Career Fair: Then & Now

Fall 2010, my first ever trimester here at Johnson & Wales. I was in academics, things were just getting started for me. I was 18, had just graduated high school a few months earlier and was still running on some leftover pixie dust from my Disney vacation from back in July where being a baker in Disney was just starting to creep into my mind.

It all seems so long ago. Even from that point, I'm a different person. But, I still get sunburn, that's never going to change!

I had seen flyers about the Disney presentation on campus. I had just started school, I didn't need to start looking for my sophomore internship yet but I wanted to go. I wanted to learn about the program, I wanted to be surrounded by something Disney.

I sat in the chairs. I watched Chef Pauli, a man I didn't know yet, give the presentation on apartments I never lived in, talk about a job I've never experienced, talk about a program I had never been a part of. I saw Campus Reps, faces that were new but would evolve into familiar faces, talk about their experience. They were just like me, students at this school who needed to do an internship. I was asking the questions, I was dreaming of wow, what and opportunity this would be. Those people up there are so lucky.

I want to do this.

Now, it's 2014. My last trimester at Johnson & Wales. I'm 22 and I'm closer to my college graduation in May than I am my high school graduation all those years ago. And I've done not one, but two Disney Culinary Programs as a Pastry Cook II.

And that's what this blog has mostly been about, my experience in Florida on the DCP. But my journey has also been continuing up here in RI since the end of my first program. For the past 2 years, I have been a Disney Campus Rep. We serve as a connection between Disney and JWU, we are here to educate others about the program, answer questions, host information sessions, and recruit applicants for when Chef Pauli and the Disney crew come to our school for our 2 career fairs every year. It's not a paid job but we are still employed by Disney, we still get the perks, we're still Cast Members. The magic follows us from Florida back to school.

My last career fair and DCP presentation was this past Thursday. Do you know where I was? I was up there, talking about my past experience. I was answering questions and representing Disney.  I was up there with people who were strangers to me at one point and now where friends. I was up there with Chef Pauli who once gave me the most intimidating job interview and now he's helping to shape my career.

I had a really tough time coming back from my first program. and I'm still having a tough time. The months of July-November were when it was easiest to make it through because I was back in Disney. There have been days where I have not wanted to get out of bed. Where I literally do sleep the day away because I don't want to face it. But I always got out of bed for rep work, I was always excited to help with interviews when one might have seen it as boring. I don't like talking in front of people but I love talking about Disney and sharing what I know about it with others.

Being a rep was a key element about my last 2 years at JWU. I encourage DCP alumni, no matter where you go to school, to look into it. It's been a fun and magical journey working for Disney and I'm glad the pixie dust has been able to follow me wherever I go.

If you have any questions on what it's like to be, or become a Campus Rep, please leave them in the comments bellow!

Hello There, Remembe Me?

Happy New Year everyone!

Yeah, that's how long it has been since I have made a post on here and I feel really bad about that. My second trimester was my last set of baking labs for school and with my work study I ended up being out from about 7-7 and that the last thing my fingers wanted to do was type.

But this past week the recruiter from the Culinary Program has been at my school so as a Rep I have been busy recruiting and giving out information and doing presentations. and I thought you know, why not give this blog a shot again? My other blog is way too cluttered with other things for anyone to find anything on it so at least with this blogger, it's just my Disney journey.

Which, is starting again! On September 8th I will be checking in to my 3rd Disney Culinary Program and will be going back to the Epcot Bakery to bake for the Food & Wine Festival!

As of right now, my dates are 9/8-1/2 but I do plan on extending and if full-time becomes available, finding my own place and permanently residing in Florida.

I'll be returning to Walt Disney World which is all too familiar to me but this will still be a major life adjustment. I have never been away from my family for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's. I have never completely moved away from my family as far as Florida. I will be apartment hunting, car shopping (mind you I haven't driven in nearly 3 years) and going from the CP life to the CM life.

But I'm excited. This is where I'm meant to be, I know it. and I am so thankful to have a job and boss who is so understanding back home that if for some reason I have to leave and come back, I have something to return to. My family says they may even move to Florida in time.

So that's where I'm at right now. Graduating in May, working throughout the summer, starting a CP in September and after that, I have no idea!

DCP Graduation #2

Back in October I had my 2nd DCP graduation. It was weird, I felt like I was just STARTING my FIRST program, not finishing my second one. People say time goes by when you're having fun and I feel like this program went by in the blink of an eye. I left for Disney in shorts and flip flops because it was July and it was hot and I was going from 4th of July fireworks to Disney fireworks. and then next thing you know, I'm heading on a plane home in jeans and a sweatshirt because it's November and cold back home.

Disney hosts a graduation for you before your program ends. There's free food, music, and prizes. You receive a free gift, a free pair of graduation Mickey ears, and you get the chance to celebrate your graduation with not only your friends, but Disney characters!

Most of the housing events are held at Chatham Square field because it's nice and open. We were there during an experimental phase where I guess they wanted to test out using it at the Vista Way welcome pavilion. It wasn't as much fun because characters had to change instead of all being out at the same time and there wasn't as much room. It was still fun though, nothing could damper your DCP graduation!

 The Epcot crew and our friends Pluto and Goofy

 Pluto and Goofy have moves!

The boss and Minnie Mouse <3

 Take your pictures in front of a castle backdrop, you can even pose with your country's flag if you're international.

 The best degree you can get!

After graduation, a lot of people go to get their ears engraved. My first program it was free but for the $7, it's worth it. It's just nice to have and makes your ears that much more special. My first pair of ears has my name on it but since I was paying for this one, I went all out and got a different color.

 Another hat to add to the collection!

There's a little hidden gem in WDW, the casting door. A great place for a photo with your new ears!

I was fortunate to have the day off for graduation. Make sure you request the day off as soon as you get the email about it so that way you have a better chance of getting picked to go. It's something I would list on my DCP Don't Miss List (I don't really have one,but if I did, it would be on it!) It's just something really special and something only done for CPs. Go celebrate all your hard work!

You're a wizard, Megan. My trip to Universal

One of the things I regretted about my last program was that I didn't get to Universal Studios. I made sure that this program, I would get there! Our trip still didn't go as planned because we went on a Halloween Horror Night so the parks closed at 7. So we decided to just hit up 1 park that day and of course we went with Islands of Adventure to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I grew up with Harry Potter, I remember it being the first "big" book that I read. Now, I haven't read books 6 and 7 and I've been meaning to (I mean hello, I own them) but I've seen all the movies and had all the merch as a kid. I remember what it was like to read about Hogwarts and watch the movies and wish there was a way to experience it myself. and now there is!

I constantly had my hands to my face in just pure wonder, I kept exclaiming things like "wow!" and "oh my gosh this is so cool!" and just being completely amazed by it. The ride inside Hogwarts is absolutely AMAZING and butterbeer is something that I could easily drink everyday if I could.

Now everyone, position yourself between platforms 9 and 10 and run on in because we're going back to Hogwarts! *you just got a Harry Potter AND a Harry Potter Musical reference, BAM

Where's the Castle?

Before I get back into catching up on old posts and filling you guys in on what else happened on my program (so much for this being a live blog huh!) I guess it's time for another current post.

I'm home. Actually, I'm not even home. I'm in my dorm at school.
Yeah.

My second program ended 11/22, that morning I was flying home and I touched down in NJ before it was even noon.

Did I enjoy seeing my family? Absolutely. I hadn't seen my mom and brother since their visit in August and I hadn't seen my dad and dog since I left in July. It was nice to see my whole family again. I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and that was really really nice.

 I mean really, why miss my brother attacking my grandma with Elmo?

And I've been back at my job back home. When I'm home I bake for ShopRite in their commissary. We bake for 30 ShopRites and I work in the patisserie department and I really do enjoy it. We do entremets, cakes, tarts, a bunch of things I enjoy doing. and it was nice being back. It was weird because I left right after 4th of July was over and then I came back to help for Thanksgiving. It seemed so long but so short at the same time.

but? I miss Disney. I mean, of course I do. When my dad drops me off at work it's in front a brick building. When I would walk to work I got to pass Spaceship Earth, hear Test Track and see everyone so happy. I thoroughly enjoyed going to work and I enjoyed working with the people that I did. I loved putting on the nametag every morning that said "Where Dreams Come True" because mine was coming true by putting it on. 

As I Campus Rep, I am guilty of it too. We preach to people how great the DCP is, we show everyone all these great pictures and videos of our time here, we talk about what it's like to work for Disney and having your co-Cast Members become your friends, going to the parks for free on your day off, and all of the fun things about the life-changing DCP. But we always skirt around the fact that yeah, you have to leave. There's going to be your departure day where all of a sudden you have to pack up everything and leave. But Disney World will go on without you. The 3 o'clock parade will still happen at 3 o'clock (shocker!) and Mickey Mouse will still be greeting people and someone will always be screaming on Tower of Terror. While you're probably sitting at home wrapped up in your Disney blanket watching Disney movies and crying as you stuff your face with junk food. Or is that just me?

I had the time of my life on my first program last year at the Polynesian, I thought how could it get any better. But this program exceeded it all. I came down for 5 months instead of 3, I had family dinners with friends, lucked out with nice roommates again, I got to work with really great people doing really great things, tour the castle suite and AK, ate around the world, I got to go to Universal Studios, and I even had a Disney vacation in between with my mom and brother. Did I make money on this internship? Probably not a lot. But I wouldn't take a dime back because it was all worth it.

This place is my home. I lost my childhood home and the Breezy home last year so when I think of home now, I see a castle. I see Spaceship earth. Walt Disney World IS my home. Being here is a feeling all of it's own. I swipe my card (or should I say touch the Mickey head and press my finger until the light turns green?) and all my worries stay at the gate. I run to Mickey for a hug when I need it, I watch the MSEP when I need to smile. Whether it's been obvious or not, I haven't been myself since last year. I haven't been the same physically or mentally. Whether someone would label it as depression or anxiety, it's not easy and it hasn't been fun. When I look at the year in between my programs, I don't want to remember it. There's been a lot of crying, a lot of legitimate break downs, a lot of sleeping the days away because I don't want to bother with being awake to face them, a lot of bad thoughts. and knowing that I couldn't go to Mickey for that hug or tap my foot to the MSEP jingle made it even worse. Clicking your heels 3 times is only something that works in the movies and finding yourself curled up in the corner of your bed rocking back and forth crying your eyes out doesn't get you there either.  I'm petrified of the year ahead, scared shitless. I feel like there's only room to get worse because heck, if I missed the 1st program so much, what's missing this one going to be like?

Leaving WDW after a CP isn't like leaving it after a weeks vacation. We get this place at our fingertips. I could go to China for lunch before work, I could go snorkeling with fishes in Typhoon Lagoon on my day off, and watch world class entertainment anytime that I want. I get to put a WDW name tag on everyday, I get to call myself a Cast Member for a company that I adore that was started by a man that I admire so much. It gets to be my life. and then we have to move on with ours without it.

But I'll be back. Next fall, I'll be back. Once you're in the CM bubble, you don't ever want it to pop. You can't imagine not getting a discount, you can't imagine paying for park tickets, you can't imagine not working for a place where dreams come true.Was I excited to see my friends and family and go home for the holidays? Absolutely. But did I want to leave? Absolutely not. I know this is where I'm meant to be, I just wish God made Florida and New Jersey a little closer together so it wouldn't be so damn hard.

Be Our Guest & Cinderella Castle Suite Tour!

On Wednesday 10/16 I got to cross a major thing off my bucket list, seeing the Cinderella Castle Suite in person! Of course spending the night there is still up there on the list but I am incredibly grateful to have been able to walk it and see it for myself! For Limited Time Magic Disney was hosting one Imagineer led tour every morning from Monday-Friday for 25 people. I always miss the signups because I am either at work or find them after work. But I entered for my 2 days off and was selected for Wednesday morning! I found out backstage when I checked my email at lunch and I'm pretty sure I freaked everyone out!

I had to report to the Magic Kingdom at 7:30 and the tour started at 8. At first they said the tour would last one hour and I was like, really? An hour to tour both castles? Luckily it ended up lasting much more than that, nearly an hour for each castle. We were given admission to the park promptly at 8 and proceeded to make our way to the tour! Click "Read More" to go in depth into my tour and see tons of pictures from inside the castles!

Limited Time Magic Presents: Imagineer Led Castle Tours!

CM Open Mouse: The DVC Villas at the Grand Floridian

To continue the streak of a good week, Monday morning I woke up to attend the Open Mouse of the new Disney Vacation Club Villas at the Grand Floridian. This event was open only to CMs to get a preview of the new Villas that actually opened 10/23. We got a commemorative button, map and water to take us through the self guided tour. Straighten your bow tie gentleman and smooth out your dress ladies, we're about to head back to the Victorian Era! Let's begin shall we? Pictures and more after the jump!

Epcot Food & Wine: Taste Your Way Around the World..as a Guest!

While I do spend most of my time baking for the Food & Wine Festival, I also make it a point to enjoy it as a guest of course! It takes a bit of time (and quite a bit of money) to do but it's worth it. Everything I've eaten so far has been delicious and you get a pretty nice sized portion. You can easily hit up a few booths and keep it at $20.
I usually fit these in before work or on my days off. Since I'm not hitting up too many marketplaces in one day, my credit card is ok. But if you come with full intentions of hitting up as many as you can in 1 day (which people do believe me!) it's advised that you get a gift card and use that around the kiosks. You can even refill them at the register if you run out. Saves you from ordering a delicious meal and getting excited then finding out your bank is on the phone wanting to talk toyou!

The festival has been open for almost a month already and here are the dishes I have tried since the opening! Get a napkin ready, you might start drooling!

 Garlic Shrimp from Australia-delicious! I was getting as much meat out of the tail as I could!

 The Banoffee Tart we make for Scotland (the Whiskey Cream is my favorite!)

 The Dessert Trio we work so hard on!

 Gourmet Chocolates from Desserts & Champagne. Nah, we don't make these

 Chicken Pot stickers with Lychee soda from China. I wish there was more since it was $4

 Warm Pudding Cake with Bailey's Sauce that we make for Ireland

 Altmunster Oktoberfest with Apple Strudel from Germany, das good!

 California Roll and Teriyaki Chicken Hand Roll from Japan. Of course I used my chopsticks!

 Frozen S'mores from Desserts & Champagne

 Lemongrass Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice from Singapore, one of my favorite things so far!

 Craisin Bread Pudding with Grand Marnier Sauce that we make for Hops & Barley

 Vegetarian Chili Colorado with Cashew Cheese Sauce from Terra (the Vegetarian/Vegan marketplace) SO delicious that I am most definitely going back for another and want the recipe!

 Ravioli with Bolognese sauce from...Mexico? Italy of course! The portion on this is nice!

 Chocolate Cannolo from Italy (technically canolo is the singular for cannoli, fun Italian fact of the day!)

 Fried Shrimp with Dole Sweet and Sour Sauce from the Refreshment Port

 Black Pepper Shrimp with Szechuan Noodles from China, delicious and a great serving!

 My beloved Kerrygold! A trio of Irish Cheeses with Chutney. Kerrygold Dubliner is my favorite. I'm not a cheese person but I could eat a whole block by itself if calories did not exist!

Pavlova with fresh berries from Australia. We make the pastry cream that goes inside.

And there's still so much I haven't tasted! We still have quite a bit of time to go so my taste  buds better get ready! 

Days Off: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

I did my first program in the Spring of 2012. Was it nice? Absolutely. The Epcot Flower & Garden Festival is stunning and the weather is perfect. But the Fall program offers a lot more, like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This is a special ticket event, on select nights Magic Kingdom will close at 7 and from 7-12, those with their MNSSHP tickets will be allowed to stay in the parks for this exclusive party. For Cast Members, we usually have a discounted system for the September dates but unfortunately I was working and ended up going on October 3rd. Yes, this is something you will have to pay for. I ended up paying $66 but it was worth it. I am itching to go again but know that I have to save my money (for the Christmas party of course!) Here are some highlights from my night!

I ended up going solo which was nice because I was literally running around and I got to do everything I wanted to do. There's tons to do that is exclusive to the party so this isn't really your time to go ride rides and meet characters you can meet any old time. I didn't even do everything! I didn't hit up the 2 dance parties in Tomorrowland and Frontierland but that's ok. Your main priority is characters, parades/shows, and candy. Candy? Yes! You can go trick or treating! Hey, if I'm paying all this money, I want my candy! Go with a plan, I was already in line for Jack & Sally at 5 and they didn't come out til 7 and then I ran right over to the Dwarves, just keep the parades and fireworks time in mind and you'll get stuff done!

This post is picture heavy so hit read more to see all my pics! Here's a sneak peek though! Can you guess who I am?!

Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas made their WDW debut at this year's MNSSHP, one of the best character interactions I've ever had!

I'm Alive! oh...and Food & Wine!

Running all of these blogs at the same time is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Especially lately since I'm working from 2-10:30 and by the time I get home all I want to do is eat and go to bed. I will keep posting those dining reviews periodically (I mean heck, the vacation is long over!) but I just wanted to kind of fill you guys in on a few things, mostly about Food & Wine!

A few weeks ago I switched from morning production to Food & Wine training. We had to get more training to learn all about the festival, the menus, alcohol policies, and all that jazz. It was actually kind of fun though. We got to take a different tour of Epcot, we did different memory tests on our recipes, played a spice game and really got into the start of the festival. We also got our new hats which was exciting!

 You can buy our hats in the festival marketplaces this year!

Packets of all the dishes for Food & Wine that we had to study

Then eventually, Food and Wine started and it was time to bake for it! It has been fun and definitely a learning experience. We've already run into a night where we ended up staying til midnight and dealing with busy nights. I was placed at our PEO bakery to make lava cakes and we pump out thousands of those a day. I think 1 tram made us nearly 1,300 cups or so. There are so many different components to each dish but they are all great fun and delicious too! Here's a look at some of the things we are doing for the Desserts & Champagne, Ireland, and Scotland Marketplaces so far:

 The Dessert Trio available at the Desserts & Champagne Marketplace

 Banoffee Tart: Chocolate Tart Shell, Bananas, Toffee Sauce, Whiskey Cream, Chocolate Curls and Shortbread Crumbles at the Scotland Marketplace

 Look at all the Chocolate Orange Cupcakes!

 Hazelnut Cheesecake with Frangelico Sauce

 Chocolate Orange Cupcake with Cream Cheese Butercream (I put Hidden Mickeys on some of my cupcakes so keep an eye open!)

 Pistachio Mousse with Morello Cherries

 Chocolate Pudding Cake with Bailey's Ganache from the Ireland Marketplace

Cut Open

I really do enjoy baking for the festival and the crew that I do it with for the most part. While on this program I have learned how mature I am compared to some and what it's like to bite your tongue just to work with someone. A few weeks ago shortly after my mom and brother left my depression hit a wall and I found myself having a mental breakdown fully dressed in my costume in an empty tub. You have rough days in Disney and everyone you work with isn't a Princess or well mannered Prince, that's how it is everywhere. But I've grown and learned from it all, it's never a total 100% negative thing. I can already tell that at the end of the festival I will look back on it and be proud. When you go to our marketplace most of us making these desserts are interns. There's us and our 2 chefs, we are students cranking out these desserts and that's cool. It's an experience I will already cherish, and this is just working, I haven't even gone to eating around the world as a guest yet!

Woody's Round-Up!

Today Housing hosted a special welcome event with our favorite toys! Woody and the gang stopped by to welcome the new CP arrivals and to give us who have already been here a chance to relax. I had work today from 8-4:30 but since this event lasted from 4-7 I was still able to meet up with some friends and go!

Everyone gathered around for some Western pictures and line dancin'!

They served some food there as well: hot dogs, mac and cheese, and drinks. It became apparent to me yet again that I must be messed up for not liking mac and cheese!

The really fun thing about events like this are the characters! There's no families or screaming kids around and chances are they are inside. Woody and Jessie came around earlier but then we got to meet Jessie and Bullseye! For those who don't know, Pascal and Bullseye are my favorite Disney animals so I was SUPER excited!

Andy's Room comes to Chatham Square!

It was definitely fun! Even have a cowboy hat of my own! Always try to make it to Disney Housing events because with free food, characters, and oftentimes a lot of free goodies, what could go wrong! 2 weeks until the Monsters University welcome event!

My Magical Moment

I'll remember this for a long while because they were all just too cute. On my way out of the MK the other day I needed to stop by the News Stand to get some stamps, usually it's pretty quick and easy but this time I walked into a sea of kids in yellow tshirts lined up around the counter. They were all so little, with their money in little ziploc bags and deciding whether they want a soda or a toy. I figured hey, I have nowhere else to be so I might as well jump in line. One of the girls started waving her Mickey Mouse doll for me to look at and I went "Isn't he adorable! He's my boss!" and there we went! Next thing you know I was sitting on the floor with all of these kids around me and we were talking about their trip and they were asking me what I do and we were talking about all things Disney. It's funny how polite they were because Sophia went and said that it's a good thing I wasn't a mean stranger otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to talk to me. Then one of the others girl chimed in and said I wasn't a stranger anymore. I had just come from Guest Relations to get a Mickey sticker and they gave me a bunch so I started handing them out to them and next thing you know the phrase was "If you talk to the nice lady she gives you a sticker!" 

The real kicker was when I asked them to sign my book. One of the girls told me it would be a dream come true because she never got to sign one before. They were all telling me how they were 7 but could already sign their names in cursive.

We kept talking while they were on line (there was A LOT of them) and it was just so much fun. The little girl Caity told me that she was going to go home and tell her daddy that this was the best day ever and that she would try and come visit me in Epcot some time.

You don't have to have your name tag on to be a CM, I don't see a lot of people where I work so my main interaction comes when I get out of work or on my days off. Yesterday I took a family photo for a group and because they seemed bubbly I decided to play around with them and told them that on the count of 3 they had to shout Mickey's favorite food (cheese, duh!) and it's just the little things like today that make it so special. All day in MK I noticed kids crying and throwing tantrums and I thought to myself maybe today was national throw a fit in Disney day and then I came across this great bunch of kids and had an awesome, awesome time.

Update!

Oh goodness it's been a while! I always start blogs thinking that I will never fall into that phase where I go weeks without posting...and that's exactly what I did. Whoops! I've just been passing out after work and spending all my time off in the parks and scoping things out that I often forget to even post about it. I've officially been here a month already and that's a bit scary! I just filled you in on my trip to Be Our Guest a few weeks ago in my last post, but what else has been going on?

Because there's so much to catch up and it's picture heavy, click read more!

Be Our Guest? Don't mind if I do!

One of the key components of the New Fantasyland expansion that opened in December 2012 was the long awaited for Be Our Guest Restaurant. Tucked away inside Beast's castle, you can dine in the grand ballroom, visit the forbidden West Wing, and stroll through a gallery of portraits of life in the castle with Belle and the Beast. While the reservations for dinner's table service have been filled for months in advance, quick service lunch is an option until 2:30. I paid a visit yesterday thinking maybe you can stroll around during lunch to take some pictures but in order to get in, you have to get past the ordering section. So what, I had to eat lunch there, did I have any complaints? Not at all!

This post is very picture and text heavy so continue reading by clicking read more!

Long Lost Friends Week

While I wasn't hacking up a lung from this terrible cold I've been dealing with, I still managed to find myself in a park or two! My main reason for getting myself out of bed was to head to Magic Kingdom for Long Lost Friends Week. This year Disney parks are doing something called Limited Time Magic. Different weeks will have a different theme, for example last week at Epcot Mickey and the gang did a 'street beat' where they played drums and had tap dancers do different dances and moves for the audience. This coming week we have Christmas in July where the Main Street Bakery will sell some of their Christmas cupcakes. Long Lost Friends Week involved the public voting for some characters that don't usually make regular appearances to come out. This is who decided to show up!

 Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Sheriff of Nottingham, and Prince John from Disney's Robin Hood

 Dr. Facilier and Louis from one of my personal favorites, The Princess and the Frog

Brer Fox, Brer Bear, and Brer Rabbit from Song of the South (and Splash Mountain!)

Chicken Little and Abby Mallard from Chicken Little

Autograph cards from the characters

It was a great photo op, and a great chance for me to get sunburn! In my opinion it paled in comparison to Disneyland who got friends such as Esmeralda, Jane, Terk, Tarzan, John Smith, you name it there were there. I also spent that day getting some pins to add to my collection thanks to my handy dandy CM discount!

It keeps growing! I added the Mickey Wallet Pin (CE LE 500), Minnie Poster Art (on top, LE 2000) and the Walt Legacy of a Dream pin set. I also have a Monsters Inc. one for trade if you like!

I also paid a visit to Hollywood Studios to walk around (which turned out to be walking around in the pouring rain, not good for my cold) and to watch Fantasmic! That is always a must see show on any trip to WDW!

I've been back at work and tomorrow is my Friday. These past few days have been really great though. I've worked mostly with this one guy who has been there for a while and he really takes the time to make sure he explains everything. Granted, I am a senior in culinary school and have 2 industry experiences so some of the things are a bit basic but it just goes to show he wants to cover all the bases which is great for a trainer. I even got to finally mix something, woohoo! I'm so used to mixing at my job back home and scrapping 80 quarts of cheesecakes and mousse but since I'm brand new I think they are waiting until our head chef comes back on vacation which I definitely understand. I'm doing more and more things so there's more things that I'm familiar with than not which makes me more comfortable which helps my brain calm down. But all I have is this 1 day of work then it's 2 days off for me and hopefully I'm better by then! I hope to stalk the UK pavilion waiting for news of the royal baby!