A six week hiatus? What the hell is wrong with me? Well, actually, I moved over to Tumblr simply because it's a more familiar space for me. But in case you were wondering what has happened in the last six weeks, I will tell you.
The day after my last post in which no one got accepted, acceptances started coming out. It was a Wednesday. My sister was accepted the following day, on a Thursday. She was accepted for Fall Custodial. She was so excited. She couldn't stop talking about it for three days, although she didn't accept her offer because she was waiting to see if I got accepted so that we could coordinate our check in dates. And then, she changed her mind. My sister turned down her offer. I'm still worried she'll regret it, but she is moving into an apartment with all of her best friends next year and is really excited about it. She wants to wait until she's more mature and capable of being away from home for longer periods of time. She gets homesick just being away at school, and she only goes to school 45 minutes from here. So she wants to give it more time.
And then you might be wondering. What about Natalie? What happened to the girl who was so confident in her interview and only worried about her sister? Well, guess what. Beggars can't be choosers. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Not everything you want in life will come to you. But then again, good things do come to those who wait. I was accepted a week after my sister, though at that point she had already turned down her offer. I was so sure that I would not accept my offer if one were to come my way, especially if Emily was not going to be accompanying me on my journey to Walt Disney World. But those bastards offered me my number one role. I shit you not. I was offered a role in Concierge.
Of course, as things are in my life, my choice could not be that easy. I had said from the get-go that I would turn down anything that wasn't Concierge or Hospitality. I mostly said that so I had an excuse to turn it down. Everyone wants those roles and hardly anyone gets them. Well, guess what? I got it. I, a psychology major with no experience in lodging, was offered an incredibly competitive role that I have wanted since my first program. But why would the choice be hard for me? Why, if I wanted this so much, would I hesitate as to whether or not I would accept the offer.
Well, curious reader, it's because I was offered the Fall Advantage session instead of Fall. I had already missed last summer in Wisconsin. I did not want to miss another. I did not want to have to quit my job so quickly. I did not want to say goodbye to my friends who are all moving away this summer so soon. So I waited. And wondered. And considered. Also, I should mention, I had a job interview at Children's Hospital for a social work position I really wanted. So all of this was going on and I did not know if I would do the college program. It was just not the right timing. Nothing about it was right. I mean, the role was right, but the session was completely wrong for me.
So guess what I did?
I accepted because I am a person who lives life recklessly. Plus, it's Disney! It's something that I could never do again. I'm graduating in May. And once I graduate, that's it. I'm done. No more College Program. And I don't think I'm cut out for a full-time career at Disney. Well, not because of Disney but because of Florida. I cannot live in Florida indefinitely. I need an end date, because the weather and the people and the traffic are terrible.
In short, I have accepted a role in Concierge for Fall Advantage 2015. I move in June 8th. And I'm nervous as hell.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Miss Me? I'm Assuming Not.
I haven't had much to say lately, which is rare for me. School is consuming me and I am in the middle of this great debate of whether I'm suffering from a severe case of senioritis or the beginning stages of a mental breakdown. I'll let you guys know when all becomes clear as to which it is.
As of right now, Disney has done nothing. Nothing. I have not heard a single thing. I still have not been pended, but I also have not been accepted nor rejected. No one has been accepted yet, as a matter of fact. There is a lot of speculation as to when those things are going to happen. Tomorrow marks week three since the first phone interviews. So we'll shall see what that brings, but everyone was so confident in week two and nothing happened.
I just wanted to check in, but I have nothing else to say, really. I'm tired of the waiting, because I am pretty sure that I won't accepted the offer if one to make it's way to me. Right now I feel like I need to start being an adult and do things for myself. I need to get myself in order, graduate college, take care of my mental health, and start finding my way in the world. I can't prolong adulthood much longer, because I am driving myself insane with the extended state of adolescence that I have found myself in.
As of right now, Disney has done nothing. Nothing. I have not heard a single thing. I still have not been pended, but I also have not been accepted nor rejected. No one has been accepted yet, as a matter of fact. There is a lot of speculation as to when those things are going to happen. Tomorrow marks week three since the first phone interviews. So we'll shall see what that brings, but everyone was so confident in week two and nothing happened.
I just wanted to check in, but I have nothing else to say, really. I'm tired of the waiting, because I am pretty sure that I won't accepted the offer if one to make it's way to me. Right now I feel like I need to start being an adult and do things for myself. I need to get myself in order, graduate college, take care of my mental health, and start finding my way in the world. I can't prolong adulthood much longer, because I am driving myself insane with the extended state of adolescence that I have found myself in.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Where To Live and Die
The biggest, most dramatic decision people think they need to make is deciding where they are going to live on their program. All the complexes have pretty well established reputations that aren't necessarily true.
So let's talk about Vista Wayyyyyy. Guess what? It has a reputation of being the place for parties. But here's a plot twist, the reason why so many parties happen at Vista Way is because people decide to live in Vista Way because they want to throw parties. It's a self perpetuating cycle! Since Vista is the first complex to exist, it has a deep seeded reputation of being the place where sex, drugs, and rock and roll prevail. And that might have been the case in the 1990s before Disney seriously cracked down on noise and partying and being a nuisance. But parties still happen there because people who live there hear about how that's where all the parties are and they want to party too. But honestly? There aren't that many parties. I did go to a party in Vista, but it wasn't some out of control rager with wall to wall bodies like people assume happens at Vista. It was like, maybe thirty kids, most of which I worked with, and we sat around arguing about whether to listen to country or rock music, playing shitty drinking games, and eventually there was a small expedition to Wendy's to get frosties and french fries. The night ended with four or five girls I worked with storming out dramatically because they were underage and pissed that we were being too loud and terrified they would get caught, and Luke, Jessica, Sam, and I sitting outside for hours smoking cigarettes, drinking beers, and being really damn deep with each other.
Chatham is said to be the middle ground, the sometimes party sometimes sleep kind of place. Well, I thought Chatham was dead, always. I lived there. I never encountered parties, rarely encountered people at all, ever. I literally never even saw the girls who lived across the hall from us. We only knew that anyone lived there was because these girls would leave food outside their door for the Chatham cats that roamed around. Where was the sometimes party?! I was promised a sometimes party? I mean, other than the fact that I don't party and it didn't really matter to me. But that is what they said. The nice thing about Chatham, though, was that the bus stop was right outside the complex. I really wanted to live in Patterson going into the program, but my roommates wanted to live in Chatham and let me tell you how glad I am that we lived there. The walk from Chatham to Patterson isn't that far, and I did it a lot after work to go over by Nicole who lived in Patterson, but there were some days after 10 or 12 hour shifts when the thought of making those extra fifty steps to get back to Patterson seemed miserable and I was so grateful that I could go right into my complex.
But, with that being said, Patterson had some nice apartments. And don't let the "retirement home" reputation scare you away. It was nice there. Everything just felt nicer. Their pool area was nicer. Their apartments felt homier. Security was friendlier. It was just nice. And there were plenty of people out and about, walking around, hanging out. I even went to a couple of parties at Patterson, believe it or not. A lot of my friends lived there, including Nicole, and I was a little jealous. Had I had my own car or they had their own bus stop, I would have been so jealous of that place. Everything seemed perfect. Their walls were not stark white but a welcoming yellow, their furniture was a better color, their appliances were newer. Everything was just so. Pleasant. (But they are refurbing Vista and Blond Luke lived in a refurb apartment and it seemed pretty nice.)
And lastly, the Commons. I spent a bit of time in the Commons. That's where Luke lived, and Erin moved there for her extension, but I still don't really have an "opinion" on them. Luke lived in a two bedroom apartment that was HUGE. The bedrooms were big, the bathrooms were big, the living room was huge, the dining area was spacious, and the laundry space was great. Erin also moved into a two bedroom in the Commons. However, it was nothing like Luke's two bedroom. The living/dining space was cramped and on top of each other. The front door literally could not open all the way because of the weird way the coat closet was behind it. Erin's bathroom door was unusually narrow and the way the room was laid out made it impossible to have two beds in their comfortably, although there were two beds in there. (Erin moved in first and got lucky, but her roommate was not so fortunate. Her bed was situated so weird to accommodate the closet door and bathroom door). And their closets were so small. Oh, and they had a stacked washer dryer in the pantry or something weird? Luke's weren't stacked and they had an almost laundry room like space. So that kinda freaks me out about the Commons is how vastly different the two apartments were from one another although they were both two bedrooms in the same complex. And I know that there can be a lot of parties in the Commons because, although it is no longer exclusively ICPs, it still has a lot of them and those foreign kids can party and they can party hard because it is a lot harder for Disney to term an ICP than a domestic. Also, major plus, like Vista, the bus stop is INSIDE the complex. Not in front like Chatham. But a drawback is that not all the busses go to the Commons so you either have to take a bus to Vista and transfer or walk to Chatham to catch your bus.
So it really all depends. It's up to you. None of them are terrible. And although Vista has a reputation of being rundown, they are working hard at renovating them, and from what I saw, Chatham was the most rundown of the apartments with the Commons in a close second. But I guess it all depends. I don't know. Do what thou wilt.
So let's talk about Vista Wayyyyyy. Guess what? It has a reputation of being the place for parties. But here's a plot twist, the reason why so many parties happen at Vista Way is because people decide to live in Vista Way because they want to throw parties. It's a self perpetuating cycle! Since Vista is the first complex to exist, it has a deep seeded reputation of being the place where sex, drugs, and rock and roll prevail. And that might have been the case in the 1990s before Disney seriously cracked down on noise and partying and being a nuisance. But parties still happen there because people who live there hear about how that's where all the parties are and they want to party too. But honestly? There aren't that many parties. I did go to a party in Vista, but it wasn't some out of control rager with wall to wall bodies like people assume happens at Vista. It was like, maybe thirty kids, most of which I worked with, and we sat around arguing about whether to listen to country or rock music, playing shitty drinking games, and eventually there was a small expedition to Wendy's to get frosties and french fries. The night ended with four or five girls I worked with storming out dramatically because they were underage and pissed that we were being too loud and terrified they would get caught, and Luke, Jessica, Sam, and I sitting outside for hours smoking cigarettes, drinking beers, and being really damn deep with each other.
Chatham is said to be the middle ground, the sometimes party sometimes sleep kind of place. Well, I thought Chatham was dead, always. I lived there. I never encountered parties, rarely encountered people at all, ever. I literally never even saw the girls who lived across the hall from us. We only knew that anyone lived there was because these girls would leave food outside their door for the Chatham cats that roamed around. Where was the sometimes party?! I was promised a sometimes party? I mean, other than the fact that I don't party and it didn't really matter to me. But that is what they said. The nice thing about Chatham, though, was that the bus stop was right outside the complex. I really wanted to live in Patterson going into the program, but my roommates wanted to live in Chatham and let me tell you how glad I am that we lived there. The walk from Chatham to Patterson isn't that far, and I did it a lot after work to go over by Nicole who lived in Patterson, but there were some days after 10 or 12 hour shifts when the thought of making those extra fifty steps to get back to Patterson seemed miserable and I was so grateful that I could go right into my complex.
But, with that being said, Patterson had some nice apartments. And don't let the "retirement home" reputation scare you away. It was nice there. Everything just felt nicer. Their pool area was nicer. Their apartments felt homier. Security was friendlier. It was just nice. And there were plenty of people out and about, walking around, hanging out. I even went to a couple of parties at Patterson, believe it or not. A lot of my friends lived there, including Nicole, and I was a little jealous. Had I had my own car or they had their own bus stop, I would have been so jealous of that place. Everything seemed perfect. Their walls were not stark white but a welcoming yellow, their furniture was a better color, their appliances were newer. Everything was just so. Pleasant. (But they are refurbing Vista and Blond Luke lived in a refurb apartment and it seemed pretty nice.)
And lastly, the Commons. I spent a bit of time in the Commons. That's where Luke lived, and Erin moved there for her extension, but I still don't really have an "opinion" on them. Luke lived in a two bedroom apartment that was HUGE. The bedrooms were big, the bathrooms were big, the living room was huge, the dining area was spacious, and the laundry space was great. Erin also moved into a two bedroom in the Commons. However, it was nothing like Luke's two bedroom. The living/dining space was cramped and on top of each other. The front door literally could not open all the way because of the weird way the coat closet was behind it. Erin's bathroom door was unusually narrow and the way the room was laid out made it impossible to have two beds in their comfortably, although there were two beds in there. (Erin moved in first and got lucky, but her roommate was not so fortunate. Her bed was situated so weird to accommodate the closet door and bathroom door). And their closets were so small. Oh, and they had a stacked washer dryer in the pantry or something weird? Luke's weren't stacked and they had an almost laundry room like space. So that kinda freaks me out about the Commons is how vastly different the two apartments were from one another although they were both two bedrooms in the same complex. And I know that there can be a lot of parties in the Commons because, although it is no longer exclusively ICPs, it still has a lot of them and those foreign kids can party and they can party hard because it is a lot harder for Disney to term an ICP than a domestic. Also, major plus, like Vista, the bus stop is INSIDE the complex. Not in front like Chatham. But a drawback is that not all the busses go to the Commons so you either have to take a bus to Vista and transfer or walk to Chatham to catch your bus.
So it really all depends. It's up to you. None of them are terrible. And although Vista has a reputation of being rundown, they are working hard at renovating them, and from what I saw, Chatham was the most rundown of the apartments with the Commons in a close second. But I guess it all depends. I don't know. Do what thou wilt.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Currently... In... Submission
If there is anyone that I feel for out of all the applicants in the Facebook group, it's the poor kids that end up "in submission." It is a weird state that no one has any explanation for, not even Disney. My first application season in Fall 2013 for Spring 2014 was the first known occurrence of people ending up sitting "in submission" for the entire application season with a lot of them just getting "NLIC'd" before they even gotten a chance to take the WBI. The thing that sucks is that it seems like that there is no rhyme or reason for it. No one knows how you end up "in submission" or how you get out. Some people do end up getting their WBIs and others do not.
I never really was "in submission." On both my first time applying and this time applying, I got my WBI within a couple of hours of submitting my application. Both times I applied on the first day, although I did apply later in the afternoon both times. This time, my sister and I applied at the same time, together, and both of us got our WBIs at the same time too. There is no reason. And it's frustrating, because a lot of people don't even get a fair shot.
That's the irritating thing about it is how "unfair" it feels. How do they determine based off of a basic application that you're not worthy of an interview? And I know that a lot of "real" jobs do the same thing. There are a lot of applications and resumes in the real world that never warrant an interview, but I feel like that's different because they look for experiences that would make you qualified for the job and if you don't have that experience, you don't get an interview because you probably can't do the job. But for the college program? There are plenty of people who do get WBIs and phone interviews AND ACCEPTED that have never had a single job their entire life. I lived with THREE GIRLS on my first program that never had jobs before coming to Disney. So how did Disney decide that they should move on to the WBI?
The only thing I can think of is it comes down to what roles you put interest in. If you put extremely limited interests in only a few roles, maybe you are more likely to flip into "submission"? But maybe that's not true too. I don't know. No one knows. It even sounds like Disney Recruiting doesn't know. People say that they call casting and casting just kind of shrugs and says it's the computer system. How fucked is that? Ugh.
So listen to me, the potentially one person who may ever read this in coming years, if you are currently in submission, I FEEL FOR YOU AND I HOPE THAT YOU GET YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE.
I never really was "in submission." On both my first time applying and this time applying, I got my WBI within a couple of hours of submitting my application. Both times I applied on the first day, although I did apply later in the afternoon both times. This time, my sister and I applied at the same time, together, and both of us got our WBIs at the same time too. There is no reason. And it's frustrating, because a lot of people don't even get a fair shot.
That's the irritating thing about it is how "unfair" it feels. How do they determine based off of a basic application that you're not worthy of an interview? And I know that a lot of "real" jobs do the same thing. There are a lot of applications and resumes in the real world that never warrant an interview, but I feel like that's different because they look for experiences that would make you qualified for the job and if you don't have that experience, you don't get an interview because you probably can't do the job. But for the college program? There are plenty of people who do get WBIs and phone interviews AND ACCEPTED that have never had a single job their entire life. I lived with THREE GIRLS on my first program that never had jobs before coming to Disney. So how did Disney decide that they should move on to the WBI?
The only thing I can think of is it comes down to what roles you put interest in. If you put extremely limited interests in only a few roles, maybe you are more likely to flip into "submission"? But maybe that's not true too. I don't know. No one knows. It even sounds like Disney Recruiting doesn't know. People say that they call casting and casting just kind of shrugs and says it's the computer system. How fucked is that? Ugh.
So listen to me, the potentially one person who may ever read this in coming years, if you are currently in submission, I FEEL FOR YOU AND I HOPE THAT YOU GET YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Pended to Death
I am so frustrated with the Facebook group. I realize that I do not have all the answers, and I also realize that I just don't care as much as most people in that group, but I am so. Fucking. Done. Hearing about "pended" statuses and what it means. And yes, I know that I have already posted a thing about people getting a "pending a final decision" but whatever. This is my blog that no one reads and I can say WHATEVER I WANT.
Here's the thing on "pending" statuses. They do mean something. Yes, they DO mean something. There are people in the Facebook group right now saying that people "never" go from interview to accepted without being pended. That is 100% false. In fact, most people who get accepted do not get pended. Do you want to know why? Because they were instantly identified as someone who would be a good cast member. And that's not saying that people who are "pended" or NLIC'd would be bad cast members, but Disney just thinks that they are not what they are looking for at that time.
People are pended are usually good, but Disney thinks their might be someone better. And that is a hard pill to swallow. People say that "pending" means that you are in no different position than you were before you got your "pending a final decision" email, but you are! It means that you might not be exactly what they are looking for! They think there might be someone else out there that is better, but there might not so they are just going to wait before giving you a yes or a no. That's what it means! It's like applying to college, some people get accepted, some people get flat out rejected, and some people get waitlisted for a few months before they decide that they could use someone like you or you're just not going to cut it. And that's what I want people to realize.
And its a harsh reality and that is why people don't want to come right out and say it to each other, but it's the fucking truth as far as I see it. There could be someone better than you and Disney wants to wait it out to see if they find that person, and if they don't, you're good enough.
And yes, I am a bitch. But I'm a bitch with conviction.
Here's the thing on "pending" statuses. They do mean something. Yes, they DO mean something. There are people in the Facebook group right now saying that people "never" go from interview to accepted without being pended. That is 100% false. In fact, most people who get accepted do not get pended. Do you want to know why? Because they were instantly identified as someone who would be a good cast member. And that's not saying that people who are "pended" or NLIC'd would be bad cast members, but Disney just thinks that they are not what they are looking for at that time.
People are pended are usually good, but Disney thinks their might be someone better. And that is a hard pill to swallow. People say that "pending" means that you are in no different position than you were before you got your "pending a final decision" email, but you are! It means that you might not be exactly what they are looking for! They think there might be someone else out there that is better, but there might not so they are just going to wait before giving you a yes or a no. That's what it means! It's like applying to college, some people get accepted, some people get flat out rejected, and some people get waitlisted for a few months before they decide that they could use someone like you or you're just not going to cut it. And that's what I want people to realize.
And its a harsh reality and that is why people don't want to come right out and say it to each other, but it's the fucking truth as far as I see it. There could be someone better than you and Disney wants to wait it out to see if they find that person, and if they don't, you're good enough.
And yes, I am a bitch. But I'm a bitch with conviction.
Monday, February 9, 2015
There Are No Small Roles (only Roles that Don't Take a Ton of CPs)
Are you looking for a helpful blog post (or series of posts) all about the different kinds of roles that you could have while working on the college program? Well, this is not the place to find it. This is the place to find that information. Kaela is wonderful and funny and she knows her shit. Of course, she hasn't been a CP for two years and now a lot of her blog no longer revolves around the CP like it used to but she is wonderful and if you go back in the archives, you will find a mountain of information that is really helpful and lacks any kind of cynicism. And don't think she's totally out of the loop, because after her CP she went seasonal, then moved down there and now works full time in Front Desk at Pop Century! She is really sweet and lovely! Go there!
But that's not all I have to say. If you thought that I was posting an entire post just to promo someone else's blog, you clearly do not know me. I am too self centered and also too lazy to just promo other people (although she is a flawless person). Besides, she does not need to be promo-ed. She is kinda "tumblr famous" amongst CPs, especially Tumblr CPs. But now, here are my thoughts flowing from my head.
People are going to be painfully disappointed when they get their roles, I have decided. It happens every season. There are very glamorous "this is what I dreamed of" roles on the DCP, but there are many more roles that are so undesirable people never could have ever thought that they would end up in that role. Sometimes it is heartbreaking, and sometimes I do feel bad for a person, but more often than not, I find people who are "devastated" annoying.
So, this is what I have to say. Be realistic. (Isn't that what I always say?) For some reason, it always seems like the most sought after roles are also the roles that have the fewest slots to offer to CPs. Hundreds of kids get accepted in custodial and quick serve, but few people actually want to be in custodial or quick serve (although my sister does dream of being in quick serve, but whatevs). And there are actually a lot of people who do want custodial, because when you get past the cleaning toilets part, it is actually really awesome. There is a lot of freedom in the role. I lived with two girls who worked in custodial and they LOVED it. And one of those girls was someone you would never expect to love custodial. Kateland was a five foot nothing, hundred pound blonde cheerleader who upon looking at her you would automatically assume she was a diva (false, though. Kateland was absolutely amazing and I love her) but she was in custodial and she loved it so much. She even applied to extend in custodial (and got it) but had to turn it down in the end. But no one dreams of being in custodial. Just like no one dreams of running a cash register in a fast food joint or running an outdoor food cart (which I hear painfully sucks). But those are the most readily available roles for CPs.
The second level of readily available roles is probably merch and attractions. A lot of people get accepted into those roles. I actually second choiced merch on my first program, mostly because I wanted to get in so bad and I have three years experience at Target. And a lot of people do want to do merch, but I feel like people who want to do merch are a special kind of reasonable that you don't often find on the program. Also, A LOT of people say they want to do attractions, and they do want that role. But when they say they want attractions, what they are really saying is that there are certain attractions they want. They want things like Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror or Jungle Cruise. No one wants to be Innoventions, but alas that is where some attractions people get stuck (like me but I loved it in the end and it was amazing and Inno I love you, let me come back). No one wants Speedway. No one wants Disney Quest. No one wants Indiana Jones (unless you're a huge Swoozie fan). No one longs for a lot of things that are considered attractions that they could never imagine because a lot of times they don't even know that thing exists (like me and Inno, but Inno come back, you can blame it all one me).
What people really want are things that only take like thirty CPs out of thousands that get accepted. People want Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique and people want to be concierge and people want to be full serve (although I'm pretty sure that everyone thinks you'll be waiting tables although they make it very clear that YOU WILL NOT. Disney has a really, really long wait list for servers because they make such good bank in tips and they would NEVER put a CP in that role). People want these roles and then when they don't get them, they are SHOCKED. Right now in the Facebook group, there is ~100 girls proclaiming that BBB is their first choice role, and those are just the girls in the group. There is no telling how many other girls are just dying for that role. On my program, there were only 35 CPs that worked BBB or Pirate's League combined (I think that's what I heard through my 'extensive' research and chatting around). And that's across the DTD, Castle, and Pirate's League locations. 35. Out of nearly ten thousand kids. Those are like lottery winner odds (small state lotteries, but lotteries nonetheless). Most people who end up in BBB have a ton of experience in day cares or salons (or children's salons? are those a thing?).
And this will never change. Every season people are going to be dying to get these smaller roles and no one is gonna be thinking about the ones that they are statistically far more likely to get accepted into. And I get it. It's far better to dream of being a Fairy God Mother in Training or working at the front desk of the Grand Floridian instead of dealing with code Vs at Downtown Disney. I don't have a snappy ending, or a life lesson. I just have crushed hopes and dreams. I have actually sufficiently bummed myself out over this one because I really want to be concierge and now I am realizing how stupid that was for me to get my hopes up.
But that's not all I have to say. If you thought that I was posting an entire post just to promo someone else's blog, you clearly do not know me. I am too self centered and also too lazy to just promo other people (although she is a flawless person). Besides, she does not need to be promo-ed. She is kinda "tumblr famous" amongst CPs, especially Tumblr CPs. But now, here are my thoughts flowing from my head.
People are going to be painfully disappointed when they get their roles, I have decided. It happens every season. There are very glamorous "this is what I dreamed of" roles on the DCP, but there are many more roles that are so undesirable people never could have ever thought that they would end up in that role. Sometimes it is heartbreaking, and sometimes I do feel bad for a person, but more often than not, I find people who are "devastated" annoying.
So, this is what I have to say. Be realistic. (Isn't that what I always say?) For some reason, it always seems like the most sought after roles are also the roles that have the fewest slots to offer to CPs. Hundreds of kids get accepted in custodial and quick serve, but few people actually want to be in custodial or quick serve (although my sister does dream of being in quick serve, but whatevs). And there are actually a lot of people who do want custodial, because when you get past the cleaning toilets part, it is actually really awesome. There is a lot of freedom in the role. I lived with two girls who worked in custodial and they LOVED it. And one of those girls was someone you would never expect to love custodial. Kateland was a five foot nothing, hundred pound blonde cheerleader who upon looking at her you would automatically assume she was a diva (false, though. Kateland was absolutely amazing and I love her) but she was in custodial and she loved it so much. She even applied to extend in custodial (and got it) but had to turn it down in the end. But no one dreams of being in custodial. Just like no one dreams of running a cash register in a fast food joint or running an outdoor food cart (which I hear painfully sucks). But those are the most readily available roles for CPs.
The second level of readily available roles is probably merch and attractions. A lot of people get accepted into those roles. I actually second choiced merch on my first program, mostly because I wanted to get in so bad and I have three years experience at Target. And a lot of people do want to do merch, but I feel like people who want to do merch are a special kind of reasonable that you don't often find on the program. Also, A LOT of people say they want to do attractions, and they do want that role. But when they say they want attractions, what they are really saying is that there are certain attractions they want. They want things like Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror or Jungle Cruise. No one wants to be Innoventions, but alas that is where some attractions people get stuck (like me but I loved it in the end and it was amazing and Inno I love you, let me come back). No one wants Speedway. No one wants Disney Quest. No one wants Indiana Jones (unless you're a huge Swoozie fan). No one longs for a lot of things that are considered attractions that they could never imagine because a lot of times they don't even know that thing exists (like me and Inno, but Inno come back, you can blame it all one me).
What people really want are things that only take like thirty CPs out of thousands that get accepted. People want Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique and people want to be concierge and people want to be full serve (although I'm pretty sure that everyone thinks you'll be waiting tables although they make it very clear that YOU WILL NOT. Disney has a really, really long wait list for servers because they make such good bank in tips and they would NEVER put a CP in that role). People want these roles and then when they don't get them, they are SHOCKED. Right now in the Facebook group, there is ~100 girls proclaiming that BBB is their first choice role, and those are just the girls in the group. There is no telling how many other girls are just dying for that role. On my program, there were only 35 CPs that worked BBB or Pirate's League combined (I think that's what I heard through my 'extensive' research and chatting around). And that's across the DTD, Castle, and Pirate's League locations. 35. Out of nearly ten thousand kids. Those are like lottery winner odds (small state lotteries, but lotteries nonetheless). Most people who end up in BBB have a ton of experience in day cares or salons (or children's salons? are those a thing?).
And this will never change. Every season people are going to be dying to get these smaller roles and no one is gonna be thinking about the ones that they are statistically far more likely to get accepted into. And I get it. It's far better to dream of being a Fairy God Mother in Training or working at the front desk of the Grand Floridian instead of dealing with code Vs at Downtown Disney. I don't have a snappy ending, or a life lesson. I just have crushed hopes and dreams. I have actually sufficiently bummed myself out over this one because I really want to be concierge and now I am realizing how stupid that was for me to get my hopes up.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Apartment Living
I appreciate that security is provided for the college program. I cannot even imagine the creeps that would lurk around the apartment complexes knowing that there is just large concentration of stupid college kids that are left largely unprotected. What I am not looking forward to, though, if I were to do another program is how security acts as if YOU are the enemy.
I understand that they, by and large, have a shitty job. They have to stand around outside for eight to ten hours a day taking a lot of shit from college kids trying to pull one over on them. They have to field calls about everything from noise complaints to roommates narcing each other out for the smallest rule infraction. I get that they have to deal with the attitudes of the overly entitled who look at them as lesser people. I get all of that. But still, they are dicks.
I flew home for a few days on my first program, and the taxi driver who drove me from the airport back to the apartments on my first program even said to me "You know, your security guards here are NASTY. I feel bad for you guys having to deal with them." My taxi driver, a middle aged immigrant with broken English felt bad for ME because of security. But he wasn't wrong.
On the second day of my program, the day after check in, my mom and aunt were still in town and they were dropping me off for the last time before they were to leave for home. First of all, it was my second day so I knew nothing of the routine of checking guests in, so that irritated them. Then, my poor aunt could not find her driver's license for the life of her. She was digging around in her purse and just could not find it. The guy was getting so mad at her disorganization. In her defense, she had no idea she was going to be asked to produce it! She wasn't driving, so why would she have ever thought about it?! Since she couldn't find it, she had to sit at the front gate along a bench while my mom drove me in, helped me unload my groceries, and said goodbye to me.
I know they have to be strict on the rules, but they have to know when to be lenient, or at the very least, patient.
But it's not just security, it's the inspections, and how much we pay in rent considering the fact that we live double (or triple) occupancy in rundown apartment. For inspections, you get docked points IF YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. I shit you not. How fucked is that? These people are always like "We are not your parents, we allow you to live your life. You are adults." And then suddenly, you are at risk for failing your inspection (and receiving a fine) if YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. And you cannot, in theory, move any of the furniture (although it's easy to get away with as long as you don't move your chairs somewhere stupid). You cannot have ANY trash in your trash can at all during inspections. And you don't know when they are coming, you just get a two week window. So for TWO SOLID WEEKS you cannot leave a single tissue in your trash can without risking getting points on your inspection.
Some inspectors are more lenient than others, as is most things in life. We nearly failed our penultimate inspection except our one roommate was in the apartment at the time and literally sweet talked us out of a fail. We were so close to failing that on the form (which they leave you a copy of) they had marked that we failed, then scratched it out and gave us a pass. But our last inspection, we did not give a single fuck about failing or not. None of us got along, no one would pick up after themselves, we all just wanted to be done. And we passed with flying colors. Erin and mine trash was full in both our bedroom and bathroom, we had dirty clothes EVERYWHERE, and our shower had a weird stain from hair dye (that appeared mysteriously seven months into our program and neither of us dyed our hair). Our beds weren't made, nothing. Our roommates rooms were in worse condition because Erin and I were considered the "clean ones" and we passed, no problem. The only thing they docked us for was having not vacuumed. That's it.
Housing is ridiculous. I am not looking forward to it at all.
I understand that they, by and large, have a shitty job. They have to stand around outside for eight to ten hours a day taking a lot of shit from college kids trying to pull one over on them. They have to field calls about everything from noise complaints to roommates narcing each other out for the smallest rule infraction. I get that they have to deal with the attitudes of the overly entitled who look at them as lesser people. I get all of that. But still, they are dicks.
I flew home for a few days on my first program, and the taxi driver who drove me from the airport back to the apartments on my first program even said to me "You know, your security guards here are NASTY. I feel bad for you guys having to deal with them." My taxi driver, a middle aged immigrant with broken English felt bad for ME because of security. But he wasn't wrong.
On the second day of my program, the day after check in, my mom and aunt were still in town and they were dropping me off for the last time before they were to leave for home. First of all, it was my second day so I knew nothing of the routine of checking guests in, so that irritated them. Then, my poor aunt could not find her driver's license for the life of her. She was digging around in her purse and just could not find it. The guy was getting so mad at her disorganization. In her defense, she had no idea she was going to be asked to produce it! She wasn't driving, so why would she have ever thought about it?! Since she couldn't find it, she had to sit at the front gate along a bench while my mom drove me in, helped me unload my groceries, and said goodbye to me.
I know they have to be strict on the rules, but they have to know when to be lenient, or at the very least, patient.
But it's not just security, it's the inspections, and how much we pay in rent considering the fact that we live double (or triple) occupancy in rundown apartment. For inspections, you get docked points IF YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. I shit you not. How fucked is that? These people are always like "We are not your parents, we allow you to live your life. You are adults." And then suddenly, you are at risk for failing your inspection (and receiving a fine) if YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. And you cannot, in theory, move any of the furniture (although it's easy to get away with as long as you don't move your chairs somewhere stupid). You cannot have ANY trash in your trash can at all during inspections. And you don't know when they are coming, you just get a two week window. So for TWO SOLID WEEKS you cannot leave a single tissue in your trash can without risking getting points on your inspection.
Some inspectors are more lenient than others, as is most things in life. We nearly failed our penultimate inspection except our one roommate was in the apartment at the time and literally sweet talked us out of a fail. We were so close to failing that on the form (which they leave you a copy of) they had marked that we failed, then scratched it out and gave us a pass. But our last inspection, we did not give a single fuck about failing or not. None of us got along, no one would pick up after themselves, we all just wanted to be done. And we passed with flying colors. Erin and mine trash was full in both our bedroom and bathroom, we had dirty clothes EVERYWHERE, and our shower had a weird stain from hair dye (that appeared mysteriously seven months into our program and neither of us dyed our hair). Our beds weren't made, nothing. Our roommates rooms were in worse condition because Erin and I were considered the "clean ones" and we passed, no problem. The only thing they docked us for was having not vacuumed. That's it.
Housing is ridiculous. I am not looking forward to it at all.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
The Mystery of Recruiting
I think it is important to realize that your chances of getting accepted is not impacted by how many times you applied. I see people talking in the Facebook group about how they feel like "first time applicants" never get accepted or that since it is their third (or fourth, or fifth) time applying, they are sure that Disney is going to extend them an offer this time. And here is the cold, hard truth. Disney does not care. Disney does not care if you are applying for the first time, they do not care if you have done three programs already. They don't care. It all matters on how well you interview.
I got accepted the first time I applied, ever. And because of that, it left me with this terrible perception that it's "easy" to get accepted, but on my program I learned that I was wrong. Totally wrong. My friend Blond Luke (not Luke from the previous posts) did not pass his Web-Based Interview the first time he applied (which I thought literally no one failed). My roommate Macie, who is the biggest Disney fan I have ever met, had gotten denied from the program twice and my other roommate Sarah had been denied FOUR TIMES before getting accepted. But Kateland and I were accepted on our first tries out. So was Erin. Erin was an alum when we roomed together and she was 2/2 for on applying/getting accepted.
But I worked with full/part timers who were former CPs and they would tell me how they had done one CP and then were REJECTED from their second attempt at applying. It all comes down to the interview. But I had worked with other people who had done multiple CPs before going full/part time. One woman I worked with had done three programs and another had done FOUR (which I find really fucking dumb but who am I to talk?). And I understand that people just try to justify what they do not understand. There is hardly any information as to how or why Disney Recruiters determine if someone would be a good fit for the college program. You could scour Google for hours and not find anything that is rooted in solid facts, just second hand information and wild speculation.
So people try to find their own reasons. Alumni are getting "pended" to give newbies a fighting shot. First time applicants are getting NLIC'd to help give positions to people who have been turned down a couple of times. Baby elephants are given a high priority because baby elephants are cuter than human college students. Whatever. But that's not the case. That's not how it works. I am an alumni and I have not been pended. My sister is a first time applicant and she has made it a week out from her interview without getting pended or NLIC'd. I got accepted on my first time applying, and I applied on a whim. There is no reason, and that is part of the reason why applying for the college program is so terrifying. There is no reason and you have no idea how to help yourself.
I got accepted the first time I applied, ever. And because of that, it left me with this terrible perception that it's "easy" to get accepted, but on my program I learned that I was wrong. Totally wrong. My friend Blond Luke (not Luke from the previous posts) did not pass his Web-Based Interview the first time he applied (which I thought literally no one failed). My roommate Macie, who is the biggest Disney fan I have ever met, had gotten denied from the program twice and my other roommate Sarah had been denied FOUR TIMES before getting accepted. But Kateland and I were accepted on our first tries out. So was Erin. Erin was an alum when we roomed together and she was 2/2 for on applying/getting accepted.
But I worked with full/part timers who were former CPs and they would tell me how they had done one CP and then were REJECTED from their second attempt at applying. It all comes down to the interview. But I had worked with other people who had done multiple CPs before going full/part time. One woman I worked with had done three programs and another had done FOUR (which I find really fucking dumb but who am I to talk?). And I understand that people just try to justify what they do not understand. There is hardly any information as to how or why Disney Recruiters determine if someone would be a good fit for the college program. You could scour Google for hours and not find anything that is rooted in solid facts, just second hand information and wild speculation.
So people try to find their own reasons. Alumni are getting "pended" to give newbies a fighting shot. First time applicants are getting NLIC'd to help give positions to people who have been turned down a couple of times. Baby elephants are given a high priority because baby elephants are cuter than human college students. Whatever. But that's not the case. That's not how it works. I am an alumni and I have not been pended. My sister is a first time applicant and she has made it a week out from her interview without getting pended or NLIC'd. I got accepted on my first time applying, and I applied on a whim. There is no reason, and that is part of the reason why applying for the college program is so terrifying. There is no reason and you have no idea how to help yourself.
Friday, February 6, 2015
I'M (not) GOING TO DISNEYLAND (probably).
I have completed all three of the interviews that I had lined up for three different programs (fall cp, fall PI, and summer alumni program). My fall cp interview and my fall PI interviews both seemed to go pretty well. I am very confident in the CP interview and I feel like I did the best I could have done for my PI interview. What did not go so well was the final interview of the three, my Disneyland Summer Alumni Program interview.
It was a mixture of me being in a bad mood, having had a long, miserable day at school and then having this 10pm CT interview and also that my interviewer made me uncomfortable. So let's focus on her since we all know I have issues taking the blame for anything that goes wrong in my life. She sounded miserable. Absolutely, positively miserable. And everything I said, she sounded annoyed with my response. She would always give me a really condescending "ohhhh-kayyyy"s at the end of every response I had for the questions. And it's not just the "okay" that bugged me, because both my other interviewers did the same thing. I think that is in their script or something, but it was her tone. I was like, please don't do that. Please don't sound like that. Also, one of my questions was "tell me about a time you handled a difficult guest" and I gave her my response and she said "Well, that is one way to handle it." WHAT? WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, WOMAN?
Also, she called me twenty minutes early. Disney tells you that your interview can start anytime from fifteen minutes before scheduled times and fifteen minutes after scheduled times. But she called me twenty minutes early. It took me so off guard because I had just gotten home from my night class and eating dinner quickly when the phone rang. That wasn't fair to me, I feel like.
Then there is the issue that since I was, technically, in attractions on my first program, she kept asking me attractions related questions, like what would you do if you were in a safety critical position and saw an accident or a guest needed your help. Well, at Innoventions, I had no single moment in my entire eight month long program where I had any experience at all in a safety critical position. And I explained to her what my role was and what I did, and she had no fucking clue what Innoventions was or what went into it. And I know that's not her fault. She seemed to give the impression that she does work mostly for Disneyland and probably lives on that coast, and their Innoventions is completely different, but I wish she had some clue. At least my first interviewer for my fall CP knew what Innoventions was and had some concept of the things that went on there.
And finally, this is definitely a "me" problem but she asked how I worked to create magic for guests in my previous role and what was the most "magical moment" I witnessed at my previous work location. Well, guess what? I saw nothing magical at all. People left Innoventions with dead eyes, void of all emotions, bored and exhausted from having to dodge people hocking their venues like merchants at a flea market. The most magical thing I did my entire program was I wrote a "no strings" for a little girl who lost her pin, and I only did that because I didn't feel like crawling around on my hands and knees trying to find it in a dark Habit Heroes room. So I totally made something up. A family, singing toilet, Vision House. You know, the usual.
I also had these weird emotions during the entire interview. I wanted to hang up the minute she called, wanted to end the interview several times throughout the course of the entire interview. I just wanted to be done. I was mad at how it went at the end, but not upset that I am probably not going to get it. I didn't even want it at the end. Hell, I don't think I wanted it at the beginning. It was miserable. Absolutely miserable.
Also, this is just a "Disney" thing that I found totally fucking dumb. She told me that the alumni program operates on a longer timeline and that final decisions can and may be made up until May 1st, so I might not hear back until then. Want to know why this is SO dumb? Because the program starts on May 12th with no other options. So, if, in theory, I did get accepted on May 1st for the program, I would have less than two weeks to get my shit in order and get on my way to check in. That wouldn't even be enough time to give my two weeks. And I know that is the absolute last day and I will probably be NLIC'd before then, but just the fact that is a prospect is annoying. But then again, when I got my "Thank you for interviewing" email last night, it said final decisions would be made by April 24th, but either way. That is really dumb.
Oh well. We'll see what the next four months brings.
It was a mixture of me being in a bad mood, having had a long, miserable day at school and then having this 10pm CT interview and also that my interviewer made me uncomfortable. So let's focus on her since we all know I have issues taking the blame for anything that goes wrong in my life. She sounded miserable. Absolutely, positively miserable. And everything I said, she sounded annoyed with my response. She would always give me a really condescending "ohhhh-kayyyy"s at the end of every response I had for the questions. And it's not just the "okay" that bugged me, because both my other interviewers did the same thing. I think that is in their script or something, but it was her tone. I was like, please don't do that. Please don't sound like that. Also, one of my questions was "tell me about a time you handled a difficult guest" and I gave her my response and she said "Well, that is one way to handle it." WHAT? WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, WOMAN?
Also, she called me twenty minutes early. Disney tells you that your interview can start anytime from fifteen minutes before scheduled times and fifteen minutes after scheduled times. But she called me twenty minutes early. It took me so off guard because I had just gotten home from my night class and eating dinner quickly when the phone rang. That wasn't fair to me, I feel like.
Then there is the issue that since I was, technically, in attractions on my first program, she kept asking me attractions related questions, like what would you do if you were in a safety critical position and saw an accident or a guest needed your help. Well, at Innoventions, I had no single moment in my entire eight month long program where I had any experience at all in a safety critical position. And I explained to her what my role was and what I did, and she had no fucking clue what Innoventions was or what went into it. And I know that's not her fault. She seemed to give the impression that she does work mostly for Disneyland and probably lives on that coast, and their Innoventions is completely different, but I wish she had some clue. At least my first interviewer for my fall CP knew what Innoventions was and had some concept of the things that went on there.
And finally, this is definitely a "me" problem but she asked how I worked to create magic for guests in my previous role and what was the most "magical moment" I witnessed at my previous work location. Well, guess what? I saw nothing magical at all. People left Innoventions with dead eyes, void of all emotions, bored and exhausted from having to dodge people hocking their venues like merchants at a flea market. The most magical thing I did my entire program was I wrote a "no strings" for a little girl who lost her pin, and I only did that because I didn't feel like crawling around on my hands and knees trying to find it in a dark Habit Heroes room. So I totally made something up. A family, singing toilet, Vision House. You know, the usual.
I also had these weird emotions during the entire interview. I wanted to hang up the minute she called, wanted to end the interview several times throughout the course of the entire interview. I just wanted to be done. I was mad at how it went at the end, but not upset that I am probably not going to get it. I didn't even want it at the end. Hell, I don't think I wanted it at the beginning. It was miserable. Absolutely miserable.
Also, this is just a "Disney" thing that I found totally fucking dumb. She told me that the alumni program operates on a longer timeline and that final decisions can and may be made up until May 1st, so I might not hear back until then. Want to know why this is SO dumb? Because the program starts on May 12th with no other options. So, if, in theory, I did get accepted on May 1st for the program, I would have less than two weeks to get my shit in order and get on my way to check in. That wouldn't even be enough time to give my two weeks. And I know that is the absolute last day and I will probably be NLIC'd before then, but just the fact that is a prospect is annoying. But then again, when I got my "Thank you for interviewing" email last night, it said final decisions would be made by April 24th, but either way. That is really dumb.
Oh well. We'll see what the next four months brings.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
The Perils of Overpacking
I am full of advice about the college program. Of course, most of my advice is really bad. Like really bad advice. I think it's because I am so jaded. But once in a while I do have some semi-decent advice that I do wish to pass along to those who are willing to receive it. My advice is, unfortunately not unique to me, but my words to pass along regardless. Do not overpack. Look at what you're bringing and then half it. There will be so many "cute" outfits you'll never wear, so many "activities" that you do every day that will go untouched after week one. Just don't bring it. There is not enough room.
A girl just posted in the Facebook group (ah yes, there I go again on a fb group issue) who is talking about bringing her sewing machine. And then there were other girls who were like "I AM BRINGING MY TOO! YAY!" Don't. Don't bring your sewing machine. Those take up a lot of space. Space that just does not exist. Not to mention the fact that you will not have time to sew anything. When you do have free time, you will need to grocery shop or go to the parks! You don't want to squander a day off working on pillows and quilt tops and whatever else it is people sew. (I only quilt, so I have limited knowledge.) Right now, people think that they will have time for everything, but that's just not the case. You're only there for five to eight months. Even when you do have the energy to sew, you should be doing something that you can never do again. Go see Wishes or hang out with your friends!
I am a huge crocheter/knitter and my entire program I managed to make two granny squares and a hat. That's it! And I made those in February and then my bag of yarn and needles disappeared until I packed up to move because I just did not have time! Don't bring stuff like that. It takes up valuable space collecting.
And the clothes. Five to six days a week you will be wearing your costume and pajamas, nothing else. Of course, this depends on the person, but for a lot of people that is the case. You either don't have the energy to go out after work or you just do not have the option because it's four in the morning and everything is closed. So you go home and put your pajamas on and sit around until you go to sleep, then you sleep until it's just about time to leave for work, you wake up, shower, put on your costume and start over again. Cut back on the clothes you bring. I don't even own as many clothes as most girls and yet, I still only wore half of what I brought. And I went out after work a lot of days. You have your standards, and that is what you wear.
But, here's further advice, bring twice as many socks and underwear as you could ever imagine needing. I went down there and I ended up buying a lot more underwear just so I could further put off doing laundry. Since I only really wore my costumes and pajamas, laundry was something that could be put off until I ran out of socks and underwear. When my costumes got gross, I returned them to costuming and got new costumes, which meant that I seriously did not need to do laundry. I could go two weeks, which was great for me. My roommate could go longer. I was so envious of that.
So pack light. Please. I beg of you. Pack light.
A girl just posted in the Facebook group (ah yes, there I go again on a fb group issue) who is talking about bringing her sewing machine. And then there were other girls who were like "I AM BRINGING MY TOO! YAY!" Don't. Don't bring your sewing machine. Those take up a lot of space. Space that just does not exist. Not to mention the fact that you will not have time to sew anything. When you do have free time, you will need to grocery shop or go to the parks! You don't want to squander a day off working on pillows and quilt tops and whatever else it is people sew. (I only quilt, so I have limited knowledge.) Right now, people think that they will have time for everything, but that's just not the case. You're only there for five to eight months. Even when you do have the energy to sew, you should be doing something that you can never do again. Go see Wishes or hang out with your friends!
I am a huge crocheter/knitter and my entire program I managed to make two granny squares and a hat. That's it! And I made those in February and then my bag of yarn and needles disappeared until I packed up to move because I just did not have time! Don't bring stuff like that. It takes up valuable space collecting.
And the clothes. Five to six days a week you will be wearing your costume and pajamas, nothing else. Of course, this depends on the person, but for a lot of people that is the case. You either don't have the energy to go out after work or you just do not have the option because it's four in the morning and everything is closed. So you go home and put your pajamas on and sit around until you go to sleep, then you sleep until it's just about time to leave for work, you wake up, shower, put on your costume and start over again. Cut back on the clothes you bring. I don't even own as many clothes as most girls and yet, I still only wore half of what I brought. And I went out after work a lot of days. You have your standards, and that is what you wear.
But, here's further advice, bring twice as many socks and underwear as you could ever imagine needing. I went down there and I ended up buying a lot more underwear just so I could further put off doing laundry. Since I only really wore my costumes and pajamas, laundry was something that could be put off until I ran out of socks and underwear. When my costumes got gross, I returned them to costuming and got new costumes, which meant that I seriously did not need to do laundry. I could go two weeks, which was great for me. My roommate could go longer. I was so envious of that.
So pack light. Please. I beg of you. Pack light.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Roommates
People in the Facebook group are already looking for roommates. In fact, people in the group were already looking for roommates before apps even dropped. Part of me faults them for simply being on top of things, because I am the kind of person who works hard to find fault in nearly everything anyone does. But another part of me feels nervous and bad for them. I have seen this happen before, both on Facebook and Tumblr. Girls (almost always girls) find their dream group of roommates, a lovely bunch of (usually) six girls who are just so "perfect" to room with each other. They are always posting in the group together and on each other's walls, and they talk about each other on Tumblr about how great of a time they are going to have.
And then some of them don't get in. It's usually like, two girls, and they are devastated and their "roommates" who did get it are also devastated, but for a shorter amount of time. The ones who do get it shrug it off after a few days, decide to still room together, and find a couple more girls to round out their "amazing" apartment. And those girls who don't get in slowly fall apart because not only did they not get into their "dream" internship, but they also now just lost the opportunity to be "friends" with people they have convinced themselves are the "best girls in the world." Then, as they are still Facebook friends and/or follow each other on Tumblr, watch as their planned roommates go to check it, and move it, and get their locations, and have so much fun at the most magical place on earth while they're stuck in their small town in bumfuck nowhere Georgia, or something like that. And it's actually really sad to watch.
Trust me, I have followed these kinds of people on Tumblr. They post text posts about it and reblog the "accepted's" pictures with sad captions like, "Wish I could be there with this amazing girl" and things like that. And long after it has appeared that the "accepteds" have moved on, the rejected still sit their brooding because there is nothing to occupy their minds except some silly schoolwork and new episodes of Pretty Little Liars.
So I almost cringe when I see people trying to form these roommate bonds now, before they are accepted. I wanted to shake and them and tell them they are being premature. I want to insist that they think before they act. I want them to just. Fucking. Stop. And think about the consequences if someone in this budding Facebook relationship does not get accepted. But that would be mean. Even suggesting that someone will not get into the program is supposedly cruel. It's like, we're all supposed to act as if everyone gets accepted and act shocked and disappointed when others get the dreaded "No Longer in Consideration" emails.
And then some of them don't get in. It's usually like, two girls, and they are devastated and their "roommates" who did get it are also devastated, but for a shorter amount of time. The ones who do get it shrug it off after a few days, decide to still room together, and find a couple more girls to round out their "amazing" apartment. And those girls who don't get in slowly fall apart because not only did they not get into their "dream" internship, but they also now just lost the opportunity to be "friends" with people they have convinced themselves are the "best girls in the world." Then, as they are still Facebook friends and/or follow each other on Tumblr, watch as their planned roommates go to check it, and move it, and get their locations, and have so much fun at the most magical place on earth while they're stuck in their small town in bumfuck nowhere Georgia, or something like that. And it's actually really sad to watch.
Trust me, I have followed these kinds of people on Tumblr. They post text posts about it and reblog the "accepted's" pictures with sad captions like, "Wish I could be there with this amazing girl" and things like that. And long after it has appeared that the "accepteds" have moved on, the rejected still sit their brooding because there is nothing to occupy their minds except some silly schoolwork and new episodes of Pretty Little Liars.
So I almost cringe when I see people trying to form these roommate bonds now, before they are accepted. I wanted to shake and them and tell them they are being premature. I want to insist that they think before they act. I want them to just. Fucking. Stop. And think about the consequences if someone in this budding Facebook relationship does not get accepted. But that would be mean. Even suggesting that someone will not get into the program is supposedly cruel. It's like, we're all supposed to act as if everyone gets accepted and act shocked and disappointed when others get the dreaded "No Longer in Consideration" emails.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
A Bitch in the Bunch
I seriously need to take a step back from the Facebook group. I need to stop adding my opinion and experiences to every single post that goes up on the page. And you want to know why? Because I'm not a pixie dusted princess wearing rose tinted glasses. As has been well established, I am a jaded realist. But I justify this by thinking to myself, "Well, if they know the reality before they get down to Disney, they will probably enjoy their program more!" And I maintain that belief, no matter what people say to me. The people that I see who are the most miserable on the program are usually the ones who went into the program painfully optimistic or just plain had the wrong idea. A lot people, no matter what you say to them, believe that you go down there to have fun. They don't understand that this is work, and it can be HARD work. And then they get down there and have this rude awakening and are miserable and tend to be the ones to self term quickly. I feel like people need to be honest and realistic in the Facebook group because then everyone can understand that this is not a four month long party. It is, first and foremost, an internship. And a shitty one at that.
There are some alum in the group who are insistent that people stop with their "CP Horror Stories." But there are several reasons why I think banning these supposed "horror stories" is more harmful than good. First of all, I think CP horror stories are fun and/or interesting to hear. I would rather hear about the worst case scenario so I can prepare myself for that instead of preparing for the "best case" and being horribly disappointed when I get down there. Not everyone is going to be working Haunted Mansion or be Jungle Cruise Skippers. People are also going to have to work Speedway or Captain EO or Country Bears Jamboree. If you get cast in attractions and go down there expecting to have the time of your life being placed as a World Famous Jungle Cruise Skipper just to find out that it is full of mean, cliquey wenches who have superiority complexes, you will be miserable. (Someone I worked with used to be a Skipper, he was a full timer just as dead inside as the best of the Inno Family, and even he felt bad for the way some of the Skipper CPs were treated by the "statused" Skippers and he hates all CPs).
Secondly, it's good to know the realistic ways that Disney often times handles incidents involving CPs. And I'm talking about the really dark, unmentionable things that happen to CPs that is so well covered up that it is a rare day that you even know that something bad has happened. They don't tell you about how, dare I say, common rape and sexual assault is to participants. On my program, there was a housekeeper who was assaulted by a guest while doing her job! I've heard of CPs behind assaulted by other CPs and when they went to housing and/or security, THE VICTIM was termed instead of the PERPETRATOR. And yes, for the most part, these are word of mouth kind of stories that spread throughout the complexes with no factual evidence to back up the claims. These are all "a friend of my coworker was roommates with" kind of stories, but there has to be some basis in them for them to spread so far and fast. Just Google it.
Fortunately, on my program, I did not know anyone who was personally assaulted but my first week in training on my program, my trainer told Nicole, Ileen, and I to come to him or someone at work that we trusted if something happened. Wade was never a CP, he was a lady's man in his fifties who had worked at Disney since he was a teenager, and he cared and worried about us. He had seen first hand horrible shit that had happened to the CPs over his thirty plus years with the company and he wanted us to know that he was there for us. And I trusted Wade. He said that three programs prior to ours, they had an Inno CP raped by International College Program guys and since they had a different visa, nothing came of them. Disney did not fired them, nor did Disney let the girls go to the police. Wade told us that he would never let something like that happen to anyone again. He told us how he watched a lively spirited CP close in on herself and really wall herself off to the world, and that devastated him.
But thirdly, it's just important to know about the kind of living and working conditions that you will experience down there. The chances of something super devastatingly dark as the above happening are slim, but the chances of experiencing a shitty work day/week/month/program are high. People need to know what happens when a CP gets sick, what happens when they get hurt, what happens when you have to work a thirteen hour shift for two solid weeks. But when you mention that kind of stuff in the Facebook group, people are really dismissive towards it. They act like that's a one time thing, or a rare event, or something that "would never happen to them" but it might. Fortunately, my entire program because of my Innoventions blessing, I only had one shift longer than ten hours and that was because of the way our hours worked. There just weren't enough "operating hours" to work those typical CP Shifts. The one time I did work a thirteen and a half hour shift was because we had a special event and it was actually one of the most fun days at work I had on my entire program.
But my roommate? She worked Tomorrowland Attractions at Magic Kingdom and a twelve hour shift was just a common part of her work week, especially during the summer. During the 24 hour day, Erin worked an EIGHTEEN hour shift. That shit happens to CPs. And they need to know that shit happens. And they need to know about how bad the busses can be, and they need to know how hard it is to get to Walmart, and they need to know how poorly we are bad and how badly we can be treated, because that is the reality. And it is better to be prepared in my opinion.
So I am trying to step back from the group. I am trying to stop being such a downer. But I think it is helpful and healthy to realize that Disney is a company. First and foremost, they are out to make money and work in their best interest. Disney no longer is the name of a visionary man (who had faults of his own) but is now the name of a terrifyingly powerful company that can trick stupid college kids into working for them for dirt cheap. But who am I to talk? I'm one of those stupid college kids who is willing to not only do it, but for a second time.
There are some alum in the group who are insistent that people stop with their "CP Horror Stories." But there are several reasons why I think banning these supposed "horror stories" is more harmful than good. First of all, I think CP horror stories are fun and/or interesting to hear. I would rather hear about the worst case scenario so I can prepare myself for that instead of preparing for the "best case" and being horribly disappointed when I get down there. Not everyone is going to be working Haunted Mansion or be Jungle Cruise Skippers. People are also going to have to work Speedway or Captain EO or Country Bears Jamboree. If you get cast in attractions and go down there expecting to have the time of your life being placed as a World Famous Jungle Cruise Skipper just to find out that it is full of mean, cliquey wenches who have superiority complexes, you will be miserable. (Someone I worked with used to be a Skipper, he was a full timer just as dead inside as the best of the Inno Family, and even he felt bad for the way some of the Skipper CPs were treated by the "statused" Skippers and he hates all CPs).
Secondly, it's good to know the realistic ways that Disney often times handles incidents involving CPs. And I'm talking about the really dark, unmentionable things that happen to CPs that is so well covered up that it is a rare day that you even know that something bad has happened. They don't tell you about how, dare I say, common rape and sexual assault is to participants. On my program, there was a housekeeper who was assaulted by a guest while doing her job! I've heard of CPs behind assaulted by other CPs and when they went to housing and/or security, THE VICTIM was termed instead of the PERPETRATOR. And yes, for the most part, these are word of mouth kind of stories that spread throughout the complexes with no factual evidence to back up the claims. These are all "a friend of my coworker was roommates with" kind of stories, but there has to be some basis in them for them to spread so far and fast. Just Google it.
Fortunately, on my program, I did not know anyone who was personally assaulted but my first week in training on my program, my trainer told Nicole, Ileen, and I to come to him or someone at work that we trusted if something happened. Wade was never a CP, he was a lady's man in his fifties who had worked at Disney since he was a teenager, and he cared and worried about us. He had seen first hand horrible shit that had happened to the CPs over his thirty plus years with the company and he wanted us to know that he was there for us. And I trusted Wade. He said that three programs prior to ours, they had an Inno CP raped by International College Program guys and since they had a different visa, nothing came of them. Disney did not fired them, nor did Disney let the girls go to the police. Wade told us that he would never let something like that happen to anyone again. He told us how he watched a lively spirited CP close in on herself and really wall herself off to the world, and that devastated him.
But thirdly, it's just important to know about the kind of living and working conditions that you will experience down there. The chances of something super devastatingly dark as the above happening are slim, but the chances of experiencing a shitty work day/week/month/program are high. People need to know what happens when a CP gets sick, what happens when they get hurt, what happens when you have to work a thirteen hour shift for two solid weeks. But when you mention that kind of stuff in the Facebook group, people are really dismissive towards it. They act like that's a one time thing, or a rare event, or something that "would never happen to them" but it might. Fortunately, my entire program because of my Innoventions blessing, I only had one shift longer than ten hours and that was because of the way our hours worked. There just weren't enough "operating hours" to work those typical CP Shifts. The one time I did work a thirteen and a half hour shift was because we had a special event and it was actually one of the most fun days at work I had on my entire program.
But my roommate? She worked Tomorrowland Attractions at Magic Kingdom and a twelve hour shift was just a common part of her work week, especially during the summer. During the 24 hour day, Erin worked an EIGHTEEN hour shift. That shit happens to CPs. And they need to know that shit happens. And they need to know about how bad the busses can be, and they need to know how hard it is to get to Walmart, and they need to know how poorly we are bad and how badly we can be treated, because that is the reality. And it is better to be prepared in my opinion.
So I am trying to step back from the group. I am trying to stop being such a downer. But I think it is helpful and healthy to realize that Disney is a company. First and foremost, they are out to make money and work in their best interest. Disney no longer is the name of a visionary man (who had faults of his own) but is now the name of a terrifyingly powerful company that can trick stupid college kids into working for them for dirt cheap. But who am I to talk? I'm one of those stupid college kids who is willing to not only do it, but for a second time.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Absolution of Sin
I linked to my Tumblr on this blog for some reason, although I stopped using Tumblr the same day my college program ended save for like one or two text posts that I just had to get out because it was consuming me. Well, since I linked to it, I clicked the link to make sure it works and then I started scrolling through it and now I feel miserable. There are a lot of memories that came up from the last weeks of my college program. Even the passing text post that has no context and no explanation hurt because I am the one who wrote them and I suddenly remember everything that was eating me alive those months.
I would love to tell you about Luke, but I don't like how it ends. It's a good story, I think, like the Nicole Story, but the ending is more that of a tragedy. I am convinced that I am over it, although my therapist claims that I am not. But reading through those text posts when I was in the thick of it, how Luke left without ever saying goodbye, how he just threw me out without a second thought killed me. The fact that we went from hanging out every night together, getting drunk and talking about things that I literally never talked to anyone about even Nicole at the time, and then suddenly nothing. Nothing at all. It felt like hitting a concrete wall going eighty miles an hour.
I read through the text posts backwards, from the despair, to the confusion, to the anger, to the happiness. I don't know why I was mad at him though. I don't know why he was mad at me. I don't know why literally one day we were watching fireworks together, and literally the next day he was ignoring my texts or I was ignoring his. I don't know what happened in those two days. I don't remember why this all got so out of hand. And I wish I did. I wish I knew what I did wrong. He was... Something else, and he really kept me together when my world first started to falter and crack, but then suddenly he stopped trying to be a fix and started to become a catalyst for disaster. And I don't know why.
[Redacted]
But going through these posts I see how many attempts he did make and I refused to allow. So many little things that I didn't let him get away with that I should have. We were two selfish people striving to be the bigger hard ass in our relationship and in the end we destroyed ourselves. Neither of us are innocent. And now, six months later, I would kill to make this right.
Not every Disney Friendship is healthy, not every Disney Friendship is forever.
I would love to tell you about Luke, but I don't like how it ends. It's a good story, I think, like the Nicole Story, but the ending is more that of a tragedy. I am convinced that I am over it, although my therapist claims that I am not. But reading through those text posts when I was in the thick of it, how Luke left without ever saying goodbye, how he just threw me out without a second thought killed me. The fact that we went from hanging out every night together, getting drunk and talking about things that I literally never talked to anyone about even Nicole at the time, and then suddenly nothing. Nothing at all. It felt like hitting a concrete wall going eighty miles an hour.
I read through the text posts backwards, from the despair, to the confusion, to the anger, to the happiness. I don't know why I was mad at him though. I don't know why he was mad at me. I don't know why literally one day we were watching fireworks together, and literally the next day he was ignoring my texts or I was ignoring his. I don't know what happened in those two days. I don't remember why this all got so out of hand. And I wish I did. I wish I knew what I did wrong. He was... Something else, and he really kept me together when my world first started to falter and crack, but then suddenly he stopped trying to be a fix and started to become a catalyst for disaster. And I don't know why.
[Redacted]
But going through these posts I see how many attempts he did make and I refused to allow. So many little things that I didn't let him get away with that I should have. We were two selfish people striving to be the bigger hard ass in our relationship and in the end we destroyed ourselves. Neither of us are innocent. And now, six months later, I would kill to make this right.
Not every Disney Friendship is healthy, not every Disney Friendship is forever.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Pixie Dusted So-and-Sos
A lot of people are privy to the inside joke of telling a guest to "have a magical day." It is, almost exclusively, meant as a way to say "fuck off" to guests who are rude or idiots. Sure, there are some people who legitimately mean it when they say it, but for the most part, no. You do not tell a guest to "have a magical day" unless your true meanings are absolutely sinister. I remember Nicole on one of her first days told a guest to have a magical day and one of the full timers looked at her horrified and said "Those people were so nice! Why would you say that to them?" Because she didn't know.
Well, there is another derogatory term for cast members that sounds really sweet but it's actually a horrible thing to say about someone. It's to say they are "too pixie dusted." I am not sure if this is universal across property, but at Inno we said it all the time. "Oh, that new CP is so 'pixie dusted.' I can't wait to see them crash and burn" or "Maybe it's because I'm still pixie dusted but I think this is a great move by the company." Everyone said it about everyone. It wasn't just something that was said about CPs, although they were mostly the one's that still had pixie dust in their eyes. But there were people of ever status that would be called that. And the weirdest thing is when people would call themselves "pixie dusted" in a defeated tone.
I remember a full timer who was training me on Where's The Fire? towards the end of my program talking shit about my fellow trainee. He was bitter and tired and ready for his program to be over since it literally ended in a week, and she looked at me sadly and said "Maybe I'm just too pixie dusted, but I think this is a great venue to connect with guests." She seemed so sad that she was still "pixie dusted" and that is really fucked. Someone should be happy to be pixie dusted! But that's not how it worked where I was. Still being enamored with the Disney "magic" was seen as a fault. Only the most foolish would be passionate about making memories for families. If you weren't jaded and cynical, you weren't cool. (Come to think of it, this might actually be pretty exclusive to Innoventions. It was a really fucked place where people went to have their spirits die.)
And the saddest thing is, and this is probably not shocking to anyone, is that I would accuse people of being "pixie dusted" all the time too. People who genuinely smiled were the enemy. Hell, I just went to Disney a couple of weeks ago for my birthday and we went back to Inno to visit our friends and I made a derogatory remark about someone being pixie dusted then! Here's the story. I was talking to two full timers about how great it was staying at the resorts and being 100% a guest, with no affiliation to the company at all, and I made the comment to the two full timers "You don't have to think for yourself at all in the resorts. Now I know why guests can be so stupid!" And one of the full timers bitched me out for saying that. First off, I do not work for the company at all anymore. So I can say what I want about whoever I want without facing any disciplinary action. Secondly, guests can be stupid! Guests are stupid everywhere! At Target (where we also call them guests), those assholes can be stupid! And it's not every guest, but it's a lot of them. But I walked away, annoyed, grumbling to Nicole about how this Full Timer was so "pixie dusted" and she needed to get over herself. And it didn't stop there. I kept grumbling. "She has been stuck in this entry level position for years and she still has pixie dust in her eyes. Grow up!" I was really annoyed. And it's not fair. If she is still that passionate about working for Disney, that is a gift. We should not speak ill of those people.
But obviously everyone is a little pixie dusted. That is the only explanation as to why all these college educated adults work for pennies to create magic for these families when they can hardly afford to put gas in their cars. No matter how rude we all are to each other about being passionate about the Disney Ideal, there is a reason why we all stick around. There is a reason why we all want to go back. We truly believe it. We are all Pixie Dusted.
Well, there is another derogatory term for cast members that sounds really sweet but it's actually a horrible thing to say about someone. It's to say they are "too pixie dusted." I am not sure if this is universal across property, but at Inno we said it all the time. "Oh, that new CP is so 'pixie dusted.' I can't wait to see them crash and burn" or "Maybe it's because I'm still pixie dusted but I think this is a great move by the company." Everyone said it about everyone. It wasn't just something that was said about CPs, although they were mostly the one's that still had pixie dust in their eyes. But there were people of ever status that would be called that. And the weirdest thing is when people would call themselves "pixie dusted" in a defeated tone.
I remember a full timer who was training me on Where's The Fire? towards the end of my program talking shit about my fellow trainee. He was bitter and tired and ready for his program to be over since it literally ended in a week, and she looked at me sadly and said "Maybe I'm just too pixie dusted, but I think this is a great venue to connect with guests." She seemed so sad that she was still "pixie dusted" and that is really fucked. Someone should be happy to be pixie dusted! But that's not how it worked where I was. Still being enamored with the Disney "magic" was seen as a fault. Only the most foolish would be passionate about making memories for families. If you weren't jaded and cynical, you weren't cool. (Come to think of it, this might actually be pretty exclusive to Innoventions. It was a really fucked place where people went to have their spirits die.)
And the saddest thing is, and this is probably not shocking to anyone, is that I would accuse people of being "pixie dusted" all the time too. People who genuinely smiled were the enemy. Hell, I just went to Disney a couple of weeks ago for my birthday and we went back to Inno to visit our friends and I made a derogatory remark about someone being pixie dusted then! Here's the story. I was talking to two full timers about how great it was staying at the resorts and being 100% a guest, with no affiliation to the company at all, and I made the comment to the two full timers "You don't have to think for yourself at all in the resorts. Now I know why guests can be so stupid!" And one of the full timers bitched me out for saying that. First off, I do not work for the company at all anymore. So I can say what I want about whoever I want without facing any disciplinary action. Secondly, guests can be stupid! Guests are stupid everywhere! At Target (where we also call them guests), those assholes can be stupid! And it's not every guest, but it's a lot of them. But I walked away, annoyed, grumbling to Nicole about how this Full Timer was so "pixie dusted" and she needed to get over herself. And it didn't stop there. I kept grumbling. "She has been stuck in this entry level position for years and she still has pixie dust in her eyes. Grow up!" I was really annoyed. And it's not fair. If she is still that passionate about working for Disney, that is a gift. We should not speak ill of those people.
But obviously everyone is a little pixie dusted. That is the only explanation as to why all these college educated adults work for pennies to create magic for these families when they can hardly afford to put gas in their cars. No matter how rude we all are to each other about being passionate about the Disney Ideal, there is a reason why we all stick around. There is a reason why we all want to go back. We truly believe it. We are all Pixie Dusted.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Meet Nicole
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| Nicole and I on the last night of her Program. May 2015 |
So I went into this program expecting to be friendly with people, but not find people who would change my life. And let me tell you how wrong I was. Nicole and I trained together at the beginning of our program on the Vision House along with another girl named Ileen. My training consisted of sitting in a cold, damp basement for five solid days just learning spiels. The Vision House was an "eighteen minute long guided walking tour about environmental and sustainable living." That meant that we had to learn an eighteen minute long spiel. And don't call them scripts. God forbid. If you called it a script, they would jump all over you because people who studied scripts were in entertainment. And trust me, this was not entertainment. But I digress.
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| Nicole and I on Space Mountain on my birthday! 1/6/2015 |
I could go on forever about those first days in the basement, but that would be pointless. What matters is how Nicole and I quickly became the best of friends. We were inseparable. Everyone knew it. We were the best of friends in our CP group. Plus Luke, but he's a story for another day. When I was having issues with my roommates, I practically moved in with Nicole. I would stay at her apartment from the time we got home from work until we were both falling asleep on her couch watching Netflix. Nicole drove me wherever I needed to go (she had a car, I didn't) and I think the reason why she liked me so much is because no matter how many times she offered to take me to the store, I almost always turned her down.
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| Nicole and I on Dinosaur, January 2015 |
We had Panda Express for dinner, and then shopped at Target for a long time. We got Starbucks and just wandered around. We kinda grocery shopped, kinda browsed, kinda had a purpose, kinda didn't. But it was great. It was amazing. And it was exactly what I needed and that was when I was like, this girl is the best person I could have ever gotten.
Nicole, however, was not spring advantage. She was merely spring, and abandoned me in May whereas I was stuck until August (of course, I still had Luke but again another long story). She had to go back to her amazing life in Boston where she was going to start grad school and move in with her boyfriend and be an adult while I was trapped in Disney. But that isn't where our friendship ends, because I formed a real, honest to God friendship with her.
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| Nicole and I in Wisconsin together, November 2014 |
We still talk every single day. In November she and my mom coordinated this really elaborate weekend where she SURPRISED me here in Wisconsin and we spent a great weekend together. In January we went to Disney World together for my birthday. She is my best friend and part of the reason why it terrifies me to do another program is because I know that no program would ever be the same without her.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Pended or Panicked?
My biggest issue with the application process for the college program is the Facebook Group. I know that Disney has no control over the Facebook group because it exists on it's own as a separate entity. People in the Facebook group are stupid, everyone is. Even me. Being in the Facebook group is a great way to get yourself nervous and anxious unnecessarily. But I am in the group because it also gives me hours of entertainment. It did while trying to get into my first program and it does even more now that I know what to expect personally. But it is also annoying because I feel like a lot of people in there are to psych out others with their anecdotes and analysis of situations that they know nothing about.
Last night everyone who had a phone interview yesterday got a "Thank You for Interviewing" email. I got one, my sister got one, everyone got one. Now there are a lot of people in the Facebook group that are claiming that they got an email saying they were pended. I cannot figure out if they got the same email that my sister and I got, which for the record is not a "pending a final decision" email which is usually what is associated with a "pended" status, or if they actually got pended. I am not saying it's impossible. There are people who have gone "NLIC" today after their interviews yesterday. Screenshots included.
But then I thought to myself, "Oh maybe you got pended, dummy, and you were just so confident in your phone interview that you were too dense to realize it." So I consulted my email. I went and re-read the email multiple times, read my sister's email myself, and then I scrolled all the way through my email, way back to the heady days of 2013 to see what email I got following my phone interview for that program. And you know what? It was worded exactly the same way as this one, except the dates are changed. And I know for a fact that I was not pended for my first program. Not once is the phrase "pending a final decision" or anything like that was mentioned in all of my emails from Disney.
So the question is, did people actually get pended or are they panicked? No one has posted their "pended" emails in the group and I don't want to be that person who's like PLS POST YOUR EMAIL. I'S GOTS TAH KNOW. I feel like I already participate in the Facebook group enough trying to squelch the stupidity and blatantly incorrect rumors that fly through that group.
And yes, I know that I sound like a know-it-all and a bitch, but that's how I get sometimes. I mostly am doing this fact checking mission on my sister's behalf. Despite the fact that I told her not to join the group until after she was accepted, she went and joined yesterday and it makes her so nervous. And I know that it what the group does to a lot of people. I don't think that's fair. So I have taken it upon myself to make it a better place.
Friendly update: It appears that people have actually received "pending final decision" emails. I feel bad for them, but not too bad because I think I lack the sympathy/empathy chemicals in my Disney brain.
Last night everyone who had a phone interview yesterday got a "Thank You for Interviewing" email. I got one, my sister got one, everyone got one. Now there are a lot of people in the Facebook group that are claiming that they got an email saying they were pended. I cannot figure out if they got the same email that my sister and I got, which for the record is not a "pending a final decision" email which is usually what is associated with a "pended" status, or if they actually got pended. I am not saying it's impossible. There are people who have gone "NLIC" today after their interviews yesterday. Screenshots included.
But then I thought to myself, "Oh maybe you got pended, dummy, and you were just so confident in your phone interview that you were too dense to realize it." So I consulted my email. I went and re-read the email multiple times, read my sister's email myself, and then I scrolled all the way through my email, way back to the heady days of 2013 to see what email I got following my phone interview for that program. And you know what? It was worded exactly the same way as this one, except the dates are changed. And I know for a fact that I was not pended for my first program. Not once is the phrase "pending a final decision" or anything like that was mentioned in all of my emails from Disney.
So the question is, did people actually get pended or are they panicked? No one has posted their "pended" emails in the group and I don't want to be that person who's like PLS POST YOUR EMAIL. I'S GOTS TAH KNOW. I feel like I already participate in the Facebook group enough trying to squelch the stupidity and blatantly incorrect rumors that fly through that group.
And yes, I know that I sound like a know-it-all and a bitch, but that's how I get sometimes. I mostly am doing this fact checking mission on my sister's behalf. Despite the fact that I told her not to join the group until after she was accepted, she went and joined yesterday and it makes her so nervous. And I know that it what the group does to a lot of people. I don't think that's fair. So I have taken it upon myself to make it a better place.
Friendly update: It appears that people have actually received "pending final decision" emails. I feel bad for them, but not too bad because I think I lack the sympathy/empathy chemicals in my Disney brain.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
My College Program
So, this is just a little video montage thing I made at the end of my program and sometime I watch it and weep because I miss everything about my program. I am posting this because I am desperate to prove to mostly myself that I am not miserable. I had such an amazing time.
I could probably actually just straight up start blogging about the good and the bad. That's what I will do. Stay tuned for more exciting stories from my College Program as well as current thoughts, feelings, and emotions in regards to this next step in re-applying for a second program.
Monday Morning Quarterbacking a Phone Interview
I am not quite sure why, but I seem to have a strangely unavoidable, uncontrollable disdain for people in the Facebook group from Wisconsin. And I promise you that it has nothing to do with the person, because I will be very indifferent towards their posts and then I see "Posted from xxx, Wisconsin" and I'm like "Oh God, this guy." Not sure why. I have never had a known problem with my home state before. Nearly all my friends are from Wisconsin seeing as I have had such a limited experience outside of the state. But yet, I still there scrolling through the Facebook group, passively reading stupid people talking about things they don't understand and then suddenly I get irrationally annoyed solely because this chick is posting from Whitewater or this guy is posting from Racine. Hell, I go to school in Whitewater. That should not bother me. But it does.
(Note: The above was written before the below. What a hilarious coincidence that life turned out the way it did.)
In other wholly unrelated news, I just got off the phone with my interviewer. I typed the above part before my interview and then I got my phone interview and now I am a different person. Want to know why? Because my interview went amazing. And know what is really funny about the entire thing? My interviewer was from Wisconsin and yet, I really liked her. And we talked for over a half hour. My interview for my first CP wasn't even 15 minutes but this one was a half hour long and it was more of a conversation than a question/answer type thing. I just feel like it went really well, you know? And she was from Wausau, which was kinda awesome. She asked me about working in the heat and humidity, and I straight up said "I don't like the heat and I don't like the humidity and on my last program they put me in Innoventions and I was so spoiled because I did not have to work outside at all. As someone from Wisconsin, I am not built for that kind of weather." And she just laughed and she was like, "I get that. I'm from Wausau." And I totally geeked out. I was like "Omfg, we used to go to the mall in Wausau when we'd visit my grandpa up north!" And we talked about that for a while.
And she kept telling me that I seemed "really qualified" for concierge and front desk and I really want concierge or front desk so hopefully that means something good. In my last interview I told the girl that I "loved to talk" and then they stuck me in Inno where I presented shows. So I know that they probably honestly listen.
But my sister feels like her phone interview did not go off so well, and I am really nervous for her. I would feel just awful if she didn't get accepted and I did. She hasn't gotten her chance to do the college program like I have, and I just want her to have the opportunity that I had. I would send her in my place with my ID and my Social Security Card if it meant giving her a chance to work at Disney instead of me. I just want her to be happy and have her dreams come true. Or whatever.
I feel significantly less cynical now. Maybe this is exactly what I needed was a good conversation with a current cast member. Of course, I had maintained this plan all along that I would probably just turn down my offer if one were to be extended to me, but if I get an offer in concierge or front desk, I just don't know how I would be able to say no to that. That's exactly what I've wanted to do since I applied for my first college program. Man. This sucks.
(Note: The above was written before the below. What a hilarious coincidence that life turned out the way it did.)
In other wholly unrelated news, I just got off the phone with my interviewer. I typed the above part before my interview and then I got my phone interview and now I am a different person. Want to know why? Because my interview went amazing. And know what is really funny about the entire thing? My interviewer was from Wisconsin and yet, I really liked her. And we talked for over a half hour. My interview for my first CP wasn't even 15 minutes but this one was a half hour long and it was more of a conversation than a question/answer type thing. I just feel like it went really well, you know? And she was from Wausau, which was kinda awesome. She asked me about working in the heat and humidity, and I straight up said "I don't like the heat and I don't like the humidity and on my last program they put me in Innoventions and I was so spoiled because I did not have to work outside at all. As someone from Wisconsin, I am not built for that kind of weather." And she just laughed and she was like, "I get that. I'm from Wausau." And I totally geeked out. I was like "Omfg, we used to go to the mall in Wausau when we'd visit my grandpa up north!" And we talked about that for a while.
And she kept telling me that I seemed "really qualified" for concierge and front desk and I really want concierge or front desk so hopefully that means something good. In my last interview I told the girl that I "loved to talk" and then they stuck me in Inno where I presented shows. So I know that they probably honestly listen.
But my sister feels like her phone interview did not go off so well, and I am really nervous for her. I would feel just awful if she didn't get accepted and I did. She hasn't gotten her chance to do the college program like I have, and I just want her to have the opportunity that I had. I would send her in my place with my ID and my Social Security Card if it meant giving her a chance to work at Disney instead of me. I just want her to be happy and have her dreams come true. Or whatever.
I feel significantly less cynical now. Maybe this is exactly what I needed was a good conversation with a current cast member. Of course, I had maintained this plan all along that I would probably just turn down my offer if one were to be extended to me, but if I get an offer in concierge or front desk, I just don't know how I would be able to say no to that. That's exactly what I've wanted to do since I applied for my first college program. Man. This sucks.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Cynicism
I am trying so hard to write a second post to make me seem less like a curmudgeonly asshole old lady, which is how I feel I came off in my first post from earlier today. That is the only reason why I want to post a second post. I want to assure THE WORLD (hah, no one) that I am not as bitter as that sounded. But as I keep drafting my defense, I start on some terrible rant about how terrible the college program actually is. But it's not! If it really was that bad, I wouldn't be doing a second one! Maybe I am just in a bad mood today and that is why I am struggling at being polite.
In other news, I have a phone interview tomorrow for my CP application and a phone interview on Friday for my professional internship application. I would say "Wish me Luck" but that would imply that someone is actually reading this. Okay, now off to my real world that consists of work and not talking to myself on the internet.
A Brief History of Me
Hi there,
I find blogging sort of insufferable. In a time of Youtube, it has quickly fallen out of favor. Reading blogs has become something stay at home moms do so they don't feel so alone when they spend their long days stuck in a house with a screaming infant and a needy toddler. Teenagers and young adults don't care. If the emerging prevalence of "listicles" are any indication, even reading for information has gotten too much. If there is no accompanying silly gif to help put a point across, is there even a point at all? And with Tumblr being so popular, it's a place where you can blog but mostly it's just quotes from your favorite John Green book occasionally punctuated by a text post about how no one "gets" you or how the boy you like (but have never actually spoken to) has a girlfriend and OHMYGODEVERYTHINGSUCKSMYLIFEISOVER. I know, I spent five long years on Tumblr.
But I like blogs sometimes. They can be incredibly personal. They are like reading someone's diary. Although most people don't get that personal on blogs anymore. They've become an industry where you post recipes that are interspersed with cute little family anecdotes or tips on getting your three month old to sleep through the night, although I am not entirely sure three month olds sleep through the night. I don't know. I don't have kids, I am just a college student who likes to read herself think.
As I begin my adventure on applying for another Disney College Program, I have discovered that I need a place to rant. Not to my friends who just keep telling me not to do another one, not to my sister who is also applying (but for her first) so I do not want to freak her out. Just a place in general where no one is gonna actually read it, or hear it, or think about it. I need to get these thoughts out, though, because otherwise I just think the same thing over and over again until I drive myself reasonably insane.
So here is what you might need to know about me provided that you think reading a blog about a girl in the process of applying for another DCP (and professional internships) interesting. Or a hilarious spectacle of a millennial living in a "look-at-me" world who is starving for attention. First and foremost, my name is Natalie. I am currently a senior in college, graduating in May with a degree I regret (psychology) and a minor I love (English). I am wholly unemployable and am probably doomed to live out my days working as a teller at a bank (which is what I do now).
My Disney story is not unique, not special, not amazing. I did my cp (college program for those not in the loop, which is hilarious that I think this might be a problem considering there is probably literally no one reading this) during from January 2014- August 2014, Spring Advantage program. I worked at Innoventions in Epcot, which even the most seasoned Disney goers have a tendency to have never visited. It's an "edu-tainment" facility full of interactive learning experiences. I was a presenter which means that I "presented" shows that taught people about really exciting things like "green living" and "healthy habits." If you have only ever been to Disneyland and went to their Innoventions there, do not compare them. Their Innoventions (from what I hear) is actually amazing fun. It has Marvel exhibits and meet and greets with Super Heroes. That sounds Great. Innoventions at Epcot just teaches you how to make sure your home can stand up against hurricanes, which isn't even relevant to half the world's population (that is an uneducated assumption).
I was not "pixie dusted" when the program started because, in general, I am a realist. But by the end of the program, I was the completely opposite of "pixie dusted." I wasn't even a realist. I was cynical and depressed. I literally thought more about killing myself than most other things in my life. I had great personal tragedies on the program, some of which still inflict me today. I suffered a lot during the last couple of months of my program to the point where I, to this day, am surprised I am still alive, let alone didn't just flat out self-term (quit).
And why do I want to go back? That's what my "home" friends ask me all the time. They want to know why I want to go back somewhere that sent me spiraling into this darkness that they could only see a fraction of. But what they don't understand is that I would have had these problems at home too. Yes, being in Florida did not help the issues that I was suffering but I have had depression my entire life, and it just got bad down there. It could have easily gotten bad here too. Also, there is something about Disney that is addicting. Even though I wasn't a straight up obsessed "Dis-nerd" at all throughout the entire length of my program, and still don't think I am, I still find myself thinking about Disney all the time. I still think about going back. I miss it every single day.
And so I am applying again. I want to go back to the first place where I ever felt truly at home. I want to go home.
I find blogging sort of insufferable. In a time of Youtube, it has quickly fallen out of favor. Reading blogs has become something stay at home moms do so they don't feel so alone when they spend their long days stuck in a house with a screaming infant and a needy toddler. Teenagers and young adults don't care. If the emerging prevalence of "listicles" are any indication, even reading for information has gotten too much. If there is no accompanying silly gif to help put a point across, is there even a point at all? And with Tumblr being so popular, it's a place where you can blog but mostly it's just quotes from your favorite John Green book occasionally punctuated by a text post about how no one "gets" you or how the boy you like (but have never actually spoken to) has a girlfriend and OHMYGODEVERYTHINGSUCKSMYLIFEISOVER. I know, I spent five long years on Tumblr.
But I like blogs sometimes. They can be incredibly personal. They are like reading someone's diary. Although most people don't get that personal on blogs anymore. They've become an industry where you post recipes that are interspersed with cute little family anecdotes or tips on getting your three month old to sleep through the night, although I am not entirely sure three month olds sleep through the night. I don't know. I don't have kids, I am just a college student who likes to read herself think.
As I begin my adventure on applying for another Disney College Program, I have discovered that I need a place to rant. Not to my friends who just keep telling me not to do another one, not to my sister who is also applying (but for her first) so I do not want to freak her out. Just a place in general where no one is gonna actually read it, or hear it, or think about it. I need to get these thoughts out, though, because otherwise I just think the same thing over and over again until I drive myself reasonably insane.
So here is what you might need to know about me provided that you think reading a blog about a girl in the process of applying for another DCP (and professional internships) interesting. Or a hilarious spectacle of a millennial living in a "look-at-me" world who is starving for attention. First and foremost, my name is Natalie. I am currently a senior in college, graduating in May with a degree I regret (psychology) and a minor I love (English). I am wholly unemployable and am probably doomed to live out my days working as a teller at a bank (which is what I do now).
My Disney story is not unique, not special, not amazing. I did my cp (college program for those not in the loop, which is hilarious that I think this might be a problem considering there is probably literally no one reading this) during from January 2014- August 2014, Spring Advantage program. I worked at Innoventions in Epcot, which even the most seasoned Disney goers have a tendency to have never visited. It's an "edu-tainment" facility full of interactive learning experiences. I was a presenter which means that I "presented" shows that taught people about really exciting things like "green living" and "healthy habits." If you have only ever been to Disneyland and went to their Innoventions there, do not compare them. Their Innoventions (from what I hear) is actually amazing fun. It has Marvel exhibits and meet and greets with Super Heroes. That sounds Great. Innoventions at Epcot just teaches you how to make sure your home can stand up against hurricanes, which isn't even relevant to half the world's population (that is an uneducated assumption).
I was not "pixie dusted" when the program started because, in general, I am a realist. But by the end of the program, I was the completely opposite of "pixie dusted." I wasn't even a realist. I was cynical and depressed. I literally thought more about killing myself than most other things in my life. I had great personal tragedies on the program, some of which still inflict me today. I suffered a lot during the last couple of months of my program to the point where I, to this day, am surprised I am still alive, let alone didn't just flat out self-term (quit).
And why do I want to go back? That's what my "home" friends ask me all the time. They want to know why I want to go back somewhere that sent me spiraling into this darkness that they could only see a fraction of. But what they don't understand is that I would have had these problems at home too. Yes, being in Florida did not help the issues that I was suffering but I have had depression my entire life, and it just got bad down there. It could have easily gotten bad here too. Also, there is something about Disney that is addicting. Even though I wasn't a straight up obsessed "Dis-nerd" at all throughout the entire length of my program, and still don't think I am, I still find myself thinking about Disney all the time. I still think about going back. I miss it every single day.
And so I am applying again. I want to go back to the first place where I ever felt truly at home. I want to go home.
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