Done-zo!

The end has finally come. No more meeting people from all around the world on a daily basis. No more going to the parks for free. No more discounts. No more organizing hundreds of pictures into albums. No more little lizards to watch out for on the sidewalks. (which are so darn cute!) No more speaking Spanish. No more crazy costumes to wear. No more gorgeous palm trees. No more having 5 roommates. No more driving around Disney property and getting paid for it. No more meeting new people daily. No more.

What did I come back to?
School, work, family, and friends.  (At least the latter isn't so bad!)

What a transition. Drove back home and stayed one night, then drove the next day to school and started working! Not exactly what I would call "magical".

So obviously being back is bittersweet. It's overwhelming to see everyone I love and getting back into the swing of things, but obviously the first question I am asked is, "How was Disney!?!?"  I anticipated this, as this is natural, however, I did not think prior to how I was going to answer this crucial question. How do I accurately portray the past 4 months without going into years of stories?  There was so much I learned and I didn't want to come off as "Oh just great! It was awesome!" as a generic response, because it deserved much more than that.

I say this for a few reasons. First of all, as mentioned in previous blogs, I had tons of opportunities not even my roommates had.  Even cast members I worked with who have been at Disney for 20+ years were asking me questions about what I saw and did. To me, that says something. To give me, a temporary worker, those jobs over people who have been there for years, said a lot to me. I still can't exactly formulate a response to how Disney was, because as everyone knows, I loved it. It was more than I imagined. Yes, some people hate it, but it's mostly because they are selling funnel cakes or are cleaning rooms and that's not their cup of tea.  Mind you, you also get a say in where you'd like to work, so that's their choice. But it's incredibly hard to explain because obviously, I was the only one who witnessed it all. It is just amazing to know that I was one of seventy thousand cast members who work for Disney that only nine did the job I did, including being in charge of packages for twenty-seven resorts.  If you look at it in that sense, now that speaks volumes!

I never would cry over seeing Mickey or the Castle. I never got sucked into the "magical" aspects as much as others did, or had 14 different Disney princess pillows on my bed. I hardly even knew who the princesses were before I got there. (and still kinda don't..) But I will say that I did fall in love with the history, guest service, and creation of Disney itself. To be able to see all that I did on a daily basis boggled my mind. The last thing I want others to think is that Disney is exclusive to kids and too "childish" for them. Because as I have seen first-hand, there's so much more than that. I would say probably 95% of career paths could be an employee under Disney, so it's not just all about princes and princesses.

Disney is the largest entertainment company in the world and also has 4 cruise ships. Just by this simple fact alone, you know Disney is doing something right to keep people coming back for more. I love the way that they treat others as individuals and they continue to remind cast members of how important that is. They continue to have training for cast members who have been there 30+ years. This is still to keep reminding them that it may just be another day at work to you, but to the kids you come into contact with, they may just remember you for the rest of their life.  Evidently, Disney isn't cheap. Some families go every year, whereas some save for 10+ years to have the opportunity to go. It's extremely easy to forget that if that's where you work every day.


I can see why having Disney on a resume is extremely eye-catching to employers simply because of the way we are treated and treat others. Of course not every cast member is perfect and Disney is still a money-making business. But overall, if local companies were to treat their customers with the same values as Disney did, I can guarantee their businesses would change drastically.


I still learned a lot from being there and it is comforting to have future job opportunities. They do have fitness internships from June-January at their gym doing fitness testing and running some classes. I'm very interested in that, although I heard the spots are extremely limited.  My roommate is also interested and going into Education. She saw that she could teach children about birds at Animal Kingdom, or take them on field trips and teach them about inertia and outer space while going on Space Mountain! Sounds like fun, aye?


So we will see where God takes me. I would love to go back to witness the "Florida winter", but also because of all the insanely large parades they have and Christmas lights! I've seen pictures of all the lights and it looks gorgeous. Just to give you an idea..




Next year would be the only time I could do a professional internship because you have to be in college when you apply.  As of now, I will be graduating next May, therefore will be completely free and open to pursue this in June. It's an added bonus that it's towards my career path and will give me more experience.


So until next time!  If I do end up going back next year (which everyone wants me to so I can get them discounts!), then I will definitely blog again.  But since my life isn't as exciting as seeing floats and parades every day, I'm not too sure this blog will be either!
Thanks to those who took an interest and read.  I know a few more people doing the internship and if any one has any questions, please don't hesitate.  There is still SO much more information and videos I have that I didn't go into details on that I would love to share.  You can e-mail me at swaner@mail.gvsu.edu for anything.


Take care and have a "magical" summer ! ;)