Thanks for the Memories :-)

So I am finally home after a year in Florida and I thought I should put an end to my blog...

The last week of Disney was very strange, alot of tears were shed (although not mine!) and there were very mixed feelings.

On my last day off it was the England vs USA match and I wouldn't have missed it for the world! A few of us who were off including one of our co-ordinators went to The George and the Dragon on I.Drive, we didn't want to watch the match in an American bar so somewhere tacky and British was the best option! We got there early to grab a table and it's just as well we did as the by the time the match started the pub was packed with English scuzz! Having said that it was nice to be surrounded by English accents and we had a really good time. I was so disappointed with England's performance but it was the best way to spend my last day off in Florida.

On the Monday evening Beth and I had our last meal at Ihop and it was really nice that nearly all the Merchies could make it. For the last time I stuffed myself with New York cheesecake pancakes and they were lush! At the end one of our friends, Jack stood up and gave a little goodbye speech that was nice.

Wednesday was our last day of work and I have to say I woke up that morning feeling a little sick. Id been so excited about going home that, that morning it all seemed real and I wasn't looking forward to the last day! Our co-ordinator did our last morning meeting and we had photos and stuff. To be honest I didn't do much the whole day! Beth and I pretty much hung out in the back office eating donuts that our manager, Celia had brought in for us! Although at one point Celia took us into the Tea shop and announced in front of all the guests that we were leaving and gave us our certificates. While I was in the Toy shop Jack also decided to anounce to everyone it was my last day and I got a huge round of applause, it was embarassing but thoughtful!
After we got our final bump out and finished work for the day we got something to eat and had a drink in the pub. At 9.00pm we were allowed on the lower deck of the restaurant to watch the last Illuminations with the girls and everyone else. I have to admit I had tears in my eyes knowing it was the last time!

The next day was the day to do jobs before going home! We had to take our costume back to costuming at Epcot, change our address to our home address, go to the bank to close our accounts and hand in our IDs to front desk. It was a busy day! I also finished packing my stuff and throwing everything out of the apartment. The apartment looked so bare by the end it was very sad.
That night at 11.30pm all the Uker's collected across the road from The Commons in the car park for last song. It was very surreal. Throughout my time here I have countless times stood in a circle and sung Greenday's 'Time of your life' to other people who were leaving and it was very weird being one of the people in the middle of the circle this time! Afterwards there were alot of people we had to say goodbye to and there were alot of tears too. I think I have a heart of stone, although I was devastated, I couldn't bring myself to cry!

The next day was D Day- Time to leave :-( Rachel and I were up quite early, we had to be out of our apartment by 11am and we had to clear what was left in there and take the bags of trash to the bins we had collected over the past few days! It was horrible leaving the empty apartment, we'd made it our haven so it wasn't nice to see it bare. Also the apartment had been a UK apartment for about 4 years so it was sad in that sense too. Goodbye 416!
After we had handed our key into front desk Beth and I went round to Luke and Jack's apartment with our friend Darren. Really we were meant to leave The Commons straight away but as we weren't leaving for the airport until 3.40pm they let us hang out there. I felt sick with apprehension while I was there about going home, it seemed like the final countdown! We watched the first half of the England game and then we got our taxi to the airport.
I felt very sad leaving The Commons for the last time but it was nice to be with Kirstie, Beth and Rach- we flew out together so it was like we'd come full circle. At the airport we all checked in, Kirstie and I were flying to Gatwick at 7.30pm and Beth and Rcah were both flying to Manchester at 8.25pm so it was perfect that our flights were so close together. Kirstie and I managed to get seats together and the check in man also didn't charge me for my second case which was a touch! All too quickly the time came for Kirstie and I to board so we had to say goodbye to the other two. It was horrible, both Kirstie and Beth were crying alot and saying goodbye to Beth was the hardest thing for me. When you've spent a whole year with someone, at work and on your days off you become best friends so it was heartbreaking to leave her. I still didn't cry, however once I was settled on the plane I read the message Beth had written in my leaving book and I just burst into tears! So there is a heart there after all!


How to sum up my year at Disney? It isn't possible. It was everything I expected and more. It was the most exciting, scary, incredible, hard, amazing year of my life! I never in a million years thought I could so something like this and the sense of achievement I feel is wonderful. I did so many fantastic things and above all I made the most amazing friends- people who became my family and people I know will be friends for life. I will never forget my year as a Disney Cultural Rep and the memories I've made will last a lifetime. I really did have the 'Time of my Life.'