The journey so far...

So i figured it was about time i started this blog seeing as it's five weeks today until i leave for the magical world of Disney!

Lets go back to the beginning (i can hear you all yawning!) Back in May 2008 I was looking at peoples profiles on facebook one day as you do when i came across a friend from school called Becky. She'd spent six months living, working and studying in Walt Disney World in Florida and her photos looked awesome! I e-mailed her asking about it and how she had applied etc. She told me to look at a website called Yummyjobs and i could apply through them. I decided to give it a go after all i am possibly the biggest Disney fan alive and it seemed like an amazing experience so i went ahead and e-mailed them my CV.

After a month i had heard nothing, not even a confirmation to say that they had received my CV so i sent them an e-mail querying it. A few days later i received an e-mail back from a girl called Kristen explaining that they hadn't received my CV and could i re-send it. She also sent me some information on the programs they had to offer. Looking through them the Cultural Representative Program appealed to me, this is what it said:

"Spend 1 year in America working at Disney’s Epcot World Showcase! Those with experience in Food & Beverage or Merchandise that hold a UK passport will have the opportunity to act as an ambassador for the UK in the British Pavilion at Epcot. The program will run for 1 year, with the next opportunities starting between February and September of 2009. Please email your CV in July or later."

I e-mailed my CV and covering letter on the 1st July but didn't get my hopes up about hearing back, i guessed they would have hundreds of CVs.

On 28th July, a whole month after i had sent my CV i received an e-mail from Michele at Yummy Jobs offering me a 10 minute telephone interview to 'get to know me a little better'. I was so excited! It was arranged for 5th August at 12.15. I was at work this day so i figured i could take the call on my lunch break without anyone knowing. Typically it was pouring with rain on this day and no offices were empty so i ended up round the lake at work in a little cubby hole freezing my ass off!! During the call Michele asked me general questions, whether i had any tattoos, piercings etc. and then she asked me questions about where i live. I had to big up Bromley and explain why people should visit here, all i can say is thank god for Darwin!

On 13th August i got back from holiday to find another e-mail from Michele explaining that they were impressed with my phone interview and wanted to invite me to the next stage- i think i actually screamed, i never thought they would even take a second glance at my CV!

Friday 24th October- 8.30am- Hammersmith- The big day.
I've never prepared myself so much for an interview even down to my nails and hair- curly to make me look younger and more Disneyfied lol. Along with around 30 other people we had to go to the Disney head offices in Hammersmith and they were just how i imagined! As you walk in there is a huge statue of Mickey Mouse and as we were taken up the stairs there we models and pictures of all kinds of Disney characters from Dopey to Eeyore! After we had filled in some forms we were taken into a theatre room for a presentation, as we walked in they played Disney music, i was in my element! They played us a montage of all things Disney from the films to the parks to their sports channels and more, then Roger spoke to us- what a character! He explained exactly what we would be doing out there, where we would be living and what to expect from the experience. We were then asked Disney trivia questions and if you got it right you got a prize- yep thats right! We were also allowed to ask questions and we also got a prize if we asked a question (trust me this is like no other interview process you will ever experience!) I asked a quetion and received some Mickey mints which i have treasured!

After the presentation we were given more forms to fill in and a time to come back for our interview- mine was something like 3.15. As it was only about 11 by this time i had hours to kill so i wandered around Hammersmith for what seemed like forever and its not a very exciting part of London! Finally it was my turn, we were interviewed in twos and the interviews only lasted about 15 minutes. We were asked random questions like who our fave Disney character is (Belle because she is feisty and independant) and how we would cope with the heat/living with other people etc. I felt confident after but there was really no way of knowing because Roger gave nothing away.

On 6th November i got the dreaded news:

"We would very much have liked to consider you for the Cultural Representative Program and you were brilliant but unfortunately we are unable to offer you a position at the moment but we will hold your details on file until February and if position becomes available we will contact you to find out if you are available."

I cried and cried and cried. I've never been so disappointed about something in my life, it was even worse than failing my driving test 4 times lol.

A week later it was Monday morning and i was still feeling miserable but thinking i had to get on with my life i checked the forums that fellow partcipants used. One girl who had also been put on the waiting list had, had a call on the friday to say that a place had become available- all was not lost! At around 11 my mobile started ringing and my heart lurched, i knew instantly it was Yummy jobs. I ran down the corridor to take the call and sure enough it was Michele offering me a place, i nearly passed out! I don't remember any of the conversation except the leave date-
23rd June :-)