks with Scott. He promised to show me all of the cool things that I haven’t seen yet, which is a lot still!! So I can’t wait, wherever we end up, it’s going to be a lot of fun! Well that’s all for now, off to watch a movie with a friend! So until I post again, good night readers!

Greeter!

Yesterday was the most fun I've had at work yet! When I got to work at 11:30am, I found my name on the board (spelled correctly today! Hahaha!), and it said I was going to be a greeter! I was so excited to see this because I would finally get to interact with the guests and when we were training that area I really enjoyed it. So off I went to find Violeta, the full time cast member I was going to be working with. She told me to just relax and have fun with it, that it was okay to be silly as that's what guests expect when they come to Disney. She showed me the best place to stand and how to direct the guests to the cashier line that is moving the quickest. She told me that when we are "slow" we have more time to interact with the guests. We get to ask how their day has been going, where they are from, how they are enjoying Disney, what they've done so far/plans for the rest of the day, that kind of thing.

So, for the first 15 - 20 minutes, I was kind of shy and didn't really get into it. And those of you who know me, know this is normal when I'm trying things that are new to me. But once I get the hang of it and feel comfortable, I just let go and have fun with it. I decided that I work for Disney, the happiest place on Earth, I wear a cheesy costume, and I can act silly and be paid for it, so why not go full out enthusiasm? And so I did, and LOVED every minute of it!

I've decided that this position was made just for me! Once I started really letting go of my fear, it all came so natural. I was able to start talking to anyone, children, adults, didn't matter. All I had to do was start the conversation and the guests would take it from that point on. i heard all about seeing different animals while on the safari ride, riding Mt. Everest in Asia, and seeing the different shows playing around the park.

But my favorite part about being greeter.... PIN TRADING! I am not kidding, it is so much fun! And it's not just the kids who get excited when they see the cast members wearing the different pins, it's the adults, too! i was wearing the popular lanyard yesterday, it seemed like every 10 minutes or so I was trading with a different guest. Now, let me explain this to you a little. There are tons of different kinds of pins the guests can buy in the park. Then, if they see one a cast member is wearing and if it is one they like and want or part of a set they are trying to collect they can trade with us. However, a guest can ONLY trade two pins per cast member per day... and the cast member HAS TO TRADE (even if the guest wants the cast members favorite pin that they are wearing that day). Also, the pins the guests with the cast members have to be in good condition and official Disney pins. So, like I said, I had the popular pins, and as a result of that, I had a completely different set of pins at the end of the day than what i had when we opened in the morning. i got just as excited as the guests when they found a pin that they were looking for. Honestly, before yesterday, I had no idea how popular pin trading actually was. I mean, I knew people liked to trade pins, I just didn't know HOW MANY PEOPLE really got into it! My location also has a pin board that we keep in the managers office with 30 or so more pins on it that we can bring out to show the guests if we know that they are looking for a specific one. I had the chance to make a few guests days when we were a little slower by showing them that board. it's such a wonderful feeling just watching their eyes light up and the smile they get when you hand them their new pin! Nothing at my job will ever top that feeling.

So, because most of my day at work was super wonderful, my managers decided I needed to "really work" yesterday, too. So for closing, they had me cleaning the friers. (Yuck!) I will be honest, I kind of panicked! I blanked on how to clean them! I just couldn't remember! Lucky for me, one of my trainers, Damaris, told me exactly what steps to do and repeatedly came over to make sure I wasn't to overwhelmed and that I was able to handle closing by myself. in all, I think I did a good job. I got all 6 friers cleaned and i only got burned by the hot oil a few times. By the end of the night, they were clean and I was dirty, so I guess that means I did something right! And the whole time I was cleaning them I only had one minor problem. When I was ready to pump the oil back into the last fryer, the machine wouldn't turn back on and I couldn't' figure out what has happened! I mean it was working not 10 minutes before! So I went to ask the manages, and they jokingly, asked what I had done this time! When I explained what the problem was, they told me that at closing, they turn off the hoods above the broiler, friers and salad bar, and when they do that, it turns the power off to select electrical outlets and chances were I'd just have to replug it in somewhere else. And what do you know, that was exactly the problem! So once I changer outlets, the rest was a snap and I was good to clock out.

However, it was POURING when I was walking to the bus, and I somehow managed to get soaked even though I was using my umbrella. (Darn sideways rain!) Also, I missed my bus at 6:25pm by 5 minuter because I was stopped and asked questions by none other than 6 different guests on my way out of the park. So because of that (while I was happy to help, all I wanted to do was go home and change), I had to wait at the bus stop until the next bus came at 6:55pm. Thank goodness I had my book with me! And that, was my day.... the rest as they say is history! :)

Flying Solo and other stories

To start off my Friday, I went to the main office to pick up a package from home! When I opened it up, I was super excited to find my family had sent me "County Fair in a Box!" They sent me cotton candy and popcorn from my home fair, which I was really bummed about missing as it is usually the highlight of my summer! I was just so excited that they found a way to send the fair to me! : D


On Friday at work, it was my first day post "Earning My Ears"! I was kind of freaked out to be on my own, but over all it was a really good day! I had to be there at 11:00am and I could clock in at 10:45am, so I took the 9:51am bus. Why did I leave so early for work you ask? Well, it's because of the buses, I HATE waiting on them! (I miss my car so much!) So because I am at the mercy of the buses, I have a 35 minute drive to work, and it could be longer if the bus is late or waits around at the apartments or wardrobe building. Then when the bus finally drops me off in the cast parking lot, I have a 5 - 10 minute walk to work. And I made it to work with 20 minutes of down time before I had to clock in! Because you know, if you are early you are on time, if you are on time you are late.

After I clocked in, I tried to find my name on the board, but IT WASN'T THERE! I asked a manager and he looked, too. Then he saw my name (spelled totally funky which is why I missed it)! My position for the day was "Filler", basically after the guest has placed their order, they bring their receipts to the counter and we match their meal to the tickets on the trays that come from the kitchen. I would also get the guests drinks and desserts.

I loved this job, I had a BLAST! When we were less busy or waiting for the food from the kitchen we were able to interact with the guests! We got to ask them about their vacation, were they enjoying Animal Kingdom, was this their first time visiting Disney, have they gone on the Mt. Everest ride or been on the safari yet, have they seen the other parks yet or the firework shows at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Then, my favorite part, the Disney buttons! There are buttons for EVERYTHING...birthdays, just engaged, just married, first visit, family reunion, volunteering, and then an "I'm celebrating ___________" and the guests fill in the blank. (My trainer told me about a woman who was wearing an "I'm celebrating my divorce" button! HAHAHA. I don't know what I'd say if I saw one of those while I was working!) I loved seeing guests wearing the buttons because I was able to make their day a little more special by making a big deal about it! I met this little boy who was wearing an "It's my Birthday" button and when I commented on it you could see the joy spread across his face, HE was important. Someone was talking to HIM like a grown-up and LISTENING! I met a couple that just got married and a group of people at Disney for their family reunion! And what I love the most is that it's not only the kids who get excited when we mention their Disney buttons, it's the adults, too! I don't know what it was, but once they started talking, they wanted to tell us EVERYTHING about their trip and their experiences in the parks! I loved it; I had such an easy time striking up conversations with complete strangers.

And before you get the impression that all I did at work was talk to the guests, let me settle your fears, I really did work. There were only 4 of us filling orders, so when the lunch rush finally came, we were really booking it to get those trays out fast while at the same time making each guest feel special and noticed (harder than it sounds)! Also during the lunch rush, I learned to pour a good cut of beer from the tap! Hahaha, a skill I never would have imagined I would need to learn! But, by the end of my program, I will be a master! ;) I just thought I'd throw that out there, that I can now pour beer! (Funny picture if you really know me!)

When we closed at 5:00pm, I was on prep duty for the next day. My job was to tram bacon. In other words, I had to put bacon on a tray and fill the storage cooler. So, let me break this down for you: there were 10 pieces of bacon on a sheet of wax paper, there were 4 pieces of wax paper per tray and there were about 40 trays of bacon in the cooler when it was filled. So in an hour, I prepared 1600 pieces of bacon! If I never come in contact with bacon again it will be too soon! Hahaha. The sad thing is, as soon as I go back to work on Sunday, bacon and I will meet again. On the bright side, at least I wasn't preparing the turkey legs! (That looked like a really gross job!)
In other news, most of the people I work with, their native language is Spanish. Therefore, when I am at work I will answer to Mariah OR Maria. I can't tell you how many times they have looked at my name tag and had to remind themselves to pronounce it in English! But I love hearing them all talk in Spanish, most of the time it's too fast for me to follow, but every now and then I will understand something and it makes my day!

When I got home from work, I was so tired. I had no idea how exhausted I was until I had a minute to sit down. So my roommate, Kari, and I decided to call it an lazy night, and we watched Disney Channel's Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. It was super cheesy, but some of the songs were really awesome! I love Disney Channel, don't hate me! It's why I work at Disney! And then all night, my parents sent me text messages letting me know the score of my hometown's high school football game where my little sisters are on the dance line. At the end of the game, we won!! I can't believe that the season I'm not home to watch, they are off to a 2 - 0 start!!! Go team!!! So that was my Friday!

I had today off (much needed!). I started off my day with a 4.3 mile bike ride in the gym, a quick walk around the complex and 70 + sit-ups. It was the best way to start off my day, I had so much energy and I was so awake! I've made it my goal to workout as much as possible while I am here. And so, I'm going to wake up early tomorrow (even though I don't have to be at work until 12:15pm) so I can get another workout in! Then my roommate, Mary, and I went shopping at the Florida mall. I bought 3 new shirts and new pair of shorts because all the new clothes I bought to wear down here are too big! I love that feeling, it's such a rush! I feel like I'm becoming a totally different person here, not only personally wise (I feel so comfortable just striking up conversations with people now), but physically, too. Hopefully, I can keep this feeling going throughout my whole program; I know that with this mind set it's going to be the best time of my life!

So, here's hoping that this is the beginning of a really good week! Filled with more learning opportunities and chances to make Magical Moments for the guests! I really do work at the "HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH" and I couldn't be more thrilled! Good night everyone, and until my next post, I hope that you find some magic in your own lives, too!! Just remember, "Dreams really do come true!"

Where in the world has Mariah been?

Hey everyone, sorry I've gone missing for a few days. It got crazy around here quickly and it just came out of the blue! But I'm back and I have a weeks worth of information to tell you!

 Last Monday was my first day off since starting my training at DAK and I took full advantage of my time off! My roommate Amanda and I spent the morning and early afternoon at Disney's Blizzard Beach, a water park with a winter theme. Sadly, there are no pictures from this adventure because I didn't want to risk the chance of something happening to my camera. But Amanda and I both decided that the next time we go to a water park we should get a water proof camera from Walmart and then have all our pictures put on a CD! So, hopefully we remember for next time. Anyways, the decorations we just darling, little snowman families and heavy piles of "snow" on the buildings and slides.  I also loved the fact that there was Christmas music piped through the park... it really set the mood of the park! We went on the lazy river, up the ski lift to a family tubing ride down a twisty slide, on a tobogganing slide on purple rafts and a racing water tube ride down a steep slide. It was a lot of fun! On our way out, we stopped at a gift shop and saw the cutest beach towel. It was mint green and it had the seagulls from "Finding Nemo" on it, along with "MINE, MINE!!" I think I'm going to have to buy it before I go home, I just loved it!!! Still on my to do list is Typhoon Lagoon, where you can swim with sharks! Awesome, right?! I can't wait to do this, I love Sharks! I think they are so fascinating! But more about them in another post!

After the water park it was home to our second roommate dinner! Amanda (who loves to cook and bake) made chicken and potato's, Christine made a wonderful salad and I finished off the meal by making fruit smoothies like my dad does at home! It was such a fun evening, everyone was home and we just laughed and talked and relaxed. It was great to catch up with everyone, since we all work different schedules, it can be hard to keep up to date with everything we are all doing at work and on our days off!

On Tuesday, I had my second day off for the week and my roommate Hannah and I used it to do laundry and run around Epcot! We got our picture taken in front of the Epcot Ball, went on Mission Space, tried pop from around the world for free at the Cool Cafe, bought a Mexican Donald and French Minnie in the gift shop (our first purchases of Disney merchandise as Cast Members), walked around the world, stopping to ride the boat rides in Norway and Mexico. Also while in Mexico, we got a picture with Mexican Donald! We also had to look at the little gift shops in all the countries, deciding that we would be back to buy at least one thing from every country while we were here! In Morocco, we watched a man hand-carve these beautiful wood animals. he put so much detail into his work! In China we saw an amazing show put on by young Chinese acrobats. They were so talented! Once we made it all around the world, we finished off the day by off by riding "Test Track", "Finding Nemo" and "Soarin'". We packed so much into the day, but there was still so much that we missed seeing!! Since we both had to work the next morning, we decided not to stay for the fireworks, but we made plans to get back there soon to see them! They are set off over the waters and from what I remember as a kid from the last time I was at Disney, they were breath-taking! I can't wait to see them again! And just so you know, in the 5 hours we were at the park, I took over 400 pictures!

On Wednesday, I went back to work. i was trained on the expo line. We are responsible for getting the order when it prints and putting all the right orders on the tray as quickly as possible. During our training, I managed to burn myself twice, once on each arm. The one on my right arm was caused when I was reaching to get a veggie sub and i touched the hot metal (I was wearing my burn resistant sleeve on my left arm) and the one on my left arm happened while we were cleaning out the expo cart at the end of the night. I didn't realise it was still hot and I bumped the metal again while scrubbing out the inside. (Thank goodness I only have a thin scar on my right arm above my elbow that I hope will fade over time.)

Thursday was my last day of training! It was kind of nerve-racking because we were on cashier for the first time. But we got to start of the morning as greeters, so that was nice! basically all we had to do was welcome everyone who came in, make them feel special and noticed. If we saw Celebration buttons (i.e. birthday, just married, 1st time visitor) we got to make a big deal and be all excited! (I loved this part). We also got to talk to the guests and direct them to which line they should go to place their order. After an hour or so of this it was our turn to tackle the cash handling. I didn't do too terrible. I was able to place the order quickly and make the right change quickly. However, my downfall was counting the change back to the guest the Disney way. The reason I found this challenging was simple, I kept looking at the wrong line on the receipt for what their total was so I could count up from that to the dollar amount they gave me. I kept looking at the amount of change I was to hand back and tried to count their change back to them starting with that amount! It sounds confusing, I know!  But I got it all figured out and i think it will go smoother for me next time. We also got a chance to close the topping bar on the Plaster side of the restaurant (when you walk in the door as a guest, it would be to your left). This wasn't hard, it included cleaning the drinks station, restocking everything and spoiling the toppings that were not used by the guests and then recording the amounts. The last 15 minutes my shift was my assessment. basically, manager Eric asked us questions about Food & Beverage basics that we learned in class and during our e-learning courses, about different things in the restaurant, where to find things a guest might be looking for (i.e. restrooms, smoking sections, ATM) and other basic questions. It was terrible, I had worked myself up during the day for nothing! I knew I had passed when he told me to remove the "Earning My Ears' ribbon from my name tag. So when I left work, I was scared out of my mine because I knew when I went into work on Friday it would be my first time "flying solo". But I was also so excited to have completed my training and also because it means I'm no longer the newest new person there as I noticed the next group of CPs have started training this week!

Then Thursday night there was another welcome pool party at Patterson Court (where I live). The theme was Monster's Inc. It was crazy, I didn't know you could cram that many people into our pool area! But I guess that's what happens when you tell poor college students they can get free food and drinks, take pictures with the characters and dance. I am not kidding, I even saw people in the pool dancing to the Cha Cha slide! it was the funniest thing I have ever seen! So, Hannah, Amanda and I all went over to get free food, pizza and a bag or chips, (which is the best tasting thing in the world) and then Amanda and I had our picture taken with Mike Wazowski. Then we decided to go to Target and JoAnn's so she could get supplies to decorate her cork board for her room. It turned out super cute, too! And to round the evening off, we watched Jersey Shore with Hannah.

So I think that covers just about everything from this week! I'm going to post about Friday in it's own post because I think it deserves it, lets just say that I couldn't have asked for a better first day on my own than what I had. But more about that later! Good night!

Life Lessons / Earning My Ears

I don't remember if I've told you or not, but I am working at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Restaurantosaurus. Well, my training in the restaurant started on Thursday. My schedule was really weird, they had my first day there as training day #2. Confusing, I know. I didn't understand why it was like that either, usually on training day one they walk you around the area, show you where to find everything, take you over to do computer e-learning and finally start you off easy busing tables and closing down the dining rooms. That was what I did today (second day at the restaurant, training day #1..... hahaha!)

So there I was, not sure how to clock in or where anything was or who I was even suppose to talk to find my trainer. But lucky for me, there was another girl who was just starting out, too. For our first day there, after our trainer, Mary, found us, taught us how to clock in, gave us our maroon ribbons that say "Earning my ears" to attach to our name tags and then she informed us that we were on Broiler duty. It was the scariest thing I've ever done. We were in charge of putting the two different kinds of burgers through so they can cook. Then you also have to remember that when you send burgers, you have to send buns, too. It got confusing when they used terms like "send a set of babies"... translation "I need 12 small burgers". Or this one, "kitchen is on a three foot"... in other words "when the last row of burgers are under the third burner, put in another set (12 burgers) and continue until further notice." It's all so confusing, people yelling, you responding that you heard, trying to remember that only the big burgers get salt and pepper, and while you are doing all this you have to make sure that you have enough meat in your coolers and prep area so you don't run out. It's stressful and confusing and I didn't like it one bit. But I made it my goal to ask questions and repeat back answers to my trainer so i could learn and remember all the information she was giving us. I kept telling myself that my shift was nearly over and that the more I put the burgers on, the faster and more proficient I became. So at the end of the day I felt so good when we closed our area because I didn't give up, I stuck it out.

At the end of the night, we had to take the broiler apart and scrub it clean. It was so disgusting! We had to be very careful taking the doors and burners off as they were very hot. We had to use not only rubber gloves but also towels to get the different pieces off and onto the cart to go to the dish room. There was grease everywhere, and we got the honor of scrubbing that monster clean. And yes, I called it a monster because it was HUGE! It was taller than I am and it was around 5 feet long, maybe even more. So here's the scene, one trainer and two trainees against one overly gross and extremely hot machine. But don't worry, we were victorious! By the time we were done, the "monster" was sparkling and ready to be put back together, which is comparable to a jigsaw puzzle. A really hard and confusing one. But when it was time to clock out, that thing was back in one happy, shining piece, happily back at home at it's spot in the kitchen.

The first two days have been hard, but I have faith that they will continue to get better the longer I an there and the more things I learn. And if that's not reason enough, this is a once in a lifetime experience and I have the opportunity to learn many life lessons while I'm here. I signed a contract, I'm in this for the long hall. I will make this the most wonderful time I possibly can, even if it means there are some rough days along the journey. Like my parents told me on the phone, this is a learning experience, when I make a mistake and I learn from it, I know how to do it correctly and more efficiently the next time around. This is the time to grow and develop. I'm well on my way, taking baby steps still, but I've come a long way in a week!

I also wanted to mention that tonight when I got home from work, I was greeted by a lovely surprise. Amanda, one of my roommates who loves to cook, decided to cook dinner for all of us tonight. It was so delicious. She made purple chicken (cooked in wine), a cooked noodle salad with cooked peppers and onions and garlic bread. Then we all had a nice roommate sit-down dinner, because you know "a family that eats together, stays together!" I love that I already feel like theses girls are like my sisters, we are becoming a family! Then we all spent the evening talking, laughing and playing on our laptops in a big circle in the living room. It was a great Friday night!

DAKlamation

Today was my first day of at Animal Kingdom. I had to be at the cast Services building at 8:30am. So, in order to not be late on my first day at the park, I decided to catch the bus at Chattam at 7:00am. Therefore I had to leave Patterson at 6:45am, which meant I was waking up at 5:45am. (I honestly don't remember that last time I got up that early!)

The title for this post is DAKlamation, and that was the training session I attended today. The purpose of today was to get use to Animal Kingdom. We were also told to wear business professional clothing, so I decided on my "Safari Guide" outfit with my new brown shoes. I thought this was the perfect outfit because I felt like I was almost dressing the part. I quickly realised how wrong I was in my choice of shoes as I was walking from Patterson to Chattam. Even in that short walk I could already feel the blisters forming on my feet.

I still can't believe how hot it already is in Florida at 7:00am. By the time I made it to the bus stop I was already dripping with sweat, not a good sign for the day. So, one this I have already learned is to never trust the bus schedule. The "J" bus was suppose to get to Chattam at 7:00am, however it didn't get there until 7:05 - 7:10am. Once on the bus, it takes us about 35 minutes to get to the Animal Kingdom from our apartments. During the ride, I was able to meet some of the other CP that are going to be working in AK, too. I was really excited to find the girl I sat next to was the same religion as me, so that I kind of cool. She's going to be a driver at the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction.

The bus dropped us off and thanks to the help of a full time cast member also on the bus, all of us first timers were able to find the correct building. Those of us who opted to take the very early bus ended up being about 40 minutes early to work, which was a whole lot better than being 2 minutes late in my opinion. So we all sat in the lobby getting to know each other. It was a lot of fun finding out where people were from and where they would be working.

Our trainers for the day met us just before 8:30am to show us how to clock in using our new I.D.s, then it was off to the classroom and the beginning of a new adventure. We got an in-depth look at the history of Animal Kingdom and how it has changed since it's opening day. They showed us videos and hit us with facts and info. And then it was time to go out and explore the park. We were told that we were going on a whirlwind tour that would ONLY take 2 hours! (Don't forget that we were wearing dress clothes and heels!) But, like Traditions class, we first had to remove our name tags.

Our tour was so fast! We went into the park in one area, then we'd escape into the backstage area and reenter in a completely different location! Every now and then our trainer would stop and she would tell us important things about the area. For example I learned that the greeting in Dino Land where I'll be working is "Hi Cousins!" Each area of the park has it's own theme, message and greeting. It's so fasanating! And just like last time, there were were as a traveling as a group in professional clothing (i.e. dress shirts and long pants) in 90 something degree weather, the guests were looking at us like we were out of our minds. Who knows, maybe we were, but it's so worth it because it means I get to work here!

We actually finished our private tour of teh park ahead of schedule, so our trainers took us on the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction. We were all so excited! It was really funny, they had us get on where everyone else was getting off, so as we were driving by the loading dock all the guests were looking at us like "Why did you not get off?!" Our driver told us to smile, wave and say "Jambo!"... so we did!

If you have not be on the safari, you must go! It was so much fun and the drivers know so much about the animals. They really get you involved in the ride and the story! And the animals are so close. We caught a glimpse of the 3 month old baby elephant that was just introduced to the savanna, along with a mother groundhog and her three babies. I wish I would have had my camera with me (we had to leave all our personal belongings in the classroom), but I guess that just means I have to ride it again! Yeahhh! If you like to be bounced around, sit in the back. The whole ride it bumpy, but the back really makes you jump!

Then next big adventure was lunch in the cast member cafateria and then off to get our costumes. I was so excited when I finally saw mine, it's actually kind of cute! Its a torcuse blouse and skirt with violet stripes and a dinosar print  around the collar. We also have to wear and apron and a funky hat thingy. It's a good color on me, too, so that's an added bonus! Pictures will be coming soon. I actually have to go to work at Restaurantosaurus on Thursday in full costume, which means tomorrow (my day off) will particially be spent shopping for work shoes (black, slip on dress shoes that are flat and comfortable). At wardrobe, they were so helpful. When I left, I have 5 full sets of my costume. Wow, I'm starting to feel like an official cast member now! We waited 20 minutes for the bus to come after we clocked out and then it was another hour before I was back in my apartment for the night.

It was an exciting day, but I am beat. Time to put my feet up and get ready for bed. Hopefully this coming week brings as much excitement as today. In my opinion, this has been a great start to my Disney Adventures! Thanks for reading and coming along for this journey with me! Good night readers!