Sunnys Days Of Disney: Part Time

Showing posts with label Part Time. Show all posts

Saturday, August 13, 2016

So. Transportation. A completely different ball field than recreation. I have no clue what I'm getting myself into here, but then, do we ever?

Day 1, I have Fred for my trainer, and Julia shadowing him. Fred is absolutely hysterical, and I am so glad I had him for my first day. Julia is a sweetheart, just a few months older than me instead of the few decades most of my coworkers are. Going into watercraft I was warned that most of my coworkers would be older gentlemen who had retired and are doing this for fun. Those people weren't wrong. It's amazing how much more relaxed they are [so long as you're able to do your job].

On day 1, we drove around on a pargo, going to each of our docks. We started at Port Orleans Riverside, then French Quarter, before heading over to Old Key West. From there we went to Saratoga Springs and Disney Springs. Disney Springs has 3 docks; Marketplace, The Landing, and Westside. We rode a water taxi around the lake to visit each of them, before heading back to dry dock taking our own boat out. I got to drive that for a little while, and then I also got to drive the Whaler. It was awesome, and much, much faster than our flat bottom boats. We spent a while reading the OG, and then... it stormed. Huge storms that shut everything down. So we sat and watched the Olympics for a while. Sounds good, huh?

Day 2 I still had Julia, but I also had a new trainer, Eric. Day 2 was a good day. I got to drive the boat. All. Day. I took to it, and things seemed to be going well. I docked the boat a few times, did okay at that, and learned how to go through the bridges [and which are the trickiest].

Day 3 was the problem. I was exhausted from 7:30 start times, my trainers were getting used to me doing well and seemed to expect me to be perfect. Other trainers on the water would say "man, you're doing great. You're going to be fine." and Eric would shoot back with "Yeah, she's going to be okay, but she's still relying on coaching." to which the other trainers would reply that that was normal for someone on their day 3, and that I was still ahead of most people.

From there it just got worse. my trainer would say something at the exact moment he wanted me to respond, and then get frustrated when it wasn't done before he had finished his statement. He would repeat what he wanted me to do five or six times in a row, getting louder each time he said something. He would stand behind me and breathe down my neck before all of a sudden sticking his hand in my face and knocking into me as he yelled directions. I left that day feeling frustrated and like there was no possible way I would be able to do it.

Day 4 seemed to go better to me. I got yelled at less for screwing up, and was able to get myself docked by myself a couple of times, even if that meant correcting. I carried boat fulls of guests up and down the river all day, and finally got lots of guest interaction. Eric and I seemed to have found a middle ground and things worked.

I also had my one on one with the manager, which they always do on day 4. I left that meeting a little less sure of myself, but I'm not going to let that get to me. I hate that I have these trainers that tell me I'm doing better than most people and "I promise I wouldn't just say that" and then slip every once in a while and let me know how frustrated they are with me. Especially since they told my manager that I'm struggling and having a hard time. Why tell me I'm doing better than most if I'm not. I thought I was doing great, considering I still have 3 more days of training. I'm starting to get frustrated, so I'm glad I have a few days off from Sassagoula. I'm just going to go back to doing what I know I'm really good at for a couple days before I go back. I'm bound and determined to make this work.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Dumela! I am so sorry for dropping off the face of the Earth. Needless to say, I'm kicking myself more than you are, because I have so many things I forgot to write down. It hurts to think of all the memories that are slipping away even now.

A lot's happened since I last wrote. I got extended through the summer as a lifeguard. Animal Kingdom Lodge and Coronado Springs got divorced, which was a huge change. I'm the only CP that got statused at Coronado. I hardly ever worked there for the first month, I was constantly getting deployed, and I loved almost every place I got deployed to. I, along with all of our spring CP's, got denied for an extension through the fall. It was crushing. I can't tell you how many times I almost quit and went back to camp. Even now the mountains call to me every moment of every day. But I'm determined to make my dreams a reality, and to follow this through.

So I decided to stay in Orlando full time. Which is... wow, it's hard to make that kind of choice with so little time to follow through. My sister is staying with me as well, and our puppy Ginger will eventually be coming down. We've gone through a few potential roommates, and now we know for sure we're going to be living with another guard I work with, Kallie.

Trying to get a job is the worst part. As a CP, you can put in for a full time/part time transfer 6 weeks before the end of your program. I applied for Attractions and Resort Activities (CAC), which requires an interview to make sure you're an appropriate choice for the role. During my CAC interview, they asked me if I had an prior experience with children, and I nearly fell out of my seat laughing, since that's basically all I have experience with. There were no open positions in either of my chosen roles, so the wonderful recruiter who interviewed me helped me find a position that was open that I would be willing to take. I ended up accepting a part time job in watercraft at Sassagoula.

It's not something I ever would have imagined myself doing, but I'm excited about the upcoming opportunities. I'm always willing to try something new, and it's not lifeguarding! I'll be able to talk to people and get the guest interaction I came to Disney to get.

I will also be able to pick lifeguard shifts for the next 6 months as long as I continue IST. That being said, I can't rely just on a part time job. So last week I had an interview at Universal for an Attractions job. It went really well and she said that I (and my sister) had both been put through, but they want us to finish our program. So we go back next week to decide what we want to do.

I'll admit, I'm a little nervous. They interviewed me for a leadership position, which I had originally decided I didn't want to try for yet. I have no experience with working in a theme park, which I would like to do before working a leadership role there. Ultimately, if that's all they're willing to offer me, of course I'll take it, but I'd rather build up some experience first.

A lot of not work related things have happened in the last few months as well. For as big of a disappointment as my first set of roommates turned out to be, my second set more than made of for it. Mary, Jenna, and Courtney turned out to be some of my best friends on this program. I was heart broken when they went home, and I can't wait until they come back to visit. At first it was awkward, because I was so messed up from the weirdo's that were my first roommates, and because our schedules so often didn't line up. In fact, I didn't even meet Courtney for the first week. Eventually though, things got worked out and we became fast friends. It just goes to show that sometimes rando's are better than people you plan on living with.

We had terrible tragedies strike Orlando one after the other. Going to work after everything that happened got more and more difficult. Disney was amazing with the way they responded to things and offered their cast members any support they needed. But, inevitably, people will take their frustrations out on you. Guest interactions were intense for a few days, but it's amazing how short people's memories are...

I went home this last weekend. I'll do an entire post on my love of Chicago, but right now I'm just sort of overwhelmed. Coming back to CP housing was and is strange. I feel all sorts of out of place and in between adventures right now.I wasn't ready to leave the Midwest, but it's time for me to start something amazing.

At 24 years old, I'm finally starting to feel like a adult. Not a college kid, not a teenager playing grown up, but an actual adult. It's a scary feeling. Picking out an apartment, job hunting, and knowing this time I don't have anything to fall back on. A big part of me wants to run back home with my tail between my legs. How could I ever think I could move so far away from home and everyone I love. A significantly smaller, but infinitesimally more stubborn part of me is insisting I stick it out and work through the panic attacks and the anxiety. I can do this. I can live my dreams and my life without letting things get me down. I will do this.