Vista Way Baby!

Happy check-in day!

Today is the day that several of the Disney college program interns (CPs) checked in!  When we first arrived, we got assigned our living situation. There are four apartment complexes that house the CPs, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, The Commons, and Vista Way.  The Commons used to be reserved only for international CPs, but this year they decided to open it to everyone.  They have their own washer and dryer inside the room, but are also the most expensive apartments.  All of the apartment complexes also have their own bus stop, except for Patterson, but that is only a five minute walk from Chatham, so those who live in Patterson catch the bus there. Vista Way is the oldest, and also the cheapest, so depending on how many roommates you have (1-5 others), you could be paying anywhere from $88-$110 a week. Because I will be living in Vista Way in a 6-person apartment, I pay $88 a week in rent, which some people complain about, but considering how much I paid to live in my sorority house, this is nothing! 

Here is a picture of Vista Way:

A couple weeks before we were sent an email that allowed us to write down our preferences for apartment complex, and number of roommates.  I didn't have a preference, because frankly, after living with 60 other women in a sorority house for four years, I thought I could probably handle anything!  I did find another girl through facebook and we requested to live with each other along with a few other girls that we would be randomly paired with, so I was excited to meet her. 

As soon as I checked in, I immedietly had to catch a bus for "Casting," which is basically going to this big office and giving Disney all of your personal information so they know you aren't a criminal or something.  It's a big, beautiful building, and the front door has a doorknob like this:

It's so cute!  Also, Disney is really cool because they call their employees "Cast Members." We all have different roles, and we all play a part in the show! It's also a first-name company, which caught me off guard at first, but now I'm used to everyone just using my first name frequently while they talk to me.  It really adds to the friendliness of the company.

I have a ton to post about the housing, but more on that later! Lots of pictures to come of my room, and my apartment!

Making the Move: Part II

Theme parks. Are. Awesome.

Walking into the two parks (both owned by Universal, one is the Island's of Adventure, the other is Universal Studios) was awesome, they really go all out for decor.  There is a boardwalk area between the two parks that has a ton of restaurants and stores, and it doesn't cost to hang around that area so I think once I get to know more people in the DCP, we will probably hang out there a lot, 1) because there are lots of places to drink down there, and 2) because 1.

We went to Island's of Adventure first, where we were met by this sign:

  

 

 I was so excited! We walked first into the Dr. Seuss section, and rode a little Sneetch-themed trolley around the park.  The story is written on the walls so guests can read it, and I'm pretty sure that it is entirely about racism.  Very clever, Dr. Seuss!  After that, we made our way to something I have been waiting for since it first came out...

 

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!!! Call me a nerd, but I love me some Harry Potter.  It's just so cool!  I could see the castle across the water when we first entered the park, and we had to walk all the way around through different sections until we got to it.  So fun! We rode the Forbidden Journey ride which took us around the castle (best ride in the park!), drank butterbeer, and shopped at Honeydukes and Zonkos.  My life is complete!  

We then ventured over to Universal Studios, where we didn't get to see a whole lot because it was getting late, but we walked around and saw a bunch of amazing buildings, shops, and restaurants!  Plus, there was a firework show at the end that paid tribute to Universal Studios movies, and it was so cool!  At the end of the day, we were all terribly exhausted, but seeing it all was well worth it!

Making the Move: Part I

I'm finally here! After several hours in the air, my family (my mom, brother, and sister) and I finally landed in Orlando, Florida.  From the Boise airport, we traveled to Denver, where we had about a three hour layover and ate at some airport breakfast restaurant, then we got on a different plane to San Antonio, where we stayed on the same plane, and then departed again, this time towards Orlando. 

The last leg of the flight was really interesting, because we flew over the Gulf of Mexico for the majority of it.  For a while I saw a lot of boats, but eventually we were so far out, it was just the sea and I was convinced I was going to see a whale or a shark (which I didn't).  I was so exhausted during the flight because we had to wake up and be at the first airport by 5AM, but I can't sleep on planes no matter how hard I try so I just had to sit there and look out the window.  At least I got a couple packets of honey roasted peanuts, those things are delicious.   I decided after all the flights were over, that I didn't actually like flying at all, which is good because had I been accepted to a job I applied to before the DCP, I may have been extremely unhappy. But more on that later. :)

I felt the Florida humidity as soon as I got off the plane, but I kind of loved it. I could instantly tell that I would enjoy this weather more than Idaho's dry heat, although my hair does tend to get real frizzy real quick.  My aunt, who lives just outside of Orlando and who we haven't seen for ten years, met us right by the car rental services.  We got in our rental car (which was super fancy and I loved the new-car smell) and she took us to the barbeque restaurant, which was so good, but I think that's just because we hadn't really eaten anything all day.  We said our goodbyes to my aunt, made plans to meet up again in the next few days, and set out to our hotel.

As it turns out, the resort we are staying in is pretty much right next to WDW.  It's not inside Disney property like some of the resort hotels, but it is right near the entry way. There are little lizards EVERYWHERE.  They're super common, and they run all over the sidewalks and into the bushes.  I am so afraid I'm going to accidentally step on one, but they are pretty quick so hopefully they will move if they get in the way of my foot! Also, there are palm trees, which aren't really that exciting, but it is a nice change of pace from the kind of environment I am used to in Idaho. Also, it rains CONSTANTLY.  My aunt said we could expect it about every day around 2-4 in the afternoon. So much rain! 

As of now, the most frustrating part of the journey is that my mom cannot follow directions for the life of her, even though she has a GPS, and it takes us forever to get anywhere because she makes so many wrong turns.  Tomorrow we will go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, home of THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!!!

Saying Goodbye

Author A.A. Milne, the man behind Winnie the Pooh, once wrote, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”  As I get closer to making the big move from Idaho to Florida, that’s kind of how I feel.

When I was younger, I often dreamed of the day I would leave my hometown and move to the bright lights of the big city.  I thought I was too cool for this small town (which really isn’t all that small), and I couldn’t wait to be surrounded with busy-bodied people like myself. But now that the time is here, I have to admit that I am a bit nervous to go. From my home in Idaho, Walt Disney World is roughly 2,633 miles away.  Not that that’s a terrible amount, I’ve traveled quite a bit, even went overseas for a short period of time after high school.  Still, I have never been this far away from home, for this amount of time (7 months).  I spent the majority of the past four years 300 miles away from home while at college, but at least there I was in the same state, and I knew that my time in that college town had a deadline: graduation.  But when it comes to Florida, I’m not sure when, or if, I will be back.  I haven’t even set foot in the state, but I’ve already been thinking that after this internship is over, I would like to go to graduate school somewhere in Florida, which would have me away from my hometown for another couple of years.  And after that…who knows! A job might keep me there, or I might find myself somewhere else. Maybe everything will come full circle and I will return to the great Potato State.  Despite my mild hatred towards this place when I was younger, the Gem State has grown on me.  It’s safe, the people are kind, there’s a lot to do, and the scenery is breathtaking. It’s the kind of place I can see myself growing old in, it’s where I was raised, and most importantly, it’s where my loved ones are.    

I got to spend this last Idaho weekend with some great friends, and a lot of my family. We had a BBQ in a local park, and I got to see some family members that normally I only see around the holidays.  I feel really lucky that I have so many family members and so many friends that I have to say goodbye to. Part of me hates it, because I am afraid I will miss something while I am away, but part of me loves it, because I have so many people encouraging me to pursue my dreams.  I’m grateful that I have so many people I will need to send postcards to!

As of right now, my future is completely unclear. But I think that’s okay.  I have so many wonderful people in my life, I know wherever I go, I will never be alone.