Touch Down!

21 June 2009

I got up half past 5 in the morning, took my shower, rechecked and headed off to the bus stop with me sis. Had a 2 and half hour coach ride to Gatwick Airport South Terminal which I almost missed cos I kept falling asleep during the ride. Got off and headed into the check-in zone i.e Zone A and had no clue which counter to go to cos there were check-in kiosks and counters. So I just drag myself and luggage along the line of counters until a guy signaled me to give me some help. I told him my situation and he checked me in but it took awhile as he was trying to change my seat to a window one. *u* Once everything done, I put my one and only trusty suitcase onto the conveyor belt and found out it was only 17kg!!!!!! The whole time I was expecting it to be about 20kg or so. Oh vell…the lesser I pack, the more I’ll bring back! *U*

Turned out my flight was delayed by 40 minutes. I was very much surprised cos I was expecting to wait for Filipa, another ICP-er from Netherlands, when I reach Orlando as her flight only arrives around 6pm whereas mine’s 5pm initially. Anyways, so I met some ICP-ers at the boarding gate. There was about 7 of us and counting…in the same flight. I sat next to an old lady from Orlando and we chatted for a little bit before take off. The only words I could remember her saying were, “Yes, I went Virgin all the way!” Then I slept through the whole 9-hour flight without having any proper food or snacks. Yay me and my queer body!

9 hours later……touchdown in MCO (I’m not sure what it stands for)!! When I queued up at the immigration area with my documents in hand, I noticed the guy at the counter I was on queue. The more I stared at him, the more I see Rob Schneider!!!! I was like,"Could he be who I think he is?? Ula in the costume of an immigration officer??” When it came my turn, Lopez his name was greeted a hi and how are you with a bit of Ula’s accent. I grinned and replied him while at the back of my mind I imagined it was Rob Schneider behind that uniform. Ha…… Then he directed me to the waiting room while my documents were being checked. Passed the review and off I went to the baggage claim. Waited for about 10 minutes and decided to walk around the conveyor….idiotic I know. But then me brain sparked and thought my luggage could’ve ended up at the Premium and Upper Economy area and dayaaammmm I was right. Thank God!

Pulled my suitcase, took the train to the main terminal and headed to the ground transportation at Level 1. Met lovely Filipa who brought me from Terminal A to B to got my discounted $15 Mears Shuttle ticket as it was faster to buy there rather than waiting at the Terminal A counter. The whole shuttle trip took about an hour or so as we were stopping from one point to another before we actually head into the highways for Vista Way Apartment Complex.

When we arrived, we got into the Pavillion for a short welcome session by the Disney Housing Cast Members….I presume that’s what they’re called but anywho baloo…I received a snack pack which I didn’t bother to open cos my stomach was acting all queer-y, apartment key and program guide pack. My eye lids were twitching by the time the session finished but the night didn’t end there as we had to wait for the coach to drive us to Chatham Square which is a good 5 minutes drive from Vista Way. By the time I reached my apartment, it was approaching midnight owing to my apartment building being at the other end of the property and the coach had to drop people off at Zones 2 and 3 before 4 which is yours truly. Long story short, I’m sharing with 7 other girls – 3 Taiwanese, 2 English, a Korean and a French – in a 4 bedroom apartment which I think is massive for an apartment. We’ve got like 2 bathrooms shared between 2 rooms. One thing I have to always put in mind is to lock both doors of the bathroom. I was expecting a wi-fi in the room but things always happen when you least expect it. So it’s only a 4 port LAN for all of us to share but we’ll make do.

Although it was one of the longest and most tiring day I’ve ever had and knowing myself extremely well that I get very shy and quiet when meeting new people but I’m glad I was able to meet new peeps from around the vorld. It’s a good start….so far.

Orientation Day 1 was today which I shall update hopefully soon.

 

Til then….have a magical day! *o*

 

P/s: Now that I’m actually living my dream but the feeling hasn’t sunk in yet. Somebody pinch me…

It's Time....almost!

11 and a half hours to go~~~

Am all ready to get the show on the road (prayfully I have all my documents in the sack)...but first gotta get some snooze before the cock crows!

Happy Fathers' Day to all the daddy-Os!

Til then...Have a magical day! *o*

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Posted with LifeCast

The Results

A letter with Yummy Jobs address stamped behind the envelope came. Feeling all zip-a-dee-doo-dah, I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. It read…

Dear Ms Law

This letter is to inform you that you have not been selected for the Disney International College Program 2009. On behalf of the Walt Disney Company, we would like to thank you for taking the time to come to Cardiff to meet our interview team. We enjoyed meeting you and we wish you success in the future.

Regards

Yummy Jobs

As soon as I spotted the word not, my heart plunged immediately and the next moment I could feel it underneath my feet.

“What did I do wrong in the interview?” was the only question that came to mind. Without second thoughts, I called Yummy Jobs for explanation. They put Jeff, the American Disney Recruiter @ my interviewer, on the phone. He said I didn’t pass the interview because I didn’t give the answers that he wanted to hear. Ouch…but I closed my eyes and took his words in like swallowing a ladle of hot-boilin’ soup as soon as I hung up. Sweat trickled down my forehead and I started feeling the heat. I opened my eyes. The sun pierced its shine through the curtains. Window latched. Hot still air. I was on the horizontal.

It was just an unfortunate dream.

 

Time went by very slowly and the wait felt infinite. I kept refreshing my inbox until I got fed up and my internet connection got screwed up…by coincidence. Couple of days without the net in the bode. One cold and windy afternoon, right after my class, I had a strong urge to visit the LRC (which I rarely do). It was a usual afternoon – all packed with students rushing for assignments. I found an empty spot and checked my inbox. The first line I saw - Results ICP Interviews - Walt Disney World.

Could it be? Can it be….that my dream *as in the unfortunate one* is coming true??!! 

I clicked the mail with one eye shut. I could hear the Tiki drummers drumming my heart. The letter began with……

Dear Michelle

We hope you enjoyed the recent interviews and would like to thank you once again for coming.  On behalf of the Walt Disney World Representatives and all here at Yummy Jobs we would like to say how great it was to meet you.

My eye lid started to tremble. One eye shut and the other squinted, I continued…

I have been given the enjoyable task of being the first to say…..

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Disney World would like to offer you a Role in Quick Service Food and Beverage on the International College Program from June 21st 2009 - August 28th 2009

We will be calling you to go over the specifics of your role with Disney this week or otherwise after Christmas. In the mean time, please do confirm if you are interested in accepting this position and to work at the “Happiest Place on Earth”!

I gave my eyes a good rub. Stared at the screen again. Dumb and struck. Seconds later, my body giggled and a huge grin across my face. I was surprisingly in control of myself even though not realizing that I was in public. But there’s one thing that I couldn’t get a hold of myself from i.e bow my head, make a sign of the cross and blow a kiss up to Him.

He gave me a present……10 days before His Son’s birthday. It’s one of the best Christmas presents I have ever received since I could remember. Truly magical and magically true. *~*~*~*~*

 

Again, Disney did it - making another person’s dream come true i.e ME! ♥

 

Have a magical day! *o*

Doing It Face-to-Face

Having advanced to the next stage, I received an invitation from Yummy Jobs regarding my face-to-face interview with the following details:

Date: 10 December 2008

Time: 11.15am

Venue: Colchester Avenue, University of Wales Institute Cardiff (kept questioning myself about this given location as I told Lucca my uni is only an hour away from London but in the end I convinced myself it was part of the plan as it was such a coincidence that Wednesday’s a free day =D)

Documents checklist:

* 3 PHOTOCOPIES OF MAIN PASSPORT PAGE (picture page with passport no.)

* ACTUAL PASSPORT

* 1 PHOTOCOPY OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE

* ACTUAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE (and a translated certified copy)

* Proof of home address (bank statement)

* An up-to-date copy of CV

* The completed and signed PROOF OF STUDENT STATUS FORM (template provided)

* The completed UNIVERSITY ACCREDITATION LETTER (template provided) printed on University letterhead with the relevant blank information completed and signed by a representative of the University (for example this can be a tutor or somebody in the Registry).

* 2 black ink pens

Given a month for preparation, I spent the days doing my homework – reading on interview tips, history on Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World, my favourite Disney character and movie (Belle, Beauty and the Beast).

On the eve of the interview, I sailed through my classes (counting down the clock) and took the evening train to Cardiff with my sister. We stayed at Premiere Inn, Roath which was about 10 mins walk to Colchester Avenue campus.

I woke up extra early the next morning to put on my formal suit, had breakfast and off I went to the campus by cab. Before the interview, there was a presentation by Roger and Jeff (both from Disney) and Jason (from Yummy Jobs) about the programme which lasted for about 30 mins or so with quizzes right after. I answered Donald Duck to the question ‘Name a Disney character’ and won a PEN! :) We then filled out two forms – one was the roles we’re interested in and the other on our personal details, dates available, education and work history etc. Once done, Lucca announced the interview time slots for all the applicants. Mine was 3.20pm with 3 other girls.

When I was called, I went in with my documents for Lucca to check and chatted away with my partner-in-interview (her name was Becca if I’m not mistaken) while waiting for our turn. Jeff interviewed both of us and ensured us that it’s gonna be the easiest thing we’d ever done……in his American accent which already gave me the feeling of being in Disney World.

Since the interview was done 2 by 2, we were asked questions alternately. If my memory serves correctly, here’s the questions on my bit:

* Why do you want to work at WDW?

* Which university and what course are you studying?

* Name three words to describe yourself.

* Which role are you interested in and why?

With all my nerves shaking, I was not well aware of what I was saying at that moment but I did know that I was a step closer to gaining a golden ticket to the Happiest Place on Earth. After our session, I had a mixed cocktail feeling of happiness and bummed out-ness. All the answers I had said kept replaying at the back of my mind giving me a mountain thoughts of ‘I could have done better by saying this and that’. Also I was slightly daunted but very impressed by my partner-in-interview as she handled the questions really well with no ‘umms’ and ‘uhhs’ from what I noticed.

So, I went back to my sister’s place on that very same day, thanking Him for His guidance while scooping away a bucket of Ben & Jerry’s.

Overall, I really had a great time despite the stupidity I felt after. Seeing it was my very first job interview, I count myself to be fortunate indeed to have travelled that far and the pleasure to meet lots of lovely people there was awesome! =D

Til then…have a magical day! *o*

The Call

A couple of days after my CV submission, I was extremely delighted when I got a call from Michele of Yummy Jobs to schedule a telephone interview for 27 October 2008, 11am.

I was interviewed by a lovely lady named Lucca (couldn’t make out her name until later) and the interview lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes. I did feel nervous before she called but immediately got into the waves when we spoke. I was asked questions such as:

• Confirmation of details - date of birth, e-mail address, nationality, passport
• Why do I want to work at WDW?
• Do I have body piercings?
• Will I be able to work in the heat?
• Which university am I in and what course am I doing?
• What do I think about sharing room with people from different countries?
• Which intake I prefer?

Well those were the questions I could remember being asked. Seems a bit too little for a 20-minute conversation but it could be due to my ‘poor’ hearing that I had to ask Lucca to repeat the questions.

At the end of the interview, I was told that I will be informed of the results in 6 weeks time however by God’s grace I received an email from Lucca about gaining to the next stage on that same evening. Honestly, I had a short-term dwelling after I hung up but I love how Lucca handled the interview as she replied ‘Excellent’ to almost all of my answers which really helped to ease myself and add some self-confidence.

The preparations I did the night before were not put to much use but it sure gave me a foretaste of the interview. I learned that this interview was basically done to allow the recruiters to get acquainted and screen out the legion of applicants. The one tip that helped me got through is the SMILE in my voice. I believe that a smile is the mirror to a person’s personality and sincerity – anytime anywhere anyhow.

Before I end, a great big thanks to all for their generosity in sharing many useful tips on the pre-screen interview! ♥ ♥ ♥

Have a magical day! *o*

ºoº Greetings! ºoº

In exactly a month time, I shall be on a magical carpeted ride to the Happiest Place on Earth – WALT DISNEYWORLD!

Way back in 2005, it was only a dream I envisaged to entertain the mind. Like any aimless 17 year-old kid, I was busy burning midnight oil for the national examination at the end of the year. I had a blur vision of which college to study and what major to pursue. With no exact map of where to go and what to do with my future, I made a search on Google one day to window shop for opportunities i.e Disney. It sure was a love at first sight for a veteran Disney fan like me when I stumbled upon the Disney College Program website, however it went to the archives with the rest of the pixie dusts.

I decided to pursue a diploma in E&E for two years in college and then a twinning programme to my current university for another two years. Somewhere along my college days, my sister opened up my archives of dreams by introducing me the Disney International College Program website. At the time, I did some research on it but I was already benumbed with my monotonic life – having a mindset of ‘Get a grip! You ain’t going no where!’ So I didn’t put much thought into it until I was certain that I’ll be continuing my studies in the UK.

Time ticked and tocked. The next thing I found myself in the UK – having offered the best opportunity of a lifetime i.e a 3-month summer work experience in WDW!!

Now that I have unofficially finished my second year of degree, I decided to chronicle this journey of mine as I go In Pursuit of Disney.

So do come fly with me in this magic carpet ride ~~~

Have a magical day! *o*