Fridgespace - Following 8 (9?) Girls at Chatham Square

[KBaum]

I used to work in the Communications department of the Programs Office for the CP/IP/CSP and we went through a stage where we wrote blogs for the students to read, mostly about what was going on, what to do if you were bored, etc etc. They're from a year ago.

I sort of had fun with mine and thought maybe some of you potential (or past!) CPers could get something out of them.

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Fridgespace 101

Following eight (nine?) girls at Chatham Square through their Fall College Program

Welcome to the New Year. I'm happy to report that we've all made it successfully into 2008, hopefully without many scratches?

My name is Katie and I'm a new addition to the Housing Intern Team. We're the ones wearing the blue polos on Arrival Days, handing out pizza at the pool parties, and taking your picture with your bags of groceries at Grocery BINGO. We also help with roommate disputes, housing questions, and fieldtrips to Tampa (Hockey game! On the 31st! Do it!).

Anyway, instead of spending the whole time promoting our events (Cool Beans Café! Wednesday February 6th!), I'll introduce myself. I'm from Buxton, Maine, and I went to the University of Maine at Farmington where I got my BFA in Creative Writing last May. I didn't quite know what to do after graduation, so I came here to sunny Florida last August and started my college program.

But here's the deal. I come from a world of short stories and novels and poetry chapbooks. And my writing role here really just includes the Weekly E-mail and a weekly blog entry. I'm pretty sure the rest of the group just wants to throw down their thoughts in a paragraph or two, but I'm kind of long winded. Forgive me. The first day of my non-fiction class in my sophomore year of college was to write a 10,000 word autobiography. I never recovered. Anyway, the point is, I promise to deliver a real and fun look at my college program experience last semester and what it was like transitioning from Maine to Florida. I promise to make it a little bit funny (and very grammatically correct) if you promise to follow along. Kapiche?

I ended up in Chatham Square in a four bedroom apartment. Yup. One of those fabled "living-with-seven-other-girls" situations. Believe it.

Erin was my roommate. She worked in Merchandise at the front Animal Kingdom (she had to wear the blue pants or shorts with the yellow belt and the orange/yellow/blue animal patterned shirts … she had one of the best (read: worst) costumes). Her work schedule was funky in that she worked a ton of mornings and then was home in the evening (and, where I mostly worked really late nights, we didn't see each other all that much). I guess that's what happens when DAK is only open until the sun sets. I love Erin. I love Erin a lot more now that we're not sharing a bedroom.

Lisa, who lived with Amy, shared a bathroom with me and Erin. Lisa was so homesick the first month she was here that she'd spend all her time (when she wasn't at work at the front desk at the Yacht & Beach Club) in her pajamas watching Reba DVDs. When we finally dragged her out to the parks, she felt better, and by the last month of the program, she spent all her time complaining that it was ending and she had to go back to school. According to Lisa's countdown on Facebook, we have 39 days until she arrives back for the week.

Amy, on the other hand, was off the wall from the start. She worked at The Spirit of Aloha show at the Polynesian Resort. She was loud and made friends easily and worked the same shifts every week (yeah, we were jealous). She was from Wisconsin, also a cold place, and so when Halloween and Christmas came around, she made sure that we decorated so it felt somewhat holiday-ish around here. Amy liked calling people "toon-dogs" and making up stories about people and running around at The Tower of Terror screeching about a missing suitcase. She has her degree in musical theatre, so it's what'd you'd expect.

Across the hallway from Amy and Lisa lived a couple of total opposites. Amanda was one of those girls who is always up for fun, who had super straight blonde hair and a little bit of a ditzy personality (I'll never forget that at our first housing meeting she announced, "I don't read!" … it's hard to get her tone across. It was high pitched and giggly. Like a joke. Hey, at least we knew what to expect from the start). Amanda was a blast to have around, and was always game for going to PI on Thursday (or Friday, or Saturday…). Amanda worked at Downtown Disney at The World of Disney, so the, eh, commute over to PI wasn't bad after a late night shift.

Ashley, Amanda's roommate, was a little different. She was quieter and a College Program Alum who had returned for her second session. Ashley worked at Epcot at the American Adventure in quick service food and beverage. She tied Erin for worst costume (I won't describe it; you'll just have to go to Epcot to see for yourself). Let's just say that when Thanksgiving came around and we made a turkey, the best photo was of Ashley carrying the tray. She was definitely our resident colonial woman.

The last bedroom changed a little bit. When we first moved in, Rebekka and Jen shared the place. Rebekka was also a College Program Alum who bought a giant flat screen TV and a Wii during her first week here and then spent most of her time at her boyfriend's apartment (which left US to use the TV and Wii quite a bit). She, however, moved out when she went full time (sometime in October?) and we lost the television in the living room. I don't think we ever replaced it (who has time for TV when you're on the college program?)

Jennifer was from Houston (actually, she grew up in Tulsa, but moved to Houston when she was 21) and said things like "fixin to" and "y'all." She made great chili except that it was … vegetarian chili. So. It had fake meat in it. She didn't tell us this until after we ate it. Jen worked recreation on Bay Lake (that's The Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, and Fort Wilderness for you non MK folk).

After Bekka moved out, we got a sugar sweet Brazilian roommate named Louiza. She came in a few weeks before Christmas, so we got her a stocking and all that, but she sort of disappeared. Every once in awhile she'd come home at night, and she was always fun to talk to, but she did her own thing for awhile. Apparently Jen is impossible to live with.

That was the group. And we all lived in one house. I have a photo of us on move in day, all on our couch together, before we could even tell one another apart (I remember that I kept calling Ashley Amanda and vice versa). I'm pretty sure it's the only picture we have of us together.

Katie

 

[KBaum]

Fridgespace 102: Group Mentality

Right after we moved into the apartment, Amy bought a whiteboard and a ton of dry erase markers that she kept on our computer desk thing and we agreed we'd use it for messages. Lisa sat down and drew some boxes: one for everybody's cell phone numbers, one for messages, and the ever-so-important Days Off box. Once we got our schedules we each put in our days off so that if we happened to have the same day off as someone else, we could try to plan something fun to do.

And plan we did. Right after we eagerly set up our first Day Off box, we realized – stunned – that we each had Monday night off. Oh my gosh. All eight of us. We could do something exciting. Amy wanted to go bowling but nobody had money. Then Amy got mad because the website clearly said that we should have brought at least three weeks' worth of money to survive before our first paychecks. Amy, however, had just finished a weeklong Disney vacation with her parents, and so while we all dreamily thought about the Cinderella Castle, Amy wanted a break from the Disney Magic.

Bekkah and Amanda eventually dropped out of the running for Let's All Hang Out Together, and the final six of us – Ashley, Erin, Jen, Amy, Lisa and I – finally decided we'd go to Magic Kingdom for the night. I don't remember who said it (and we won't place blame) but someone said, "Let's see Wishes!" and we all sort of agreed that MK was the place to be.

The park was beautiful. When the monorail pulled through the Contemporary and I could see the outline of Space Mountain, I got almost giddy. This was it. We really WERE at the Magic Kingdom. All the warm fuzzies from Traditions a few days earlier bubbled up inside me. Kids dream about this place. Parents save up their whole lives to take a vacation here. And we were getting in for free.

We had about a half an hour until Wishes and so we worked our way toward a good stopping place to consult a map. Amy, the Magic Kingdom queen (and quickly becoming my best friend) decided that she knew that she wanted to check out Pirates, since I hadn't seen it since the lovely Jack Sparrow addition. She started moving toward Adventureland without even waiting. I started to follow but …the other four girls were still standing there, hovering over the map. Erin spotted us trying to leave, and immediately got snappy.

"Guys. We're doing this together. We're here to watch Wishes."

Amy, the spitfire, shot back, "I've seen Wishes a hundred times. We're gunna go do Pirates and maybe some other things, we'll meet you afterward."

Erin wasn't happy. "We. Are. Supposed. To. Watch. Wishes. Together."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh get over it. We don't have to follow each other around like one of your stupid sorority parties."

Yeah. Erin was in a sorority. I'm not making any sorority judgments (my sister's a Pi Phi, and she's great and they're great). There are lots of wonderful sororities out there. There are lots of awesome sorority girls out there. That's my disclaimer.

Erin shut up, fuming, but Ashley chimed in. "I thought it's why we came," she said, voice dropping matter-of-factly at the end.

"Yeah." Erin said.

"Well I don't care, I'm going," Amy said, starting to move.

Jen, Lisa and I stood around sort of waiting to see what would happen next. Thing is, I didn't really want to see Wishes either. I tried to throw a positive spin on the whole thing. "Okay guys!" (I'm an optimist and I regularly try to diffuse situations. Habit I guess). "No big deal. I'm gunna go with Amy and ride Pirates and maybe a couple of other things. Do you want to meet back here? Or maybe … oh! I know, let's all meet at the Contemporary and get a snack there before we go home all together!" We'd taken the bus to Magic Kingdom, but I suddenly felt that it was imperative to the health of our apartment if we could all manage to meet up together and take the bus together back. Maybe the bus ride as a group would fulfill Erin's desire for us to work / live en masse.

Erin stood there, lips pursed. You could feel waves of tension radiating off her.

"Yeah, no big deal," Jen said. "We'll get Dole Whips. Let's go to the Poly instead."

Erin was still eyeing me, looking pretty angry. "Fine. Go with her."

It was as if I were about to commit some sort of great betrayal, but I didn't have long to think about it because Amy was already walking off, and Jen, Lisa, and Ashley were just shrugging. Amy and I escaped toward Adventureland.

"I can't stand her." Amy launched in as soon as we were out of earshot. "She drives me crazy and she's a whiny little girl who can't do anything on her own."

"Let's just do Pirates…" I tried to change the conversation. "Is it much different than before?"

She rolled her eyes but luckily let it drop. We had no waiting on Pirates, and as I climbed into the boat my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Erin. "Well we're going to be near Tomorrowland so come over for Wishes when you're done." Instead, we worked our way over to Jungle Cruise (Amy was incredulous – "You've never ridden it at night?!") and we were on a boat by ourselves. By the time the ride ended Wishes was halfway over and Amy was dragging me through the crowd (she really is the Magic Kingdom pro) and rushing to make it to the front of the park before the Mass Exodus.

We did the ol' looking-over-the-shoulder-for-the-finale maneuver and hopped the resort monorail to the Polynesian. I texted Jen to tell her that we were there, and she wrote back saying they were working their way over. I texted back and asked if everyone was in a good mood.

She said she didn't know.

We did meet up with the girls at the Poly. I got a Mickey Bar while the other girls got Dole Whips, and we sat awkwardly eating, and slowly started to regain the light attitudes we all had when we were planning the night. We actually started to have fun. Amy poked fun at Ashley, and regaled us all as she told a story in a British accent. Jen and I traded quotes from The Office. Things were going to be all right.

We stood up, putting our napkins in cups and picking up wrappers to throw away, refreshed, and Amy stepped outside and past the main pool.

"I thought the monorail is that way?" Erin asked, pointing inside the Great Ceremonial House.

Amy rolled her eyes again. "It's faster to walk back."

"My feet hurt. And I have to work early tomorrow," Erin said.

Lisa agreed with Erin. She'd worked in the morning. "Let's take the monorail."

"I'm walking," Amy said, and suddenly, the same thing happened as earlier. Everyone's mood plummeted. Smiles disappeared. We split up again.

Amy and I walked the dark, quiet paths toward the TTC. "Whatever. The monorail takes 20 minutes anyway. It'll only take 7 to walk it."

Amy had just taken her orientation of the Polynesian (remember, she worked at the Spirit of Aloha dinner show) so while we worked our way back to the bus, she told me about the buildings, and the torches and how they were lit every night at 6PM as a part of a special ceremony with fire dancers and everything. It was nice to hang out with Amy one on one so I could learn more about her job location and her zany attitude and her vast knowledge of Walt Disney World. When we were reunited with the rest of the gang at bus stop, everyone was too tired to fight. We slumped in those comfortable (yup, I said it, comfortable) chairs on the bus and could hardly say a word.

The night set the rules for the rest of the program: be flexible. It's going to be a disappointing program if you think things'll always go seamlessly. If things don't go your way, let it go, and don't worry, or you'll spend so much time worrying you won't know how to have fun. And learn from mistakes. So, Amy and Erin would not get along. They had two different personalities, and couldn't stand to be around each other. So what? Not everybody's going to get along with everybody, but we all have to live together.

As for traveling in a pack, hey, it might work for you. But after our fabled night at Magic Kingdom, I wouldn't recommend it.

Katie

 

[KBaum]

Fridgespace 103: Really. About Fridgespace.

Our freezer...

...and our refrigerator.

Before we begin, check out the photos above. Those of you who live in a four bedroom apartment may notice some similarities between our refrigerator and your refrigerator – mainly, the no breathing room, especially in the freezer section.

But alas, this was our refrigerator during our first week, and when whomever the last person to go grocery shopping came home with her bags from Publix and realized that she couldn't fit her cold stuff, there was a smackdown. Ohhh boy. And so none of you may have to deal with the uncomfortable confrontation about your roommate's six pints of sorbet taking up all the fridge space, let me share with you a handful of ground rules we developed to help make everything fit.

1. See that gallon of milk? Rookie's mistake. No way would there ever be a gallon of milk in that fridge ever again. The first thing we did was establish a No Gallon rule – no gallons of milk, soymilk, juice, or ice tea. If it doesn't fit on the door, it doesn't belong in the fridge.

2. Boxes. Freezer picture? A box of hamburgers. My parents bought them for me when we moved in so that I could just throw one on the George Foreman and be good to go. This grand idea, however, quickly turned into a problem. That box. That darn box took up a little too much space. It was pretty easy though – take the burgers, put 'em in freezer ziplocks, and we were golden. It seemed logical when Amy explained it to me and Jen one late night after we'd gotten home from work. And Erin and Lisa didn't mind that their things were taken out of the boxes in the freezer either. It fit so much better! By the time midnight rolled around and I had snuck into my room to finally sleep, though, Bekka came home from work. Amy and Lisa were in the living room watching Pirates of the Caribbean and Bekka, straight out of work the Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom, wanted something to eat. She took one look in the freezer and her Eggo waffles in a ziplock and started yelling. And yelling. I woke up but hid in my room until the drama calmed down, but according to witnesses, hard-headed Amy and Bekka argued for awhile about how to properly cook an Eggo ("I need the directions!" "You're an idiot! You just put it in the toaster!"). Advice here? Before making any changes to the freezer, consult all roommates first.

3. Select-a-shelf. Okay, look at the fridge picture again. Hmmm…count how many shelves you see (yeah yeah, including the drawers)…okay, eight, really if you divvy up the long ones. And Lisa already started the trend by pulling out some masking tape and claiming one as her own. We eventually grabbed a sharpie and some tape and wrote out everyone's name on their own shelf and split it that way. Leave a sharpie by the fridge for adjustments (Erin and I had the bottom shelf, above the drawers, and we let some of the roommies use that spot for tall things, as long as they were labeled). In no time, our fridge was neat & clean - and nobody got peanut butter inside someone else's strawberry jam by mistake.

4. Thou Shalt Eat What Thou Buys. This will become easier as you spend more money on the outlet malls and Pleasure Island than food, but we struggled with this at first: eat what you get. Don't let random crap pile up in the fridge because you "might" eat it sometime. This rule is easier to enforce when everyone has their own space, because you'll get sick of staring at the package of hotdogs you bought on your first grocery shopping trip that you know you won't eat.

Managing fridge space will get easier as you eat more and more of the food your parents bought you on move-in day, and if you take some of these pieces of advice into consideration you'll be golden. And remember, if you ever remove an item from a box and can't remember how to cook it, I'm sure google can help you with that.

Katie

 

[KBaum]

Fridgespace 1.04 – Rock & Role

At this point I'm sure your role is getting easier. You're starting to get the hang of things, you understand the rhythm of the workday, you don't have to think so much when you're performing your role and you can actually – imagine that! – talk to a guest while working (I worked at the front desk of the Caribbean Beach resort and it took me ages to figure out how to check a guest in while simultaneously having a conversation with them). Hopefully you know some of your fellow Cast Members – full time, part time, and the awesome CPs that you work with (hint: make friends. If someone asks you to take or switch a shift, and you can, do it without much trouble. If you say no all the time, nobody will help you when your parents are visiting and have sweet reservations at California Grill and want you to come. Plus, it's just nice). Things are going smoothly. You're feeling great.

Then, it happens. You log on to The Hub and you see something you don't recognize: a jumble of letters that don't mean anything. It's a job you've never done. That confidence flies out the window. Your palms begin to sweat. You refresh the screen thinking that there's a mistake, that somehow you must have logged into someone else's name. It can't be right.

For me, my schedule had always said the same thing: "FRONT DESK CASHIER: CB" Every day across the line, until that fateful day about a month into my program where my schedule said "DME GREET BSV."

DME greet? BSV? What? I almost immediately flew into a panic. "What's a BSV? What does DME mean? Who do I greet? What do I wear? I don't have any training for this! HOW CAN I WORK THIS ROLE IF I HAVEN'T BEEN TRAINED?!"

I wish I had someone standing over my shoulder to tell me to calm down. Hakuna Matata. It's okay.

All I had to do was ask my managers what the deal was (remember: your leaders are your friend), and they acted as that voice of reason. They said it was just an opportunity to learn a new portion of the Hospitality role and that, not to worry, I didn't need any training for any of the new shifts. And – I didn't even need to get a new costume! Perfect.

Working as a Disney's Magical Express (a-hah! Figured that one out) Greeter was so easy. I essentially brought in cages of luggage that were coming in from the airport, and helped sort the luggage so the bellmen could get it out to the guest's rooms faster. And do you know what happened? I loved it. I got to meet the wonderful Caribbean Beach bellmen and greeters, work on my biceps, and understand a new aspect of the resort. And when I worked as a Bell Service greeter, I got to hand out stickers to little Guests as they waited for the Magical Express to take them home. I learned all about their vacations and their favorite rides and how much fun they had – which doesn't happen much when your main role is checking guests in at the start of their vacation. And when I become a Runner and got to deliver balloons and new keys and walk around the beautiful resort, the day flew by so fast. It was wonderful.

The point is, if you're asked to step out of your comfort zone, take a deep breath and dive in. Remember, Disney hired you because you're a great person, you have a good attitude, and you care about your role. This means that Disney hired all the people around you for those same reasons. I was so pleasantly surprised by the switch-up that I ended up requesting to work with my new friends even when I got switched back to the Front Desk. Keep in mind that magic comes in mysterious ways. With faith, trust, and some pixiedust, who knows what might happen.

Katie

 

[KBaum]

Fridgespace 105: Get Me Out of Here.

It was October. My parents had already visited me once (they bought Annual Passes, and flights from Maine were actually pretty cheap), and were on their way down again.

I don't know about all of you, but my relationship with my parents is pretty tight. My stepmother, Dee Dee, is one of my best friends, and my dad's my hero. At home, we used to spend a lot of time together: running errands, going out to dinner, or working on projects around the house.

Being away from home was not my cup of tea – but I also knew that the Disney College Program was something I knew I wanted to do the second I found out it was even possible. Crazy roommates, long hours, weird roles and funky costumes combined was not as bad as it was leaving home. The littlest things got me choked up, like my dad text messaging me a photo of our cat, Gracie, curled up on my bed, or Dee Dee calling me back after they'd spent all afternoon outside raking the leaves. Before I knew it, I was homesick, and I had it bad.

Lisa, my homesick partner-in-crime, was pretty bummed out too. Her sister had just had a baby, and she was getting regular picture updates on her phone. The two of us, together, thinking about home, would get teary-eyed talking.

And yet, working at Disney was great. My crazy-roommates were only crazy sometimes, and the parks were definitely good cheer-me-uppers. The hardest part, actually, of being away from home was…being away from home.

Even though Dad and Dee Dee visited me again in October (and again in December), I remember wanting them to take me home every single time. I missed my house and my pets and my state and the cold weather and my friends at my school and the roads and my car. I just didn't want to be in Florida any longer.

But my parents told me to just hold out. "It's not much longer," they'd say. "And it's only for a semester. You can come home after you finish." I certainly wasn't planning on leaving before my departure date, but I was miserable waiting for that date to come.

Until we started talking about leaving. I had applied for a Professional Internship just to keep my options open, and as my roommates and I became closer and closer, I started to worry about what it would be like leaving them. Truth be told, I didn't want to. My friend Jen and I had such a ball dancing around our apartment listening to The Carpenters and making shrimp gumbo and carrying our little video cameras around Epcot that it hit me that I didn't really want to leave. And I haven't.

I don't have much advice for this blog entry except to talk to those around you. Lisa and I had a great friendship where we could talk about the things we missed together, and then we could move on from that. What would start out as us whining turned into story telling about our different homes. And it always felt a hundred times better to know that someone else was feeling the same way and that it was okay (sometimes the hardest part of being homesick is seeing everybody else around you having a blast).

The only thing I know for sure is that if you give it time, you'll find your own roots and your own stories and really awesome friends that help make it better.

Katie

 

[DisneyTampa]

Thanks for posing your blogs! I have only read a few of them so far but they are very fun to read.

Just out of curiosity, how did you get your job working for the CP?

 

[jusTine87]

These were great. I really enjoyed them!

 

[KBaum]

Well, those are the only blog posts I ended up doing But I hope they help!

After my college program I got a professional internship in Communication and got placed in the CP (my roommate, Em, was placed at Epcot in Communications - side, she now works at the CP doing my old coordinator's job, which is basically working on HTM every week).

One of my tasks was to interview professional interns from around "The World" and feature them every week in the weekly e-mail. The final week of my internship I got to "interview myself" and post it in the weekly e-mail about my experience. Here's that too.
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For me, working for Disney had really only become a dream of mine when I first heard about the College Program. I guess before that I thought it would be impossible for me, living in Maine, to successfully pack up all my things and move to the opposite end of the country and work for a place that I'd grown up wanting to go very single time my parents mentioned a vacation (right up to when my parents sat down my brothers and I - and one of my brother's fiance - and asked us where we'd like to go on vacation and we - all adults - said Disney World).

And then, maybe like some of you, I stumbled upon the Disney College Program website, and the pieces fell into place. Suddenly it was August 15, 2007 and my parents were sweating and waiting for me to go through the check-in process as I got to know my new roommate, Erin.

I still can't believe that I've had the opportunity, not only for the College Program - where I happily spent August until January at the Front Desk of Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort ("Welcome to the Islands!") - but to continue with my Professional Internship, right here with all of you Program Participants.

I have my degree in Creative Writing and graduated in from University of Maine at Farmington, which could not have been more different than Lake Buena Vista, FL. And it's hear that I've had the remarkable experience and ability to learn so much about a great company and how to use my writing in the corporate world.
You probably have seen me at many of your events, because I'm taking pictures and video for The Hub and HTM: Housing the Magic (channel 49 at Vista Way, and 21 at Chatham Square and The Commons!). And those of you who have been here all semester recognize my writing too-- I do the weekly e-mail! I spend Friday mornings holed up at my desk making sure that you get all the important information about your program. I also get to pick out all the trivia, and things like that (I love Pluto, hence this week's). In addition to that, I also help with the Communicator (your monthly newsletter). It's a busy role but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I have learned more than I would ever have imagined by being here. I learned how to multi-task (you have no idea), how to think fast, work fast, and what it means to work on an amazing team. I've also learned how to slow down, and get to know program participants because there's nothing more rewarding than talking to you guys at the events and hearing about your work locations and what you do for fun, and just getting to know you.

I'll return to Maine, after this, a changed person. I now know what it's like to work for the best of the best, and that you can work hard and play hard, and that Disney is where dreams come true.

 

[Joanna71985]

Wow, great posts! They are very interesting.

 

[Jillpie]

I loved reading your blog, just fantastic. And helpful as a Mom of a son, who just checked into Chatham this past Sunday! Have you met Pat? Probably not, but I thought I'd throw it at ya. He's loving this week, and loves Chatham, so much bigger than his dorm room back at home (we live south of Boston). Anyway, your fridge description was hilarious, and oh so educational! Great tips for the kids.
Anyway, if you run into a handsome , tall young man, starting to work at DHS tomorrow, please give him a huge hug from his Mom, ok? Sure do miss him alot.

 

[KBaum]

I'm glad you guys enjoy the blog posts. I just want it to be helpful for future or current CPs so that they know what they're getting into and how to stick it out.

I don't work for the Programs Office anymore; I've moved back home to Maine. Florida just wasn't for me - too hot & neon, not enough seasons, no mountains to hike!

 

[mikelo]

Wow Katie, your blogs are really informative and entertaining to read! That degree was certainly put to good use at Disney! =) I love reading about your interactions with your roomates. There's a degree of honesty there that is refreshing, and the group dynamics were very interesting. I noticed that you had a role in hospitality without being a hospitality major. I was wondering if you'd had any prior hospitality experience, because from reading the boards, apparently it's a hard role to be casted into without the major. Anyway, thanks for posting your blogs, and keep writing! =)

 

[KBaum]

Thanks! I did have some experience working in hospitality - I worked for a summer at the front desk of a crappy hotel in (beautiful) Bar Harbor, Maine. I also worked at Target at Guest Services since I was 16, all through school, so I had a ton of guest experience. I remember them asking me why I was interested when my degree was writing and I said that writing, to me, was about people and their experiences, and the best way to be good at writing is to get to know other people and their experiences. I guess that did the trick.

I later found out, through a meeting we'd had with recruiting, that disney places "more experienced" hospitality folks in value (high-traffic) or deluxe resorts, and those who worked at "small, stupid places like Day's Inn" get placed at Moderates. That's why I didn't get the Contemporary like I'd hoped

 

[mikelo]

Thanks Katie! I've been working at a cafe for the past 1 1/2 years (I'm supervisor now!) and I've done 3 internships in some of the more upscale hotels in San Francisco (unfortunately non in front desk). I'm hoping to get ANY role in hospitality, or FSFB. February is coming up, and I can't wait to apply!