I am through, I am through, I am through!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! I have a face to face interview, in London, in October, with Disney. I am officially

EXTATIC!

I hoped, I dreamed and boy did I wait!, but all of that is finally over. I HAVE AN F2F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's going to be amazing - officially amazing and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it. I think after I've done this blog I might just go and watch the Cultural Representative Presentation for the third time!!!!!!!

I'm so excited, I can't tell you how happy I am! That alone tells me how crushed I would've been to not get through! But I am, so who cares about that? I can officially start to think about what I'm going to wear now TO THE INTERVIEW, IN LONDON WITH DISNEY.

Can you believe it? ME, one step closer to working for the Mouse in Orlando, for a whole year. Crikey. Now I know what it means for gappers to have itchy feet - I want to go NOW! Not have to spend a whole other year in rainy old Southampton slogging my guts out over my dissertation!

But it does mean that I have the motivation to start mega saving for this trip - it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so determined not to mess it up.

YES! YES! YES! I just can't believe it, this is the real deal now. Gosh, I'm going to be an absolute nightmare to live with from now on. Yay. See? Even that makes me say yay!

I told you before it a dream, a place of dreams and the product of a dream and I'm a whole lot closer to going there.

Anyways, that is the big news of the month. Now I've vented just some of my joy, I'm going to add to it by watching the presentation!

Quote of the Day? Here it is: 'Please cover your ears whilst I scream!!' - Kirbie (wdwip forums) on hearing she has an F2F.

This is the e-mail from Michele:

Hi Victoria

Many thanks for taking time in the pre-screen interview for the Walt Disney World™ International programs. We were impressed by your performance and are pleased to invite you to the next interview stage.

Your interview will be held sometime in October. We will be contacting at the end of August with details of the exact date and venue of your interview. If your contact details change please be sure to notify us!

Once again, congratulations on reaching this stage of the recruitment process and I very much look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Michele

Yummy Jobs

The Waiting Game

It's kind of a bit like grrr, then abit yay, sometimes I'm unsure and other times calm and collected! Basically, I'm all over the place. So there you have it; that's what The Waiting Game does to you. Phew!

It's now 8 days since my phone interview and 11 days until Momentum rolls around. The significance of Momentum is that I'm pretty sure the e-mail with the all important yes or no should arrive during the 6 days I'm down there.

The question is, do I deliberately make an effort to check my e-mails while I'm away and face the possibility of bad news ruining my holiday, or do I play an even bigger version of the waiting game? If I do that, I could have a double low if its bad news......

Ok, my decision is (at the moment anyway!) to wait to find out until I get home. That way if it is bad news, I'll only take it out on my parents and not the whole group of 60 going to Momentum.

What makes it worse is;
1. Some other countries such as Norway, don't have so many applicants, so they're almost guaranteed to get the job when they apply.

2. Spending loads of time on the Forums (wdwip.com) means that these girlies have become my friends and I hate to think we're competing against each other, but I guess that's the sad truth of it.

3. I heard someone say that they like to make it as representative as possible in the UK Pavillion. Does that mean you have more chance of getting the job if you come from N. Ireland (because there might be less applicants?)?

But the good thing about the fact that we're all in this together is that we're getting to know each other now, being friends on Facebook, so we know each other by real name, not just forum name and have some idea of where some people come from etc!

The good news for me, at the moment, is that I have things to keep me busy; sorting my room out, going to work and preparing for Momentum etc.

I do keep coming back to the financial and logistical side of things though.... At this moment in time, I have £235 in the account set aside for Disney, with another £130 or so soon to be added (I hope!). Plus my wages from June need to be paid in yet - and I reckon that will be at least £200! Yay for wages!

Mustn't get too excited though :-( I still have £300 rent per month etc etc ad infinitum to pay out..... It seemed a huge figure, but now I've started to save, I seem closer than I'd dared to hope, to actually getting there one day!
Although I must remember that my Mum had to bale me out of financial ruin again last month! Maybe finances aren't quite as rosy as I'd like them to be.... Que sera sera.

Thought for the Day: it's another one from Walt:
When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.

That's all for now folks! Next time I post, it will hopefully be with good news ON AN F2F!!!!!! That would brighten up my rather rainy August lol

The Phone Interview!!!

I'm now amongst the cool, calm and collected people who have had their phone interview with Yummy Jobs for the Disney Cultural Representative Program and lived to tell the tale!!!

Let's start at the beginning:

I sent off my CV and cover letter to Yummy on the morning of the 2nd July, I received a confirmation e-mail saying that we would hear if we had a phone interview in 3 weeks time.

So, the waiting began.... About a week ago I finally got an e-mail and arranged an interview time with Michele.

In the meantime, I'd been scouring the forums for posts of what to expect in the interview and had found a lot of sample questions. I spent ages preparing and perfecting answers to questions like:
Why do you want to work for Disney?
What has your work experience been so far?
How would you deal with an unhappy Guest?
How will you cope with the heat?
How will you find living with lots of different people from around the world?

They all came up in the interview which, I am not going to dissect, because it will just drive me crazy! I think it went well; I could have said more on certain things :-/ but it could have gone worse, I've decided that the fact I was on the phone for 20 mins instead of 10 is a good sign. Ok, it's a GOOD sign!

To be honest, looking back, it was kind of like a conversation, but I guess I - like everyone - was too nervous to do anything except reel off the answers! The lady who interviewed me, Hannah, had done the CRP before and so was really enthusiastic about it and we chatted a little bit.

Now we have another 3 week wait to find out if we have a face to face (f2f) interview with actual Disney recruiters in London in September. The only weird thing is, is that if I go to an f2f, then I still have a year to wait before I go.... I'm not sure why they do it so far in advance. On the other hand, if I get in early and get my place, the I can be all chilled out and have something to look forward to during the rigours of third year!

The thought for the day is a good one: If you can dream it, you can do it Walt himself said that - I guess I now need to apply it to getting a good grade in my degree, not just getting to work at WDW.
I don't want to seem cocky, but I can't see any reason why I shouldn't get through to an f2f, but it's like I said on the forums; let's hope they need a lot of people or some of us could end up out of luck.....

CV written, Cover Letter written, roll on July 1st!

is all that I can say right now!

But I should go back to the beginning really. You see, before I came home for the summer, I'd been working on a Disney blog - doing lots of research and reading up as per usual.....

But I hadn't exactly decided what I was going to do and how and when... it was just a bit of a distant dream still.

When I got home though and had a few days of relaxation and trawling the internet I got back in to the forums and the general excitement of the Disney world. I also decided to e-mail Yummy Jobs (ticket to the Magic) and ask them when I should apply to leave September 2009.

I got an e-mail back straight away from Kirsten saying that the date for applying for departure then was July 1st!!!! the next day!! So I spent all of today writing my CV and then this evening moved on to the Cover Letter.
Now, I'm not sure if its all complete rubbish or not, but if I want to be in with any chance of getting the job, I need to get in there quick and that means sending it all off tomorrow!

I've also now officially signed up for the WDWIP forums so I can keep up with all of the excitement as other people head off and share their experiences etc. My user name is Mushu

Well, what more can I say? I've taken that all important first step to the Magic so now all I have to do is wait and hope that what I put was not complete tosh but actually attractive to Yummy and not OTT either......

I suppose I ought to leave you with a thought for the day...... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Except this journey will be a lot longer than a thousand miles, lets hope it doesn't all go wrong........

UPDATE: Sent my CV and covering letter off and it was received on the 2nd July. I got a confirmation e-mail from a lady @ Yummy called Michele. Now I have to wait 4-6 weeks to find out if I have got through to the next stage - the phone interview!
Here's the e-mail
Dear Vicki

Thank you for your interest in the Walt Disney World ™ International Programs!

These programs offer entry-level, practical training opportunities for individuals who are preparing for careers in Hospitality, Tourism or Leisure Management. Through on the job exposure to high volume Resort or Theme Park operations, participants learn how the Walt Disney World Resort maintains its position as a leader in the Hospitality and Entertainment Industries.

Participants must be at least 18 years old and authentically represent the culture and customs of their own country. These programs offer unique working, living, and learning experiences for one year. If you are successful you will be eligible for a visa for this period only. To find out more, please visit www.disneyinternationalprograms.com

We look forward to the opportunity to consider you for the Walt Disney World ™ International Program and will be contacting you within one month of receiving you application to let you know if you will be put forward to the next stage of interviews.

Kindest regards

Michele

7th July: Well, I've now got a Countdown Timer on my Desktop! It tells me that in 24 days I will hear, or will have already heard from, the people at Yummy Jobs as to whether I will be offered a phone interview for sometime in August! Oooh, I hate this waiting game, but it has given me plenty of time to pepare and gen up on my Hastings and Disney knowledge, as well as answers to some sample questions!

The Obsession Grows.....

I dread to think how many blogs I will have completed before I actually go away, but nevertheless here I am again!

As the title suggests, my obsession is growing with all things Disney; spending long hours on relevant Facebook groups, reading my new trivia book and ordering a Vacation Planning DVD to get me some real life footage of the Magic!

I'm working as much as possible at the moment under the proviso that early planning = more time to save up and more money for the trip! :-)

It's official though: I am obsessive. I'm doing lots of research (which if you are sceptical you might call escapism from the week of revision I am facing next week) and it is doing nothing more than exciting me!

You see WDW is more than a theme park (or many theme parks!), its more than the experience of a lifetime (although that's exactly what it is!); its a dream and the product of a dream and a place of dreams. That's where I'm going to go and that's what I am going to be a part of. That thought just makes me want to smile.
Other people's dreams may be to trek through Central America or backpack around Asia or spend a year working and partying in Australia - don't get me wrong, each to their own - but when the day comes that I go to Gatwick having passed my interview and got my visa and planned my travels and saved my money and more than likely spent some of that money on new clothes then that will be the day that my Disney dream comes true.

So now that little rant is over (!) what more can I say? "Goodbye clouds of grey, hello skies of blue" in the words of High School Musical 2. Because that's what it will be.... a whole year of amazingness.....

Thought to end with: Working at Disney is not my only dream, so I wonder if the playing out of one dream will lead to the formulation of another? Maybe I'll have decided on my future by the time 2010 comes around.....

Note to self: really must do some academic work between then and now or I won't be going anywhere..... error!

The Parents Approve!

Well I guess the title says it all really. But I want this to be a complete account so I'll give a few more details, because believe me, if they hadn't, it would've been game over!

Mum didn't seem that excited at first but now I think she realises, possibly from the amount of time I go on about it, that it is a highly sought after job. She's impressed by the benefits and I've been careful to not only go on about Mickey Mouse etc but the finances and practicalities too.

Dad was told by Mum and when he mentioned it to me, it didn't seem as if Mum had spoken ill of it, so that's the first good thing. Secondly, Dad approves in his own right and that's saying a lot, especially from a man who has seen so much of the world. Dad was with the Navy for 20yrs and has probably seen more of the world than the Mir Space Station!
He shares my view that there's nothing that special about Asia or Africa - don't get me wrong I'm sure that if I went to either of those continents it would be an experience of a lifetime, but I'm not that bothered and I'm certain I couldn't spend a year there.

Besides parents it's nice that when I've spoken to my friends - whose opinions I also consider tremendously important - that they're genuinely interested and happy for me. Most of them - no, all of them - have never heard of the Cultural Representative Programme and I've quite enjoyed telling them of it

Other things to report are that I've been thinking about the interview itself, not that I want to but needs must, and whenever I come up with things that I might need to demonstrate or that I would need to make me look good, it seems as if I have them! Yay!

Things I need to think about are that I need to decide when ie what time of year, I want to go. If I work through the summer and go in September/October time, that means I'll be travelling at that time the following year and I doubt that by that point, my wardrobe will be suitable for NY in Autumn.
On the other hand, if I need to raise more money then I'll have to work for as long as possible to fund myself. I need about $1300 which is about £700 for my initial costs; flights, insurance, visa, fees etc and to live off for my first or so, including the initial shopping that'll be quite a bit.

Hmmm...... lots to think about. AND TO BE EXCITED ABOUT TOO

That's why I've started this blog so far in advance, because if it all happens, then I want a record of the build-up, the planning and the excitement of all my dreams and fears etc recorded to look back on, two years down the line.

All of this doesn't really answer the years old question though: what will I do with the rest of my life post-graduation? I'll have to wait and see - 6 months ago I had no idea I would be doing this!

I suppose I had better end, in typical me fashion, with a Thought for the Day: Remember, it (Disney) all started with a mouse. If Walt can start with a mouse and end up with everything there is today, then I can start with a crazy idea and have an amazing year out. Right????

Call me obsessive if you will, but I bought a Disney Trivia Book Today and I am stupidly excited about receiving it and reading up on the place that I love so much and where - one day in the not so distant future - I Will Earn My Ears. YAY!!!!

The Plot Thickens....

Well, because I'm really sad, it's only a few hours since my last blog. Oh well.

I've spent a ridiculously huge amount of time today planning post-Disney travels!!!!!!

At the moment the plan looks like this:

1. Leave Orlando when my work contract is over and FLY to Washington DC. Whilst there visit; White House/Capitol Building, Vietnam Memorial Wall, Arlington National Cemetary, the Lincoln Memorial etc

2. Leave Washington DC on the GREYHOUND COACH for Boston which is a 10hour journey, but will be worth it methinks......

3. Is the Big Apple - New York, New York. Planning to see; Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero and Central Park. AS WELL AS SERIOUS SHOPPING!
My plan is to use New York as a base for further travel to Niagara Falls (another 10hrs on the coach but well worth it!) and elsewhere in the state.

Other exciting news is that the mild heart attack I was foreseeing over air fares may not happen.
EXPEDIA THE LIVING LEGENDS can do a multi-trip ticket for £450 max! That's London > Orlando, Orlando > Washington DC and New York > London all in one!!!!!
Whilst I know that 400 quid is still a lot of money, its a lot cheaper than what I had been seeing and is personalised for all of the random places I want to see.

I'm seriously considering finding a TravelBuddy on Gapyear.com when the time comes. Even if it is just for NY or chilling in FL for a few days after work finishes. Mum would have kittens, and I think I would too, about me going solo for a month in a foreign country.

Other coolness to report is that there seems to be a couple of good discount cards out there that will be useful for discounts on the Greyhound/Train and elsewhere hopefully!

So the plan is: save up, work, save up, work, save up, work, save up etc.
Budget wise, I would hope to break even and not incur any actual debt from the trip. As ever, we can but hope!

Thought to end ALL OF THESE PLANS WILL BE TOTALLY POINTLESS UNLESS I GET ON WITH SOME WORK AND ACTUALLY PASS MY DEGREE!

But to myself and anyone else reading this, whether it be 2008, 2009 or 2010 - never give up on your dreams. They may change over time, but they're never out of reach.