My Magical Moment Working for the Mouse

Happy Monday everyone! 

So it's almost the end of September, and I have been officially working for Disney for over a month now. Some of you are aware of what I am doing for them, seeing as I moved to the Sunshine State for some reason thats big enough to leave good ol' Maryland! Either way, I'll go ahead and show you what I do for a living: 

I am a Vacation Planner at Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort. Basically what that means is I sell tickets to guests who come to the window and assist with many other functions such as will-calls, renewals, certificate redemption, etc. Interestingly enough, I am the first interaction a guest requiring tickets will see upon arriving to Epcot! 

On a daily basis, I encounter guests from various walks of life, all looking to enjoy their time in Central Florida. Each guest has a particular need or activity that they wish to do so it is my job to help find the right-fit ticket for them. Some guests know exactly what they need, while others need some more guidance. You know I will be able to help you with that! 

There are times I have very wonderful interactions with the guests that come to my window, and I want to share a time yesterday that I had a certain "magical moment" with a guest.

I was issuing five one-day tickets to Epcot to a Brasilian woman for her and her family. She had reddish hair, tan skin and pretty face. I told her that I was half Brasilian and half Polish and all of the sudden her eyes got huge and she enthusiastically said "Aw you're eyes are very pretty and you are a very beautiful girl!" I laughed as I say thanks, I don't often get strangers complimenting me like that! We talked about how I am learning Portuguese, how my moms family is from Sao Paolo, how long it's been since I visited (6 and a half years!!!) and current issues with the Brasilian government. Fortunately, we still spoke about our love for the country regardless! 

As I gave her a map of Epcot, a Times Guide and five passports for World Showcase, I went on to let her know that Brasil was one of the countries with a booth in the 20th Annual Food and Wine Festival. She was intrigued as I told her how they have many specialty foods and the legendary Caipirinha, and she was so blown away by all of the information I had given her. Even though her family had been waiting impatiently for her to come along, she kept smiling and thanked me countlessly for all of the wonderful information I had provided her as well as the conversation we had. She said that I had a very happy personality and was just overall so excited to be here with her family in the most magical place on earth. I was due for my break but I still wanted to keep talking to her. Finally, she told me that she really appreciated talking to me today before leaving with her family for the entrance. 

I was still smiling for a good two minutes afterwards. It takes so little to say that you appreciate someones' service and assistance, and it is amazing how far that can go in a person. In just a month of working at Walt Disney World, I already feel that I have made a small yet significant impact on a guests' vacation. This is what sets Disney over the bar when it comes to quality in a vacation, and I hope I can continue to provide the best service to all guests that walk up to my window! 

If you also work, or have worked, for Disney at some point, comment below and tell me any magical moments you had! I would love to hear how you made someones' day! 

Until then, I will enjoy my day off. Tchau!

Living on the Outside

Hey everyone. I hope this week, whether good or bad, has brought joy to you in some way or another.
As I write this post in the comfort of my new apartment (FINALLY), some of the changes that I had made in my life recently has started to sink in. Most of these changes are for the better: being in a new place, starting fresh with a new company and moreover planning for the next steps up ahead.
What I did not realize however, is that some of these changes have made me feel a certain way that I was not expecting. At times, I am actually trying to see things from the outside.

Picture this. You are sitting in a busy intersection, waiting for the light to turn green. Seeing as it just turned red, you anticipate a longer wait until you are able to proceed. During that time, all of the people in the crosswalk start to walk across the road, safely to the other side. Some of these people are friends, strangers, employees, etc. You might see someone whom you have known before, perhaps they are people you knew in a previous chapter in life. They walk as they converse, take photos, laugh, wave at passerby's who might in fact be acquaintances. But who are you to know, you are the one sitting in the car, watching the pedestrians take in life as they know it, seemingly in a connected and balanced universe. 
And you're stuck inside that car. Trapped, essentially. Sure, you could get out, greet the people in the crosswalk and join the conversation. But they might be on a different topic. Then the light will turn green, and then the cars behind you will start going. They might try to drive around to avoid the parked car (you better have put those flashers on!) but some people will just go right through. You might look away from the traffic back to the people you were trying to approach. And suddenly, the worst-case scenario hits you smack in the face.
They continue to walk as if you do not exist. 
For me, I had started feeling like that driver about a week ago. I moved into this lovely apartment, with my best friend, a little bit further from where I work, and the weather is the same each day: mostly sunny with some afternoon showers. It's hard to beat. The issue that comes into play is that although life is happening for me down in Florida, but all around me I feel as though I am viewing the successes, reunions, milestones of others from a microscope. 
Is it that I am a little lonesome?

While everything around me is moving at a fast pace, I try to capture a moment of clarity, just for one second. To see what friends are up to from back home, and here in the Sunshine State. But I feel as if there is some sort of barrier between me and the outside world. Why, when I am working tons, starting to take care of my physical health as well as my professional portfolio, am I starting to feel as if I'm the only one in my personal bubble? I mean, people might not always be available to be there in person with you, especially the ones who are back home, still in school or working an amazing full-time job. But how can I be so distant from what I used to know, and what I currently am trying to attain?
Is it because I live far away from coworkers, other awesome people in the Disney College Program, or just far away from my job in general? Am I getting homesick? Do I really know how to live this independent adult life almost entirely on my own? 
Is this not the hardest thing I have ever done in my life?

Quite frankly, many of these questions are questions that I don't know the answer to now. Maybe I will never know all of the answers. In this moment, I think of the people who truly care about me, and wish me well. Not the people who merely like who or what I portray on social media. Not the people who say one thing and do another. Not the deceivers. 
I'm talking about the people who are there at your lowest, when all you've got is a whirlwind of emotions and a human in front of you with their ears open and their arms already around you. The people that will not judge you despite anything going on.
To be honest, I haven't found a whole lot of that here just yet. I've only been here a month so I think time will help me shape my perspective on everything. All I know is that things are going to be tough, with work, loans, bills and the constant effort to better myself as a whole. Someday I'll stop being an outsider and become more actively involved in the life I have chosen here in Florida. Things will get better for sure, with time. 
Someday I'll find my way. Even if that means sitting in that intersection until it's my turn to shine.