Just Keep Swimming - A 2015 Disney Professional Internship [7/20 - 5x Update]

[cyndiloveswalt]

Really enjoying reading about your experiences! Always love little tidbits of information about anything Disney.
My DH and I talk about going to Disney and working once we retire, we often discuss which jobs we'd like to have. (He'd like to drive a boat, I'm not quite sure). It's very cool that you get to live the magic for a while, Enjoy it!
Will continue to read along!

 

[LanaBear-ox]

I'm really enjoying your report as a DPI! I can't wait to hear more about it. I wish I looked into doing an international college program as I did my degree in Childhood Studies/Education here in the UK! Hopefully I can find a job just as good as yours! (I wish..)

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm loving your report!! So well written, entertaining, with great pictures and informative. I've already learned several new factoids about my favorite place. Next time I'm in the park, I will keep an eye out for you in the Seas!

 

[randinicole]

Joining in. Looks like you are on quite an adventure, can't wait to hear more.

Yay! Thanks for joining in Tina!

Love it!

Haha, it's just so natural to write EPCOT (which is a little weird considering I was like three when they officially changed it to Epcot but oh well, old habits nonetheless).

You shouldn't apologize. EPCOT is the correct way to write it, since it is an acronym. You wouldn't write Usda instead of USDA, would you?

This statistic just blows my mind. I knew that the world showcase was big and that there was room for a lot more countries, but to think that all of the MK would fit inside it really puts the size of it into perspective.

Right?!? I never really thought about the size of World Showcase but when they mentioned that little fact my mind was completely blown!

So excited to read along!!!!! Can't wait for more!

I'm so excited that you're so excited!

I'm also really excited about your upcoming Make a Wish Trip! I hope I'm able to see you and your beautiful family at The Seas while you're visiting the world!

I love the fact that you were sitting so close to the Land that you could hear it!!
What an amazing Discovery Day, such an experience to cherish forever, especially as it is very secretive!
It's amazing how much you remember about the manatees, we always go and see the resident manatees when were in EPCOT as they're my mums favourite! Although they don't do much, they are incredible animals!
You said you're there for 7 months, does that mean you'll be moving back after that or carry on at Disney??
I love reading all about your experiences, especially with the combination of teaching and Disney!! That would be a dream for me too (I'm also currently studying primary education in London!!) I am very jealous of you haha! Can't wait to read more, especially of your first work day tomorrow!!

Well, my internship is only 7 months (it ends on January 23rd) so technically I won't be in my current role forever. But, truth be told, I actually have no idea what I want to do with my life when this journey is over. I actually never anticipated even doing this Professional Internship when my College Program ended but here I am! I'm very much just a go with the flow kind of person when it comes to long-term, life plans (but I', super detail-orientated and uber-planned when it comes to day to day activities - figure that one out). I can't imagine not being a Cast Member in the future but I also have no idea what I want to do with my future so...

That's so wonderful that you're also studying education! This is probably a silly question but I'm imagining that primary education is equivalent to elementary education in the States (typically grades kindergarten through four or five)? I would love to learn more about the similarities and differences between school in the United States and school in England!

I love cheering like this... especially in WDW!

What a wonderful EPCOT training experience! I love your educational posts, keep them coming.

Oh don't you worry - there are plenty more fun facts posts coming up! We have eight days of training to get through!

Really enjoying reading about your experiences! Always love little tidbits of information about anything Disney.
My DH and I talk about going to Disney and working once we retire, we often discuss which jobs we'd like to have. (He'd like to drive a boat, I'm not quite sure). It's very cool that you get to live the magic for a while, Enjoy it!
Will continue to read along!

Aww, thank you so much Cyndi! I hope that you and your husband are able to fulfill your dream of working for Disney in the future! I actually met quite a few retired couples during my time with Disney Floral and Gifts and have also had the opportunity to work alongside some really wonderful retired women at The Seas! The stories that they all share about spending time in the parks with their children and grandchildren are always so sweet.

I'm really enjoying your report as a DPI! I can't wait to hear more about it. I wish I looked into doing an international college program as I did my degree in Childhood Studies/Education here in the UK! Hopefully I can find a job just as good as yours! (I wish..)

Wow! It's so exciting to meet so many people that also have educational degrees from other countries! It sounds like you've already finished school - are you currently teaching in the United Kingdom?

I'm loving your report!! So well written, entertaining, with great pictures and informative. I've already learned several new factoids about my favorite place. Next time I'm in the park, I will keep an eye out for you in the Seas!

Thank you so much Christine - I'm literally beaming from your comment! I hope I'm able to see you at The Seas soon!

 

[randinicole]

Friday, June 19th
Part 1​

Today was my first full day off since arriving in Florida and I knew exactly how I wanted to spend the day – at a park!

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Well, two parks actually! A few of The Seas interns still had to work today but we wanted to get together at World Showcase after their shifts ended to celebrate (aka drink) the upcoming birthdays of two interns. We weren’t planning to meet until 5:00 which left me with some time to explore my most favorite park – Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

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Before I began my College Program back in January, I had no doubts that Magic Kingdom was my favorite park – it held all of my favorite rides, my favorite parades (R.I.P. Spectro), and my favorite quick service restaurant (and all good Disney nerds know how important a great quick service is). However, as I have gotten older I have developed a deep affinity for the incredible aesthetics and attention to detail at Animal Kingdom. From the prayer scarves hanging from the trees in Asia to the telephone poles and wires lining the horizon in Harambe Village, the atmosphere at Animal Kingdom sends my perfectionist driven heart into sensory overload. I love it.

...oh ya, and the attractions are wonderful also – I mean, Kilimanjaro, Everest, FOTLK, and Primeval Whirl all in one park? What’s not to love.

As luck would have it, Jess (my roommate) and Jess (my fellow Conservation Education Instructor intern) were both off today and decided to join in on the DAK adventures!

Jess (my roommate) and I got to the park around 11:00 and after much pleading, I got her to take some photos with me! (I can never pass up a good PhotoPass opportunity.)

Lost princess material right here.​

After some fun in front of the Tree of Life, Jess and I headed out to Harambe for a quick safari around the wildlife reserve.

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Our safari guide was wonderful (aren’t they all though) and had some really sharp eyes throughout our expedition. When we came across the giraffes, our guide Hayley explained that some newly born calves were being acclimated to the safari environment. While we weren’t able to stop near the babies (they’re still being familiarized with the ride vehicles so safari trucks are not yet able to stop near the calves), I was able to snap a few quick pictures of the adorables.

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There were also a few baby elephants out and about but the pseudo-construction walls that were up around the environment made it hard to get a good snap. Here’s a nice picture of a calf’s backside. Enjoy.

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We wrapped up our stint around the reserve, said “kwaherini” to our guide Hayley and headed to the Himalayas – we had a Yeti to find!

...but before we could get down to business (...to defeat the Huns...or the Yeti...whichever), we needed nourishment. Jess was on the hunt for a jalapeno cheese pretzel and I was searching for popcorn, Disney popcorn. Actually, I wasn’t searching very hard. My popcorn addiction, while it’s both a blessing and curse, is really quite helpful on days like today because I know exactly where the closest popcorn cart is at all times.

I posted on Instagram:

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As we snacked under the shade of the Dawa Bar, Jess (from The Seas) met up with us! On her College Program back in 2014, Jess worked outdoor foods at Animal Kingdom. She mostly worked in Africa and Asia so when I told her that we were near the popcorn cart in Harambe, she knew right where we meant – that’s my kind of girl.

Okay, so now that we were properly fed (my mother would be so disappointed if she knew how much popcorn I consume on a daily basis), the Jesses (read: Jess plural) and I tackled the forbidden mountain.

This queue has the most incredible details.​

I really enjoy this photo because of the dad and son sitting in front of us – I can just imagine the son being like, “Really dad? You’re really screaming right now?”​

After coming face to face with the monstrous Yeti (and a monstrous amount of hair ties – thank you cheerleaders), we checked in with our favorite My Disney Experience app, planned and plotted the times for Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Musical and headed back to Africa and back to popcorn. Just kidding, but trust me I considered it.

Along the way, we got sucked into delightfully Bollywood dance party (the Bhangra DJ Dance Party). It’s time I let you all know that I’m a huge sucker for dancing. While I might not have the moves to compete on Dancing with the Stars (...or, you know, the star-ness), I can hold my own at a dance party any day. Maybe it’s because I spend far too much time with children, maybe it’s because I’ve just never quite outgrown my 90s boy band phase, but my goodness, if you put on a song with a catchy beat and some EDM undertones, you can bet I’ll start dancing. I cannot go to Tomorrowland without spending some time at the #INCREDIBLESSuperDanceParty (gotta love the hashtag) breaking it down with Frozone. So, naturally, when we stumbled upon the dance party taking place in Asia, I just had to join in.

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My sick moves had to be contained eventually however because we had a festival to get to!

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After singing both the “a-wimowehs” and the “um-a-ways” (I know, I’m a rebel), we made our way from one musical and into another. Now trust me, I love FOTLK as much as the next overly-obsessed Disney fan but there’s just something about Finding Nemo: The Musical that just makes my heart smile. I find myself singing ‘In the Big Blue World’ and ‘Go with the Flow’ to myself all of the time – probably even more so now that I work at The Seas. They’re just so catchy.

Since we were in the area when our show in the wild wrapped up, I thought why not try our luck and see if we could get on Animal Kingdom’s most thrilling, most exciting, most popular ride. I mean, the colors, the sounds, the neck-breaking turns – what’s not to love about Primeval Whirl!

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In all honesty though, I really do love Primeval Whirl. It’s 60 seconds of nonstop laughter sprinkled with a few jarring spins that’ll take your head off if you’re not paying attention. I’m not a terribly big fan of kitsch but I am a fan of humor and DinoLand as a whole is basically the Imagineers using kitsch to, well, make fun of kitsch.

If you aren’t familiar with the story behind DinoLand (and trust me, it’s quite a story), read on:

Diggs County (the official name of DinoLand, U.S.A.) was nothing more than another roadside stop along Florida’s Route 498 (numbered for the opening date of Animal Kingdom: April 1998). The town was nothing more than an old gas station and fishing lodge.

One day, a few amateur archeologists were wandering through the area and discovered fossils surrounding Diggs County. After contacting their scientist friends and investors, the fossil hunters purchased as much of the land as possible, with the exception of the gas station. Chester and Hester, the gas station owners, held out despite the archeologists’ offers to buy.

The archeologists formed the Dino Institute as they realized the area was littered with fossils. They began accepting a class of interns to help with their research and took over the fishing lodge for their headquarters. They gained popularity and notoriety in the scientific community, acquired additional funding, and added on to the lodge as much as possible until they finally outgrew it.

Able to hold new equipment and technology, a new Dino Institute was built where the scientists were able to develop time travel. For a fee, tourists were able to travel back in time at the Dino Institute (the premise behind ‘Dinosaur’). Over time, Chester and Hester noticed the influx of tourism in their small town. Not wanting to miss out on opportunity to cash in, the young couple turned their gas station into a souvenir store, and put up signs along the highway to welcome and draw in visitors.

As the area continued to grow, the tourism dollars continued to come in. The old fishing lodge was first turned into a cafeteria and lounge for the interns of the Dino Institute. Ultimately, however, the fishing lodge became a restaurant for tourists but the intern’s influence on Restaurantosaurus can still be seen on the walls in the establishment.

To rake in even more quick cash, Chester and Hester decided to create their own dinosaur-themed roadside carnival including Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin, and numerous carnival games, all Dinosaur themed of course. To help them run their carnival, Chester and Hester hired their ‘cousins’ to work and operate their rides and game booths.​

In my opinion, DinoLand U.S.A. is terribly overlooked because people consider its theming to be cheap when, in reality, it’s actually quite the opposite. While the old tire planters and cracked parking lot pavement can be mistaken as an attempt to cut corners, they’re actually very exacting details that add to the story. Once you know the history of DinoLand, you can tell that the shop is supposed to look tacky on purpose. Once you understand the backstory, you begin to realize the highway and parking lots are intentionally painted and constructed to look rundown. Even Restaurantosaurus makes a lot more sense once you’re familiar with its life as a fishing lodge turned intern lounge turned restaurant. It helps tie-in the lodge’s theming with all the knick-knacks and the intern’s love of adding “-osaurus” onto anything and everything.

So, long story short, I love DinoLand, U.S.A. because you can’t really love it until you understand it.

So where were we...Oh yes, after just barely surviving the impending meteor attack, we said goodbye to Chester, Hester, and all of their Dino-Rama friends and headed towards the park exit. However, before we could head out, I had one very important mission to complete. I needed to get to Creature Comforts (the new Starbucks location at DAK) and pick up my fourth and final ‘You Are Here Collection’ mug. You read that right people – fourth and final. After many, many months, I have finally completed my coveted mug collection! I absolutely love coffee mugs (just as I absolutely love coffee) and when I first laid eyes on that Magic Kingdom ‘You Are Here’ mug, I knew I needed to get all four. Well, I couldn’t do that until Creature Comforts was open and luckily, on this particular day, it was in a soft opening. Thank goodness.

Back at home in all their completed collection glory!​

Okay, so after the very necessary shopping trip, we took one last longing look at that delightfully decorated oilrig and headed out of Animal Kingdom.

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[I cannot tell a lie - the pictures throughout this Animal Kingdom post are from a few different days; most are photos that I snapped throughout my College Program but they just fit so well into this update that I couldn’t resist.]

[Part 2 - continued in next post]​

 

[randinicole]

Friday, June 19th
Part 2​

So after exiting the kingdom of animals, the Jesses and I headed over to meet up with a majority of the interns from The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Of the sixteen new interns, I think twelve or so of us made it out to drink around the world and celebrate the birthdays of Lauren and Sonja! I’m fairly certain that each of us said at least two or three times that we should get a group picture...but we never did. Oh well, one of these days.

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When we got to the park, the Jesses and I bypassed Future World and headed right into the World Showcase. Our friends were already in Morocco but we had our own agenda first – fish and chips and alcohol!

We made a brief stop in the United Kingdom to munch on some fish and chips while simultaneously enjoying the company of overly persistent birds. It was just delightful . However, the amazing-ness of the fish and chips made the birds a little less annoying.

We didn’t stop in France (or clearly Canada, we breezed right by that baby on the way to food) in an attempt to catch up with our friends but I most definitely needed to stop in Morocco for a drink – a Sultan’s Colada was (read: always is) calling my name.

...well apparently I didn’t take a photo of my drink but I did take this photo of Morocco so please enjoy.

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Anywho, after I acquired my alcoholic beverage, we met up with the other interns and continued our processional around World Showcase. We made some group stops at the Sake Bar in Japan, the Trinken Beer Cart in Germany, and La Cava del Tequila in Mexico. Once we completed our 1.2 mile trek around the world, a few group members headed home while the rest of us continued on to Future World for TestTrack and Mission: Space (orange side, of course).

It was pretty late in the night at this point and some of the group wanted to head over to Jellyrolls. The Jesses and I decided to head home though because our full day of park hopping was beginning to catch up to us. If you’re wondering about Illuminations, it was actually cancelled for the night (which was perfectly fine with me – I’m actually terrified of fireworks and tend to avoid them at all costs).

We headed out of the park right at closing, said goodbye to those going to Jellyrolls, and roommate Jess and I headed home.

...but not before I could post on Instagram:

[continued in next post]​

 

[randinicole]

Saturday, June 20th​

Saturday was another off day for me but after hitting two parks for most of the previous day, all I really wanted to do today was run a few errands, relax, and just be lazy.

Jess had work today but Ashlie was home so we decided to run out to HomeGoods and IKEA together. I still needed to find a bedside table, picture ledge, and some general decorations for my room and we wanted to get an end table for between our two couches in the living room.

We didn’t find anything at HomeGoods but we did discover that it is attached to a Marshalls, which is pretty much my dream come true. Approximately 99% of my wardrobe is from Marshalls (the other 1% is from the Emporium) so to know that such a heavenly combination of Marshalls (my favorite clothing store) and HomeGoods (my favorite home decorating store) exists in the world is really quite an amazing thing. If I could go through school again, I would most definitely be an interior designer – I have always had such a passion for decorating and the restoration of old homes. By the time that I was six years old, I already knew that HGTV was my favorite channel and I would beg my mother to bring me to thrift stores so that I could buy old picture frames, candle sticks, and other little trinkets that I could refinish.

We headed over to IKEA afterwards and found everything we were looking for – and then some. I don’t know what came over me but I decided that today was the day I would try an infamous IKEA hotdog (and Diet Coke but who’s keeping record).

It was actually quite yummy.​

Apparently the sky didn’t want me to enjoy my Scandinavian goodness for too long however because I soon as I stepped out from under the overhang to walk to my car, it began to pour.

Despite the small river developing beneath my car, we made it home safely and I began the fun task of furniture assembling! In no time at all I busted out two end tables. The floating picture ledge, however, was a whole other story. I knew that I wanted to hang the shelf over my bed and common sense told me that I should definitely anchor at least one of the screws into a stud. I didn’t have a stud finder (and didn’t necessarily want to go out and buy one either) so I tried tapping on the wall to hear for a stud. Well, everything sounded hollow to me so I knew that plan wasn’t going to work. I did a bit of research online and found out that you could use a magnet and search for a screw behind the plaster but after five minutes, I kind of gave up. Trying to find one measly screw behind more than 100 square feet of wall is no easy task, people. Just when I thought I had been defeated by an IKEA wall shelf, it popped into my head: there must be an app for this!

...and what do you know, there is! Yes people, there is an app for finding studs in your wall! The app – called ‘Stud Finder’ appropriately enough – uses the magnet in your phone (much like the compass app does) to find screws in the wall. What makes this app so much better than just any old magnet, however, is that it will tell you an approximation of how close or far away you are from a screw so that you don’t have to spend all of your day sliding a three-inch magnet around on a not so three-inch wall.

So, with many thanks to my ever-astounding iPhone, I was able to hang my picture ledge and finish decorating my bedroom! This bedroom is the eighth room I’ve lived in over the last six years and while it’s not my favorite in terms of décor (I was working on a very small budget in a very new town), I do love it. It’s cozy, it gets a great amount of sunlight, and it has all of my favorite colors – coral, navy, gold, gray, and white.

My bedroom is actually the master so I have an overwhelming large walk-in closet (it’s honestly too big – I keep buying things just so I can fill it) as well as an attached bathroom.

And now that the living room is organized, I can show you the rest of the apartment as well!

We have quite a bit more space in the living room that we’re considering filling with a table (or a Christmas tree, you can never be too prepared for the holiday season) but otherwise, we’re just about moved in which is a really great feeling!

Ashlie and I spent the rest of the night cuddled up the couches while we aimlessly scrolled on our laptops and chatted about anything and everything.

Amazingly enough, I had one more day off tomorrow!

[continued in next post]​

 

[randinicole]

Sunday, June 21st​

Even though all three of the roommates had Sunday off, we woke up bright up early because we were going to the theater to see...

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We had tried to see it the night before but when we called the AMC Theater at Downtown Disney, it had already sold out of all of that night’s showings. We toyed around with the idea of seeing the movie at a more local theater but I just couldn’t bring myself to see a Disney movie at a theater not on Walt Disney World Resort property. The girls agreed that they would rather wait as well so we decided on seeing it at 10:00 on Sunday morning.

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It. Was. Adorable!

If you haven’t seen the movie yet I most definitely will not give anything way but wow, I was absolutely in love! I’m constantly impressed by Pixar’s ability to create a family-focused film that can still connect with audiences of all ages. Boy did I connect – I am not ashamed to say that there were tears at one point.

There also may have been tears when I walked out of the theater and didn’t have the surprise opportunity to meet Joy and Sadness...

Oh well, there was still this larger than life head guy and that was pretty cool!

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It was around 1:00 p.m. when we got home and really, I didn’t feel like doing anything. I had to do a load or two of laundry and my bedroom was in need of some tidying up but other than that, I had no motivation to leave the apartment. I knew that the week of training ahead was going to be exhausting so I reasoned with myself that it was a-okay to be lazy for the next ten hours.

In the midst of my nothingness, however, I did manage to take a ‘Which Inside Out Character Are You?’ Quiz and, shocker, I got Disgust.

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In typical Disgust-fashion, I was elated to have my true identity realized. I honestly do have uncompromising standards – I often times expect perfection of both myself and others (though I blame that on being a Virgo) and take mixtapes quite seriously, thank you very much!

Might as well say, 'This is Randi.' ​

Anywho, after I discovered who I truly was, I continued on with the laziest of days ever and proceeded to do just about nothing productive.

I deserved it, right?


[continued in next post]​

 

[Wood Nymph]

We made a brief stop in the United Kingdom to munch on some fish and chips while simultaneously enjoying the company of overly persistent birds. It was just delightful

We only recently discovered how good these are. Now we wish we had tried them about 30 years ago.

So, with many thanks to my ever-astounding iPhone, I was able to hang my picture ledge and finish decorating my bedroom! This bedroom is the eighth room I’ve lived in over the last six years and while it’s not my favorite in terms of décor (I was working on a very small budget in a very new town), I do love it. It’s cozy, it gets a great amount of sunlight, and it has all of my favorite colors – coral, navy, gold, gray, and white.

I love the iPhone and that app is really handy. I love the way you decorated your room. The colors really blend nicely. Your place looks very neat and tidy, too.

Anywho, after I discovered who I truly was, I continued on with the laziest of days ever and proceeded to do just about nothing productive.

I deserved it, right? ​

Right.

 

[GAN]

Yes people, there is an app for finding studs in your wall! The app – called ‘Stud Finder’ appropriately enough – uses the magnet in your phone (much like the compass app does) to find screws in the wall. What makes this app so much better than just any old magnet, however, is that it will tell you an approximation of how close or far away you are from a screw so that you don’t have to spend all of your day sliding a three-inch magnet around on a not so three-inch wall.

OMG ....who would have thought? Well, you obviously! Duly noted.....

 

[TXMNie]

Following along enjoying hearing about everything! Your apartment is super cute! And props to you for assembling all of your own furniture and finding the stud. It looks adorable! I am glad you enjoyed Inside Out - I need to go see it soon!

 

[Dis5150]

Following! Sounds like so much fun! My 25 yo daughter and I just went to Disney World for the first time this past February but we never made it to The Seas or The Land. We will definitely be going on our next trip in September after reading your posts! And I will be looking for you!

 

[I_Luv_Stitch]

Well, my internship is only 7 months (it ends on January 23rd) so technically I won't be in my current role forever. But, truth be told, I actually have no idea what I want to do with my life when this journey is over. I actually never anticipated even doing this Professional Internship when my College Program ended but here I am! I'm very much just a go with the flow kind of person when it comes to long-term, life plans (but I', super detail-orientated and uber-planned when it comes to day to day activities - figure that one out). I can't imagine not being a Cast Member in the future but I also have no idea what I want to do with my future so...

That's so wonderful that you're also studying education! This is probably a silly question but I'm imagining that primary education is equivalent to elementary education in the States (typically grades kindergarten through four or five)? I would love to learn more about the similarities and differences between school in the United States and school in England!

Oh that's a shame, as I'm in WDW in August/September, it would have been great to see you in the seas!!! At least you are very happy to be easy going so that you can complete all these different experiences.
Primary School ranges from ages 4-11 and then secondary is 11-16 and then sixth form is 16-18!! Our schooling is a lot different to America, but our curriculum has changed so I'm still getting my head around it!! Oh I am also following you on Instagram (Jessicaleah9)

What an amazing few days you've had in the World!! Being from England we found the fish and chips to not be that great, but then this was 8 years ago now and we have amazing fish and chips here, which is normally caught and fried within half a day!!! Your room is so well coordinated, and the amount of space is great, and I'm definitly with you, with if there's space in a closet you have to fill it!!
What is a Marshalls??? We don't have them over here!!
I've heard so many rave reviews on Inside Out and when it finally gets over to the UK I will definitly make an effort of seeing it!!
Can't wait to read about more of your adventures especially with your training starting this week, also you definitly deserve some well rested time out!!!

 

[ksinniger]

Following along - looks like today is your last day of training so congrats! Can't wait to hear where wemight see you in the Seas when we visit in August!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Your apartment looks great! IKEA is dangerous for me. I come out with so much stuff! Love all the fun you've been having around the parks. Totally agree about how much detail there is in Animal Kingdom. It's under-appreciated, for sure.

 

[disneyguy4life]

I am finally caught up with your awesome, amazing, and educational PITR. I like the way you write and enjoy reading about your adventures. Oh to be 22 again. Enjoy it all and eat it up everyday, working or not. Even if that means laying around doing nothing LOL. Just out of curiosity, is this the start of a Disney career? Or do you plan on going back to teach? I can't wait for the next installment. Lata

 

[CopperWife]

Thursday, June 18th​

I’d first like to introduce you to Lou and Lil’ Joe, our two West Indian Manatees – also known as Florida Manatees.

Pictured above is Lil’ Joe as he snacks on a piece of lettuce.​

Be still my heart! As an original Floridian, I have a soft spot in my heart for these guys. My entire Illinois family gives me a hard time about it, but how can you NOT love manatees?

 

[randinicole]

We only recently discovered how good these are. Now we wish we had tried them about 30 years ago.

I love the iPhone and that app is really handy. I love the way you decorated your room. The colors really blend nicely. Your place looks very neat and tidy, too.

Right.

Aww, thank you Sue! I actually just bought some more decorations yesterday (at Michaels of all places!) so I guess my room is about to get even more decorated. Hopefully it can stay just as clean though!

OMG ....who would have thought? Well, you obviously! Duly noted.....

Hahah I would never have imagined it but I was so desperate for ideas that I just thought, "what the heck, someone must have invented a stud finder app by now." And what do you know, they had!

Following along enjoying hearing about everything! Your apartment is super cute! And props to you for assembling all of your own furniture and finding the stud. It looks adorable! I am glad you enjoyed Inside Out - I need to go see it soon!

Thank you so much for your kind words! As the days go on I fall in love with my apartment more and more! And yes, definitely get out there to see it if you have not yet - it's so great!

Following! Sounds like so much fun! My 25 yo daughter and I just went to Disney World for the first time this past February but we never made it to The Seas or The Land. We will definitely be going on our next trip in September after reading your posts! And I will be looking for you!

Yay! Thanks for joining in Linda! I'm so excited to hear that you're going to add The Seas and The Land pavilions to your next trip. There is such much good stuff to see at each pavilion - they're definitely both worth a quick trip! I hope to see you all in September!

Oh that's a shame, as I'm in WDW in August/September, it would have been great to see you in the seas!!! At least you are very happy to be easy going so that you can complete all these different experiences.
Primary School ranges from ages 4-11 and then secondary is 11-16 and then sixth form is 16-18!! Our schooling is a lot different to America, but our curriculum has changed so I'm still getting my head around it!! Oh I am also following you on Instagram (Jessicaleah9)

What an amazing few days you've had in the World!! Being from England we found the fish and chips to not be that great, but then this was 8 years ago now and we have amazing fish and chips here, which is normally caught and fried within half a day!!! Your room is so well coordinated, and the amount of space is great, and I'm definitly with you, with if there's space in a closet you have to fill it!!
What is a Marshalls??? We don't have them over here!!
I've heard so many rave reviews on Inside Out and when it finally gets over to the UK I will definitly make an effort of seeing it!!
Can't wait to read about more of your adventures especially with your training starting this week, also you definitly deserve some well rested time out!!!

Oh no, I wish it was during 2015 that you were visiting!

It does sound like the education systems are much different in both countries - it's so interesting how your school age ranges differ from ours. The most common breakdown of schooling in the United States is Elementary School, Middle School, and then High School (some areas can be very different across the country and might include an additional school between Elementary School and Middle School. Elementary School is typically kindergarten through fifth grade which is about 5 years old to 11 years old; Middle School (sometimes called Junior High - short for Junior High School) is typically sixth grade through eighth grade which is about 11 years old to 14 years old; and then High School is typically ninth grade through twelfth grade and usually includes ages 14 to 18. Actually, now that I typed that out, our school systems don't seem so different after all. Very interesting!

Marshall's is brand of clothing store over in the U.S. They're pretty unique though because they buy the surplus stock from other suppliers so they can sell their clothes for much cheaper even though it might be selling for a lot more at the original supplier's store. A lot of people like to shop at Marshall's for the discounts on brand name items but I just like shopping there since everything is relatively inexpensive haha.

Following along - looks like today is your last day of training so congrats! Can't wait to hear where we might see you in the Seas when we visit in August!

Yay - I'm so excited that you're following along! I hope to see you and your daughter at The Seas next month!

Your apartment looks great! IKEA is dangerous for me. I come out with so much stuff! Love all the fun you've been having around the parks. Totally agree about how much detail there is in Animal Kingdom. It's under-appreciated, for sure.

Another Animal Kingdom fan - thank goodness! I could go on and on about the detail in that park, it's phenomenal!

And thank you so much for the wonderfully nice comments, Christine! I definitely love my apartment!

I am finally caught up with your awesome, amazing, and educational PITR. I like the way you write and enjoy reading about your adventures. Oh to be 22 again. Enjoy it all and eat it up everyday, working or not. Even if that means laying around doing nothing LOL. Just out of curiosity, is this the start of a Disney career? Or do you plan on going back to teach? I can't wait for the next installment. Lata

Oh, your comment just made my whole day - thank you so much!

Haha that's actually a very good question that I don't quite yet know the answer to myself. I'm not sure what I want to do with the rest of my life - it's overwhelming how many options there are in the world! I would love to live abroad as an educator of some sort if I could but I can't imagine not being a Cast Member so I'm not exactly sure. I'm very much a go with the flow kind of person when it comes to big life decisions (which could either be very good or very bad - I'm not sure yet haha) so I guess I'll have to make some kind of decision come January but until then I'm just going to be taking it all one day at a time!

Be still my heart! As an original Floridian, I have a soft spot in my heart for these guys. My entire Illinois family gives me a hard time about it, but how can you NOT love manatees?

The manatees are just too cute! I've found myself just staring at them from time to time at work - they're so captivating to watch and fascinating to learn about! Some of the guests I talk to each day about the manatees are always so surprised when we share certain facts with them! Such amazing animals!

 

[randinicole]

Monday, June 22nd​

Today was Day 2 of ‘On the Job’ training. I worked from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, which meant that I was waking up around 7:00 a.m. Oh goody.

No worries though, if Mr. Ray can be a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed teacher early in the morning, than so can I!

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Speaking of Mr. Ray, why not learn a little bit more about his particular species of ray – the Spotted Eagle Ray.

At The Seas with Nemo and Friends, we have quite a few Spotted Eagle Rays. Beaker is our largest Spotted Eagle Ray and is very easily identifiable once you notice the difference between her size and some of the smaller rays of the same species.

Some fun facts about Spotted Eagle Rays:

• Spotted Eagle Rays are one of the largest eagle rays, sometimes exceeding 10 feet in width.
• Spotted Eagle Rays typically weigh between 400 and 500 pounds.
• Spotted Eagle Rays feed heavily on larger mollusks such as clams and oysters.
• These rays often swim near the surface of the water.
• Spotted Eagle Rays have a long whip-like tail that, at the base, has long, serrated-edged, venomous barbs.

A ray’s barbs are actually made of keratin, the same protective protein that makes up our finger- and toenails. Because of this, venomous rays living in human care can have their barbs cut to a safer, more manageable length for the protection of divers and other animal-care providers without causing any harm or discomfort to the animal. This is why you’re able to observe members of our Aquarium Team working so closely with all of our rays at The Seas with Nemo and Friends!

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In the background of this picture, you’re actually able to see a member of our Aquarium Team feeding Beaker, our largest Spotted Eagle Ray, using a target training technique. By encouraging Beaker to feed using a target specially designed just for her, our teams at The Seas with Nemo and Friends are able to observe Beaker’s daily behavior, eating habits, and any changes to her daily consumption. They can also look Beaker over at this time (in addition to the other times she receives voluntary participatory check-ups) to ensure that she is healthy, happy, and stress-free.

[continued in next post]​

 

[randinicole]

Tuesday, June 23nd​

I again worked from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on June 23rd. This particular day was my third day (out of eight) of ‘On the Job’ training.

I spent a lot of time on this particular day studying the different fish, shrimp, and other species that live in our ‘small systems’ at The Seas with Nemo and Friends. During my research, I spotted a Chocolate Chip Sea Star – a most unusual creature that I had never seen before!

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Just like its name suggests, a Chocolate Chip Sea Star looks just like an ordinary sea star (also known as starfish even though they aren’t fish at all) sprinkled with chocolate chips! What’s most fascinating about this species, in my opinion, is that no two Chocolate Chip Sea Stars will ever look exactly the same. A Chocolate Chip Sea Star can be found in a variety of shades ranging from light brown or cream to a brilliant deep orange. Furthermore, the ‘chocolate chips’ are variable in size, color and pattern.

Some more fun facts about the Chocolate Chip Sea Star include:

• Chocolate chip sea stars can be up to 16 inches long.
• Though most commonly found in shallow lagoons, the Chocolate Chip Sea Star can also be found at depths as far down as 100 feet deep in the Indo-Pacific reef region.
• Since they don't have eyes, Chocolate Chip Sea Stars hunt using their sense of smell. Once they smell something they want to eat, the sea star carries itself over to its food and then pushes out its stomach from inside its body to cover it.

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If you happen to watch 'The Little Couple' on TLC, you may have seen the episode when Bill, Jen, and the kids head off to the store to buy an aquarium for their home. They actually spend a good amount of time talking with an employee about Chocolate Chip Sea Stars. It's really funny because I've had so many Guests mention that they had never seen this creature before until they watched that episode - which was the very first time I had ever seen one as well! It's been a great segue into some really fun conversations with different visitors!

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