What do you do?

As I mentioned in my last blog, I usually work 8:30-5 Mon-Fri. But I also mentioned that would be changing. Our office is open seven days a week, from 7:30-5. However, for a trial period (all of March) we are changing our hours to see if it would be more beneficial for our participants. Our hours on Sat/Sun are now 7:30-4 (I think). And then on weekdays (which I am still working Mon-Fri) from 7am-7pm. So now, instead of working the same times each day, my schedule changes slightly from day to day. I still work 8 hours a day. But one day I may come in a little earlier, and another stay a little later. There are two days that I will be closing (by myself). And all the rest I work in the middle. In some weeks, I may have a day that I open, but that has not been scheduled yet.

My job is going well, although last week, I felt like I was stuck in a rut a little. I just wasn't feeling quite right. Not sure why though. But in general, everything is going swimmingly. Since I haven't really gone into much detail about what I do, I'll try to do that now. However, it's hard. I do a lot of little things so it's difficult to describe it briefly. Things I do in any given days are:

• Travel forms - when international students want to take a trip out of the country, our office provides them with travel forms to fill out. We tell them what they need to do to fill them out. Then when the depart for their trips, they have to bring the forms back to us along with their travel documentation. We have to check their passport/visas. I was confused at first by the many different visas and situation, but I'm getting a hang of it now and learning quite a bit. We check these forms to make sure their visas allow them to travel, then we sign the form and make a copy. When the participants return, we check their passports again to make sure their visas have been processed correctly and then sign their form again saying they are able to go back to work. 
• Residency Letters - many times, participants need proof that they are living in our complexes (usually so they can get a driver's license). We type up an official government document that has proof of their participation and residency. 
• Unexpected Departures - We take care of the initial paper work for people leaving the program early. Some of these are terminations from the company, some of them are voluntary based on family/personal needs. Terminations can come from the work location, or they can come from our department based on a housing code violation. We have to contact the work location to notify them of the participant leaving, and fill out/file paper work. Depending on the situation, we have to notify other departments or file additional paperwork.
• Discipline - My managers are the ones who deal the discipline. However, we type up written and verbal warning notifications. We also are asked from time to time to sit in on security meetings.
• Apartment Meetings - a couple times a week, participants come in having a conflict with their roommates. Our office offers conflict resolution assistance. We call everybody in for a meeting, we sit down and members from my team act as mediators.
• I personally enter Ticklers into our database. A tickler is what we call a security file that had no discipline or follow-up needed. In other words, they are mainly a complaint that had no substantial proof to investigate, or documentation of a medical emergency.

There are also a several other things I do. Answer phones, assist with walk-ins. Clean our popcorn machine. Open and close the office when applicable. Sign people up for events. But the above are the bulk of our work.

A general update...

Okay, so I definitely fail at this. I've had "update blog" on my list of things to do since about January 10th. It's now February, and I haven't posted since the end of November. And now I don't even know where to begin...

I know I want to talk about my new internship, but lets back track a little. My previous internship ended in the beginning of January. Parts of the job were starting to get old and repetitive. But looking back, I miss it. Mostly, I miss the wonderful people I worked with. While many of them are still there, the ones I was the closest to are now back home in different states. And I've never been good at keeping in contact with people if they aren't in physical proximity to me...

In December, the week of Christmas, I moved into my new apartment. It's a four-bedroom, two-bath. It's a nice little place and we have a great location both within the complex as well as in comparison to places/attractions around us. I get a long with most of my roommates. We won't get into that.

I've become an official adult. In the time since my last blog, I've started paying back loans, transferred my residency, changed my driver's license, car-title, and license plates (or tags as we call them here in FL), got new car insurance and bought renter's insurance. It's satisfying to start paying back my loans, but all my money is gone... haha. My next big step (other than getting a big-boy bed) is to get my own health insurance. But that won't happen for a while.

And now, onto my new job. I absolutely love it. I work in one of the college complexes. We help students with pretty much any question they have. We also serve as a central information hub for anybody and everybody dealing with the college program (including participants, parents, professors, managers, and other cast members). I have my own desk. I work 8:30-5 Mon-Fri (although that is going to change in March for a trial period, more on this later). My position is (apart from being a professional intern) coordinator. There are five office coordinators who are stationed in the office. Then there are three managers, and one area manager. I see all of these people pretty often. They are all different but we all compliment each others work styles. That's just the Programs Office. We are part of a bigger team that facilitates the programs. There is the Yield Team (dealing with numbers of beds open and occupied, along with some finances). There is the Events Team (they set up events, trips, and activities for the participants). And there is the Communication Team (does all sorts of communication for the participants including emails and signs). These are the people I see weekly. There is also the Area manager that manages all of these teams, and then his manager. I don't see these two as often, especially the latter. But everybody is so wonderful! And things are so laid back and such a different ball game than the teams in the parks and resorts. I absolutely love it. And I would love it more if I could stay. But... I can't stay unless one of these people leaves, so chances are, at least right now, I will be moving on to another team when June comes around.

To Infinity and Beyond!

So my college program is coming to a close. It is over on January 6th. Back in October, I started looking for the next step. I saw several different avenues, and began following three of them. I was also going to pursue one or two more, but it never came down to that.

The first avenue was a temporary assignment. It would have been for the spring, and to do it, I would also have to have a "home" position (as part time or full time). The temporary assignment would be working for Magic Music Days and the students who come down to perform. I turned in my application and was given an interview. At the interview, part one was to give a presentation. After, 50 percent of the people are asked to stay for a question/answer section. I was one to be asked to stay and went in for the interview. One week later I received a call. Unfortunately, I did not get it.

The next avenue was extending my current program. During that application process, I was able to pick my preference on position. I could choose to stay where I am currently working or ask to be moved. I really wanted to work attractions so I put that down as my first choice. I put down custodial for my second choice. And then for my third, I asked to stay where I am.

At the same time I was applying for the extension, I was also applying for a Professional Internship. These are much more prestigious and competitive. There are far fewer positions compared to the college internships. I applied for a few internships that were for College Program Alumni. I received a phone call asking to set up an interview for one of them and went in later that week.

One day I heard back from the extension saying that I was chosen to extend and would be moved to attractions. I was really excited, but I had to give them an answer by the end of the week. I still had not heard back from the Professional Internship. I did not want to commit to the extension and then also receive the Professional Internship. On the other hand, I did not want to deny the extension and then not receive the other internship and then be out on both. I was freaking out just a little because I did not know when I would hear back from the Professional Internship.

One hour after I received the notification of the extension, I received a phone call and was offered the Professional Internship! Needless to say, I was ecstatic! So now, I did accept the Professional Internship. The title of the internship is the College and International Program Housing Office Coordinator. I'll be doing a lot of different things. I will no longer be located in any of the Disney parks; instead, I'll be in one of the living complexes, in an office. I'm very excited for it! When I interviewed, they said this position was a nice springboard into leadership and management.

The internship pays more and I will be getting more hours. I'll still get the same benefits as I do now. The new internship is from January until the beginning of June. After that, we'll see what comes my way! I will be signing a year-long lease with some friends. So at the very lease, I'll be here in Florida until the end of 2012.

No Time to Say Hello, Goodbye!

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!

For real though, I'm super sorry to everybody who likes reading my blog (cough Hannah cough). I know I should update more often. But I get super duper lazy. When I have free time, I don't feel like writing. So here is the update you've all been waiting for. Hopefully it's not too long.

A lot has happened that I've wanted to write about since my last post. So, now that means this post is going to be a conglomeration of everything. Let's start off with Halloween. Yes, I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving, but it's been that long since I've posted.

In September, my roommates and I went to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It's a special event held a couple times a week at the Magic Kingdom. They kick everybody out who does not have a special ticket, and then they stay open until midnight. In addition to the normal rides and frivolity, Disney provides special events and appearances. For instance, in front of the castle, they have a villain dance party, followed by meet and greets. So I got to meet Jafar and Gaston. Sadly, I did not wait in the lines to meet the other villains. Disney also offers meet and greets with other characters that are not usually out. So I also got to meet Jane Porter and (my personal favorite special meet and greet) Tarzan. We were going to try to meet the seven dwarfs, but the line was too long. Disney also provides a special Halloween version of their nightly show (Wishes) called HalloWishes. And they have a (really super cool) Halloween parade! It was a blast and I am glad I was able to go. You can view pictures on my facebook of these events!!

On October 1, Disney World celebrated their 40th Anniversary. On October 1, 1971, the Magic Kingdom opened its doors to the public. And 40 years later, they had an awesome celebration. They had a special ceremony (televised) with the President of the company and other special guests. I got to meet the Tremaines (Evil step mother and ugly step sisters). It seems that they are not out very often at the Magic Kingdom, so I am glad I waited to meet them. They are by far my favorite characters to meet! But the whole event was really something awesome to be at. I am so glad I went.

Then on November 1st, Disney World did a quick change from Halloween to Christmas. Literally over night, at Hollywood Studios, a lot of Decorations were put up all over the place. The same thing happened at the other parks, I'm just not sure exactly what date. Christmas is a big deal here at Disney. Every park has special Christmas events. The Magic Kingdom has Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This is similar to the Halloween Party, but obviously for Christmas. They also have Cinderella's Castle that is covered in magical ice and a show you can watch as the fairy godmother covers the castle in the ice. Epcot has Christmas Around the World. I have not been over there yet for that. Animal Kingdom has a special parade. And Hollywood Studios has the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The entire back part of the park (Streets of America) are covered with 5,000,000 (or more?) led lights. And every few minutes, they "dance" to a song. It really is really super duper cool! If you are ever in Disney between November and December, you should definitely check them out!

Some of my aunts and uncles are in town right now, so I'm going to eat lunch with them today before they leave. Then my parents and godparents are coming down the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. And then my best friend (Mandi) from college is coming down with her mother after my parents leave. I'm so excited for all of these events! I'm taking my parents and godparents and Mandi to the parks!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. But to me, it still feels like September. If not, it definitely does not feel like tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I have to work 2:15 till 10pm tomorrow. But after, all the college students I work with are going out for a Thanksgiving Meal. We are going to a really classy place. Not sure which, but we have it narrowed down to Perkins, IHOP, or Denny's!

This is getting pretty super long, and kinda random. So I'm going to end it there. I do have more to say, so hopefully it won't be two months before I post again! Check out my facebook page for pictures of all my adventures. I just uploaded a lot of them yesterday!

Visitors from another land

I received my first visitors from home this past week. My sister and brother-in-law, as well as his parents came down for their vacation. The first part of the vacation they spent with their family. The second half they spent in Orlando with me. They arrived in Orlando Tuesday night.

Wednesday morning we went out for breakfast, and then we spent the rest of the day at EPCOT. We did all the main attractions in Future World in the morning and early afternoon. Then we headed over to the World Showcase and they got a little taste of the Food and Wine Festival.

Thursday, we went to Universal's Island of Adventure. This was my first time at Universal. It was a long day. I had fun, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't Disney. It reminded me too much of Six Flags Great America. It was fun for a day trip, but I'm glad that I didn't buy a season pass.

Friday I had to work so we just went out for lunch before I headed to Hollywood. Saturday I also had to work, but we spent the morning and early afternoon at Magic Kingdom. We actually made really good time and we were able to get over to Hollywood Studios earlier than expected. They all spent the rest of the day there, while I worked.

On Sunday morning, I took them to the airport... at 5am.... I was there and back before it was light out! Ha!

They all had a good time. I tried to give them a few magical moments, but they really lucked out! They received several magical moments that I did not plan. At the Magic Kingdom, we were walking in and just talking about getting pictures at the Castle. One of the cast members overheard us and asked if we would like a ride in his vehicle to the castle. So we all jumped on and drove on by all the people walking. It was fun. This is just one example of their Magical Moments.

I'm glad I was able to spend time with my sister and her family! It was a lot of fun, albeit exhausting. I don't know how vacationing families do the parks open to close for several days straight.

Happy Anniversary Walt Disney World

On Saturday, October 1st, Walt Disney World celebrated it's 40th anniversary. On that exact day 40 years previous, the park opened it's gates for the first time to the public. Needless to say, the magic has been kept alive for the past 40 years. So of course, we had to celebrate! The Magic Kingdom had a special celebration that day. They had a ceremony at 10 am. They also passed out special park maps and 40th Anniversary pins. In addition, they had special merchandise that was only sold on that day.

Me and one of my roommates got up early and (after dropping another roommate off at work) went to the Magic Kingdom for the opening Train Ceremony. This is something they do every morning, but I don't recall ever seeing it. I was like a kid in a candy store! I was so excited. Then we got in and went on a couple rides. At 10, we watched the ceremony which was really fun. I almost started crying just thinking about it all. Walt Disney is such an inspirational man!

After the ceremony, we met some characters and then went on more rides. It was a really fun day. And I felt so special being able to participate in the 40th Anniversary Celebration. My life is so Disney! And I love every minute of it!

Boo to You

This post is a little late as the event happened a week ago, but oh well. Last Sunday, I worked until 11. Under normal circumstances I would go home and hang out a little bit, then head to bed. But not Sunday. Sunday was a special event. You see, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (known as MNSSHP for short) started this week. It runs on Tuesday and Friday nights now until Nov 1. It requires a special ticket to get in. But it's a great time. There are special Halloween fireworks called HalloWishes (the normal night show is called Wishes). There are special Halloween shows. There are special Halloween meet in greets with characters that aren't out every day (like Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas, and other Villains). There is also a special parade called Boo to You.

Now, most of these special events can be rehearsed back stage because they don't require a lot of space. But a parade? Kinda hard to rehearse backstage. So, on Sunday night, they had a cast exclusive preview of the parade. At 1:15 AM!! Anybody who wanted to go had to be at the parking lot/bus stop by 12:30am to be bused over to the magic kingdom. They bussed us to the utilidors and we had to walk underneath and stay (crammed) into one small section of the park until all the guests were gone. Once the guests were up front, they allowed us to move to the parade route. Then we waited a little longer until the park was completely free of all guests. So around 1:15 AM, the parade started. First the headless horseman ran through the parade route. Then the parade followed.

I love love love Halloween, so this parade was right up my alley! It was so much fun. They had a lot of characters that you don't normally see. And they incorporated floats that you don't normally see. A section of the parade was devoted to Haunted Mansion! This, I think, was my favorite part. This section started off with one of the live characters you see in the ride, the grounds-keeper and his dog (played by a real dog!). The section also included gravediggers, that danced with shovels. And waltzing ghosts. As well as a couple floats. It had the hitchhiking ghosts as well!

The entire parade as a blast. And the atmosphere was a lot of fun! There were thousands of cast members there to see the parade. Getting out was crowded. They put us back on buses and took us back to the parking lot. Nick and I randomly ran into some girls, who we became good friends with! I'm definitely glad I went!