Living or Lifeguarding?!?!

May 31st 2008:

The reason for the title of todays post is because today has made me reconsider whether or not i want to lifeguard in Disney. I have had soooo much information thrown at me and i don't undersdtand half of it, i have had 2 1/2 days to complete a 2 week course and i have my test tomorrow.But the thing is i am questioning whether i even want to do lifeguarding here. My friends seem to be living the Disney experience,interacting with children and making them smile :) that what i want to do.I don't want to sit and watch a pool all day! I thought that being a lifeguard we would get to do some to her stuff but you literally sit and watch the pool and the test we have to do tomorrow is soooo hard,i doubt i will pass anyway!!

One of the guys quit today because he found it too emotionally challenging and he felt like he couldn't do it,that gives you a picture of what it is like. There is also another guy,Simon,Me and a girl called Nicole who want to quit and be re-casted to another occupation because it is soo hard and just stressful and we came to Disney to have fun,not to sit and panic every time a see a kid swim below the surface or whatever!! I think it's just really hit me how hard lifeguarding is.I underestimated the challenges and fell into the trap of thinking that i would just be chilling by the pool.

I am a bit sad today because of not being able to speak to my family as much cos of the crappy training and the hours i work mean that they are at work and school when i wake up and in bed before i even get in from work!! The 5 hour time difference is a killer! But i have a whole wall of pcitures to remind me of them when i get sad :( and i e-mail them and stuff! Its just hard being away from people you love so much.Because no matter where in the world i was or what i was doing,they would always be there in the forefront of my mind and my heart!

But anyway...i don't wanna sound negative because I'm not at all. I am having the best time of my life here and i have met some amazing people and seen some amazing things!!Everyone i meet goes crazy over my "accent" and they try to copy it which is the most hilarious thing i have ever heard!!American people cannot do the British accent!! I love mimicking them though and finding out words or phrases that are different or one's i haven't heard before!! Its so interesting talking to people about their schools/colleges and families and lifestyle and everything.I really am loving every minute of it!!

I am off to the hot tub now!!Going to have a relax and chill out before tomorrow because its test day and it will probably be stressful,plus i wanna wind down before i go to bed!!

Night,night xxx

Quote of the day: MAKE IT WORK!!

Sign your life away...

May 30th 2008:

Well today was my first day of proper lifeguarding training and man was it a tough one.I had to leave my apartment at 7.15am and be there and ready for class by 8am!!We first were told a bit about the company and it's history and why Ellis wanted to make a difference in the lifesaving industry!For those of you wondering who Ellis is,i am subcontracted by them under Disney,it's all very complicated and you basically have to sign your life away!!(only joking mum!!) But we learned about improving the way we save lives and the equipment that would help us do so.It was quite interesting but alot to take in! Then we got our little bum-bags (aka fanny packs!or hip bags) which have our aids in them.We then had to watch a video about a case that actually happened where a young boy drowned in a pool because the lifeguards had not been trained properly.It was horrific and we saw live footage of the actual day and stuff.It was not nice,but it worked in making us realise the kind of responsibility we have and how seriously we needed to take the class!

So then we went on to learn about CPR and Rescue Breathing etc and i found it really hard because i wanted to concentrate so much and i was trying to take it all in and i just couldn't because i was trying too hard! But i feel better about that now because me and another lifeguard,Nicole sat tonight and practiced and did our "homework" and really went through it all so it is alot clearer now for me!!

We spend the rest of the afternoon learning the different jumps and saving techniques depending on the state of the victim and where the victim was situated within the pool!! It was really interesting to see how you can lift someone almost double your height and weight by just a couple of simple stages.Its the difference between life and death!!

Anyway its all over now until tomorrow when i have another day of 8-5 lifeguard class! I am just gonna do my best though and make the most of it!Sometimes things are harder than we expected them to be but they are always the things that are the bets when you have earned them!! So i am throwing myself into it!! As always!!!

Still loving my new found friends and the beautiful and magical world of Disney!!
Bye for now xxx

Rice Robber!!!

May 29th 2008:

Well today was distinctly less emotional than yesterday but was till still fun filled and enjoyable.The morning was pretty crappy, i had to go to "Disney University" again and do a computer course on how to use the internet to fin my shifts etc. Was pretty standard and long and boring as paperwork always is.
The afternoon was significantly better. I went to "MGM Studios" now known as "Hollywood Studios".It was an amazing afternoon, i went on loads of rides,the best two had to be the "Rock n Rollercoaster" and "Tower of Terror". The "Rock n Rollercoaster" was based around the band Aerosmith and basicaklly we were invited to go V.I.P to their gig,so we had to all get in the "super-stretch limousine".It was the fastest and craziest rollercoaster i have ever been on,it goes upside down like five times and leave your stomach somewhere at the beginning. For those of you who have been on "Rita,Queen of speed" in Alton Towers back home you will know what i mean.This ride starts out in the same way but it has loops and is much much better :D I was soo nervous going on it though.Although to be honest i was about a hundred times worse when i went on "Tower fo Terror" because that is basically the story of an old haunted mansion and you go in the elevator and it breaks and you drop 13 floors!! I was petrified because the doors open for a little while so you see how high above the park you are when you're in the air!! It was brilliant though!!Next we visited the "Little Mermaid" live show which was unbelievable,it was so lovely and i really enjoyed it. It kind of reminded me of my pantomime days though with all the glow in the dark fish and stuff! I remember it from years ago in the Theatre Royal!! Was so beautiful to watch and to hear!!I really enjoyed my day there!!

Then we got in and we went across the road to our pool party!!There was music and people in the pool and everyone was talking to each other so that was pretty cool but it wasn't exactly a full on rave but then again what do you expect in a non alcoholic zone?! It is crazy!! We had to exit the pool for a bit for them to clean so we stayed in our apartment for a bit and has possibly the funniest incident ever!! I can't really explain it all on here because it's just way too long and my last blog was enough to keep everyone entertained but if you ask about the "RICE ROBBER" or "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE" then i am sure that i will remember exactly what i was laughing at so hard.Me,Giulianna and Gemma were in fits of giggles all night for some crazy reason!We were being all naughty but not in a bad way,we were just being childish and it was great!! We went back to the pool and sat in the hot tub with some people who we had a really good chat with and just enjoyed disvussing all the differences between English words and systems and American ones!!

We also had a random trip to Walgreens which is a 24hour shop to get some make-up wipes and after sun and conditioner etc! We went at like 3am which was pretty cool!! We also met our nieghbours from upstairs and across the hall and were havin a laugh with them,so all in all it was a good day yet again :D

Need to go now,busy busy busy xxx

Dreams Do Come True...

May 28th 2008:

Well…all I can say about today is pure emotion!!!
I am sorry I didn’t post this blog last night but I was completely exhausted, both emotionally and physically. So here’s what happened…

First we kicked off the day with a four hour “traditions” lecture which I was not looking forward to at all, although it was exciting getting all dressed up in business attire. We all looked really old in our suits and dresses and we took loads of pictures and had a great time thinking of ways to adapt our outfits to fit our personal style. I helped out Steffie and Angelica with some of their stuff and they were like “its so cool living with someone fashionable” and I was like :O me, fashionable?!!? But it was a really nice change to feel like the girly girl of the house, knowing little tips and tricks. I really liked that which is odd for me, being a typical boyish girl!!!

When we got to “Disney University“, yes that’s right, its not a joke there is actually a university of Disney. Its usually for people on professional internships or college programmes that Disney runs but we had our lectures there. I was surprised completely by how different the day was to what I expected! I was expecting a boring lecture and some stupid overemotional idiot to make a big scene of crying about how much they love Disney! Little did I know the crying idiot would in fact be me. Now before you write me off as a total cheese ball I will explain the day and the events that led to my embarrassing outburst and maybe you will forgive me just a little bit…


The lecture was about Disney’s past, present and future! We learned all about Walt’s visions and the achievements he had and the trouble he faced in setting up what is now known as “the most magical place on earth“. It was really great to hear about the mouse story… Walt Disney is usually quoted for saying
“IT ALL STARTED WITH A MOUSE” and obviously people think “Yeah, Mickey Mouse” ,this is in fact not what Walt meant. Although he probably was aware of the connotation and links with Mickey he actually was referring to the time when he came up with the concept of using a mouse. Walt had just been fired from his job as an artist, he was sat in his apartment downtrodden and penniless and then a mouse ran across the floor in front of him. It was this that planted the idea in his head of using a mouse for his next character. And so on a train one day in the not so distant future, Mickey Mouse was born!!!



I think the highlight of the session for me was the section on “memories”. We discussed our favourite Disney memories and although I didn’t have a park memory to share form Disneyworld I shared my memory of me and my sister watching “Sleeping Beauty”. We all sat around watching the film, and we each were assigned one of the three fairies and we argued for hours over who should be who, what colour her dress ends up as, pink or blue?? and also giggled endlessly at the cheesy one liners. That film always reminds me of my little sisters and how much I love them and the relationship we have. Combine that memory, with missing them and add in a clip of a dad holding his little girl and calling her his princess (what my daddy calls me) and the floodgates were well and truly opened. I never thought I would be so moved by clips of Disney. I think one of the main connotations for me was the emphasis on dreams coming true. I was sitting in a classroom in Disneyworld living my dream! And it was such a defining moment. Although I think now that this was nothing compared to my experience of Magic Kingdom which I will tell you about shortly.

Another part of the “Memories” section that got to me was the presenters story. She told us that if we ever had a bad day at Disney but we know we have to keep smiling then we have to find our “pixie dust”, in other words we have to find the reason we love being here and why we wanted to do it in the first place. To explain to us what she meant she told us the story of her reason for smiling, her pixie dust…Here is her story

“It was one of those perfect days. You know the days where everything seems to go right and you can’t imagine it being anymore perfect, it was that. I was in Disneyworld at Christmas because in our family we have a tradition of coming to Disney to see all the lights and decorations and since I moved here I haven’t been able to go home because I work, so my family come down for a couple of days. This was their last night staying with me in Disney. Me and my brother had a great day, we managed to see everything we wanted to and watched parades did the rides. But one ride was our favourite and most special…Space Mountain. It was our little tradition to ride space mountain every year because it was the first ride we ever went on in Disney. We just got to the barrier as it was closing and the cast member let us on without any question when we clambered and pleaded for another ride. On our way home the moment was picture perfect and so my brother being the family photographer decided to take a picture. As he was setting it up a cast member walked by and asked if we wanted him to take it instead. My brother was delighted because he never gets in picture, he is always the one taking them. The picture came out beautifully, perfect even and I will treasure it in my heart always.
Sadly the reason this picture has become so important to me is because this was to be my brothers last Christmas in Disneyland before he passed away a few months later. We didn’t know at the time that this picture would live in our hearts always and neither did the cast member. If that cast member hadn’t of been there and offered that assistance I would never have that moment on film. This is why I smile, because I could change someone’s life and give them something priceless without even knowing it.”

Of course, by the end of this beautiful story half the room had filled up, me included. I think sometimes we do underestimate the power we have to affect people and I think that today really taught me that I need to find something in my heart and my memory that will keep me smiling through those days where I don’t wanna go into work or I feel sad. I need to find my very own pixie dust.

Once we had finished our “traditions” lecture we decided to visit Magic Kingdom. If thought the day had been emotional so far, I had thought wrong, it was about to become even more overwhelming. We got on a bus and then the monorail and there was a real feeling of anticipation in that little carriage. I was unbelievably excited and I was so hyper, I was jumping around, I really could not stand still. Then we got to the park and we saw the train station and slipped through fast track with our “cast” cards which was ace!! Then we were walking down a street and Steffie turned to me and said “Look Sam, it’s the castle“, I looked up and literally was breathless. I know it sounds cheesy and over the top but I was standing where I have waited to stand my whole life, I was looking up at my dream. Living out your biggest goal is simply something you cannot describe. I know I sound so overdramatic but until you feel that I don’t think you can ever understand. I am an English student and I would never be able to fund the words to describe that moment. It felt like every penny I had saved, every ounce of stress I had been through, every tear I shed over leaving, was all worth it because I was standing where I had waited to stand after 19 years of dreaming and wishing for that moment. I had looked at the picture of this scene on my laptop since the day I found out I was coming and finally I was seeing it for real. For me it was a dream come true and whether it sounds cheesy or stupid or childish I don’t care because today, my dream came true.

Once I had seen the castle and recovered from my complete delight and shock we went on the “it’s a small world” ride. Which is a tour of all the different countries and they all sing “it’s a small world” in their own language which was pretty cool. Then we went on the Haunted Mansion which was a creepy old house and there are all ghosts that look real, and creepy maids who make you move along and it’s like the chair ride on “Casper”. There is a section where you see all the ghosts dancing below you and it looks real, but its more amazing than scary!! There was also a wall of mirrors and a man says that there maybe a ghost hitchhiking and you look and you see a ghost in your cart and a cold wind is blown on you so you feel like there really is a ghost present. Then we saw a 3D short movie called “Philharmagic” which was amazing, it basically followed the story of Donald Duck trying to steal the magic hot from “Fantasia” off Mickey Mouse and he chases it through a few of the Disney films, so you see Aladdin and Jasmine and the carpet flies in your face, there’s wind blown on you so you feel like you’re flying and you see Beauty and the Beast and the room is sprayed with a cinnamon like spray so you can almost taste the food and then it goes through Ariel’s under the sea world and they blow bubbles on you !!!It was unbelievable. I had such an amazing time. Then it was time for the parade.

The parade I watched was called “SpectroMagic” and it was definitely both spectacular and indeed magical!! The characters were all on floats and there were millions of lights and dancing butterflies and all sorts. I will post a video so you can see because I recorded it a lot and I don’t think I could describe how amazing it was even if I tried. There were different themed floats and some of the character walked along all in costumes of lights and some rode on floats that were stunningly beautiful and must take hours and hours or preparation and hard work to get ready!!!

But finally, and definitely my favourite part of the whole day was “Wishes”. It is a firework display done over and behind the “Magic Kingdom” Castle and it really was my dream in reality. I stood and listened to a song about dreams and wishes coming true, whilst I watches mine do exactly that. I was oaring with those fireworks. They were truly stunning and I think I had to take a moment to realise that it was real, that I was here, this was my dream alive! I think wishing upon a star is nice in a fairytale but wishing for something in your heart and going for it no matter what, it was truly can make your dreams come to life. I know that s exactly how I got mine. There is nothing I have ever felt that was more amazing and more heart wrenching and literally gave my goosepimply and tear sin my eyes than the realisation that I had finally done it. I had made my biggest dream a reality.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART <3>

How to save a life..

May 27th 2008:

Ok so today has been major busy yet again!!I had my lifeguard swim test today at 8.15am,so it was early o’clock and I was half asleep. It went well though and I passed which I am really pleased about!! First i had a sight test which was just reading a word on a sheet of paper from a certain distance.Then we had to swim about 8 lengths and then swim down and pick up a brick from the bottom. I must say i was absolutely petrified about the brick test because i am small and we had to go down deep and feet first so i was like "oh no i am not gonna be able to get down", but i just tried not to panic and it was all ok!!! Then we had to tread water for 2 minutes which sounds easy but you had to keep your shoulders and hands out of the water which is harder than it seems!! But again i just tried to get on with it and do it cos i know it will be worth it when i am finally sitting guarding in the sun :D

So then I went to my meeting and got all my boring paperwork done to do with social security and bank accounts and getting paid!!! And then I had to come back to Vista Way (my new home) to find out where i will be working!!!!I was quite nervous about finding out because i was not looking forward to working in a park because of the stress of it all!! I found out i will be working in POP CENTURY which is a resort here in Disney. I am really chuffed about that because from what I can gather it’s a really fun hotel and it’ll be a lot less stressful than a big water park!! So I am beyond excited about starting work! I am quite unsure about what the training is like although from what i gather i think we do general health and safety and then CPR and getting to know our resort area and the place we're working in.

I have 3 days of the intensive training, Fri, Sat and Sunday 8am-6pm but I get paid for it so I suppose its good pay for my first week :D I was speaking to a girl in the pool earlier this evening (Morgan) and she does lifeguarding and she really helped me out and made me feel better about it cos she was telling me what to expect and everything so i am just really gonna try and focus and do good so that i don't have to do it all twice!!!!

I have my “Traditions” class tomorrow which is all about the history of Disney and the standards they expect and everything. So I think it will be a loooong day but I guess it’ll be fun knowing more about such an amazing place!!From what i can tell you learn alot about the stories behind how disney began...one of which my flatmate Angelica was telling me about which goes...

At the beginning of Main Street, near the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, Roy E. Disney and Minnie Mouse are sitting on a bench. Tourists clamber to sit in the empty area beside Minnie and get their picture taken, but few know the true story behind the bench.

Walt Disney, and the mouse who started it all, Mickey, are up Main Street, at the hub, in front of the castle. Walt’s hand is outstretched, pointing down Main Street to where Roy and Minnie sit. Rumor has it, from a reputable Disney tour guide, that Walt is saying:

“Mickey. It’s my time to go now. It all started with you, and now I’m leaving it with you. Don’t you worry. Roy and Minnie are down there, waiting for you. They’ve left a spot on the bench for you. Take care of the magic Mickey. Make everyone’s dreams come true.”

These two statues were created as a pair by Blaine Gibson, a retired Imagineer. The first statue made was Roy and Minnie, with the statue of Mickey and Walt (also called “Partners”) following shortly before Walt died of lung cancer.

–

So if every story i learn about here is as beautiful and heartwarming as that one then i know i am really going to enjoy being here!!

Some other stuff from today...i created a facebook group for the people who are living in Vista Way so that hopefully we can all meet up and chat and really get to know people from other cultures. I have already met so many people from different places with different stories to tell and it really is amazing how different someones life can be. Today i was speaking to a girl called Maria from Mexico and when she was younger her next door neighbour died from a snakebite and that is completely normal for her!! We freaked out when we saw a cockroach in our apartment (don't worry it's not dirty or anything,it just got in from outside and the place has been debugged anyway), so imagine what it would be like if we had a snake?!?!

Tomorrow night we are heading to MAGIC KINGDOM to go see the SPECTRO MAGIC parade and i am gonna go on a few rides. I am uber excited because this is my first Disney experience so i am like a big kid but luckily it doesn't annoy people,they like it because it becomes infectious because i get sooo hyper about the smallest things. We are planning so much already,like we are going to have a SEX AND THE CITY night on Friday and we're gonna make non-alcoholic cosmopolitans and go see the movie in DOWNTOWN DISNEY!!

We also started an ENGLISH DICTIONARY for the American/Canadian people because little words that we say in England,like slang or just different words are sometimes totally new to them so we decided to create our own little "Dictionary Of Differences" to clarify what stuff means!!

I also made a curry for four of the girls,two of them had never even had it before so it was nice to make them something new to try and they kind of liked it although they were a bit confused because obviously they haven't eaten anything that tasted like that before!!So we did our first flat cooking and Steffie made cookies!! I also got my new American phone while i was in WALMART it only cost me "30 bucks" aka 30$ which is £15 and it's actually a really good phone and it is cheap with keeping in contact with everyone that i have met here. I spoke to my family today which was really lovely because i rang Grandad Ross and my sister Niki and it was really good to hear their voices! Because even though i am mega busy here with all my training and meetings and introductions i do miss them and it was just good to hear their voices and to know that they are ok and that they know i am alright!!!

Anyway, i am blabbering on and i am sure that none of this stuff even matters,but it will be sooo good to look back on it when i am a little wrinkly (granny).I am gonna go off to bed now but i will report back again tomorrow!! Until then...
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "HAVE A MAGICAL DAY!!!"
xxxx

I'm Like Alice In Wonderland...

May 26th 2008:

Hey, well it is 5.20am English time but only 12.20am in Orlando time,although as you can guess it feels a hell of alot later but i am keeping myself up so that when i go to bed i actually sleep!!. That’s right, I am finally here.

I flew with Virgin Atlantic and loved all 9 hours of it. I got free pillows and blankets and eye masks and stuff.In the airport beforehand I sat talking to the lads i met on the facebook group, Harry, Stewart and Matt and they are all really lovely an we all got on and looked after each other and got looked after by this cute little old guy who felt the need to walk us like 50000000 miles through the airport just to show us where we would have to board!! We met up as soon as we left our parents and stuff!

Leaving my family was so so hard for me. We are so close and it really pulled on my heartstrings to say goodbye. I think I cried because I was scared but also because I knew how much I was going to miss them. Like I cried when I left my mum and leaving my dad and sisters was worse because they also got upset and seeing tears in my dad’s eyes was just the worst thing ever but I know it was because he is proud of me and stuff. I really will miss everything about being with them but I know how much this means to me and so do they and they do nothing but support me and love me unconditionally so what more could I ask for?

So…back to the plane. I sat next to a lady and her kids and they were a really lovely family and I had a nice chat with the mum and she was kind and offered me sweet sand stuff which was really cute cos it reminded me of my Nana Ross making us suck a sweet as we took off to stop our ears popping!! I wasn’t on a window seat, I was in the middle aisle which kind of sucked because I would of loved to see the views of America but never mind, maybe on the way home although I am certainly not wishing this experience away because its been so amazing already. I managed to sleep a bit too which I was really pleased about because I had kept myself awake all night so that I could sort out my body clock and it worked pretty well, although adjusting to the time difference is going to be hard because they are 5 hours behind so when at home it’s like 1 am it’s only 8pm here!! So obviously I get tired a different times but I think I will adjust pretty quickly anyway because my sleeping patterns were so messed up from uni.

Once we'd finished traveling on the plane and been through the security check we got on the shuttle and went through Disney to Vista Way which is where i am living for the next 3 months! Its really nice here, there are two pools and computer rooms and pool tables and a mini beach with a volleyball net and a barbeque we can use and all sorts so I am gonna be so busy for the next couple of months and I really couldn’t be happier.

We had a little introduction session where we watched a video and got given some food bags to keep us going and were assigned our room keys and got loads of book and leaflets about places to go and tings to see and do. Got badges and stickers and all sorts of goodies!!I think it really hit home that I am finally here at that point. It really was such an overwhelming moment for me because I just kind of looked around and people were smiling and there was an atmosphere and I could hear the Disney music and I really just felt like al the hard work and determination to get here was all worth it!! I am living with 5 other girls!!!! So its a first for me! There is:
GEMMA from WALES
ANGELICA and GILIANNA from CANADA
JEN and JENNY from HONG KONG
So its a bit of a random mix but all is going well so far!!

I went on the bus to WALMART!! To go get groceries...do i sound american already?? :P and got loads of stuff. The food here is soooo cheap in fact everything is like half the price we saw like video cameras and portable DVD players for like $80 which is £40!! Its craziness!!
Tomorrow,or well I guess later on today, we have our intro day where we meet everyone and all that sort of thing I think we do housing as well!! So that will be a good day and i finish at about 2 so i will be hitting the pool! I am really looking forward to getting all the official stuff out of the way and to start working and meeting more people but then again I am already meeting people every hour or so anyway. Tonight we sat and chilled out and just talked about all sorts, like ex boyfriends and our families and all sorts. It was really good to talk to people with different backgrounds and cultures. Anyway I should probably get to bed now though because otherwise I am never ever gonna get up in time for orientation tomorrow.
That’s all I got for now and that’s only within my first few hours!! Fun times :D

..............................................................

Hey, so it’s still May 26th but now it’s the evening and I am home from another crazy, exciting Disney day. So we had our housing meeting and just basically got told about our rules and stuff. Then we came back here and went in the pool for a while which was really amazing, we were relaxing in the sun which is totally rare for me, being a complete English weather girl who is used to bad rain and worse temperatures. It was really just a moment in my day where I lay down and I relaxed and my mind went blank, like I thought of nothing I was just totally in another world and it was so lovely. I really enjoyed it, it was everything I wanted for my time here. Then this afternoon we went back to orientation and had all our security checks and organised our rooms out and checked all our insurance was in order etc and then we went to Downtown Disney, which is like a huge shopping area and it was totally amazing!! It was my first Disney experience and I loved it. We looked in all the shops and it was like Disney mania and then we ate in this HUGE restaurant called Rainforest Café .It was amazing, like the ceiling was all tree’s and branches and fruits and there were fake animals and sound effects and it literally like being in a rainforest and I was awestruck. The waiter was so really nice as well and he recognised my accent and it was really crazy and the portions were HUGE! I had this slushy thing to drink and it was really tasty and sooo refreshing,it was massive. They do NOTHING by halves at all. I had my picture taken in like every single tourist place possible and my fav had to be under the mushroom when i said "i'm like Alice In Wonderland".We had such a giggle on the bus on the way home and we also found the QUOTE OF THE DAY from Steffie, "i feel all warm inside".
We just chilled out in the pool for the evening and have sat chatting ever since.



Right...i will do more tomorrow but i really need to stop being an unsociable hermit and actually talk to my flatmates!!!!

P.S I AM NEW TO BLOGGING AND THEREFORE AM TERRIBLE AT THIS!! BUT I AM SURE IT WILL HOPEFULLY GET BETTER AS I GO ALONG,IF NOT JUST DON'T READ IT :P

The adventure begins...

May 25th 2008:

It is currently 1.18am on the morning that my Disney adventure is going to begin. I decided to keep a record of my time there on my laptop as well as writing in my journal so that I can type furiously or write peacefully and I will always have two ways of keeping track of everything that happens during my trip.Plus i think that e-mailing everyone would be so hard to fit in so you can keep track of all my mischief,excitement,tears,fears,happiness and achievements.
So here it goes...

I am feeling quite excited and nervous at the moment. I am so worried that I am going to forget something or that I am going to be all emotional saying goodbye or that I am going to be bored on the plane. I just don’t really know what to expect at the moment but I am really looking forward to the time when I am in a bed on the other side of the Atlantic and I know that all the stressful part is over!! That will make everything worth it. When I look back to months ago when I read that e-mail I guess I never thought I would be at this point. It seemed so far away and I had various interviews and money problems but now its all real and I am actually gonna be leaving for the airport in a few hours time.

I have butterflies in my stomach and I actually feel sick.
We had a little party tonight at my Aunty Ali’s to say goodbye and I thought I might get a bit emotional but luckily it was all ok. I just had a laugh with my family and I will treasure the giggles and the fun we had for the next three months whenever I feel sad or I miss them. E.g i will remember my Mum geting up and dancing "Soulja Boi" with all my cousins or my Aunty Kim showing us the dances she teaches in her old ladies classes or even my Nana Ross saying "Awww pissin ell!"When i tried to hug and smooch her goodbye,she likes to make me smile :) rather than cry!!

It is inevitable that there will be a point where I find it hard being away and I think because of moving to Liverpool (i moved for university there and its about 3 hours away from my home in Nottingham) and going through it all there I am much more mentally prepared for that. I packed a load of photos of everyone so that I can look at them and decorate my room with loads of family things to make me feel more at home.

Dad is gonna be here at about 5.15am to pick up me, Emily and Nicola (my sisters). They are coming to the airport with me to say goodbye which I am really pleased with because I think driving away from them would be harder here whereas being at the airport I think I am less likely to get all emotional over it. Although I have no doubt in my mind that I will find it really difficult to say goodbye to them knowing I would have spent so much time with them if I was at home, but I know they love and support me and that they want these opportunities for me as much as I want them myself. That’s what unconditional family love is. And I am really gonna miss them and feel so sorry to say goodbye to them when I go but I know in my heart it will all be ok and that I will have such an amazing time and that they are used to life without me around everyday now so it’s not so much of a shock for me being away for so long.

Well thats all for now..."Catch up wid'ya later" (She's The Man,Lindsey Lohan) xxx