Hello and welcome to my blog! As it is now exactly 5 weeks before I check in, I decided to start my blog. Here, I will be documenting my adventure working for the mouse. As I have in the past month and a half received many questions regarding the next chapter of my life, I decided to use my first blog post as an explanation for what it is I'm doing down in Florida.
First thing's first, contrary to popular belief, I will not be performing in any kind of show, nor will I be acting as a princess or any other type of character during the duration of my employment. While that would be the dream, what I am doing is of a different nature. In Disney's theme park Epcot, there is an area entitled "World Showcase", which features 11 different country pavilions, and cast members from those countries to work in their respective pavilion. As it can prove difficult for non-Americans to work in America, Disney set up what is called the Disney International Program, which offers different programs for non-Americans to live and work at Disney World. The program I am taking part in is called the Cultural Representative Program, which means I will live in Orlando for a year working in the Canada Pavilion in the Food and Beverage area. Most likely I will be switching between working in the Popcorn Cart and the Canada Pavilion's restaurant, Le Cellier, the second most popular restaurant in Disney World. While there, I will have free admission to all of Disney's theme parks and discounts on many things from food to merchandise. Due to my being there for an entire year, I will achieve many dreams by hitting every special event that takes place in a year at Disney (Halloween, the Food and Wine Festival etc.).
How did I get such an opportunity? I applied quite simply on the Disney International Programs website. I've applied twice before, once in October 2013 and once in February 2014. The October application resulted in a phone interview, the February application in nothing at all, and neither in a job. However, on May 6th, I decided to apply again. On May 8th, I received a request for an interview. On May 16th I had a Skype interview, and on May 19th, I was offered a job with 5 days to accept. Normally, they give you 30 days to accept, but as my start date was August 12th (August 12th 2014-August 7th 2015. 360. Get it? ;)), they needed to get me on the petition for a Visa immediately. So, from May 16th-May 19th, I had had an interview, been offered the job, and said my first goodbye. As you can imagine, this was all rather fast and stressful for me. My plan for the near future had drastically changed in a span of 3 days, and I'm assuming for the better.
You may ask, "Abby, how can you give up theatre for a year?", and the answer is, I'm not looking forward to it. While putting aside my passion for a year and risk letting any skill I've developed grow rusty frightens me, working for Disney has always been a dream of mine. Besides, as I am at a point in my life where I face so much uncertainty as to where to go from here, there is no better place to figure it out than my favourite place in the world.
Will I miss my friends and family terribly? Yes, everyday very much, and leaving people for so long gives me great stress. However, I try as often as I can to not let fear stop me from doing things, and this is certainly one of those instances. If a year without performing and seeing those I love is the price to pay for a once in a lifetime opportunity to live, learn, experience, and make new friends, I'll pay it. And I'd love for you to come along on this journey with me. I'll try to update as often as I can. So until next time folks, Have a Magical Day :)
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