What No One Tells You About Working For Disney
Monday, June 17, 2019
Two years ago today, on the 17th June 2017, I boarded a plane to the other side of the world to go and live and work in Orlando, Florida for 2 1/2 months. The day was finally here. I was moving to Walt Disney World. I had done it. At the age of 19 I had achieved my dream and it was the proudest and most exciting moment of my life so far.
Since then, I have been incredibly vocal about how amazing this experience was, both on this blog, across social media and pretty much to every single person I've met. Whilst living and working so far away from home definitely had its challenges, it was without a doubt the best 11 weeks of my life; I made friendships that will last a lifetime, met people from all over the world, and got to go to Magic Kingdom whenever I wanted. I learnt about multiple different cultures through working at Animal Kingdom Lodge and exploring Epcot World Showcase on my days off. I got to experience the Happily Ever After fireworks and Pandora - World of Avatar just months after they'd opened to the public, and was there to say goodbye to both The Great Movie Ride and Ellen's Energy Adventure. I stayed in a DVC room at a deluxe resort for a night. I turned 20 years old in the most magical place on earth. I ate far more Dominos pizza and McDonald's nuggets than is healthy. It was everything I wanted it be and more.
When the time came to leave at the end of August I felt ready to come home. I missed my family, I was excited to start my third and final year of university, and my body was begging me to eat some vegetables. Whilst I was sad to go, the timing felt right. I missed my friends and the life we'd created, but I was excited for the future; as Flynn Rider said "That's the good part... You get to go find a new dream".
The only problem is, when your old dream was so big and incredible, it's hard to find a new one that lives up to it. As much as I was enjoying finishing uni, and trying to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, there always felt like there was something missing. And that thing wasn't just missing from my life, it was missing from me, as if a large chunk of Amy had been left right down the middle of Main Street U.S.A. During my program I felt free, I could be spontaneous and all my friends could be too. I was inexplicably happy at almost all times, even when I was exhausted and my feet were aching.
Having been back to Disney World for a holiday since finishing my program, I know that this feeling isn't just about missing Disney itself. I miss being paid to make magic for people, to brighten someones day with something as simple as a few extra chicken nuggets or a complimentary Mickey Bar. I miss seeing people's excitement for the day ahead as they ate breakfast, and having worn out little kids tell me all about how they met the princesses that day. I miss watching the sunrise whilst on my way to work on a bus that could catch fire at any moment.
Even after 2 years it's safe to say that that part of me is still missing and potentially always will be. Whilst I did find myself a new dream, and one that still involves working for Disney, it's a practical 9-5 dream, rather than a spontaneous, living on the other side of the world dream. The only issue is, it's hard to concentrate solely on this new dream and move on with life when it's technically possible to go and live my original dream all over again, only this time for a whole year.
Now this isn't to say that I'm not incredibly happy with my life right now because I definitely am. But seeing so many people on social media getting ready to go on their programs this year, with their packing lists, itineraries and travel documents, it made me think of the one aspect of doing a Disney program that no one can prepare you for; what to do with yourself when it's all over.
Having been back to Disney World for a holiday since finishing my program, I know that this feeling isn't just about missing Disney itself. I miss being paid to make magic for people, to brighten someones day with something as simple as a few extra chicken nuggets or a complimentary Mickey Bar. I miss seeing people's excitement for the day ahead as they ate breakfast, and having worn out little kids tell me all about how they met the princesses that day. I miss watching the sunrise whilst on my way to work on a bus that could catch fire at any moment.
Even after 2 years it's safe to say that that part of me is still missing and potentially always will be. Whilst I did find myself a new dream, and one that still involves working for Disney, it's a practical 9-5 dream, rather than a spontaneous, living on the other side of the world dream. The only issue is, it's hard to concentrate solely on this new dream and move on with life when it's technically possible to go and live my original dream all over again, only this time for a whole year.
Now this isn't to say that I'm not incredibly happy with my life right now because I definitely am. But seeing so many people on social media getting ready to go on their programs this year, with their packing lists, itineraries and travel documents, it made me think of the one aspect of doing a Disney program that no one can prepare you for; what to do with yourself when it's all over.
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