Legen...wait for it...dary!!

Thursday, Dec 1st: At Back To Nature, I took care of the screech owls, squirrels, Spike, and the ring-tailed lemurs! This was the first time I've gotten to work with the lemurs all by myself, so I was super pumped. They're so fascinating to watch when they're climbing around their cage. We have three: Thumbelina, Honeybear, and Whimsa. I love preparing their diets because I can get creative with it. I give them a big plate with colorful fruits, veggies, greens, and "monkey biscuits". They absolutely love avocado and mini-bananas, especially.

After a great afternoon, the day went downhill. On my way home, I turned onto International Drive, literally a mile from home, and my gas pedal lost all of its tension. So instead of speeding up when I pressed the gas, I kept slowing down. I started to freak out, but luckily I was able to pull into a nearby parking lot and slide into a spot. I turned my car off and then on again, and when I tried to pull into the next spot, I barely could. The car literally could only go about 5 miles per hour. Not a good thing. I called AAA, and they said it would take about 90 minutes for them to get there, but it only ended up taking 15! Jose drove me to Riker's, which was pretty close to my apartment. I left my car there overnight, and Cassie picked me up (my favorite roommate haha).

Friday, Dec 2nd: Today was an awesome day with Hulbie--I finally got the chance to go to Universal Studios! It consists of two parks, and we decided to just go to Islands of Adventure. It includes Jurassic Park, Super Heroes, Suessland, Comic Strip land, and Harry Potter World. Right when we got there, we went to HP World!! YAY! The butterbeer was absolutely fantastic. I want the recipe for it! We went on a few rides and walked around the shops. It's pretty amazing how much it all really looked like Hogsmeade. It was like I was actually in the movies! Although Universal is completely different than Disney, it has its own charm. We got our pictures taken with soo many characters, and we rode some of the rides several times since the park was pretty much empty!

 
After a wonderful time with Hulbie, we went to Riker's to pick up my car. The GPS took us to a very sketchy area, and we were a little scared for our lives haha. Eventually, we found our way, but the place was closed by the time we got there. Luckily, Sonia was nice enough to wake up the next day and drop me off so I could finally get my car back!

Saturday, Dec 3rd: I heard a funny story from the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) guy that works next to the Asia Kids' Discovery Club. He said that one time when he was working at MK, a guest asked him, "Where is the dome that goes over all of Magic Kingdom?" REALLY?! Wow. That has to be one of the most ridiculous guest questions of all time.

That night, BTN was hosting "Christmas with the Critters", a fundraiser for the refuge. I took Cassie along and showed her all the animals I work with. They had a bake sale, auction, face painting, and Santa! Unfortunately, Mr. Clause had already left by the time we got there.

Sunday, Dec 4th: Awful day at work. I was at the Dinoland KDC, and some stupid middle or high school football players were across the path at the crocodile exhibit. One of them thought it was fake, so he started to climb over the fence. Before I could say anything, the adult with him told him to get down. Since I am not allowed to leave the KDC, I couldn't go over there. But when he did it again, I walked halfway over and yelled at him (oh and did I yell!). He tried to tell me that the "alligator" wasn't real so it was ok. He also told me to make it move. Then the idiot adult said, "He's not moving, he has cobwebs on his mouth. He isn't real." I tried to calmly tell these ignorant people that he sits still in his natural habitat and waits for his prey, but then they just asked if they could throw rocks at him. What the hell is wrong with you?? I argued with them for a good while, trying to convince them that Marley was real. Eventually, I just gave up because they were causing a scene. So then I just gave them the death glare until they left. Those were the most frustrating people I've ever talked to.

The day got better after that, because the roomies, Hulbert, and I went to DisneyQuest, which is a big place with arcade games and interactive activities. It's like a 10-year-old boy's dream! Also, it was one of my favorite parts of Disney when I was young. What can I say, I was a tomboy.

Monday, Dec 5th: Happy 110th birthday to Walt Disney! Thanks for having all those ambitious dreams so families could come together. Because of you, I have made so many friendships and memories that I'll cherish forever!

This evening was the College Program/Professional Intern formal dance at Coronado Springs Resort. It was so much fun! There was dancing, food, and obscure characters to meet. I met the three hyenas from Lion King, Baloo, Mowgli (who was an awkward adult trying to look like a kid...), safari Mickey and Minnie, and Tarzan and Jane. I was pretty much starstruck when I saw Tarzan...in just a loincloth. He said, "You can stand right here next to me!" Don't mind if I do! So apparently he's the only Tarzan at Disney. He was the same guy I barely missed trying to meet at Mickey's Not-So-Scary party in September. You have no idea how excited I was to get a second chance! Because we got a big group picture with him and Jane, Cassie and I went back later to get one with just him. We JUST made it before he was done for the night. Overall, it was a spectacular night with good music, friends, and smokin' hot Tarzan.

If only I would have thought to touch Tarzan's butt...

Tuesday, Dec 6th: I had my interview for the animal keeper trainee position during my lunch. I thought it went pretty well, but ultimately, they didn't choose me.

Tonight, Cassie and I went to our first Candlelight Processional. Here's what the event is: Every year around Christmas time, our cast choir (plus some high schools from around the country) perform concerts, three times a night. There is also a guest celebrity that narrates the story of Christmas in between each song. Tonight, it was Edward James Olmos. Award-winning actor from Miami Vice, Battlestar Galactica, and Stand and Deliver. Or, if you're a Dexter fanatic, he was frickin Professor Gellar!! And trust me, he was every bit as scary while he was reading about shepherds and inns as he was on Dexter. But he was so amazing, you can tell that he loves doing Candleight every year because he spoke with such passion and meaning. Love him.

Wednesday, Dec 7th: During our morning meeting, Sonia said to me, "I think I'm in the mood for ice cream." This was the best thing I'd ever heard. She isn't a big sweets eater, so I knew when that time came that her, Cassie, Alyssa, and I were about to face the biggest challenge of our lives. The Kitchen Sink. This is something that many people attempt, but few finish. It's an epic dessert served at Beaches and Cream, and you need at least 5ish people to eat. It's 8 scoops of ice cream (3 flavors of your choice), all the toppings in the house (angel food cake, brownies, hot fudge, bananas, marshmallow creme, various chocolate candies, almonds, sprinkles, cherries, and more), and a whole can of whipped cream. Here's the complete recipe!

So the whole thing is served in a bowl that looks like a sink, and when the waiters bring it out, the lights and sirens go off in the 50's-style ice cream parlor. Now some of y'all probably know how much I love ice cream. I eat a bowl every night...sometimes even two. So we thought it was gonna be an easy challenge, but we were so wrong. I don't think I've ever felt so sick in my life. But at the same time, it was EPIC.  Halfway through, Alyssa pulled out, so Sonia, Cassie, and I had to eat for her, too. It was kind of funny, because we saw families of 6 people, or groups with huge guys that finished it. But we just had 3.5 tiny girls, and we flat-out dominated. It took us 50 minutes to finish, but we did it. Afterward, we felt like we were all going to explode, and I said I'd never eat ice cream again...Needless to say, that only lasted one day.

Before...and after...

Thursday, Dec 8th: Somehow, David, Debbie, and I were the only ones at BTN today. Usually there are 5 or 6 of us, so we were super short-staffed. David isn't exactly the most motivated person around, so I had to, once again, do most of the work with the resident animals while Debbie took care of the babies and raccoons. At least I got to see all of my favorite animals!  Besides the birds, squirrels, and emu, I spent some quality time with the lemurs and Spencer the Arctic Fox. Spencer is so sweet, he's just like a little puppy. He even eats right out of my hand! Since he's an omnivore, his diet always has variety. Some fruits, veggies, dry dog food, a chicken, and some other kind of meat. Usually I hide the chicken in a bell pepper so he can find it, or I freeze it in ice so he can try to scrape it out. He's so precious and I love him.

Friday, Dec 9th: Since there had been a lot of drama going on lately, I really enjoyed whatever time I could just have by myself. So I had some fun "me time" at Hollywood Studios. I saw the Beauty and the Beast theatre show, went on Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Tower of Terror, and then headed to the Pixar area to meet Buzz and Woody! I was pretty much in love haha. On my way out, Buzz pointed to his cheek and asked me to give him a kiss. I bet YOU haven't kissed Buzz Lightyear before! All I know is that it was probably some creepy or old guy in the costume. I then went over to the Animation Building where I learned how to draw Sorcerer Mickey from a real animator, and I met Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and Sorcerer Mickey himself. The Pixar "Countdown to Fun" parade was at 3, and it was really cool. There were a lot of stars in it that you can't meet in the parks. Later on, I rode Star Tours (LOVE it), and met several other characters. Finally, my goal of doing just about everything at Studios was complete, and I went home feeling accomplished.

Saturday, Dec 10th: Tonight was legen...wait for it...dary! Karen, Lindsay, Emily, Erica, and I went to Epcot straight after work for Candlelight. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS was the guest narrator. Holy heart attack, Batman! We got there at 6:15, and the line was SO LONG. We knew we weren't getting into the 6:45 show, and we knew it wasn't even guaranteed we'd get into the 8:15 one. So we sat down and made friends with the couple behind us. Over the next two hours, we got to know them and had a good time playing cards. The whole theater seating pretty much got filled up, but they were trying to get in as many people as possible. When we got to the front, they asked how many were in our party. We didn't even think to include our new friends, and we unfortunately got separated. We felt awful because we weren't sure they were going to get in--but they eventually did! There literally was no room for anyone else by the time the show started. NPH was incredible, he made a few jokes about Disney in his opening speech. I love that man so much, and I wish I had tried out for the choir so I could have met him. Damn!

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS!!

Sunday, Dec 11th: NPH was at DAK as a guest today, and when Steph sent me a picture of him on the Pangani Trail, I'm pretty sure I squealed so loud that everyone in the cast cafeteria heard me. NBD.

Monday, Dec 12th: Today I met a new security guard named Russell, who was kind of awkward and strange. He showed me a scar on his arm, and told me it was from an alligator bite. Ummm, what?! I didn't believe him, but he showed me a video later on that proved he wasn't kidding. Him and his friends went fishing and they caught a small alligator, and they all thought they could hold his mouth open and stick their arm in. It didn't work out so well for Russell haha. Wow, he's not the sharpest crayon in the box. Pretty entertaining, though.

Wednesday, Dec 14th: The presenter Christmas party was tonight at a member of Core Team's house! She had her place all decked out with the holiday spirit, and it really put me in the mood for Christmas. I had soooo much food, I was stuffed. After eating, we opened our secret santa gifts. Mine was a penguin photo frame, a Happy Feet puzzle, and a penguin card, all in a penguin bag. I'm glad everyone knows how much I love penguins! I think everyone had a good time, and it kind of brought us all together like a family again.

Ok, so that's the end for now. I'm going to have two final blog posts after this so I can finish up my stories about Disney! Even though I've been home for over a month now, I'm having fun writing these and bringing back some of the great memories from my internship! I hope y'all enjoy them, too. I'm gonna finish off with a quote I thought was appropriate because I'm basically living in my own fantasy world right now.

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, which is what I do. And that enables you to laugh at life's realities."--Dr. Seuss

Living The Dream...This Life Never Gets Old!

Sunday, Oct 30th: Steeler Sunday!! At work, I saw a woman wearing a #86 pink football jersey. I couldn't see what team or player, but I figured it was Hines Ward. So I said, "Go Steelers!" And she replied, "NO! I don't like the Steelers! This is a Ravens jersey!" HAHA my bad. I feel like I insulted her, but it was kind of hilarious.

I went to Aaron's house to watch the game with him and his roommate Jillian. It was a great game against the Pats, although the end was a bit scary when they tried to make a comeback. It's good to have someone to watch the Steelers games with--sports are way more fun to watch with other people!

Monday, Oct 31st: Today was my interview for the Research Administration internship. That morning started off HORRIBLY. I got to the entrance gate at 7:30, but the guard said I didn't have clearance. Ummm that's complete BS! I told him I had an interview at APA, but he said he couldn't call them because no one would answer. Even more BS!! So I parked my car in the regular cast lot, and then ran to the CCC to throw my stuff there. I called Core Team twice, but no one answered. I wanted to see if they could drive me up to APA, but I had no choice but to bike there. Keep in mind that it's on the COMPLETE OPPOSITE side of the park. I got there at 7:52 (my interview was at 8:00). Stephanie, who had her interview after me, had called Core Team, and apparently I DID have clearance, but I guess they spelled my name wrong. Great. So I went into the interview out of breath, but I had calmed down by then. It went pretty well (although you'll find out later that I didn't get accepted).

After the interview, CT drove me down to the CCC, where everyone was decorating our team's Halloween pumpkins for the cast member contest. After a rainy and gloomy day at work, Sonia and I watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and then took a nap until 9:00 (don't judge us, we were tired!). Later, Betsy came over and we watched "Sweeney Todd." I'd forgotten how much I love that movie!

Tuesday, Nov 1st: Favorite quote of the day...I was at the anteater exhibit and three guys in their early 20s came up to it. The first one said, "That thing is pimp! It's badass!" The other one said, "That tail is off the chain!" Hahahaha. Wow.

That night, Melissa Hartley, Lindsay, and I went to Hanson's concert at Epcot. Again, don't judge me...I only recognized "MMMBop," but it was still fun!

Thursday, Nov 3rd: BTN was soo much fun today! I took care of Jenn, the squirrels, and harriet the opossum. Cait, Megan, Annie, and I even got to pet Zema the bobcat!! Definitely one of the highlights of my time there.

After getting home and showering, I headed out on my drive to see Chelsea in Tampa!! I met her and her grad school friends at Ceviche Tapas Bar. We went around to a few more bars that night and had a good time. It felt great to just get out of Orlando and away from all the drama that had been going on. I'm so glad I got to see Chelsea, too! :-)

Friday, Nov 4th: My drive home was pretty easy--only a little over an hour. When I was leaving Cumberland with Steph to go to Costuming, we almost died. I was making a left out of the apartment, and someone was coming from the opposite side to turn into the plan. I slammed on my brakes, and he fishtailed across the lanes, but luckily no one was hurt. Phew! After that, I paid more attention to traffic every time I left Cumberland. After I got a new presenter vest, we went to an info session about the animal keeper trainee positions at DAK. There are 4 positions available: one with the DAK Lodge, one with the Safari, one with Conservation Station/Tree of Life/Oasis, and one with Pangani/Maharajah Jungle Trek/Backstage Aviary. The meeting was really helpful, and I knew even more afterward that I wanted to apply for it.

Saturday, Nov 5th: Sonia, Steph, Lindsay, Karen, and I went to Cafe Tu Tu Tango for dinner, and it was delicious!! The food was very eclectic, and the atmosphere was bohemian-artsy. The meals were all in appetizer sizes, so we got several plates. Sonia and I got chicken pot stickers, steak skewers, and mango pizza. Karen and I also shared the rocky road dessert pizza. Although it was kind of expensive, the place was amazing and I'd definitely go back someday!

Sunday, Nov 6th: Alright, so I officially freaked a guest out today. We were at the main entrance with our bugs, and all of a sudden, I saw a guy with a Juniata Baseball shirt on. He was clear on the other side of the entrance, but I had to go say hi. So I ran over with my scorpion and asked if he graduated from JC. He said yes, and I replied, "That's awesome, so did I! You're the first person I've met here from Juniata and I got really excited to see a JC alum!" He responded rather rudely with, "Well that doesn't take much." Haha oh well, I think I just kinda freaked him out by running up to him.

That night, I went back to Aaron's to watch the game against the Ravens. For the most part, we were screaming at the refs for their horrible calls that changed the entire game. When I got home, I kind of had a breakdown. I just got upset about the Steelers, all the drama with the presenters, and my uncertain future. The animal keeper position was supposed to be posted that day, but it never was, and  it was really frustrating. It was finally up the next day, so I applied right away.

Tuesday, Nov 8th: Tonight was another team-builder for the presenters! We went to Fort Wilderness Campground for the bonfire, campfire songs, and viewing of Beauty and the Beast. Roasting hot dogs and making s'mores reminded me of good times I'd had at Juniata and Lake Raystown.

Wednesday, Nov 9th: Today, Cassie and I went to MK to meet characters and cross some rides off of my list. We met Stitch, Tiana, Ariele, and Prince Eric. Tiana has definitely been my favorite princess that I've met so far. She was so sweet and looked just like the real Tiana! I was SO excited to meet Eric, because he's my favorite prince. He asked if I liked the Beatles (I was wearing an Abbey Road shirt), and I said yes. He then asked if I liked the Beach Boys and he started talking about how he and Ariel like to surf. He said that Ariel isn't very good, and she has a dolphin under her board that lifts her up and makes it look like she's actually surfing. Haha sometimes Disney characters go crazy with theming--I love it! In addition to all those characters, we also met Push the Talking Trash Can! It's this robot trash can that walks around and talks to people in Tomorrowland! It was kind of creepy but pretty cool!

Thursday, Nov 10th: My morning started off horribly. I was on my way to the refuge, and when I was less than a mile away, I look in my rear-view mirror and see a cop on his motorcycle with his lights flashing and his siren sounding. My first thought was, "Oh CRAP! What did I do wrong?" So since I was in the left lane and there was nowhere for me to pull off, I kept driving until I got to the refuge's parking lot. He told me that I was speeding in the 45mph zone. I was in such a rush to get to BTN that I didn't even realize it. Also, the speed limit changes pretty drastically within a small distance, so I didn't notice that it had gone down to 45mph. To top it all off, I didn't have my wallet with me. This was the first time I've EVER driven without my license, and of course it's the day I'm speeding. That morning, I had checked to make sure I had everything with me, but I forgot about my wallet. Great. There's ticket #2. I was so freaked out by the situation, but I eventually calmed down. My day got a little better when Cait taught me how to take care of our ring-tailed lemurs! I had been waiting so long for that, so it was a nice reward.

Friday, Nov 11th: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was the last concert at Food and Wine, and it was a pretty good one. Not really my style of music (big band), but they were very entertaining. I also got a bunch of food--the dessert trio, fisherman's pie from Ireland, and tirimisu. Yummyyyy! I'm gonna miss going to Epcot for those free concerts and all the extra pavilions with food from different countries! On the way home, Steph and I almost got into another accident. Another idiot tried to move into my lane when I was in his blind spot. He had no turn signal on, and he slowed down while merging, so I had to slam on my brakes. Typical Florida driver. UGH.

Saturday, Nov 12th: Tonight was the Sleuth's Mystery Dinner event to benefit Back to Nature! They had a raffle, silent auction, and t-shirt sales. The show was a lot of fun--we had to solve who killed one of the characters. The whole event was a bit awkward because I had to sit with strangers, but at least the meal was delicious! Salad, cheese lasagna, and key lime pie!

Tuesday, Nov 15th: I had a few bittersweet memories today at work. First, I met a guy that was wearing a Penn State Ultimate hat!! I wish I had had the chance to talk to him more, but it made me miss the Irish Elk sooo much! Love you guys! Also, because tenting started a few days ago at JC, I wanted so badly to be sleeping in a tent, freezing my butt off with 7 of my closest friends. However, I won't admit that I missed being woken up by a vuvuzela every 15 minutes!

Wednesday, Nov 16th: Our Behavioral Husbandry seminar was today! We went to the elephant barn and saw little Jabali, the new baby!! We also watched the keepers give them baths and feed them, and they explained how they train the elephants. Afterward, we went back to the classroom and learned about husbandry and enrichment.

The only other exciting part of the day was that I used the iPad for the first time while I was at Cotton-Tops. We have a few interactive presentations that we do with guests so we can educate them about our animals by the Tree of Life. I'm not a huge fan of it because I feel like it breaks up the more meaningful conversations that I want to have with guests.

Ok, that's enough for now. Next time, I'll talk about the Pens game in Tampa, the Josh Turner concert (which was quite possibly the best night of my life), and my trip home for Thanksgiving!

"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."--John Muir

40 Magical Years at the Kingdom

Hi everyone! It's been a LONG time since I've updated my blog. I've been pretty busy, as a lot of great things have been happening in my life lately. I'll try and keep things short and sweet so I can get y'all (yes I have started saying "y'all") caught up.

Wednesday, Sept 28th: My week-long happy mood continued today! I've noticed that I have cycles where, for a few days, I am sooo grumpy and I just don't want to be here. However, then I'll get out of that slump and be really cheery and pleasant and realize how grateful I should be for all of the opportunities I've been given. A lot of the presenters are counting down to the end of our internship, but I'm trying to take advantage of the time I have left down here.

Thursday, Sept 29th: Today was a BTN day! When I was cleaning Jenn the goat's cage, I set my bucket of bleach water on the ground. I turned around for five seconds and she started drinking it! Luckily, I grabbed it pretty quickly. Unfortunately, I had left the door from her cage into Mocha the fallow deer's cage open a bit, and she ran into the other enclosure. She is such a little brat! After frantically trying to herd her back, I called Cait, and she came over with a fig newton and coerced her back into her cage pretty easily. After that eventful morning, I cleaned all of the flight cages (my favorite) and got to feed Jasper, one of our goats, a bottle. That night, Sonia and I met up at Epcot for the first day of the Food and Wine Festival! It's a two-month-long event where they have additional country pavilions in the World Showcase, they host special wine-tastings, and they have evening concerts. It's pretty much amazing.

Friday, Sept 30th: Sonia, her friend Ema, and I went to Earl of Sandwich (yum) and then Fantasia Gardens Mini-Golf. Later that afternoon, I went to the cast member stores near MK, and I bought a Cars sticker book for my nephew Aaron and some awesome Disney pins. That evening, I was feeling ambitious, so I applied to jobs/internships at the Texas State Aquarium and the Houston Zoo. Since then, I've applied to a ton of other positions, but I haven't heard back from many of them.

Saturday, Oct 1st: After work, the roomies and I went to Magic Kingdom for the 40th anniversary of its opening day of October 1st, 1971. They had had a special celebration that morning and they sold special pins and t-shirts (which were gone by 10am). IT WAS SO CROWDED. However, we still ended up getting on Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and It's A Small World pretty quickly. We also saw the "Wishes" fireworks, which were disappointingly no different than any other night. Getting out of the park was a friggin nightmare! We literally could not move for at least 15 minutes. Some people were hopping the fences and walking through the flowers to get closer to the exit. It was complete madness. The cast members actually took us backstage to get out because it was so crowded. Five monorails and an hour later, we finally made it to the parking lot! I will never ever go to MK when it's that crowded again. At least I got a sweet vintage MK park map as a souvenir!

In light of the Kingdom's 40th anniversary, here are some fun facts about it:
-It cost $400,000,000 to build MK.
-Admission to the park was $3.50 in 1971. For $4.95, you could get into the park and also receive a 7-ride coupon book. This book gave you passes for certain attractions, each of which was categorized as an A, B, C, D, or E ride. Additional ride tickets were 50 cents.
-5 Disneylands can fit in the parking lot of MK.
-The Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) property is the size of San Francisco.
-7,500 acres were set aside as conservation areas on the WDW property.
-2.6 million Mickey ice cream bars are sold every year.
-2.5 million garment pieces exist in the WDW costuming department. Wow, I didn't realize Mickey had such a big wardrobe haha.
-4% of all amateur photography is estimated to be taken at WDW and Disneyland. HAHAHA.
-600 million guests have visited WDW since it opened.

Tuesday, Oct 4th: I talked to the CUTEST kid ever at the gibbons exhibit today. He was probably only 4 or 5 years old, but he asked some really good questions. "What do they eat? Do they swim? Where do they sleep? How does their fur change color? Why don't they fall?" I talked to him and his mother for almost a half hour. It was one of my favorite guest interactions because the kid was so fascinated with the gibbons and he just asked question after question. After work, we went to Chatham Square for a Japanese-themed meet-and-greet. We had california rolls, sushi, rice, chicken, and ribs. Unfortunately, Minnie, Chip, and Dale were all running late, and we got tired of waiting for them so we went home before we could meet them. It was ok, though, because the roomies and I had a fun bowling night planned! We played 3 games, and during the final one, we all did crazy tricks, like bowling with the wrong hand, bowling after spinning 3 times, or sitting down and pushing the ball down the lane. It was so much fun!

Tonight, one of the presenters posted a video of a guy who proposed to his girlfriend with a flashmob dance to Bruno Mars' "Marry You" in Downtown Disney. Check it out here. Guys, pay attention to this. THIS is how you propose to someone you love.

Wednesday, Oct 5th: During our pre-shift meeting, the woman who is basically in charge of the presenters and all guest experiences at DAK talked about her work that she has done with Disney in Africa. They go over there every year to do teaching seminars and programs for the educators. They create entire books of curriculum so that the teachers in Africa can create a good foundation in science for the children. It was all very fascinating, and it makes me want to volunteer in a foreign country. I love learning about other cultures and helping out the less-fortunate, so it would be amazing if I could work in South America or Africa for a year or two. At least I can dream about it.

Tonight, we had another team-builder! We watched "Newsies," a musical about the newsboys' strike in 1899. The only reason I watched it was because Christian Bale was in it, but the movie was surprisingly well-done!

When I got back from the movie, I learned about the sad passing of Steve Jobs. Although he was always associated with Apple, he had ties to Disney and Pixar, so he's near and dear to my heart. RIP, Steve. You changed the face of technology forever.

Thursday, Oct 6th: The best part of my day was when I took an injured armadillo for a walk at BTN! He was absolutely adorable (except for the fact that he smelled like pee). This was only the second live armadillo I'd ever seen! Unfortunately, he had been run over by a car, so his legs didn't work very well. Hopefully we can rehab him back to health!

Friday, Oct 7th: In the morning, Sonia, Melissa Hartley, and I went to costuming to buy our winter clothing. I'm still not convinced that it will ever go below 50 degrees here, but we'll see. Later, Sonia, and I went to Downtown Disney. I bought the park passes for my family's upcoming visit, ate lunch at Pollo Campanero (I highly recommend it), went to the pin trading store, and then did some grocery shopping. For dinner, Cici's Pizza was having a really cheap all-you-can-eat buffet, so of course we went there. By the time Sonia, Cassie, and I arrived, the other presenters were already eating. Somehow, they convinced the manager to let us cut to the front of the super long line so we could sit with them. I had 5 pieces of pizza (including some dessert slices), breadsticks, soup, a brownie, and a cinnamon roll for $2.12. EPIC WIN.

Saturday, Oct. 8th: In the morning, Julie and I got driven to CS for our one-on-one meetings with the Education Manager. My meeting went really well. She told me that I was doing great out in the parks, but I could improve by working on my confidence at animal exhibits. I knew I definitely needed to work on that because I don't feel nearly as comfortable there as I do at the KDCs. I ended the day closing the Tree of Life KDC with Megan, but at 3:45, we got a call from Core Team. She said, "Attention all education presenters, the KDC's will now be closed, so please return to the CCC." YES!!! We got to go home at 4:05 instead of 5:15!! Apparently, there were only 6,000 guests in the park that day, so it wasn't even worth it for us to be there. We were all SO excited to leave early.

Sunday, Oct. 9th: After a rainy day at work, Sonia and I went to All-Star Sports so we could confirm my family's reservations. Then, we went to Walgreens to buy hair dye. I dyed my hair a really dark brown color. It turned out really well, but since then, it has started to go lighter again. Damn you, Florida sun!

Tuesday, Oct. 11th: Today we had our zookeeping seminar!! I had been waiting for this for a long time. Our speakers were Michael, a rhino keeper from Pittsburgh (he used to intern at the Zoo!!), and Paul, a manager who LOVES birds. Whenever Paul mentioned that we would be visiting the rhino barn, everyone was excited. Then he said we would also visit the backstage aviary. I immediately squealed and my face lit up. Everyone just laughed at my uber excitement. They first did a short presentation on what it takes to be a keeper, and then we started our tour!! We split into two groups, and mine went with Michael to see the rhinos first. We also caught a glimpse of the cheetahs. They are such beautiful animals!! The rhinos, on the other hand, are disgustingly smelly. The stench combined with the heat started to really get to me, and I felt incredibly nauseous. Erin and Sonia made sure I was ok, and I started to feel a little better after we left the gross smell. I would've considered leaving at that point, but y'all know I wouldn't miss a chance to see some cool birds, so I stuck it out. Paul showed us all the cages with the injured/"retired" birds, in addition some endangered species. We even saw the Micronesian Kingfisher, which Disney has successfully bred several times! Then, Paul took us to the incubator rooms where they take care of the eggs and baby birds. That was the end of the tour, and I was feeling well enough to stay at work. However, when I opened up Camp with Melissa, I started to feel soooo sick again. It was awful! I made it until noon, when I realized that I couldn't make it through the rest of the day. Core Team drove me back to the CCC, and then Cassie picked me up and took me home. I slept for three hours, but my stomach still wasn't feeling right. I figure out that I had the stomach flu. It took me almost a week to get back to 100%. That night, my roommates and I had a game night for all of our Presenter/Seas interns. 13 people showed up, so it was definitely a success. We played some intense games of "Last Word" and "Cranium." It was good to just have a fun night with friends, because we hadn't done that in a while.

Wednesday, Oct. 12th: This morning, I had my interview for the Conservation Education alumni internships. It was a little intimidating because there were several managers there, but I'd say it went relatively well. When I got home from work, I had an email from the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans. They wanted to set up an interview for their crane department internship for winter 2011. Unfortunately, they wanted someone to start in late November. I was really disappointed that I had to turn them down, but hopefully I'll find something better for when January rolls around. Anyway, my day turned out better, because I picked up my parents who had just flown in that morning, and we had dinner at Olive Garden!!

Ok, that's enough for now. Next time, I'll post some pictures from Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with my family, and talk about James Cameron and Stan Lee visiting DAK!

"Laughter is America's most important export."--Walt Disney

Accepted!!!

Hey everyone!

Thanks for checking out my blog! As you all hopefully know, after I graduate from Juniata, I will be heading to Disney World for six months (or maybe longer). I accepted a professional internship (PI) as a Conservation Education Presenter in Animal Kingdom from June to January! I am so stoked to get down there and work at the happiest place on earth!

I figure that this will be a pretty amazing experience, so once I move to Florida, I'll be updating you every so often on my new post-college life and my awesome internship. I'll hopefully be posting a few pictures, too. For now, though, I'll inform you about how I was offered this great opportunity.

In January, I was really stressed out because I was scrambling to apply for jobs and turn in applications. I asked my friends and family for some suggestions about possible jobs. My cousin's wife, Maria, suggested that I apply to Animal Kingdom. Why didn't I think of that before?! How cool would it be to work there?! So about a month later, I sent in my application for the Conservation Education Presenter position. A few days later, I heard back from the Animal Programs department. They had me answer 3 or 4 standard questions and attach my resume, transcript, and cover letter.

Within a few more days, I heard from one of the intern coordinators, and she wanted to set up a panel phone interview!!! I was so excited, I could barely contain myself. I did a bunch of research and found a list of past interview questions for my same position. I also got some helpful advice from Nicole, who I knew from my internship at the National Aviary. She had worked for Disney, so she told me exactly what to expect.

My interview was on March 3rd, and I was incredibly nervous. I left class early so I could concentrate on the most important phone call of my life. When the panel of two women called, they asked the exact questions I had typed up. I just tried to sound like I wasn't reading my answers directly off of my paper. I think I definitely told them what they wanted to hear. The twenty-minute conversation went really well, and they told me that all of the positions would be decided by April 30th. So, I didn't expect to hear anything for a while. I was just really glad that it was over with.

I decided to put away the job applications for a bit, because the next day I was heading to Florida for a spring break trip with a bunch of classmates. On the 9th, we were driving back to our campsite in the Everglades, when I turned on my phone, and within a minute, I received a call from a number I didn't recognize. It was Michelle from Animal Programs!!!! She told me that they had tried to email me but I hadn't responded. Then, the signal cut out and I lost the call. I freaked out. Luckily, she called back and she asked if I was still interested in a Disney internship. UMM, YES!!!!!! I apologized because I hadn't had internet access the past few days. She then told me she wanted to set up a second interview!!! I was so surprised--it was one of the happiest days of my life. It couldn't get any better. I was like a little kid on Christmas.

When I got back to Juniata, I immediately set up my interview for March 16th. It was a much shorter conversation. Michelle asked if I was available from June to January, if I could provide my own transportation, if I was still enrolled in college, etc. Then at the end, she offered me the position as a Conservation Education Presenter, and I GLADLY accepted!!! So within two months of applying, I officially figured out my future after college...

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!

I've always wanted to say that...just like all the Super Bowl MVPs.

Since then, I've received several novel-length emails about my job, housing, and "The Disney Look." I also got the infamous "red folder" that they send to PI's. However, the info it contains is a bunch of stuff I know already.

Apparently there are over 600 applicants for professional internships, so I'm very lucky to have gotten a position. It's a little overwhelming, but all very exciting. From June 23rd to January 7th, I will be an employee of freakin' Disney World! I get to teach little kids about animals and conservation and wear a sweet safari-esque uniform. I honestly don't know many details about what I'll be doing on a day-to-day basis, but I'll learn all of that during orientation when I get to Orlando.

Also, I've recently been talking to some people on the facebook group for Disney interns. I've already found some friends that like ultimate frisbee, hockey, and country music. I think I'll get along just fine with my fellow interns. :-)

Just FOUR days until graduation and 38 days until I leave for Disney! This is surreal. Goodbye, Juniata; hello, real world!

Alright, time to get some shut-eye. The next time I blog, I'll be a Juniata alumna!

Night!

-Alison