Barbie Girl

The months really have flown by. I started so well at the beginning of the year! I suppose there is less to write about as I’ve been here for so long now but I’m still having a good time, working and playing a lot! So many people have left and arrived over summer, the pavilion has changed completely. It’s getting harder saying goodbye to people as I now know them better. Its weird being that person who’s says I’ve been here 9 months. I feel so old and wise!

At the end of July I went to Washington DC for 3 days with two girls from work, Anna and Terri. We had an early flight so got a taxi to the airport about 5am. The plane journey only took about 2 hours and it is just straight up so there was no time difference. Our hotel was near the centre of the city and was really lovely. We didn’t realise it would be so hot in Washington, nearly 105 degrees Fahrenheit every day. We live in Florida so should be used to the heat but it was like walking into an oven! After dropping off our bags we walked to the Capitol Building which is similar to our Houses of Parliament. We took part in a tour which was free, as were all the museums and monuments. It was really interesting and the building was really pretty. Lots of statues of past presidents, they love them! We then did the Congress Library tour but only got half way though and we were nearly falling asleep. The rest of the day we walked up to the Washington monument (the tall pointy one!) stopping off every now and then along the way for ice cream and shade.

The next day we bought a ticket on a bus tour around the city as we realised it was too hot to walk it all. We saw the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Military Cemetery and what we think was the outside of the Pentagon! On our last day we got on the second bus route which took us North West of the city to Georgetown where there is a big university and harbour and all the embassy buildings. We stopped off for lunch on an actual high street, something I haven’t seen for months! I absolutely loved Georgetown, the houses were gorgeous and it all seemed very familiar. The whole weekend was very educational but I really enjoyed it and would definitely go back again!

We’ve had a few fancy dress nights out this month which are always fun! One theme was famous duo’s which had some interesting results: Spongebob and Patrick, Bananas in pajamas, David and Victoria Beckham. I went with Jenna as the 118 men, we looked amazing! We wore trainers with long white socks, red shorts and white tops which we customised to look like theirs. We had big hair and sweat bands and pretended to run around a lot! The next Monday was Barbie theme, which was basically any occupation you could think of. After some different ideas I decided to go as safari Barbie! I’m not actually sure if she is real but it sounded fun. I wore beige shorts and a green top accompanied with a crazy hat and homemade binoculars (photos available on request!). I think I looked pretty good! I had so much fun with my binoculars all night, I love props! Other Barbies included sailors, vets, air hostess and bedtime Barbie.

I’ve been working on the bar for nearly two months now so I’m slowly getting used to everything. My first busy Friday and Saturday night was scary although it felt good to be busy. I still have a few shifts in the restaurant each week but it is good to have some variety. 90% of people at the bar just order beer or simple mixed drinks but occasionally you get to make fun things! Once you sell one fun drink that looks fancy, everyone else wants one. You always keep learning as no one could ever learn every combination of cocktail. It makes me laugh when people try and sound fancy by ordering something like a ‘screwdriver’, which is actually just vodka and orange juice! Two new people are training on the bar over the next two weeks so I’ll no longer be the new girl. Over the UK summer holiday there has been so many British people in the pub and restaurant, loads from Essex! It is nice to meet people from home but you end up repeating the same conversations. Everyone says I’ve really lost my Essex accent but I don’t think I sound much different!

We’ve started to think about our travelling after we finish work which will be most of December. I definitely want to head to California as I have never been there and it’s going to be warm! I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the weather in England again. If it’s below 90 degrees I feel cold! The thought of snow scares me.

Miss you all, hope you had a great summer.

From Florida with Love,

Emily

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In the Summertime

There is so much to do in Disney but it’s sometimes hard to all get time off to do it together. We have been quite successful lately though and have had lots of mini adventures! At the beginning of June we hired a cabin at Fort Wilderness for two nights. Me and Arran were working in the evening on Friday so meet everyone at about 11pm, where they had the bbq going and the beers open! Some people went home at about 2am as they had to work the next day so there were 5 of us staying over. We had a double bed and bunk beds in the bed room and a double bed which came out of the wall in the living room, plenty of space! We all had Saturday off so got up late the next day and hopped on a boat to Magic Kingdom. We did a few of the big rides and saw the parade but didn’t stay too long, we were too hot and tired. Before dinner we went to ‘Chip and Dale’s campfire’ where we toasted marshmallows and sang country songs, seriously! The people from the night before came back for dinner at the Hop de Doo review, the dinner show with unlimited chicken, ribs and sangria. The mash potato was absolutely delicious! We went back to the cabin and drunk more wine and margaritas and it all got a bit messy, but it was good fun!

For my birthday a group of us went out on the Tuesday evening to Downtown Disney. We ate at a restaurant called Bongos, which serves Cuban food. I ordered a pina colada in a souvenir ceramic bongo!  At the time I wasn’t aware that it cost $20, but it was my birthday! We then saw Cirque du Soleil which I’ve wanted to see for ages. It was amazing, some of the acts were crazy. It was a really lovely night! On the night before my birthday I stayed at Jenna and Jess’ and we had a sleepover. We put their mattresses in the living room and watched dvds while eating bourbons. In the morning we had a full English fry up before they had to go to work. Although it was ridiculously hot, Dan and Emily came to play mini golf with me! It was Fantasia themed, with dancing hippos and brooms. I lost but only by one shot. We had ice cream milkshakes before heading home. In the afternoon I went to the cinema with Dawn to see Bridesmaids. It was a really funny film, I majorly fell for the male lead! We went to Cowboys in the evening, so a very busy and enjoyable day! I got lots of cards and messages from home too, thank you!

Last Friday I went to Saratoga Springs, a Disney resort, to stay in a villa with Jess, Jenna, Dawn, Emily and Jen, just for fun! Most of us had the whole day off so got there about 1pm and checked in. The villa was lovely, two huge bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a kitchen. We went to the pool for the afternoon and got roped into the poolside dance routines! We stayed there until it started to rain ridiculously heavily. We went out for dinner then had a midnight dip in the hot tub! A very relaxing and girly evening!

I met Vikki is Miami for two days on her way to Honduras. It was really lovely to see a face from home! I took a coach from Orlando, America is so BIG! It took six hours and that’s not even the whole length of Florida! You can get a coach to New York, I don’t want to know how long that takes. The journey was fine, I didn’t have any one sitting next to me most of the way so just spread out and slept. I thought they might have wifi so I didn’t take a book (I’m also just not very organised!) but they didn’t so I just listened to my iPod. We stopped at a few service station but none of them sold any magazines or books, it was so annoying! They sold dvds though which I thought was silly.

Our hotel was interesting...the bed was comfy and the bathroom was nice but the general theme was very odd.  There wasn’t a big light in the middle of the room but they had blue lights around the edge and in the hallway. It had the potential to be really nice and they were renovating it so I’m sure it will be a lot better after. It was really close to the beach and restaurants and the bar staff were really friendly. On Wednesday we went to the Everglades to see the gators! From the boat we saw about 5 alligators and loads of baby ones, they were so cute! Apparently they have really small brains, which is why they just sit around all day. We ate fried alligator tail for lunch, which we thought it tasted very similar to smoked turkey. Then they told us they had given us the wrong order and it actually was a smoked turkey sandwich! When we got the right order it was quite nice, it’s a white meat but tougher than chicken. In the afternoon we went to the beach, it was crazy hot. The water was warm but really shallow. We didn’t go too far out as we wanted to keep an eye on our stuff on the beach. We had dinner in a Cuban bar where they were dancing on the bar and had live music. I left about 1pm the next day and Vikki went to the airport to continue her travels, I hope it all goes really well for her!

I passed my bartender exam, after a lot of studying! I had to learn a page full of cocktails and remember everything about all the beers and wine we sell. I start training on the 3^rd of July for 5 days then I have to take another test! This is one of the busiest weeks in Disney because of Independence Day, but hopefully it will all go ok. For a while I will work in the restaurant and bar until some other people leave, which is fine by me. I’m looking forward to doing something a bit different and learning lots of new drinks! It’s been really quiet at work lately, it’s far too hot for people to come to parks and sit down for a hot meal. The humidity is crazy! It’s usually about 94 degrees but feels over 100 degrees. A large portion of our restaurant is outside so no one wants to sit there which is a pain, especially as I always seem to be working there.

I haven’t got any more trips planned at the moment but hoping to arrange a cruise to the Bahamas soon. You can do a three night trip which is relatively cheap so might as well take advantage while I’m so close by. I’ve been here nearly 7 months now and I’m sure they rest will fly by!

From Florida with Love,

Emily

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Viva Las Vegas!

After my family left, luckily I was very busy and only had to wait three days before my next exciting trip! I went to Las Vegas for 4 days with my friends from work; Anna, Arran, Callum and Kim. It was the first time I had left Central Florida in 5 months!

Our flight was at 7am so we left our apartment complex at 5am. I had been working so much I hadn’t really h ad much time to pack, meaning I left my phone charger behind. I remembered my passport this time though so that’s a plus! We had to queue up for a while to check in and to get through security but our flight was on time and we got straight on. It was a really small plane with no TV, even though the flight was 5 hours long! We all sat on our own but we mainly slept or read so it wasn’t too bad. Because of the time distance we arrived in Las Vegas at 9am so we had the whole day. We couldn’t check in till 3pm but we left and bags and went exploring. There is so much to see! We went out for lunch, had a quick gamble, meet Elvis. It takes about 15 minutes to walk through each hotel as they are massive. Our hotel room (sorry penthouse!) was on the 31^st floor with floor to ceiling windows facing the strip. It had everything. Two huge double beds, a Jacuzzi, large walk in shower, two sinks, fridge, microwave, coffee machine! Although there were five of us in the room and using one bathroom we all got on well.

We saw a show each night at different hotels. On the first night we saw ‘Holly Madison’s Peepshow’.  I’m not completely sure why as there were three girls and two gay guys on our trip! It was quite good with lots of singing and dancing, but also random nakedness. At one point three girls got into a huge bath of milk! On Wednesday we saw Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. It’s slightly different to the version in the West End as it’s only one act and has more special effects. It has never been one of my favourite shows but it’s always nice to go to the theatre! I think the lead could have been slightly better but Christine had a really good voice. On the way home we stopped at watched the fountains outside the Bellagio, they were amazing! On the last night we meet up with a few other people from work who had arrived in Las Vegas that day. We saw cirque du soleil love at the Mirage. This is set to Beatles music with a 60s English theme. It wasn’t what I expected at all and I was initially disappointed. It was quite different to the shows I have seen at the Royal Albert Hall which I love. There was less acrobatics and more contemporary dancing and abstract sequences, it was all a bit chaotic and confusing! It was good just in a different way. There are so many cirque du soleil shows in Vegas it’s hard just to pick one to see.

I was a bit of a conservative gambler as it’s so easy to get carried away. The casinos have no clocks or window so you have no idea what time it is or how long you’ve been sitting on a machine. We all played on the slot machines as these were easy to understand and weren’t too expensive! Most of the tables were a minimum of $15 bet so you could easily lose a lot of money. I found a blackjack machine which was only $5 minimum bet and I managed to win $60! Arran was the luckiest and was about $200 up when we left.

I think we managed to do all the major sights. We had photos taken but the famous sign, which is a long walk! We went to all the famous hotels which took all three days. On Thursday morning we got a taxi to the Stratosphere, which is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the US. It didn’t only have two observations decks, but rides which shoot you up into the air or off the edge of the building! We first went on Big Shot, which shots you up 1,081 feet above the strip then on X-Scream, which was possibly the scariest thing I’ve ever done and I’ve jumped out of a plane! You literally just get thrown off the end of the building 900 foot in the air! I was nearly crying and was so scared to look over the edge. You feel like you are hardly strapped in and could slip out! We also did a bit of shopping and obviously ate at a few buffets...it was a very successful trip if you ask me!

From Florida with Love

Emily

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Surfing USA

This is going to be a long one! As most people knew I was really excited about my family coming out to visit! It was a very hectic week full of parks, dinner and walking, but it was hopefully lots of fun too.

My brother arrived a day early, as he was travelling from Australia. His trip was supposed to take 30 hours but because of delays and connections it took him over 36. He eventually arrived at midnight, where we went straight to sleep! The next day I hired a car so we could go to the beach and later pick my dad and step mum up from the airport. It was the first time I’d driven in 5 months, and it was on the wrong side of the road! Luckily it was an automatic so it was like driving a go kart. We headed to Daytona Beach, apparently the most famous beach in the world! You drive right on to the sand about 50 feet from the sea. We went for a dip, had some food and bought a t shirt! We managed to find Sanford airport ok where we waited for Dad and Ann to arrive. It took them a long time to get through customs, but I had my sign ready when they came out. We got slightly lost on the way to the hotel as all the roads seemed to have the same name! Mum and Jess had arrived just before us so we all managed to check in together. We had two rooms next to each other with connecting doors! We got ready for dinner and everyone gave me presents from home; bourbons, percy pigs, flip flops, straighteners!  I got some birthday cards too but I am saving them for the day. We went to Downtown Disney eating at Planet Hollywood but everyone was very tired and it was a bit stressful!

The next day we set out for Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately we had only been there about 15 minutes when Chris had massive stomach pains and couldn’t stand up. The front desk called the paramedics and they arrived quickly. He had to go to hospital as they couldn’t tell what was wrong and mum went with him. Although it was hard the rest of us went around the park and managed to get on a few rides. For lunch we went to Crystal Palace and meet the characters from Winnie the Pooh! It is a buffet restaurant and the food was really lovely. Dad went off to the hospital in the afternoon so then it went down to three! I think The Carousel of Progress was our favourite ride...Mum and Dad managed to get back to see Wishes, the firework show, which was good.

On Tuesday morning I had to work so everyone, apart from Chris, went to Epcot. I left them to explore as I went off to work. I was only on a am shift so managed to finish by half 4 and meet them in the pub! We headed to Japan as this is where we were eating dinner. I had booked one of the restaurants but the other one I had wanted to go to was fully booked. When we arrived I managed to swap our reservations so we got to eat in Tapen Edo, where they cook the food on the table in front of you. I had steak and chicken, with noodles and rice, with sushi and wine too! It was a really good experience and the chef was funny and talented. We watched the fireworks from work, which I enjoy slightly better than Wishes but I think I’m bias! I think the family liked them too, although I do agree the middle bit goes on a bit too long.

We were hoping Chris would be able to come out on Wednesday so we had a quite morning, waking up later and having a bit longer for breakfast. Mum and Dad went to the hospital about 11am so Ann, Jess and I decided to head back to Epcot as we hadn’t managed to do everything the day before. We saw Captin EO, a classic! Chris managed to join us in the afternoon. For dinner we went to Boma, at Animal Kingdom Lodge. If there’s one thing I know about Disney it’s good places to eat! This is an African buffet with freshly carved meat and loads of side dishes. I might have had two plates of dessert too. We went back to Epcot to watch the fireworks again as Chris hadn’t seen them the night before. The buses we used to get back to the hotel were usually quite good at night so it didn’t take too long to get home.

Next day was Animal Kingdom, where there are so many good things to do and see. We went on Safari, saw the Lion King and Finding Nemo, climbed Mount Everest and went back in time to find a dinosaur! The park was quite shaded so even though we had to walk far it wasn’t too unpleasant. The weather all week was really hot, in the high 20s and 30s. We saw so many animals; hippos, gorillas, giraffes! We ever learnt about the rainforest and what it feels like to be a bug. As Animal Kingdom closes early we had enough time to go back to the hotel and get changed before going out for dinner.  We went to Raglan Road, in Downtown Disney, which is somewhere I go a lot. We had a nice booth to ourselves and our waiter was quite funny. The week was going so fast!

I remember when I went to Harry Potter World for the first time, I was little a small child at Christmas. This was the first place we headed to at Universal. I still love looking around all the shops and at all the details; however the ride still makes me feel sick. Mum and Ann were both unsure if they should go on and I tried to prepare them for it. I’m not sure if they enjoyed it, I think it made everyone feel a bit queasy! Jess wanted to spend lots of time taking photos so she stayed with Mum while the rest of us wondered on. When we meet up together we ate in the Three Broomsticks and went on a few more rides. We went on the Popeye water ride and all got soaked! We stayed at the hotel for dinner that night as it was a tiring day. Me and mum played cards at the bar and had a few drinks which was really lovely.

On our final full day we went to Hollywood Studios. There were lots of shows to see but I think we did really well. Mum, Jess and I even appeared in our own version of Pearl Harbour! We saw the big car stunt show which was incredible and got good seats for Famtasmic! They were threatening to call it off because of the weather but it went ahead as planned. We caught a comedy show in the street which was unexpected but it was funny. It was sad/a relief to get on the Disney hotel buses for the last time! Although they always took you exactly where you wanted to go they could take a while to arrive and sometimes be full. It’s a great system which must take so much planning but no one really likes waiting!

Dad and Ann left first on Saturday, then I had to head home to get ready for work.  I wasn’t sure where my bus was picking me up so it was a very quick goodbye as it pulled up. Everyone got home safely and Chris only had to take 2 planes home instead of 4. I managed to get through me shift even though I was a bit teary on the way in. I worked loads over the next three days then headed to Vegas...! Watch out for part 2!

From Florida with Love

Emily

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Caught Up

I decided to go on a detox this week as I’ve been eating and drinking out far too much, wasting too much money too! It’s been going quite well. I haven’t eaten out since last Friday which is a big achievement here. As an example of the extravagant dining, we shared a $44 bottle of sparkling rose and a large pizza between three of us on a regular week day afternoon! I went out three times over the weekend but haven’t got drunk, so those messages about bourbons I sent at 4 o’clock in the morning were from a sober mind! I just wanted bourbons, which I will hopefully be getting in three days time!

Last Thursday I went into work at 10:45am as usual, having no plans for the afternoon. A few of the girls were really excited as they were going to see Usher that night. I wondered if there were any tickets left. Two other girls left work early and investigated if we could go. At about 3pm one of the girls who was going already came downstairs and got really excited as we’d managed to get tickets!! I was so excited. Then literally 30 seconds later I’d been told I had to stay all night as 2 people had gone home ill. For about an hour I was going back and forth between the managers to try and get out! At about 5pm I managed to get on the bus home after begging and getting someone to pick up my tables. I had about half an hour to get ready then we got in the taxi! Our other friends won a competition to get upgraded to a suite, so we managed to get their seats, 4 rows from the front! Akon was the support act who was really good, loved all of his songs. When Usher came on everyone went mental. I haven’t listened to much of his new album but they all sounded really good and he sung lots of his older songs too. It was a great show, with amazing dancing!

I managed to get up at 5am to watch the royal wedding, although I didn’t manage to get out of my pyjamas! I went to Arran and Callum’s apartment where we had champagne and strawberries, with beans on toast. I’m glad we got up to watch it as it is a massive event which will be talked about for years. We liked to mock the people with funny hats! We watched it on CNN with Cat Deeley and Pierce Morgan commentating. The UK pavilion was decorated with Union Jack flags and special toasts were made throughout the day. At 8.30am we had a cast photo where most of the pavilion came to celebrate the event! The photo will be printed and given to us to keep, and we also made it into one of the official Disney blogs. As we were there so early we managed to get on some rides pretty quickly then went for a wonder round World Showcase.

This week was the first time I nearly cried at work. I had an 11 on my tables who were related to one of the bar tenders. Everything was going well until their meals came out and they sent 5 of them back cold. The roasts came out straight away but the kitchen made 2 new roast chicken and a Shepherd’s pie from scratch. It took sooooo long, I kept going back and apologising but there was nothing else I could do. My other table was fine so I just stood in the kitchen, waiting and getting stressed! The fireworks had already started and they still hadn’t got their meals. They were finally ready...then I throw the Shepherd’s pie all done my front in the kitchen! This was actually when I calmed down and stopped worrying about the whole situation, I think they appreciated that is wasn’t my fault and they seemed to enjoy their food eventually. Since then work has been going quite well, it’s still quite quiet but it has periods where everything needs to happen at once. I’ll hopefully be ready for the summer rush!

The next few weeks are full of exciting plans which I will try and fill you in on promtly!

From Florida with Love,

Emily

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Trying to Catch a Star

I passed my service test! I had 3 long days of studying and training, then a written and practical test. I honestly didn’t revise so much for some of my final exams at university! I had to learn the flavour, name and region of every bottle of wine and scotch we sell and all the details of the items on the menu. If you wanted to know, Jonnie Walker Black is a 12 year old scotch with a wood smoke and earthy taste! For my practical test I had to serve one of my managers and a trainer and they assess you. I was really nervous and embarrassed at the beginning but it all went well! They always order a bottle of wine and I had to open it at the table which took me ages but I did it eventually. I got lots of yes ticks and was really happy I passed! I went out that night for a celebration! My first shift was the next day and was absolutely fine. I worked eight days straight after that which was exhausting, but it helped me get into the swing of it all.

On Saturday I took part in the Disney VoluntEARs Bowl-a-thon! There were teams participating from every country and the money raised went towards the junior achievement charity in Central Florida. I was quite terrible as usual, though I think I got one strike! It was a fun afternoon and a good team bonding experience, plus we got t shirts! I’ve also signed up for the Goofey Mystery Scavenger Hunt at the beginning of May. After Hollywood Studios shut we have to find clues and solve puzzles to win prizes! We are in a team of four, we are all very excited. I’m getting a bit restless not rehearsing for anything so I’m going to look for a choir or something, hopefully they have one within Disney.

As you’ve probably guessed, we go to the cinema a lot. We have a Friday cinema club and we always try and see something that has come out that day. Two weeks ago we saw Arthur, with Russell Brand. It was absolutely hilarious and one of the best films I’ve seen in a long while. I haven’t seen the original so I’m not sure how it compares but I highly recommend it! Last week I was dragged to see Hanna and Scream 4. Hanna was very random, lots of people were dying all over the place. The story finally came together in the end, I wasn’t a huge fan! I think I only watch about 10 minutes if Scream 4 as I spent most of it hiding behind my jumper. I really do not enjoy scary films! We wanted to see Water for Elephants this week but the last showing is at 10pm and people won’t be able to get out of work in time. The drinks machine at the cinema is amazing! They have so many different flavours of Coke, Fanta, Sprite, everything. We had peach and strawberry sprite, it was very tasty!

We had our first bbq yesterday! I got home from work at about 6pm and those who had been off that day had already bought all the food and lit it. We have a bbq in our apartment complex so we just needed to buy the coals and food. Afterwards we played volleyball, it was so funny! Everyone was really bad to start with but we got better. My team won! We then went back to Dan’s apartment and played Disney charades, with lots of wine. I did not enjoy getting up for work this morning! My roommate’s gone away to a wedding for 6 days so at least I had the room to myself.

I’m so excited that my family are coming out to visit so soon, two weeks! I will have been here five months by the time they arrive. I’ve been busy planning and booking restaurants so hopefully it all goes well! I had a dream they all came over and weren’t even interested in seeing me and just wanted to go shopping, it was very sad! I’ve booked a trip to Las Vegas for the week after they leave, so I hopefully won’t get too depressed. It’s going to be amazing! We got a really good hotel deal so it all worked out really well.

From Florida with Love,

Emily

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So Young

I’m trying to write less about eating and drinking but this seems to be what most of my week revolves around! I definitely eat out a lot of the moment as it’s so easy. We get a discount at all the Disney restaurants and I feel they need to try them all!

I had an early shift last Monday which meant I finished at 6pm. Arran and I decided to go to Japan for dinner, not many people can say that! There are two restaurants in Japan which are both suppose to be really good. We went to Tokyo Dining, which had a wide variety of sushi and rice dishes. To try something traditional we both started with Saki cocktails! They were pretty strong but really fruity. I ordered tuna sushi and grilled salmon with teriyaki sauce, it was absolutely delicious. It was quite expensive but it was nice to have a proper dinner! I want to eat in every county around world showcase by the end of the year. In my fridge at the moment I have barbeque sauce and mayonnaise, definitely need to go shopping soon!

I went in the pool for the first time this week! I didn’t get there till about half 4 but it was still really warm. The clocks went forward here last Sunday so it is staying light in the evening. The water was freezing but once I got in it was fine. The weather here has been lovely, so I’ve started to work on my tan! Although when it rains, it pours!! We were stuck in Magic Kingdom last week when it started to absolutely chuck it down. You never know how long it’s going to last so we had to run through it and we got soaked!

I saw Red Riding Hood last week, I’m not sure if it’s out in England yet. I thought it would be scary but I actually really enjoyed it. None of us guessed the ending, definitely a film to see! I also saw Lincon Lawyer, it is so good! On Sunday night I went to a club in Downtown Disney called House of Blues. I had never been there before so wasn’t sure what to expect. I had twenty minutes to get ready from getting home to getting a lift which I just about managed. We got in for free and girls drank free before 12am so it was a cheap night for me! When we got there we went upstairs and we watched some guy’s break dancing on the dance floor, it was like being in a film! The music was good, playing mostly songs I knew, and the atmosphere was really good. I did have to work the next day but I managed to leave early and had a really long afternoon nap before going out Monday night!

On St. Patrick’s Day so many people in Epcot was wearing green t-shirts and funny hats! They love it here and all claim to be part Irish. We sold green beer all day and a speciality corn beef and cabbage platter in the restaurant. I only worked till seven and it wasn’t too busy but I think the bar was full in the evening. After work I had a few drinks in France and then we headed back home. We were planning to go out but decided to buy drinks and snacks and have an evening in. I bought a green table cloth and greens plates for the occasion! It was a really lovely evening as we haven’t spent a lot of time together lately due to different work schedules.

On my last day of I got out of Disney World as one of my friends had a car and we drove to a place called Winter Garden, about 20 minutes drive away. We met his America friends in a pub where we had lunch and played bingo! I didn’t win any games but it was really good fun. Our table were the only people under 60 there! We spent the day relaxing in the beer garden, then we went to a pub quiz at a different bar. As usual I could only answer a few questions but our team won as we had some really clever guys too! The prize was a bar tab for next week although I don’t think I’ll be able to go as I’m working late. They were all really lovely and it’s nice to get to know some people outside of work!

I started my service training  yesterday which takes nearly two weeks. In the first week I will run food to tables, work in the kitchen and behind the bar. It’s a pretty busy week as you work long days but I’m really looking forward to it. It will be a good change, even though I have enjoyed it all so far. I have been here three and a half months now so I’m excited to try something new! I probably won’t be out doing much in the near future as I do have to study my menu and make sure I’m wide awake every day.

From Florida with Love,

Emily

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Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Sorry for the delay! I’ve just been lazy, I’ll try and summarise the best bits from the last few weeks!

Work has been quite busy at the moment due to half term at home and spring break in America so I’ve been working slightly longer hours. I greeted a couple the other day who’s surname was Sether , I got very excited! We had a great conversation about how people find it really hard to spell and pronounce, I felt we were practically family. The park will probably stay quite busy now as they has a Flower and Garden festival at the beginning of March, then Easter then summer. For the festival they have made loads of cool sculptures out of hedges and flowers which keep springing up around the world showcase. Today when I came in there were hedge statues of Hook and Peter Pan!

I only had one day off this week and it was lovely weather so I went to Typhoon Lagoon, the last time we will get in free before summer. We got there about 1pm and had a nice relaxing afternoon, going on all the slides and swimming with baby sharks! We went to downtown Disney on the way home and saw ‘I am number four’ at the cinema. It was quite a good film, it was scary and funny and romantic and full of action all at the same time!

Yesterday there was a Space Shuttle launch from the Space centre on the East coast of Florida. I didn’t realised we’d be able to see it but we were told to look above Mexico at 5pm to catch a glimpse of it. It was quite a cloudy afternoon which was annoying but we saw it for a few seconds! The whole restaurant was watching and everyone clapped when we saw it in the sky. They say it was a successful launch even though a few things broken off as it took off so hopefully they will get back safely!

Last week I went to Hollywood Studios and went on the two biggest rides, Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster. I was genuinely scared on both! We also saw Fantasmic, the evening fireworks show. It takes place in Mickey’s dreams and has loads of characters and music from the films. We had seats right at the front and started a slow clap while we were waiting for it to begin! Disney definitely knows how to put on a firework show. I have seen Illuminations, the show at Epcot, countless times but I still love it.

I took my pre-service test last weekend, the written part I have to do to become a server. I had to wait all afternoon to find out how it went but I passed! My training will start on the 20^th of March and takes too weeks. It seems quite tough as you are running round the kitchen all day but it will be a nice change of scene! That evening I went to a dinner show called ‘Hop Dee Doo’ in Fort wilderness, a resort near Magic Kingdom. I had to get all the way there from Epcot in an hour, which involved getting to the front of the park, taking two monorails and a ferry. I just made it in time! It was an all you can eat and drink buffet which lots of chicken and ribs. I think the show was pretty good but I was more interested in the food and wine to concentrate much!

Last Thursday we decided to go somewhere different so went to Hooters after work for wings and beer! We then went to next door and played some pool, I think I won once. There are loads of bars and restaurants close by so it’s good to try somewhere new every now and then. Or earliest shift start at 11am so at least we don’t have early mornings! I’ve been trying to cook a bit more at home this week. I’ve made tacos, sausages and curry with all the trimmings! I do miss a good home cooked roast though.

I have booked a trip to South America for next year, starting at the end of December. I am hoping to head to California when I finish here then will fly to Chile on the 31^st to meet Vikki and the rest of the tour group.  It’s seven weeks long, travelling through Chile, Argentina and Brazil, ending up at the Rio Carnival! Depending on how much money I have left over I’d love to go to Mexico or Cuba, but then I promise I’ll come home!

I will remember to write again soon!

From Florida with Love,

Emily

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American Pie

Another jam packed week! Work has been up and down, sometimes crazy busy but sometimes really quiet. We are getting five new people this week which will be strange, no longer being the new kids! My arrival group has been here two months now, happy anniversary to me!

After I went to EPCOT last Tuesday we headed to the Boardwalk for dinner. It’s only about a five minute walk from EPCOT so is really easy to get to. We ate in ESPN which is a sports bar, showing every American sport possible! For dessert we went to Beaches and Cream. It is a traditionally ice cream parlour with a juke box and everything! Between the eight of us we bought a kitchen sink. It has eight (massive) scoops of different flavour ice cream, every topping and a whole can a whipped cream. The brownie was good! Once the others had eaten the whipped cream I started on the mint choc chip. We only just about ate half of it, it beat us! We had to run for the bus on the way home, that was not fun.

On Wednesday and Saturday I went to the dance studio I found last week. I went to a Zumba class and Hula Hoop aerobics! I hadn’t done either before so it was a very exciting experience. Zumba was tough, very intense! Hula hooping was quite hard at first but it was good when you get the hang of it. There were only about 5 people in each class as its quite new. I want try do belly dancing and line dancing!

The best show I’ve seen at Disney since I’ve been here is definitely ‘Festival of the Lion King’ at Animal Kingdom. If you’re ever here you have to make sure you see it! It’s full of acrobatics, singing and dancing, along with all the classic Lion King characters. I saw the show for the second time on Wednesday and it was just as good as the first time! As Animal Kingdom closes at 5pm, we went to Magic Kingdom for food and fireworks in the evening. We went on Space Mountain, I love that ride! The Disneyworld theme this year is ‘Let the Memories begin’ and before the fireworks show they project guests pictures from that day onto the castle. It’s really lovely, although our photos didn’t get picked!

It was Superbowl Sunday this week and I’d booked the day off. We’d all been out the night before so I had a lazy morning, sleeping a lot. We went out to lunch where things got a bit hysterical as we were all still drunk/tired! I didn’t manage to eat dessert which upset me as it was chocolate brownie, yummy. We stopped at the supermarket on the way home and bought supplies for the evening (crisps, cookies, beer etc!). We also bought mini flags, just to feel really American! The game was actually quite easy to understand, especially as our Canadian friend Jill was there to help explain the rules. I had my first corn dog! They are actually quite tasty but you can tell they are really processed and unhealthy. The Black Eyed Peas played the half time show with Slash and Usher, it was quite spectacular. I was cheering for the Steelers, not for any particular reason but we all picked a team. They lost, but it was a good night!

Yesterday I had to go to Disney University to have a class about waitressing! They take serving very seriously here. We had to be there at 8am meaning I had to get up at 6am, a time I rarely see!  Most of what they said was quite self explanatory but we watched some funny videos and didn’t group exercises, which are always good fun! In the afternoon we learnt all about different types of wine and how they are made. It was quite interesting, plus we got to eat grapes and skittles which are two of my favourite things!  By 4pm me and Arran were slightly delirious from the long day and were finding everything hilarious. I had an early night as I was cream crackered!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

From Florida with Love

Emily

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Purple Rain

This week I have started to feel settled here. It’s a very different lifestyle, even to university. The social life is similar but I don’t have any classes or coursework to worry about! I do have a service class next week though and I have started to learn my menu and wines but I’m quite enjoying it. Although I said I never wanted to learn anything ever again it’s good to use my brain for something slightly challenging! I really should try and learn Spanish while I’m here too as lots of employees and guests speak it, and it will be really useful when I hopefully travel South America.

Last Tuesday I went back to Universal as a few of my friends still hadn’t been, and I love it! We got the bus at about half 10am so we could spend the whole day there. We met Spiderman in guest relations, as you do!  We headed straight to Hogsmeade which is at the back of the park. The girls took lots of photos when we arrived, and got some butterbeer. The frozen one was really good, it will be nice in the summer! The whole park was really quiet all day so we didn’t have to worry about queuing or missing anything. We ate lunch in The Three Broomsticks, overlooking Hogwarts!  It was only a quick service restaurant but the food was good, the potatoes were amazing.  By 4 o’clock the weather had started to turn bad so we headed back to the bus. As soon as we got on the bus the rain went crazy! There had been tornado warnings all day and it looked like it was going to happen. There was sheet lightning across the whole sky which had turned pitch black in about 20 minutes! It was quite scary, especially as we had to walk home from the bus stop. It carried on for about 3 hours but we lucky didn’t have any tornadoes. I guess it was good preparation for the summer!

I decided to have a quiet day on Wednesday and I sorted out things around the house. I also went to the gym, which I am actually quite enjoying at the moment! I’ve found a dance studio about 10 minutes walk away so I will hopefully go to some classes next week. They do lots of different styles, such as ballroom, hip hop and belly dancing! On Wednesday evening I went out for dinner then watched Friends at someone’s apartment. I do miss having a TV just to have on in the background. I can’t even play DVD’s on my laptop so I might treat myself in a few weeks if I can find a cheap set. When people leave they sometimes hand down the things they can’t take home so I could try and get one then.

The next few days I was at work till late so I just have a few quiet drinks or watched a film. We tried to watch Titanic on the TV but there were so many adverts. It got to 2:30am and the boat had only just sunk! There were honestly adverts every 5-10 minutes, it was so frustrating! I can’t say it is one of my favourite films, it’s (obviously) so depressing. We turned it off before we found out what happened to Jack so we can pretend they both lived happily ever after! I got up early on Saturday and did my weekly shop as the fridge looked upsettingly empty. I’ve been cooking quite a lot lately and also taking dinner into work, I’m not used to being so prepared.

On Saturday we found out we are getting two new housemates arriving today, which means there will now be 8 of us. There will be another Italian and French girl moving into the other bedroom. We cleaned the fridges and cupboards to make room for them and found loads of stuff that didn’t belong to anyone! It was a good house bonding experience! We all get on quite well at the moment so hopefully they will be ok. The cleaners came in this morning, while I was still in bed. I hope they didn’t mind me sleeping while they hoovered!

I’m off to EPCOT today to play, not work! Sending lots of sunshine back home!

From Florida with Love

Emily

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See Emily Play

I can never remember what I’ve done all week when I sit down to write this! I never really know what day of the week it is as I have had random days off since I arrived. At the moment they are Tuesday and Wednesday but they could change again soon. We went out last Monday after playing some drinking games with the Mexicans, I don’t think we won many! There was an international party in a bar nearby and it was good to meet people from all the other countries. On Tuesday my main task was to tidy up! I don’t even realise I’m doing it but I leave things all over the place and I don’t think my housemates enjoy it. I also managed to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy, I love it! That night I went out to a club called Rain which has a gay night on Tuesday. It played really good music and the drinks were reasonably priced. I went with six gay guys, we had a great time!

Wednesday was a busy day, started with an all you can eat pizza, pasta and salad buffet for $2.99, Disney discount! We then went to Typhoon Lagoon as the weather was really lovely. It was the first time I’d been to a Disney water park so I was excited. We get in free till the end of February so we’re going to try and make the most of it! We went to the wave pool first which was right next to the ‘beach’. When the hone went off to signal the wave I thought I was prepared for what was coming...It was honestly the biggest wave I have even seen in my whole life! I wish I could have caught my face on camera, it would have been priceless. I turned and tried to run to the shore but everything went into slow motion and I was soon caught up in it! It was absolutely crazy. They only do one at a time so you can prepare yourself for the next one and sort out your swimwear! We went on all the slides which were pretty standard for water parks apart from one, called Crush n’ Gusher. It went up as well as down, it was amazing!

Typhoon Lagoon shuts at 5pm so after we went to Disneyquest. It’s a 5 story interactive arcade in Downtown Disney. We luckily got in for free! There are lots of attractions as well as all sorts of arcade games from pac man to guitar hero. My favourite attraction was Pirates of the Caribbean. You get into your ‘pirate ship’ which has screens all around you and you have to shoot all the other ships with your cannons to get teir treasure! We were really good J We played in there for about 4 hours, I think we managed to do everything. There was also a realy good ride which was like bumper cars but you shot balls at other people and if you ht them they just spin around for ages! That night we just went to bed as we were tired from all the game excitement.

I was back at work on Thursday, late shift again! It’s been quite quiet lately so I’ve been trying to learn the menu of the restaurant as you have to know it before you can go into service. We have to take a written test then a practical test where you serve the managers, very intense! I can’t do this for another month though so I have lots of time to learn it all. It was someone’s birthday that day so he hired the penthouse suite of a local hotel and had a party, as you do! It had four double bedrooms, two kitchens and a huge balcony. It was a good night but it did get shut down at about 1am. No one got into trouble we just had to leave! The next night I went to someone’s apartment for a beer pong tournament! I didn’t get through the first round, though the girls team did win at extreme flip cup after...this is where you have to jump over and crawl under tables on the way! My body clock is on a strange cycle now, bed about 3am, up at 11am. I’m still getting a full night’s sleep but not necessarily at the right time!

I do work hard too but that’s not as exciting to talk about! A lot of funny things happen but they are probably more ‘you had to be there’ moments. It helps to be a little crazy to work in Disney, and ridiculously friendly. People always ask about where I’m from as it says Brentwood on my badge. I do get a lot of people who live/work/have family nearby which is always fun to talk about! Someone went to St. Martins about 30 years ago and now lives in Las Vegas, which is probably the weirdest one so far.

I have two days off now :) wahoo! I hope everyone is having a good week!

From Florida with Love

Emily

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A Kind of Magic

I've had a pretty quiet week since last Friday. I have been working late most nights so we don’t always feel like going out when we get back. As we are still the ‘newbies’ we get all the closing shifts which finish about 10pm. There are two new arrivals groups in February so we won’t be new for much longer! I managed to put on a photo of my costume this week, though I did leave the mop cap off! I also have a very fetching coat which I need to tak a picture of. Hopefully we won't need it much longer as it is getting warmer, though the evenings are cold as there aren't many clouds.

On the Saturday before last I went out for lunch to a buffet restaurant called Sweet Tomatoes. It was so amazing! It was unlimited salad, soups, jacket potatoes, chilli, vegetables...I ate so much. We had about 5 courses, I was struggling to stand up by the end. It was all healthy though so I didn’t feel bad about it! Apart from the pizza bread, and the chocolate cake I had for dessert. We were meant to have games night that evening as my friend Kaz had just bought Disney Monopoly which has a pop up castle in the middle! However, by the time we’d all got there and they had eaten dinner (I was still stuffed!) it was about 1am, a bit late to start that game.

Most other evenings we watched films and just chilled out, singing along to iPods and eating fudge! I’ve watched The Lion King, Mulan and Aladin in the past few weeks as we can get borrow them for free at work. You can’t escape the Disney bubble! On Monday nights all the girls from the UK get together and after a few drinks meet up with the boys from another country. This week we met the UK boys at a bar nearby as someone was leaving. I played pool against one of the guys from culinary and managed to win as he was very drunk! It is good to be able to get together outside of work and get to know other people you might not see every day. After you have been for 6 weeks you get a t-shirt!! Tomorrow is 80’s themed, I knew I should have bought my legwarmers.

I had a day off on Wednesday and was very lazy, again! I got dressed at about 2pm and went to see a new girl who had arrived a few days before. We went to McDonalds with few of the other people who were off and arranged to meet some friends at the cinema. We saw ‘County Strong’, the new film with Gwyneth Paltrow. It was actually unexpectedly good, I love county music! It was my friend Nate’s birthday that day so we went to TGIs on the way home for some yummy food. We made everyone sing happy birthday to him, which was enjoyable for us!

The most exciting thing I did all week/month/year was to go to Universal Studios on Saturday! We took a local bus which took about half an hour but it only cost us 25 cents as we’re Disney cast members. I bought an annual pass as it costs about the same as going three times in the year and I get discounts on food, merchandise and other people’s tickets. We went straight to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I was nearly exploding with happiness. It was magical! As soon as you walk into Hogsmeade you see the Hogwarts Express and all the shops, covered in snow. There was a queue to get in the Honeydukes so we didn’t go in straight away. We bought a butterbeer which was good, the foam topping was really yummy. The day was really good fun, lots to explore and see. The main ride Harry Potter was amazing, it is really creative and uses lots of bits from the books. We also walked round the rest of Island of Adventures and met some more characters (sorry for not knowing who all the X-men are!). In the evening we watched more films!

I miss you all lots, but I'm really happy here too! I will try and be on Skype more often as I only ever seem to catch people when I'm about to go to work, silly time difference! Have a great week :)

From Florida with Love,

Emily
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5, 6, 7, 8

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope you all had a memorable night, wherever time zone you were in!

On the evening before New Years Eve I went to the Polynesian hotel near Magic Kingdom to sit on the ‘beach’ and have cocktails! The resort is a ‘relaxing tropical paradise’ with really cool buildings and lots of interesting sculptures. Magic Kingdom practice their New Years Eve fireworks the night before so we got to watch them as it turned midnight. There was a really big group of us from work which was really lovely as we were all working the next night. We drank cocktails out of pineapples, as that is obviously what they always do on tropical islands. I had a raspberry pina colada, it was amazing!

On New Years Eve I worked from 5.30pm. It is one of the busiest evenings in Epcot of the year, but it meant the time went quickly. At 7pm we all celebrated English midnight! The fireworks started at 11.40pm so no one came to get any fish and chips after that. We managed to watch the fireworks for the last 10 minutes, they were crazy! It celebrated each countries new year in order that they happened around the world then had the countdown. At the end they let off so many fireworks at one go, it was slightly scary! Everyone got free chilli on the way back to the bus as a thank you for working, and we got hats! By the time we got home everyone was so exhausted that we just went to bed, I didn’t have one drink all night.

I had the weekend off so I slept in late the next day. I didn’t get dressed till about 4pm, I like those kind of days! I watched Princess and the Frog with my friend Arran which was really good, though it is sad towards the end. I went to Planet Hollywood for dinner in the big globe in Downtown Disney. We had to wait about an hour for a table as it was so busy. The food was really good but our waitress was nuts! It was quite funny but also annoying at the same time. We were all so hungry but all she wanted to do was chat! The next day I went to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, just because we can! I saw a show in Animal Kingdom called Festival of the Lion King, it is definitely the best thing I’ve seen since I’ve been here. I also took a few more pictures to add to my character photo album!

I have finished training now so I have been let loose to open and close shifts on my own, which is good but also quite comical. I think I’m managing ok, although it sometimes feels slightly like a scene from Faulty Towers! I have mostly evening shifts at the moment which I don’t mind as it means I get to lie in which is my favourite hobby. I somehow always end up going to bed late, even if we all stay in, so it’s good to be able to catch up on sleep in the morning. I am getting on ok sharing a room, even though we are on totally different sleep patterns. I am managing to keep the mess to my side of the room!

One of the things I miss most about England (apart from all my friends and family) is a Tesco Express! Especially during university, I could pop to the shop practically any time of the day if I fancied some chocolate or a cheeky glass of wine! The closest shop is about a 20 minute walk so it becomes an hour round trip if you fancy a late night snack. I just need to be better prepared and have a sweets pile hidden away, although I would eat them all really quickly.

Last night I went to a line dancing bar, it was so much fun! I loved it. It was ladies night so we got in free and drinks were only $2. I was straight on the dance floor, trying not to stand on anyone! I managed to pick up some of the dances but they were so hard. There wasn’t anyone telling you what steps to do you just had to follow everyone else! They were all so good but looked so serious. I could follow the ones that just went back and forward but where they span around a lot I got confused. I had a great time though!

It’s our one month anniversary of arriving today, it has gone so fast. We are going out to lunch to celebrate then I’m having a quite night in, hopefully! I hope you all have a great weekend J

From Florida with Love

Emily

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