Now I speak three languages... English, Spanish, and Disney!

Just the other day I was talking to some of my roommates and we realized that we are all now fluent in a new language... we all speak Disney! Now, this is the true sign that you are a cast member, when all of the abbreviations, acronyms, and codes make sense to you and you completely understand a sentence like "Buzz went 101 today for a Signal 25, but we had three 104s on the ride and it was so crazy... plus tonight is EMH and I just need an ER in order to stay sane!" Translation: Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin had a downtime today because of a fire, but there were three wheelchair parties on the ride (making it REALLY hard to evacuate) so it was crazy... plus tonight is Extra Magic Hours (meaning VERY late night) and I just need an early release in order to stay sane! As you can see, our abbreviations are very useful!

Here at Disney we have different ways to talk about everything... we aren't employees but cast members, we don't have uniforms but rather costumes, and when we are at work we are 'onstage' but the tunnels are 'backstage.' The Magic Kingdom is MK (or sometimes called the Tragic Kingdom if it is one of those nights that we work until 4 am), Animal Kingdom is DAK (pronounced 'dak'), and Hollywood Studios is simply 'Studios.' There are so many Disney-isms that I can't even think of them all! At first it was funny because we had no idea what people were talking about half of the time, but now we all feel like seasoned CMs (cast members) because we are finally fluent!

Life as a worker of the world

Yesterday marked my one month anniversary of arriving in Florida! Hard to believe that an entire month has passed already, yet it also seems like I've been here doing my thing for ages. I'm still enjoying myself quite a lot, but I am finding life in the working world a little strange. At home and at school I was always involved in about fifteen activities at the same time, I had classes to attend, homework to do, meetings to go to... I was busy all the time, and everything I did had some impact on some other part of my life. Here, I go to work, and then I come home. That's it. There is no homework, nothing that I take home with me at all from work. I just leave it there until my next shift starts, and that is a concept that is definitely taking some getting used to! Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, I just am not used to having so much time on my hands! However, as I've mentioned before, I do have seven roommates, so there is usually someone with whom to spend my free time! Speaking of that, here is a picture of me and five of my roommates at Magic Kingdom.



Such a fun group!

The Happiest Place on Earth!

OK, so I know that I have been extremely remiss in my blogging responsibilities (as my mom has reminded me every time I've spoken with her!), but now I am going to try to make up for it! I arrived here in Orlando three and a half weeks ago and was immediately thrown into the chaos of new housing situations, finding out my location and work assignment at my 'casting' session, orientations galore, and training. What a whirlwind of a first few days it was! Everyone could hardly believe that we had done so much stuff in so little time... by the end of the second day it felt like we had been here for at least a week already. But it was definitely a good type of busy, the exciting kind where you are meeting tons of fun new people and getting to know all sorts of new things. Plus, we were at Disney, so we couldn't really ask for more! Anyway, on to the details:

You are currently reading the blog of a Tomorrowland attractions cast member! I work in the Magic Kingdom (MK) in the futuristic area known as Tomorrowland. T-land is host to attractions such as Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Transit Authority (both of which are down for refurbishment), the Astro Orbiter, Stitch's Great Escape, the Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and of course, the Carousel of Progress. I work in what is known as the Buzz complex, so I am in charge of running Monsters, Buzz Lightyear, and Carousel of Progress (COP). I was slightly disappointed when I first got my assignment at casting because I had been hoping for a role where I would get to play more of a part and have a monologue to deliver (like the Jungle Cruise or the Great Movie Ride), but I was excited that I got to be trained on three attractions. Since my assignment lasts the duration of my stay here, it is nice to have some variety rather than doing the exact same ride every single day. Plus I've been told (and have come to realize on my own) that Tomorrowland is one of the very best places to work because the cast members, coordinators, and managers are some of the friendliest and most understanding in the parks. So overall not a bad place to be!

As for my living situation, I was assigned to a four bedroom apartment in Chatham Square, one of the four Disney College Program housing complexes. This means that I currently have SEVEN roommates! Sounds crazy right? Well luckily Disney really knows how to pick 'em, so I am very happy with my living situation. Of course there are always a few minor dramas, but I'm excited to have met these girls and I think that some of them have definite potential as life-long friends! And no worries, we have two fridges so we have enough room for all of us! =)

I work anywhere from 30-40 hours a week right now, but on my days off I get to reap the benefits of being a cast member and I get free entrance into all of the Disney parks! That includes Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon. Obviously I have plenty to do in my free time! And although I spend so much time on property, I have to say that it never really gets old. For example, I get to watch Wishes (the fireworks show at MK) almost every time I work, and it still has the ability to make me feel like a giddy six-year-old every time. They really aren't kidding when they talk about the magic of Disney... and I get to live it every day!

Hasta luego Granada!

Wow! I leave Granada behind tomorrow, off to start my travels around Europe. I'm going to be very happy to get home when the time comes, and I'm excited to travel and see new things, but there will definitely be things I'll miss about Granada. I'll miss the church bells pealing all day long every Sunday. I'll miss being able to walk basically anywhere in the city. I'll miss all the plazas and fountains that give you a great place to relax in between classes. I'll miss the graffiti that is far more qualified to be called art than vandalism. I'll miss the wax that covers the streets and makes your shoes squeak that is left over from the millions of candles that accompanied the processions during Semana Santa. I'll miss siestas in the afternoon. I'll miss tapas (getting free food with your drink is ALWAYS a good thing!). I'll miss the fact that you don't have to tip here in Spain. I'll miss the relaxed and unhurried way of life. And I'll definitely miss being a student!! Really though, when I think about Granada it is all the little things added up that make this experience so interesting. Those are the things I'll always want to remember! So Granada, this isn't adios, but rather hasta luego... until later!

The beautiful Alhambra
Something I will always associate with Granada... LOTS of fountains!
Bree and I with Mama y Papa

La cena de despedida

We had our big goodbye dinner for our program last Wednesday, and although it was sad to say goodbye to all the people that I've gotten to know over the last five months, the night was a BLAST! We went to a restaurant in the Albaicin that served the most delicious food and had one of the best views in Granada of the Alhambra. What a great way to wrap up our time here!

The entire AHA familia!
Some of the girls with Maria, one of our AMAZING program directors.
Us with Mark, our other director, without whom we just wouldn't have survived!
Everyone toasting and enjoying the night
Some of the girls in the group in front of the Alhambra
Jenn and I all dolled up for the big dinner!

Colegio Carmelo

Since things are wrapping up here in Granada, I had my last day volunteering at Colegio Carmelo last week. I've been going there once a week all semester to help the kids practice their English. It's been pretty fun being able to be on the knowledgeable end of a language exchange for once here! =) It was pretty cute when I said goodbye because the kids were all pretty bummed. They made me a cute thank you card, and they even argued over who got to give it to me! Of course, the lucky person who got to bring it up to me got to do the traditional Spanish 'dos besos', the kiss-kiss greeting. It was pretty funny when the whole class wolf-whistled and cheered for the boy who got chosen... they are 13 years old! =) Here are some pictures of the school and of my class.

My kids!
Entrance to the school
Colegio Carmelo

Fotos de Granada y la vida diaria

Here are some pictures from all over Granada! They include shots from my walk to school every day, pretty parts of the city, and things that are just very Granada. Enjoy!

Bridge crossing el rio Darro en el Albaicin
La Alhambra
Fuente en el centro de la ciudad
My school! =)
El Centro de Lenguas Modernas de la Universidad de Granada: my school!
Amazing graffiti
The narrow street of Granada
What a beautiful walk to school I had!
Our river: el rio Genil
Ancient bridge that we cross every day to go to the center of the city and to school
My apartment building (we live on the back side)
Normal sight in Granada: clothes hanging out to dry
Pretty flowers everywhere!
Colorful displays at the fruit stores

Mi familia española

As I've mentioned before, I live with una Mamá, un Papá, y una hermana (mom, dad, and sister), but my host parents actually have five hijos (sons and daughters). Federico is married with two kids (Anna y Federico), and Mariola also is married with two kids (Antonio y Amanda). Begonia and Antonio live on their own but are often around to visit or eat lunch with the family. Antonio has become our ally during meals when Mamá is trying to add even MORE food to our plates... it can get pretty funny! Then there is Zorayda, who still lives at home. When everyone is over for family celebrations it can get kind of crazy, but it is fun. We've definitely appreciated having a family that takes such good care of us! I don't have pictures of everyone yet, but I will soon, so be on the lookout for more!

Bree coloring with Fede
L to R: Me, Federico, Federico's wife, Papa with Federico on his lap, Mama. On the floor: Anna and Begonia

La comida

I've discovered over the last five months that although there are some very delicious dishes here in Spain, Spanish food is not my favorite. I think that the main problem is that there is very little variety. There are about six or seven different meals that we get to eat here. Soups are VERY popular and we have one nearly every day, with the main ingredient rotating between garbanzo beans (the soup is called garbanzo), lentils (lenteja), and pinto beans (habichuela). Except of course you actually can't call these dishes soups or else you will get in trouble--they are called potejas. There is also paella, which is delicious when made right. Luckily we don't have to eat the kind that has the shrimp heads in it! Every once in a while we get roasted chicken with fries from a pollo asado place. And then we often for dinner have some kind of pasta with various sauces. Add a salad of lettuce and green tomatoes covered in olive oil and some bread, and you've got an authentic Spanish meal! With fruit for dessert, of course! Also very common are dishes made with potatoes and/or eggs, like Spanish tortillas or patatas de los pobres. Again, some of the food is actually pretty good, but after five months of the same few things, I am ready for some variety! I am also ready for a complete LACK of olive oil in my food... oh I can't wait! =)

Pork chop, fried egg, salad, y patatas de los pobres
Spanish tortilla- kind of like an omelet
Paella!
Habichuela, a type of poteja
Patatas de los pobres

Flamenco!

We went as a group to a flamenco show tonight, which was a pretty cool way to start to wrap up our time here in Granada. Flamenco is well-known as a traditional dance of southern Spain, but it is actually also a style of guitar and singing. The show featured an INCREDIBLE dancer and a flamenco-style singer, plus two more back-up singers, two guitarists, a percussionist, and some back-up clappers (seriously, flamenco clapping is an art form!). I wasn't a huge fan of the singing style, but the guitarist was extremely talented (I have no idea how on earth his fingers moved so fast!), and the dancer was so much fun to watch! She had the most elaborate and colorful costumes and in her last dance she used a big red fan as a prop... very impressive! Sadly we weren't allowed to take pictures as it was a professional show in a nice theatre, but it was definitely memorable! A perfect taste of Granada culture!