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dancingthroughlife96 · 7 years

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7/11/17

Jambo, everyone! For those of you that don’t know, I’m Victoria. For those of you that do, well… Hey! Haha. This is going to be the first post, so I’m not going to explain what this blog is going to be about. If you want to read that, look at the home page. Alright, well. Let’s get right into it.

Last spring, I left home for the first time to move down to Orlando for the Disney College Program. I got put into Attractions at DismeyQuest. When I told people where I worked, all I heard was, “Oh, I’m sorry.” No, I’m sorry that you never got to work there. It got SO slow at times, but the family that I was brought into there was beyond incredible. Old news, but I did not get my extension, I moved back home, in August, and I worked in Jacksonville for about 6 months. I worked at Alhambra Dinner Theatre (awesome place, I highly recommend it), then Adventure Landing (indoor arcade with a water park, go-karts, and laser tag), as well as being a Scare Actor at Adventure Landing’s Haunt Nights (really awesome haunted houses. Again, highly recommend). I had a blast, I was back with my family, I was working with all of my closest friends, and for the most part, my managers were great. Well, there’s something that I left out. When I moved back home in August, my good friend from my first program, Diego, and I applied to the DCP Spring Program again just for the hell of it. Really, just to see what would happen. A month later, we both got accepted for January 2017.

For those of you that do not know me, it has always been a dream of mine to work at Disney. A lot of people told me that I couldn’t do it, but I did. I was 19 years old, and I moved away from home to follow my dream. @everyone that told me I couldn’t do it… I did it. Anyway, I really wanted to go back for Disney because ultimately, that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t know how it would work out, or if it was a good choice at the time or not, but after a LOT of thought, I decided to do it. So in January, I packed up my life again and we drove down to Orlando.

Looking back, there are parts of me that regret going back so soon, because in reality, I was not ready. Although I did a lot of growing up in those months having to move back home, I probably should have stayed there a little bit longer. With that being said, there are way more parts of me that couldn’t be happier that I came back. I’m where I belong, I have such an AMAZING job, and I met the most incredible guy.

I have been working at Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I drive a truck full of people, through a “reserve” full of animals, and I get to teach people about all of the animals. I have learned SO much about myself, my limits, people in general, and animals! Haha. I knew I loved animals, but this job has really opened my eyes to my love for them as well as my newfound passion for conservation (Learn more at https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/ ).

On my first day of training, I was a little lost backstage. I rode the cast member bus to the back and all my paper said was “Meet at the SFO”. What the hell is a “SFO”?! As I was asking my roommate if she knew, a guy walked up next to me and said, “Did you say SFO? For Safaris?” I nodded and he replied, “I’m going there now. I can show you where to go!” Well he did, and he introduced himself. Will. We became friends on Facebook and we would talk a bit when I saw him or over messenger. All during training, I was a nervous wreck. It’s very overwhelming because it is so much in a week. At the end of the week, passed my assessment, and my first day on my own, I was even more nervous. I didn’t want to be THAT CP that messed everything up on her first day. This boy just told me to keep breathing. All day, just keep breathing. I did, I got through it, and Will and I have been dating for going on 5 months now. He is so incredible and I am so beyond blessed to have him in my life.

So flashing forward about 5 months! This is where it gets fun… Yaaay. I have about 4 weeks left of my program. Once again, I didn’t get my extension. Another huge bump in the road. Going back to me making the rash decision to move down here, moving back home was not an option for me at the end of this program, because then what was the point? I signed a lease to an apartment (yeah, surprise, I live in Orlando officially now… At least for another year!). With the he money that I made, I did save a lot during my program. I also spent a lot. Well everything with the apartment has taken up most of my savings from my program (lots of fees, expenses, rent, etc.). I still don’t have a car, which is going to be really REALLY difficult over the next few months. I’m still trying to find a job for when my program is up so I can ultimately pay for everything that I have to pay for now. My phone stopped working completely last week, so I don’t really have a reliable way of communicating with anyone, and to top it all off, my purse got stolen a few days ago. My purse was turned in, but they took my wallet with my debit card, and my my purse at the time had almost $300 in cash in it. I know what you’re thinking. Why the heck would I be carrying that much in cash? I normally don’t carry cash. All the cash that I usually have (which is never a lot), is hidden in a jar. I was getting ready to pay rent and the rent had to be paid my money order. The only reason that I had cash was because its easier to get a money order that way. For the first time ever, I had to swallow my pride and borrow a good chunk of money from someone (You know who you are, again, I can’t thank you enough).

I am super duper stressed right now trying to figure everything out and how I am going to live down here. What I do know, is that I am a strong person. I may not have been acting like it recently, but that’s because I’m scared. This is all very new to me and it is a lot all at once. But like I said, I am a strong person. I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember. Even though I wasn’t ready for it, it’s happening and I am going to be fine. I have an incredible support system back home (shoutout to my family: Mom, Dad, Gabs, Grandma, Poppy, and everyone else back home that’s been looking out and praying for me), and an incredible support system here (Will, you’re amazing and I can’t thank you enough for everything that you do for me).

See? Life is hard. Growing up sucks.. Even when you’re doing something that you love. You just gotta take a deep breath, stand back, and think about what you want. Just because it gets hard, does NOT mean that you should give up on what you love or what you want. It’s just a little bump in the road. If I can do it, anyone can.

I know, that was a LOT for a first post, but I had a lot to catch y'all up on! Until next time, Kwaherini, friends.

~Victoria~

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