Happy New Year! Already 2014 is moving along very quickly. This past Wednesday, January 1, was my final day of employment at Walt Disney World. It came so very fast. From my final day off, to my last day of work, I worked 9 straight days. Talk about exhaustion. Not sure how my body made it through, but all that matters is that it did. Saying farewell to my friends and everyone who I worked with was difficult. Everyone is from such different parts of the world, so no one knows if we will ever see each other again.
One of my favorite parts about my last days of work is that my co-workers and I really began to become a family. With the excitement of departure in the air, everyone became very 'cooky' and peoples true personalities started to show. Overall, I simply had one of the greatest groups of people to work with. One of my favorite activities ended up being learning how to say common phrases in Portuguese. There are a few Brazilians who started working in Discovery Island this past November, so they helped me learn. It is such a beautiful language and I am thinking I would like to actually learn it fluently. Not 100% sure how that would work, seeing as how Portuguese is not really spoken in California, but we shall see.
My last day of getting to enjoy the parks was yesterday, January 2. It was very bitter sweet. Living at Walt Disney World, and having the freedom to walk into a park whenever I want is something that I would have never thought to be a possibility in my lifetime. Now that I have had time to think over the past few months, I can truly see how this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, that few people will have the chance to experience. The first park that I went to was Epcot. I am truly going to miss strolling around that place. It is very relaxing place and there is so much yummy food to eat! If someone were to ask me what my most favorite thing that I did at Walt Disney World was, I would have to say The Food and Wine Festival. Seriously, I cannot rave enough about how spectacular it is! I even did a few blog posts on the food I got to eat. Check them out. They should be in the October section. Something that I also was able to do when I visited Epcot on Wednesday was have my name spelled in Japanese. My name in English is 7 letters, but in Japanese it is only 4 characters.
After visiting Epcot, I went to my personal park, Animal Kingdom, one final time. Unfortunately it rained a torrential amount while I was there, so I did not get to take many pictures. However, I was able to say a final farewell to some of my co-workers who are remaining in Florida as Disney Cast Members.
The final park that I visited was Magic Kingdom, of course. Sadly the rain was non stop the entire time, but luckily it stopped so that the fireworks could happen. While I was waiting for 10:00 p.m. to role around, I went on a ton of the indoor attractions that I had not yet made time for. Aside from it raining non stop, the air was actually pretty chilly. It was actually all I could do to keep myself awake enough to stay out and enjoy Magic Kingdom one final time. Let me tell you though, it was so very worth it. The castle was absolutely gorgeous, as usual, and the fireworks were incredible!
Today I officially moved out of my Vista Way apartment. I seriously dislike packing! For as many times as I have had to do it, it never becomes simple. My whole life from the past 5 months has somehow fit into 2 large suitcases and 1 carry-on. I am staying at an apartment not far from where I have lived, with a few girls I met the past months. The next few days I will basically be doing nothing. This act of nothingness is greatly welcomed by my body and mind. I can now finally take time to think over everything that has happened in my life. It is crazy to me how fleeting a moment in time can be. Many relationships were made the past 5 months and many lessons learned. Out of everything, one of the biggest things that I took away from this is how to successfully live in this world. I understand that this covers a lot of territory. Basically I have learned the importance of being considerate, how to be a leader among my peers, how to be productive with my time, the importance of clear communication, and how to be a light for Christ.
In all honesty, I am still thinking through everything. If any of you have questions please do not hesitate to ask me. There are so, so, so many stories I have to share and I would love to speak to anyone who is interested in applying to the Disney College Program.
Some of you may wonder what is next in my life, and to be honest, I am not 100% sure. Working professionally for Disney is definitely on my priority list. As I continue to pursue this, my next step with Disney would be a Professional Internship. Right now though, I will be moving back to California and finishing my degree, Business Management, online. By doing so, I hope to find a part time job, save some money, and be able to finish my degree in 3 semesters.
Many thanks to everyone who read my blog! Hopefully you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Again, if any of you have questions feel free to email me: abigail.wiebe2015@gmail.com or Facebook me or meet me in person. I would love to talk to you, or whoever, about my experience. If you have not realized this already, I absolutely LOVED my DCP!!
Have A Magical Day!
