Earning My Ears

ATTENDANT CORE DAY 1:

If today proved anything to me, it was that I am meant for a career in Walt Disney Entertainment. I don’t know what division of the company I will be in, I don’t know exactly what I’ll end up doing, but I know that this will be my  career.

Today was day one of Character Attendant Core training and it was fabulous. Long, but fabulous. We were instructed to go to the Animal Kingdom Wardrobe building and then our trainers took us to the Creative Entertainment building. Mind you, this was in the middle of the strike of Hurricane Issac on Orlando (all in all, about twenty minutes of rain).

The DCE building is incredible. It’s all brightly colored and strongly themed and if I had to sit in a cubicle all day, this is where I’d wanna do it. My trainers today were Joyce and Ashley, both very lovely and experienced attendants, and I was with a group of four other CPs and one cast member who was a former CP and training to be an entertainment manager at Magic Kingdom (so, if I picked up shifts at MK, she could potentially be my manager, which would be incredibly cool). Day 1 was a lot of sitting in a conference room, doing paperwork and e-learning, and watching powerpoints and videos that made me cry. We learned how to log into our EISS schedules, something that can only be done from company computers. For people in the entertainment department, EISS has a schedule that is more accurate than the HUB.

We ended the day doing a few mock line closings, which were absolutely terrifying. I wasn’t totally incapable of spieling to close a line, but I didn’t think I would ever be able to do it right.

At the end of each day, your trainers ask you to come up with a “word of the day” do describe your emotional state or whatever. My word of the day on day one was “anxious” but that was basically the PC term for “scared $#!%less.”

CORE DAY TWO…

Started off at MK, where we clocked in and took a tour of the entertainment base and then we went over to Hollywood Studios and toured their entertainment base. The “educational” portion of our training picked up at Epcot, which was really cool, since it’s my home park. Since I was the only person in my group headed over to Epcot, my trainers took me around personally and showed me special parts of the base and introduced me to some managers.

We also got our attendant packs, which are bags that clip onto your belt (making the dreaded costume even more dreaded, but way more convenient). Packs hold maps and times guides and markers and pens and stickers and water bottles so we don’t die in the heat. And a bunch of special attendant pixie dust.

We went to one of the off-set locations backstage, where there was also a face character training class going on, so that was a good We were supposed to start practice sets today, but it was raining on and off, so we stayed inside and did more mock line closes, which was fine. And I felt like I knew what I was doing a little more. So at the end of day two, my word was “Whew!” complete with hand motions.

On CORE DAY THREE…

We were handed off to our new trainers, Brian and Katherine. They were awesome, legitimately awesome. If you’re going through attendant training and you do not have Brian and Katherine as your trainers at some point, you are missing out. Brian works at DAK and Katherine works at DHS and I was so disappointed that I wasn’t going to be working in a park with one of them.

Day three was at Epcot, and like Joyce did the day before, Brian made sure to introduce me to all of the higher-ups at the entertainment base who I probably won’t remember at all by the time I actually have to go to work.

Day three was also the beginning of our practice set day. We had a few mock sets (dealing with problematic guests) inside, in which I realized that I am THE PERFECT problematic guest. Then we went out on stage with the character training class, who we already kind-of knew from our W2E class last week. My first ever set as a character attendant, I was working with Mickey. And it was nuts. NUTS. Because this was an impromptu unscheduled meet & greet in a twenty minute set, and people ran from all over the World Showcase to come see it.  There were ten characters in what was essentially and alley way, so all the lines molded together and people were coming from every direction. We had to hard close our lines and turn people away and get our characters off set in time.

My first set was chaotic. My second set was a little less chaotic. My third and fourth sets were with Pooh, and the lines were shorter, so it was a bit easier.

Brian made a point of telling us at the end of the day that we, as attendants, are the directors. We are in charge. And we have to be firm and have control over every situation.  Being told that I was in control, even if we were supposed to notice it before, really helped a lot. It’s all about having confidence and vocal strength, I think.

I felt kind of like it was easier than I thought it was now, and that I had the potential to do it if I wanted to. So my word of the day was “relieved.”

On DAY FOUR,

We started off at Animal Kingdom, took a tour of the entertainment base, and then did our character dining education, where we observed at Tusker House. I want to pick up a shift there at some point. It looks like a ton of fun.

After that, we headed back over to Epcot, where we basically just hung out and then did more practice sets. There were three twenty-minute sets today. My first two, I worked with Minnie. The third, I worked with Donald. 

My first set was better, but my last two were great. Really, really good. So good, in fact, that Brian and Katherine had absolutely nothing to critique for me. I also had my fair share of problematic guests to deal with during these sets, which just gave me good stories to tell for later, so it really wasn’t a big deal.

One woman was complaining – behind my back, in front of my face – that “the people in the blue shirts” were horrible, awful human beings for forcing the characters out in the heat. The characters were all probably going to die, and she hoped we were all arrested for second degree murder.

Another family came by after I closed Donald’s line. He had to head over to Character Spot in Future World, and he was on a very tight schedule. We are taught to never let anyone on our lines after we have closed them, because it is an extremely slippery slope. The man was BEGGING me to be able to see Donald, because he had a picture with him in every other outfit but his blue one and he needed a picture of him in his blue outfit. He was near tears. His wife then came over, accusing “one of my little friends” of kicking over her beer and doing nothing about it. The least I could do to make up for it was let her and her apathetic children see Donald, and if not, I would completely ruin her vacation. I simply apologized and led Donald away.

When I was back inside, my trainers asked me what the woman was complaining to me about. I told them the story. It turns out that Katherine, one of my “little friends” was the one who accidentally knocked over the beer when she moved the woman’s stroller. The beer only tipped over, and the woman picked up the cup and drank what was left and said nothing. Had she said something to Katherine, she would have been able to get her another beer. Instead, she chose to use it as collateral to guilt trip me.

Another woman insisted that her screaming child, with blood pouring down his leg from a fall, did not need first aid or a band aid and had to “shut up because Donald doesn’t like crying babies and he’s going to leave.” Donald was about to move over to C-Spot, and C-Spot was right over by first aid, but the woman would hear none of it.

But there were also some magical moments. Minnie interpreted that a guest’s new henna tattoo was a symbol for strength and mimed it to the guests. They freaked out. They were SO excited. And when they posed for the picture with their forearms out and their hennas exposed, Minnie did the same.

Donald saw a Daisy plush in the crowd and took it from his young guest and started dancing around with it. The little girl was absolutely elated.

We got our pin lanyards before we went out, so when pin trading is added to the mix, there is way more to multitask with. Attendants have to keep an eye on their characters at all times, keep an eye on their lines at all times, make sure their line is forming in the proper place, make sure that your set is running on schedule, cut the line off, give time warnings, spiel to your line, interact with guests, interact with characters, facilitate guest and character interactions, take notice of guests and treat them like individuals, entertain guests, be prepared to answer all questions and solve all problems about anything in the park, be prepared to solve any problem that arises with your character, entertain the line while they wait, and NOW pin trade. Turns out, an attendant’s work is never done.

We went back off-set afterward and took our assessments, which we all passed. We talked about where we would all be working on our first shifts. I said I would be in Character Spot and Brian talked me through the different roles. By the end of day four, I felt like I had known these people – my trainers and my training class – for years. I was so sad that I wouldn’t get to be working with them every day. Saying goodbye was a really bittersweet experience, because I knew I was about to start my real job, but I was really going to miss my training family. Only at Disney would you have so much fun training for a job that you would never want it to end.

I felt like I fit into the department and the job so extremely well. My word of the day to cap off training: Comfortable.

Real life starts Friday, August 31, when I take on the PM shift at Character Spot in Epcot. Weeeeeeee! 

I Thought "Costumes" Were Supposed to be Fun

I really don’t have it bad. I swear I don’t. I look at my roommates and what they have to wear every day and feel bad for complaining. But… oh, it’s bad.

The universal costume for character attendants at Walt Disney World is as follows:

I don’t mind the shirt so much. If you can’t see, it has Mickey heads embroidered in the fabric very lightly, blue on blue. The fabric is a little clingy, but I don’t sweat that much in it, so it’s fine. I hate being buttoned up, and life would be so much better if I could pop that top button, but my trainer told me on Day 1 that I couldn’t, so… yeah. Too much cleavage for Disney, I guess.

They’re tucked into pleated khakis. I hate khakis. I hate khaki everything. Khaki shows every lump and bump in the world, and I have a lot of lumps and bumps. And I hate tucking in my shirt, but Disney makes me do that too. They also insist upon a big black belt to match my big black hip pack fanny pack sort of thing, and my big black truck driver sneakers.

I was going to wear the pants every day, and then I realized I was in Florida and long pants are no-gos in heat like this, so I had to brave the Bermuda shorts . I hate wearing shorts, almost as much as I hate wearing khakis. I never, ever wear them in public… but here I am, wearing them to work every day.

Socks are white with shorts and black with pants, so there’s that. And yeah… It’s not that bad… if I were a Disney themed truck driver, it would be quite cute, but since I’m not… no.

Not cute.

The Beginning

About these first few days in good ol' Chatham Square. 

I haven’t been able to post this for a few days because our internet has been out. I’m blaming it on Hurricane Issac, but I really don’t have an explanation for it. So, yeah.

Anyway, Tuesday, the day after check-in, was the housing meeting, which was kind of boring and annoying, but it was mandatory. It only lasted for around an hour, and they TRY to make it fun, so it isn’t really that bad. Basically, it’s all, “don’t drink if you’re under 21, don’t put anything on the walls, you’re not allowed to do drugs, blah, blah, blah.” They tried to scare us into not going on the party buses, but that doesn’t work. And they detail a long list of things you cannot have, such as bath salts (so no one’s face gets eating) and toy guns (even the ones you buy from POTC).

I spent the rest of that day with my family, since my mom was still in Orlando and leaving early Wednesday morning, so my first night in the apartment was Tuesday night. Wednesday was an off day. We wouldn’t get our park passes until Thursday, so Orlando was our oyster. The Welcome Party, themed after Alice’s tea party, was at Vista from 11-2, but my roommates refused to wake up before 11, and it started to rain a little before 2, so we didn’t quite make it there. I ended up unpacking and going over to the outlet mall (there are two outlet malls within a five minute drive of all the apartment complexes) and the Florida mall with my roommates and the guys who live upstairs. The roomies and I went out to dinner after that, and then headed back home early to get ready for Traditions.

Ahhh, Traditions. There were two classes for that day: one which started at 8 a.m., the other which started at 2 p.m. All of my roommates were in the 8 a.m. class, which meant getting on the A bus at 6:45, which meant an early wake-up call. You take the bus to West Clock and walk over to Disney University and are split into classes of about forty people.

I won’t say much about Traditions. One thing you learn is that there is a lot about this company that you have to keep secret, and I really appreciate that.  It’s a lot of boring power point presentations, a lot of watching videos (a lot of commentary by cast members – saw an officer I know from the cruise line and kind of half screamed in the middle of class, there was staring), some in-class activities, and there may or may not be a park visit (so wear comfortable shoes). I was in tears by the end of it though. Happy tears. I’m-finally-doing-something-I’ve-always-dreamed-of-doing tears. This-is-the-beginning-of-my-career tears.  You get your nametags and your park passes. Nametags. NAMETAGS. I have been waiting for my little oval nametag since I was about nine years old. That’s a decade of wanting a piece of plastic. I cried.

Dreams are comin’ true, kids. Dreams are comin’ true.

Thursday afternoon, my roomies and I went to Magic Kingdom  and then two of them got so drenched on Splash Mountain that they had to go home and change. We went to Hollywood Studios at night – we got there around 9:00 – and rode everything we possibly could. Everything we possibly could ended up being Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster. The time to go to DHS, or any park for that matter, is when it’s about to close. There are no waits for anything.

Friday, I was off. My apartmentmate Karissa and I had grand plans of going park hopping, and ended up rolling out of bed, BSing around the apartment, and going to Walmart. We were going to go to the pool and then it rained. It rains a lot. I cooked dinner for my roommates and the guy upstairs and then went to bed early again for another early day of training.

Saturday was my Welcome to Entertainment core class for character performers, attendants, costuming, and photopass photographers. I was sitting with two girls who were friends with Pooh and maybe a couple of mice. It was an eight hour day (as compared to the four hour day that was Traditions), but it was a ton of fun. Walt Disney World Entertainment seems like something of a little secret exclusive club, and our trainers made us feel really special for actually having access to It and being part of it.

More than Traditions training, there is a LOT I can’t share about my entertainment core class. If you’re in the entertainment division of the company, though, you’ll find out about it all in time. If not, just enjoy the magic.

I LOVE being behind the scenes of things. LOVE it. That is why I want to go into production, because I love creating the magic and the illusions. I love knowing what’s going on and having power over what happens (maybe that makes me a control freak), so getting this special insight into the shows and characters I have been experiencing as a guest was SUCH a high for me and I can’t wait to delve deeper. But it is not for everyone. The entertainment department could definitely lead to a whole lot of ruined childhoods if you’re not as weird as me, so just know what you’re getting yourself into.

We got our schedules at our Entertainment class, and I start on-the-job training on Monday morning and go through Thursday. By Friday, I think I’ll have earned my ears, because I’m scheduled to work at Epcot from 6pm to 12:15, but I’m not positive yet. The schedules on the HUB (which we got access to on the end of day one of training) are not concrete and absolute for members of the entertainment department. We have our own online scheduling system, EISS, that I’ll learn how to use tomorrow.

My training, as an attendant, is different from everyone else’s – I don’t have my park orientation until September 4^th, when most people in other roles have already had theirs. Also, since my role is universal, I’ll be trained in all four parks. My first day of training is at Animal Kingdom. Day two is at Magic Kingdom. I don’t get to Epcot until day three.

So, I have to be at Animal Kingdom bright and early and in costume on Monday morning… the same day Hurricane Issac is supposed to come and hang out with us. And my costume… OH, my costume. More on that later… after I look at myself in the mirror for a bit and gauge my eyes out. 

The GREAT Check-In Explanation

D-Day. 

Saturday afternoon, my mother, my aunt, and I flew down to Florida. My suitcases were, collectively, over 50 pounds overweight and $100 later, we were on the plane. We arrived and my mom rented the ugliest Crown Victoria ever created and I felt like a cop, but it was fine because the trunk was the biggest I have ever seen and my thousand pounds of luggage had found their home for the next few days.

The big stuff (and the stuff we bought in Florida) stayed in the trunk until I moved in. I packed a smaller bag to take up to the hotel room with me for the first few days. I recommend doing that. It’s easier than carting all your stuff everywhere.

The first night, we ate and passed out. Sunday was reserved for buying everything I couldn’t ship down (ie: towels, hangers, a mattress pad, toiletries) and when that was over (about 11 a.m.), we had the rest of the day to do essentially nothing. We ended up at Downtown Disney for like five minutes and then… I have no idea.

I had dinner with my roommates that night, and we agreed to meet at 7 the next morning in front of Vista, because – essentially – we no longer cared where we lived. Initially, I wanted a three bedroom in Chatham, but the more I thought about it (and saw it once I arrived), I kind of wanted to live in Vista.  

Vista has the reputation of being the “party” complex, but I think – more so – it’s the outgoing, social complex in which parties are easier to find. I’m pretty sure there isn’t any vodka leaking through the ceilings and no one is passed out and vomiting on the stairs. But if you want to find a party, Vista is probably the easiest place to find it.

Vista, as a complex, is only about 300 feet off the main rood (St Rd 535), within walking distance to a Walgreens, a Starbucks, and a TON of restaurants. (It's also, we discovered, right next door to the Sheraton Vistana Resort, which is coincidentally and oh-so-sentimentally, the place where my family stayed on my first ever Disney vacation back in '97.) Chatham and Patterson (and The Commons) are about a mile away from 535 and pretty much walking distance from nothing but each other and Mickey’s Retreat, the cast recreation complex.

I like noise and action and being social, so Vista was fine by me. But my roommates still wanted Chatham, so I could’ve gone either way.

Anyway, here it is… the great check-in day post, step by step.

Three of my four roommates met up at the Holiday Inn Lake Buena Vista and went over to Vista together (the fourth met us there). We got there at 7, because we were too lazy to wake up any earlier, basically. There were about 300 people on line before us. Many around us were annoyed because it clearly says on the Disney website (and it does) that you cannot line up before 7. That’s false. People started lining up at about 3 a.m.. A cast member on a PI told me later in the day that for an arrival date last week, someone got there at 11:30 the night before and camped out in the Vista parking lot… which is completely ridiculous. Don’t do that.

Bottom line, unless you want a one bedroom in Patterson, you can pretty much be there between the hours of 6-8 and be okay. Patterson ran out later in the day, but I don’t think that was until about 8:30. Apparently, three bedroom apartments in Chatham were hard to come by early on.

Two of my top tips for check-in: 1) Be in line with the people you want to live with!!!!!  And 2) Have a State photo ID (drivers’ license, learner’s permit, something) and your social security card or birth certificate OR your passport with you… at ALL times.

The line opened at around 7:30 and we were moving pretty quickly. They let you in, and you follow the purple signs (and everyone else) to the back of the Vista complex. IF you have luggage, there is a tent where you can bring it to store it (I somehow got stuck carrying the 80 lb. bag of the woman in front of me… I still don’t know how it happened). IF your parents are with you, there is a parents’ area where they can go wait it out.

My mother stayed at the hotel with my luggage until I called her to come get me and bring me over to the apartment. I recommend that. Let your parents rest if you can; there is no need for them to be there while you’re checking in.

Anyway, you go to the back of the complex and wait on line a bit more. Someone will come around and give you a temporary name tag sticker. You’ll be called up to the first table, where a cast member will look your name up and make sure you’re on the list. Then there’s more waiting. You get your program guide (your bible for the next few days) and then sign a housing contract, basically promising that you won’t drink if you’re under 21 and you won’t give people booze if you’re over 21, and that you won’t put any holes in the wall, and acknowledging that you can get fired for breathing if you’re doing it the wrong way. Then you wait a little longer, sign your name a few times, give a few people your ID, and do some more waiting.

Then you wait on line to talk to the property management company, who will place you in an apartment. After some changes, our three bedroom in Chatham arrangements with six girls turned into a three bedroom in Chatham arrangement with four girls. We would have preferred a three bedroom because the cost would be less, but somewhere, it was decided that a two bedroom would be less hassle. The property control woman asked us immediately if we would like a two bedroom in Chatham and we just went for it.  We weren’t aware at the time that there were actually no three bedroom apartments in Chatham available. Our options would have been a two bedroom in Chatham or a two or three bedroom in Vista, but we didn’t even consider our options.

We were placed in Chatham, building three, apartment 3202. A two bedroom, and it’s worked out fine thus far. I think we’re going to be paying $93 a week. Your first two weeks’ rent is part of your housing deposit when you first accept your role in the program, as during training, you won’t be making enough to cover your rent and your living expenses.

After you are given your apartment, you wait on line to get your keys, and then you wait to sign another housing contract for your individual apartment. Then, you take your housing ID picture. You have to be in Disney Look from the shoulders up for this. That means ultra conservative, shoulders covered, etc. I was asked to take off my necklace. A guy in line behind us was given a razor and told to go shave in the bathroom. He also had to put on a blazer. Disney doesn’t play.

You get your ID printed out (you’re going to need it for everything… don’t lose it. It’s a $50 fee), and then you wait on some more lines. If you have your car with you, you’ll have to go present your license, your insurance card, and your registration and get a parking decal. If not, more waiting.

You’ll get a sticker with your casting bus time at this point. If you get to Vista early enough (read, 5 a.m.), you’ll go straight to casting after you finish all your paperwork at the complex. But since we were about 300^th in line, we had to wait a bit longer. They stagger out the buses every half hour. We were finished with check-in by around 9:15 and given an 11:30 bus time, so we had time to kill.

I called my mom and she came and took my apartmentmates and I over to Chatham to check out where we would be living for the next few months. Chatham is a really gorgeous, Caribbean-looking complex with pretty buildings and plenty of parking. It has its own bus stop in front of the Chatham Clubhouse, and is directly across the street from Mickey’s Retreat.

Chatham Building 3 is right near the laundry room, a short walk from the clubhouse and the bus stop, and a little bit longer of a walk to the pool and the gym and the tennis courts and such. Our apartment is on the second floor. It’s big and spacious and cute, all things considered. The carpet is like puke green and worn from years of use. The walls are this weird white stucco thing. The chair and sofa are upholstered with the weirdest fabric I have ever seen. The countertops are a steel-grey Formica, and the cabinets are white.

But there is plenty of cabinet space and counter space, a pantry in the kitchen, a double sink with a garbage disposal, a stove, a microwave, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher. We have a big hall closet and a desk with an internet hook up (provide your own router). Each of the two bedrooms has its own walk-in closet and full bathroom. In the bedrooms, there is a dresser with a big vanity-style mirror (you’ll have to share it with your roommate, three drawers for each of you), two beds, and two night stands with two drawers in them each, and two bulletin boards on the walls. The bulletin boards are the only things that are allowed to be on the walls, so make good use of them. (The ones in the bedrooms are about 2 ft. x 3 ft. There is also a bulletin board in your living room/dining room area that is about 3.5 ft. x 3 ft.)

My closet is huge and right off the bathroom and it is gorgeous. The other room is set up a little differently (there are two entrances to the bathroom, one in the bedroom and one in the front hallway), and the closet is a separate room altogether (it is a bit smaller than the other one), but it is still really functional space.

I’d recommend buying an over-the-door hanger for your towels and stuff and a bath mat or rug for your bathroom, because the floors get slippery after you get out of the shower and you may or may not slip and fall and die.

We surveyed the apartment and checked our inventory on kitchen supplies. The vast majority of our stuff was missing, so we had to take the report to the clubhouse to get our things. The faucet on my apartmentmates’ shower was also mysteriously missing, so we had to put in a maintenance order for that. Whoever lived here before us obviously had a good time.

My only beef with the apartment is our balcony situation. It seems like every other apartment in Chatham has a nice, pretty balcony that overlooks all the pretty buildings and trees. We here in 3202 have no balcony, but a place where the balcony should be… that is enclosed by walls and carpet and stuff and I cannot figure out why they couldn’t just knock out the wall. Like, I want a balcony. I NEED a balcony. I may take a sledge hammer to the stucco before January. Would I get termed for that?

Anyway, have taken to referring to the weird little space as our balcony, sentimentally and longingly and ironically and bitterly.

But back to check-in day. We made it back to Vista by 11:15 in order to jump on the Casting bus. It took us over to the casting building (themed after Walt Disney’s argyle socks… which is cute but weird). Everyone always told me that the casting building was so gorgeous and special and amazing. And I mean, it’s cool… the door handles are themed after Alice in Wonderland and there is a cute little rotunda, but after you step out of the rotunda, it's pretty much an office building. And you’re pretty much doing regular office building stuff.

You get your work location while you’re waiting in the rotunda. I’m working as a character attendant in… drumroll please….

 EPCOT!

I’m excited about it. It’s my second favorite park behind Magic Kingdom, and while I would love to work in MK, I’m happy that I won’t be there often enough to get sick of it.

You wait on some more lines and get separated to go through the stations in smaller groups, so my roommates and I were split up at that point. I went into a room to go over the Disney Look for the millionth time, and then we went to go over our I-9 forms and provide our identification documents, and then we got our schedule for Traditions and our first few days of training. We were taken to go do a payroll check (basically, if you signed up for direct deposit online, you’re good to go), and then you go complete your background check paperwork.

They ask you if there is anything you would like to disclose, they ask you about forty times if your name and address and SSN and phone number are correct on their paperwork, they ask you about your SSN some more, and then they send you to be fingerprinted. Background check info is sent to your individual states, I’ve been told for everything to be scanned and processed. Some people have a longer time getting approved than others. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong, but if it takes too long, your Traditions and training may be pushed back.

You go over education requirements and get some more forms and stuff, and then you’re basically freed. But it takes about two hours, so prepare to be there for a while.

After that, you’re done for the day. I had lunch with my family and then went back to the apartment to start unpacking. I stayed in the hotel with my family that night, only because it was their last real night in town and I wanted to spend time with them. It was my last real downtime before the madness started.

The next few days are filled with meetings, more paperwork, training, and best of all – PARK PASSES. No more rest for the wicked.

Packing for Dummies (I am the dummy)

I was going to do a big, huge, epic general packing post. But then I realized I couldn't do that, because I am not packing in a very general situation.

I am an over packer. I'll go on vacation for a week and take like three month's worth of clothes with me. I like say it's because I enjoy having options, but really, I'm just too damn indecisive about everything for my own good.

Normally, at this time of the year, I'll be packing to move into my dorm room. I go to school about four hours away from home, and so I'll load up my tiny little Hyundai with everything I need for my picture-perfect dorm room, barely have room for myself, and drive upstate all cramped, but completely content with my wardrobe and my decorating choices and life. 

This time is a bit different. I'm flying. I have an allowance of two checked bags and a carry-on. I have to get creative. 

But I can't let my wardrobe and decorating skills suffer, can I?!!! Absolutely not. So, instead of doing a general, epic packing post, I'm going to grace you all with some worthwhile tips that I used myself while packing. 

We shall entitle this, COLLEGE PROGRAM PACKING: FOR FLYERS. Creative, huh?

TIP #1: They don't like to tell you this in the advertisements and on the boxes and stuff, you know, to preserve separation of church and state and stuff, but Space Bags were hand crafted by Jesus himself. It's true.

I packed ten "regular wear" shirts, ten "regular wear" tanks, like seven tees, five pairs of shorts, five pairs of leggings, five pairs of jeans, two pairs of professional slacks, three professional blouses, four professional dresses, two blazers, a rain coat, a denim jacket, seven sundresses, six "going out" outfits, a cocktail dress, four cardigans, three sweaters, two hoodies, a pair of sweatpants, two pairs of yoga pants, socks, and underwear. (Consider this Emily's clothing packing list, the quick version). And I Space-bagged all of it. I had this huge hanging garment bag Space Bag and I almost cried when I found it, because I thought it was going to be a normal one and it wasn't and I thought I couldn't use it. But then I decided it actually worked perfectly, because it was a five-foot long bag that I was attempting to cram into a six-foot long duffle bag. So I vacuumed the $#%^ out of them and then cried again because all the air seeped back in, and then I tried again the next day with a clear head and it kinda worked, so I just stuffed it in the bag and calmly and rationally walked away. And then later, I added in my multitudes of shoes (NO, YOU CANNOT HAVE TOO MANY PAIRS OF SHOES. EVER.) and things I forgot, impulse-bought, etc. But only clothing went in the duffle. 

Everything else went in another suitcase. Which brings me to TIP #2... 

The mountain. 

A liiiiiiiitle more organized. 

After the Space Bag Revolution of 2012

TIP #2: Pack your clothes separately from all your other crap. 

It sounds weird, but I do this when I'm going to school too and it always works. It helps me to remain more organized, especially when unpacking. And things just fit better and... I don't have any good reasoning for this. Just do it, okay? And  a lot can fit in suitcases. I have a lamp, an ottoman, and a set of plastic drawers in mine. Don't even ask how. But I promise, I did it. 

TIP #3: Start early. 

Now, everyone probably says that they're going to do this all the time and it never gets done (story of my life), but I actually did it right this time. Start packing two weeks before you're set to leave and either a) buy more clothes, or b) dress like a bum for two weeks. Bottom line, you'll feel amazing that you have everything under control and you're not rushing around like a maniac two hours before you're supposed to leave. I made my basement packing HQ, and just dumped all my stuff down there, sorted it, organized it, and stuffed it into bags. That way, the rest of my house didn't look like tornado ally, and I had a legitimate work space and it was really cute. Anything you need until the last minute, keep out at the last minute. But get the majority of it DONE EARLY. That way, you have time to relax and see you friends and family and do trivial things like bake cakes and read The Hunger Games (thaaaaat was me). 

TIP #4: Bring a big carry on. 

And pack all the stuff that you need pre-check-in in that carry-on so you don't have to touch your monstrous bags and disrupt all your handy work prior to unpacking. I'm staying in Orlando for two nights before I move into my apartment, so my carry-on has all the clothes/supplies I need for those two days. 

TIP #5: Don't be afraid to ship a box to Orlando ahead of time. It's legal. I swear. 

Either check with the hotel you're staying at pre-arrival, or check with a friend who already lives in one of the complexes. I know the Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista accepts packages for their guests and holds them for arrival (because that's what I did.) I shipped down all my linens - (towels, sheets, mattress pad, comforter, throw blankets, pillows, stuffed animals - SPACE BAGS!) about a week ahead of time and it was waiting for me at the Holiday Inn when I arrived. It only cost me about $18, and it saved a LOT of headache. 

The Box

And again... 

TIP #6: There are stores in Florida. I promise. 

You really don't have to bring your entire life with you. You can buy it when you get there. And hold off on buying things for the apartment until you know where you're living and who you're living with. And then buy it in Orlando. 

TIP #7: MAKE LISTS! 

Lists are good! Lists are fun! I make daily to-do lists for EVERYTHING in my life. okay, I may be on the neurotic end of the spectrum, but still... LISTS, LISTS, LISTS! Make a packing list. Make a shopping list before you pack. Make a shopping list of what you'll need to buy in Florida. Make a carry-on packing list. Check things off as you go. Highlight things in different colors. It helps. I swear. 

TIP #8: Wheels are good. Use wheels. 

My duffle bag did not have wheels. My carry on duffle did not have wheels. My shoulders hurt. And that brings me to tip #8. 

TIP #9: Heavy bags = bad things. 

See these? They're going to kill me. 

I am not a perfect person. And despite all this planning, I got to the airport and the nice man told me my bags were both  25 lbs overweight. It cost me $100. This problem would have been solved had I brought three bags instead of two, but whatever. I consolidated and I consolidated well. 

So bottom line, space bags, time, wheels, shopping, be organized. I think that covers it all. Moving in on Monday. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! 

Oh... my...

I'm stressed the eff out. 


PACKING. 


Preparing. 


I'm on a crafting spree, so I basically have to make my entire life. And like sew things.


I'm nuts. I did this to myself. 


Twelve days. 


I'll post a comprehensive update when I'm coherent. Good day.

Whoa there...

I looked at my little countdown timer on my phone today, thinking I would see something like, eh fifty days until my departure to Florida. And then I saw that it read 38 days. And then I realized it was July 11. Then I screamed. WE'RE IN THE THIRTIES. 


But seriously though, where has the summer gone? Not that I'm not excited to start my CP and everything, but I have six weeks left at home and I have thus far, not only accomplished approximately nothing productive with my summer, but have done essentially nothing in preparing for this program. NOTHING. And in less than forty days, not only am I moving to Florida for five months, but I'm moving away from home for essentially an entire year because I'm going abroad in the spring. And that is terrifying. TERRIFYING. Caps and italics kinda scary. 


I go away to school, and I have spent the last two years living four hours away from home for nine months out of the year, and that's fine. But I cheat all the time and come home for the long weekends and obviously Thanksgiving and intersession and spring break are all thrown in there. And when all is said and done, it doesn't really feel like I don't live at home. But after August 20 (August 18, actually), I will not set foot in my house until January. And then, I'll be home for about a week and then I'll be whisked away to London for another five months. And who knows where I'm going to end up next summer? 


So after promptly freaking out and texting all of my friends, "I'm leaving in 38 days. WTF? Hang out with me." I realized that I had six weeks to accomplish a year's worth of friend time/family time/cleaning/organizing. So I better do something about it. 


Below, is my to-do list pre-Florida: 

• Sign up for Disney classes. STATUS: Done... ish. I've registered for Creativity and Innovation, and I'm on the waiting list for Entertainment Show Production because I'm a theatre minor and not a major. Not sure when I'll find out about the status of that, and if I do get in, I'm not sure whether or not I'll drop C&I. That might have to wait until Florida. 
• Triple check that my Disney classes are recognized by my university. STATUS: Not done. Whoops. I should send out some e-mails. Currently taking an 8-credit internship and a 4-credit course to put me at 12 credits and stay full time. But the career development center at my school told me that a Disney class could replace my 4-credit class if I registered for it. Now Disney is telling me their classes only count for three credits, which would put me under the full time requirement for my school. I have a feeling there is going to be some heavy paperwork involved in this. 
• Go up to my school to finalize my London application and my credits. STATUS: Next week. Roadtripping upstate. 
• Spend time with my family. STATUS: In progress
• Finish whatever weird things I put on my summer to-do list. It's about three pages long. STATUS: We're about a quarter of the way there. Gotta pick it up.
• Finish out my current internship strong. STATUS: Okay. 
• Organize my basement. STATUS: HAHAHAHAHAHA. 
• Make a Disney packing list. STATUS: ACTUALLY DONE! It's like four pages long in a word document, but whatevs. I'll post it here when I'm not lazy. 
• Shop for Disney. STATUS: Shouldn't be hard, but that brings me to the next item on my list... 
• Not be financially incapable of life. STATUS: Jokes. Broke forever. 
• Pack for Disney. STATUS: Starting August 1. That should be enough time, right? Two and a half weeks to get my life organized?
• Get room things sorted out with prospective roomie. STATUS: In progress. 
• Get pre-check in Florida adventures planned. STATUS: Done.

I think that's it. I hope that's it. I don't know. Wah.