Beginning of February - Volunteering for the SUPERBOWL and NYC!

So February got off to a fantastic start, with a short, two-day visit to New York City for Superbowl weekend! I had been lucky enough to be selected to be a volunteer for the Superbowl Committee, and my role was to welcome guests to New York and give directions. I was based in Times Square; which was incredible, as people were so excited to be in the City for Superbowl weekend.

I had an extremely early flight at 6-45am, meaning I left my apartment at 3am to get to the airport. After flying out of Orlando, I arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina; and boarded another flight to New York.

After arriving in New York, I got a train in to Penn Station and made my way to my hotel. 

Well; actually.. I got completely lost and had no idea how to get there. Thank my lucky stars for Google Maps and free charger sockets in the airport! Winning!

Once I had arrived at my hotel, (more like a shabby motel), I paid $100 and left all of my luggage in my room. I still had to pick up my Volunteer uniform, so I headed off in to the City.

Once I had collected my uniform, I opened it straight away and was shocked by how much gear I received, especially for only working one shift. I received a volunteer jacket, t-shirt, two scarves, headband, cap, a small backpack among other things.

I returned to the hotel, got changed into my gear, (and I was still freezing) and I made my way to Times Square; and after meeting several other volunteers, we began answering questions, giving directions, and generally being friendly and helpful to guests from all corners of the globe!

Times Square looked fantastic. There were a sea of people, young and old; Broncos and Sea Hawks fans everywhere also! 

There was an amazing Superbowl 'XLVIII' sign that everyone wanted a picture with. Luckily, I was able to ask a fellow volunteer to take one for me! 

My volunteer shift only lasted a few hours; however it was amazing to be a part of, and I'm incredibly lucky to be able to add Superbowl XLVIII to the list of major sporting events that I have volunteered at. The atmosphere was unlike any I have ever experienced.

Luckily, I also had another day to explore New York City; and I was so lucky to be able to meet up with some amazing friends that I met whilst working at London 2012.

Most of you who follow my blog will already know that I volunteered at London 2012; however for those that don't; I worked at Wembley Arena for the Olympic Games and at the Basketball Arena in the Olympic Park for the Paralympic Games. 

During my time there; I met a number of absolutely incredible people; and because I lived in Northern Ireland, it was extremely difficult to meet up with these guys because I couldn't afford to fly to England to see them. Then, when I moved to Florida, I thought I wouldn't get to see them for at least another year or two.

When Cemile (Call her 'Gem'), Charlie and Frankie told me they were coming to the States for Superbowl Weekend, I couldn't cope with the excitement!! 

I was able to meet them in New York, despite the fact I still had no idea how 'avenues' and 'streets' actually worked, and we had a lovely day in the City.

We visited Macy's, which was incredible. The Superbowl XLVIII floor was particularly exciting! We also had time to visit Times Square, the Empire State Building and walk around the streets of the greatest city in the world! 

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to be able to meet up with these three great people! Despite only being able to see them for a few hours, we had an amazing time. It was unfortunate though that I was only in New York for a short space of time and had to get back to Orlando for work, because I love spending time with these guys, and was so grateful for the opportunity to see them over here in the States! 

I hope you guys, Gem, Charlie and Frankie enjoyed yourselves too, and I look forward to meeting up with you guys when I am back in the UK!

January Tales - 21st Birthday, that time at lasses, and passing my pre-service test!

Daily Disney Selfie

January was a pretty hectic month for me; having just arrived back in Orlando after spending Christmas at home in beautiful Ireland. 

I arrived back on the 30th December, and a few of my amazing friends that I had met on my program were having their traditional 'Last' night out; so I wouldn't have missed it for the world! 

I woke up on New Year's Eve absolutely exhausted and shattered from jet- lag; but I had to go to work for 13 hours because it was one of the busiest nights of the year at Epcot! Exciting!

We brought in the New Year together as all of the Food and Beverage Cast Members, including the managers, chefs and culinary staff watched the New Year's fireworks, which were absolutely stunning! I'm so lucky to have been able to spend New Year's Eve with some fantastic people!

After New Year's Eve, life was pretty uneventful for a few days; until Sunday 5th January, which was my 21st Birthday!! Woohoo! 

Of course, I had to work on my birthday; but hey, I work at Walt Disney World, so spending my birthday at the happiest place on earth didn't sound that bad!

Once I'd left work, I got home and got showered, dressed and ready to go out! We decided on a night out to House of Blues in Downtown Disney; and I had been in Florida for 5 months and this was my first visit to the place we like to call 'HOB'. I had a fantastic night and was able to spend my 21st birthday with some absolutely fantastic people, and I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Another amazing night out in January was a Monday night at Lasses. For all of you who are unaware of what 'Lasses' is, it is when the girls from the UK who work at Disney all get together on a Monday night and head out and meet people from different countries every week. 

After completing six consecutive weeks of Lasses, you are then entitled to get a Lasses shirt; yay! First though, you need to complete an 'initiation', in which you must complete a number of challenges. Sounds easy right?

Of course; the initiations are top secret though; therefore I will leave you with two pictures. The one above was pre-initiation with Kim and Charli; the one to the right, was post-initiation. You can use your own imagination to figure out what may have happened! :)

A few days after Lasses, I decided to take my pre-service test. As a non-tipped cast member, to get in to a tipped position is a privilege, and therefore requires you to do a pre-service written test. 

I had been stressing for weeks about this test, as I was afraid of failing and being the only person to not get in to service in the Rose & Crown. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about because I aced my pre-service test and received a mark of 98%! 

However, despite all of the fantastic moments in January, there were a lot of less happy times, as many of the cast members that I had met at the beginning of my program and got to know extremely well, were coming to the end of their programs. 

Some of the most fantastic people that I have ever met left the States during January. More are due to leave in February; and March for that matter. 

It is sad to think that everybody leaves at some point, and it is difficult when you are in this 'Disney Bubble' as everything seems to be perfect, and then when people leave, it puts a major dint in that bubble. 

It makes me scared about the time when I leave Disney, because there won't be anymore dints in the bubble, but someone will have taken a needle, and burst the bubble completely. I never want to reach that point; I'm enjoying life too much!

As January drew to a close, I had so many great things to look forward to in February. I was chosen to volunteer for the Superbowl Committee in New York, so my next blog post will give you all an insight of my time in the City that never sleeps! 

Once again, thanks for reading! 

December at Disney - And a wee visit home!

OK guys, so I've neglected this blog for over a month now! Uh-oh, sorry about that! 

I had a cracking December. Christmas at Disney is amazing! All of the parks looked stunning, and I am incredibly lucky to have been able to visit each one of them over Christmas!

However, there was something a little different about this Christmas, especially with being so far away from home, and not having my family around me at the most amazing time of year. 

I had been feeling pretty homesick for the majority of my first four months in America. And, I'm not going to lie; but the option of packing everything up and heading back to Irish shores was intensely appealing.

I had this thought in the back of my mind though; that what if, I was able to save up the money to go home for Christmas and see my family. I was looking at return flights; $1000 at best.

I definitely did not have that kind of money sitting around, so I decided to try and work a little extra here and there, to be able to start saving up a bit of money.

Week after week passed, and although my pay checks were increasing, I was still not even close to having enough money for the flights. But then I remembered that I had left my credit card at home with mum and dad, in case I needed it for an emergency. Cha-Ching!!

So I told my four brothers that I was planning to come home for Christmas, but I didn't want them telling my mum and dad in case everything fell through. So mum and dad were none the wiser!

I Skyped my mum a few weeks before Christmas, and made up this really random, ridiculous excuse as to why I needed my credit card number text to me. I told her I had to pay for some University books and fees. Yeah right, mum. As if! 

She believed me though, and send me my credit card details, and I booked a flight home to Ireland!! Woohoo! I was going home for Christmas! Once I had got together a little bit more money, I then booked my return back to Orlando. Phew!

I was however, going to tell my mum and dad that I was coming home - but then again, we all love surprises don't we? 

I was due to fly on the 23rd December, which was a Monday, and because I booked the flights so late, I had to have a 12 hour layover in London. Not so fun! 

There were so many little things I had to do to make sure my mum and dad didn't find out I was coming home; such as turning of the location of my phone so that every time I sent them a Facebook message, it would not say, 'Sent from London', because lets be honest - that would be awkward. 

I packed my bags, including all of my Disney Christmas gifts for the whole family, and set off to the airport. The flight to London took about 7 hours. Then the dreaded layover; a whole 12 hours until my flight to Dublin. So I slept in the airport for a bit; and then went to drop my bag at the Aer Lingus desk when they informed me that I could get an earlier flight! Yay! 

Of course this was fantastic news, however my brother Paddy had my nephew Tyler around at our house, and he had only been there 30 minutes when I text him to let him know that I got on an earlier flight. Operation 'Bring Tyler home to his Mums without being suspicious' had commenced. My own mum and dad still had NO IDEA what was happening, somehow!

And while all this panic was occurring at home, I had just dropped my bag and boarded my flight to Dublin and arrived on the evening of Christmas Eve.

As I got off the plane, I was fully aware of the fact I was back in Ireland, because it was FREEZING! Living in Florida for four months definitely meant that I was not used to the sub zero temperatures of home. How on earth have I coped with these temperatures for 20 years of my life?

My brother Paddy was waiting on me as I collected my luggage, as was my best friend Sean. I was so excited to see them! After nearly four months of being away, there was nothing better than seeing them again! Imagine how excited I was to see my mum and dad! Eeek!

We decided to stop on the way home from Dublin for some food; KFC was the general consensus, much to my delight! 

We then hit the road again to make our way home; but of course, my mum and dad still didn't know I was coming home, and they hadn't a clue where Paddy had gone either. Operation 'tell as many lies as possible' had commenced. 

As we drove in to Lurgan, I still hadn't decided where I was staying the night - so Sean offered to let me kip on his sofa. We arrived at his, and had a few Christmas Eve drinks while I wrapped my presents, and I finally decided to hit the hay at about 1-30am. Me and my brother Paddy had already arranged for me to get to my house on Christmas morning at around 8am.

After five hours sleep, I awoke to a text from Paddy - he told me to make my way to my house, so Sean drove me round. He dropped me off a few doors away of course, to make it less obvious. 

I got out of the car with my bags of Disney presents, and excitedly made my way to my house. I ducked a little and went through our back gate -trying, but failing of course, to be as quiet as possible (Not  very good when you have a squeaky, 15 year old garden gate).

Through my back garden I went, and I stood silent at my back door, waiting for Paddy to text me; and after a few minutes I seen a shadow through the window, and the back door opened. Paddy was really good at Operation 'tell as many lies as possible', after telling my mum and dad that he was going out the back for a cigarette, and while he was sneaking me in to the house, my brother Micky was manning the kitchen door so no one would walk in and see me!

I stayed in the kitchen while Paddy and Micky went back in to the living room, and instead of explaining what happened next - YOU CAN WATCH IT! :)

Watch me surprise my parents at Christmas

Merry Christmas folks, I hope everyone had as much fun as I had. There is nothing more important than family. 

November Adventures - Working in Ireland, Becoming a Trainer, Volunteering & Thanksgiving!

The first few weeks of November were exhausting, yet ever so awesome!

I have been working 6-day weeks for the last month or so; to be able to save up some money so I can do some traveling later in the year.

On Saturday November 9th - there was a special event happening at Disney; The Wine & Dine Half Marathon which was a 13.1 mile course through a number of the Disney Parks and finishing at Epcot.

I started work at 11-30am that morning and was due to finish at 9pm. However; I was offered the chance to work for an extra 7 hours at the Ireland Food & Wine stand!

Normally, I would never extend a shift that long; however, I had previously asked my managers for six weeks if I could work at the Ireland stand during the Food & Wine Festival - and now I finally could! 

Working at the Ireland Stand was absolutely amazing! It didn't feel like work; especially with the length of time I was there! 

It was amazing seeing the Wine & Dine Marathoners with their medals and it was amazing to speak to some of them also!

November just seemed to get better and better though, when I found out I had been picked to become a Disney Trainer!

I attended a Disney Trainer class and received my amazing trainer pin that day.

I trained one of the new arrivals, Emma; and I was extremely lucky to spend five days training her. She made my job so much easier and she picked up everything so quickly. It was lovely meeting and training her.

A few weeks later, I was able to take some much needed time off work to be able to volunteer with Special Olympics Florida. This organisation is very important to me, especially after volunteering as an Event Services Manager with Special Olympics Ireland last year.

I volunteered at the Florida Fall Classic, and my role was to be a 'Fan in the Stand'. I was able to make some amazing posters for the kids that were there, who were all between the ages of 2 and 7. Talk about cute! 

At the end of the evening, all of the volunteers created a guard of honour that the kids ran through - which was fantastic and the smiles on their faces made it all worthwhile!

My experience with Special Olympics Florida is making me extremely excited about further volunteering whilst living in the US.

November was also the month of a very unique day as the whole of the US celebrated Thanksgiving. 

It's days like these that make me personally feel so thankful for having the opportunity to live and work in the USA - and even when I'm having a bad day, I always try to remember how incredibly lucky I am to be here.

So that's November over and done with - It's now December and it's only 24 days until Christmas! I'm looking forward to spending Christmas with my amazing Disney friends. Keep an eye out for more updates!

Podium Problems

Being a Cast Member at Disney is amazing; absolutely fantastic, in fact. Working in the UK Pavilion is full of excitement, enjoyment and magic!

As part of our Cultural Representative Program, we start from the bottom and work our way up. In the UK Pavilion, we start off working in the Fish and Chip Shop, Beer Cart, the podium at the front of the Rose & Crown Restaurant and stocking; (And after three months, I still can't change the gas). 

With all jobs, there are times when your mind is blown by some of the things people say; which brings me to the main point of this post; Podium Problems.

From Ten to One, here is my list of Podium Problems.

10 - It's been a long day in Chippie;

Picture the scene - you're having the longest day imaginable; it' been intensely busy all day; you're just about to shut up shop, and have very little food left. A guest arrives at 8.58pm - '6 Fish & Chips please'. 

9 - Costumes

'So; do you wear these type of hideous clothes back in England'?

Personally, I think our costumes are lovely. Also, I'm unable to answer that question because I'm not actually from England. *Awkward Silence*.

8 - Free Geography Lessons

'Okay, so we're in the English Pavilion'?

'It's the UK Pavilion. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland'. 

'Wait, but are you not from Ireland'?

'I am, yes'.

'So why are you working in the UK Pavilion'?

7 - Drunken Comedians

Okay, so you have picked up stocker. You run out of Stella on the beer cart. You go to the keg room and grab a fresh keg to bring back. Numerous 40-something year-old's excitedly watch you pushing the keg;

There's only so many times you can hear the 'you can drop that off right here', & 'you can deliver that to my hotel if you like', jokes before going back to the keg room and crying in a corner. 

6 - Can I get a Strong-baaooow?

When it comes to the pronunciation of drink names, we've heard it all;

Strongbow - 'Can I get a Strong-baaooow'?

Bass Ale Draft - 'Can I get a Bass Alé (alley) Draft'

Stella Artois - 'A Stella Artois please', pronounced 'toise'. Rhymes with the word 'noise'.

5 - Double Stroller to table;

It's 8pm. The restaurant is extremely busy and you've just picked up a ticket to bring a party of 5 to an amazing table overlooking the water on the lower deck. They have an INCREDIBLE view for the fireworks. 

So you page them while you get their menus ready and as they arrive, they ask; 'Can we bring our double stroller to the table'?

Even more fabulous.

4 - Why can't we have that table?

Admit it. If you have ever worked in a restaurant then it is incredibly likely that a party have asked you to move seats.

'I don't like this table. Why can't we have that one'?

3 - Can I check your ID please?

The legal drinking age in America is 21 - and it is Disney policy to ID anyone under 30.

Sometimes, you get a few people who blatantly look under 30 - so you ask for ID. 

2 - 'We cannot seat you until all your party is present'

Ever been in a situation when you go out of your way to make sure a party have got a fantastic seat; and when you page them to be seated, they let you know that 4 of their 8-people party are actually on Test Track and won't arrive for another 10 minutes? It makes the servers job a lot easier if the whole party is seated together (I'm not a server but it must be a little frustrating with a half empty 8-top).

1 - 'Can we get a firework seat'?

Number one on the list. When a party arrives without a reservation at the busiest time of the night - and they ask for a 'firework seat'. There is nothing in life, that is more soul destroying than this!

It's like 'Parade', but with an 'M'!

As a cultural representative, I represent Northern Ireland in the UK Pavilion in Epcot.

However, a lot of guests are unaware that the UK Pavilion actually represents four countries; England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland; and many think of it as the 'English Pavilion'.

This may be the reason for guests becoming slightly confused when they hear my rich Northern Ireland accent (Not as bad as Cora's though) :)

Which brings me to the main part of this blog post - the top ten things people say to me whilst working in the UK Pavilion.

1. 'Where in England are you from'?
2. 'Oh my god you're Irish'?
3. 'Lurgan, is that near London'?
4. 'Are you a leprechaun'?
5. 'Is that really your accent'?
6. 'Why are you working in the UK pavilion if you are Irish'?
7. 'I'm 1/16th Irish - my name is Murphy',
8. 'I love your freckles',
9. 'Do you know my cousin John Finnegan from Dublin'?

However, the question I get asked the most at work;

'How do you pronounce your name'?

Well...

It's like 'Parade', but with an 'M'.

10 Things that Americans do different

Okay. So American life is a lot different than life back home. In fact, majorly different. 

The food is different, the people are different, the weather is different. Everything is different. Here is a list of everything that I find different in America.

1. The Food;

Back home in Northern Ireland, we enjoy a good Irish Fry Up; potato bread, soda bread, sausages, bacon, eggs, Heinz baked beans & if you're feeling really adventurous, maybe a fried pancake as well. In America, the bacon is awful and they have wieners in place of sausages. Totally dissatisfying! 

Back home we also have a Sunday Roast Dinner; potatoes, roast beef, gravy, vegetables and maybe one or two Yorkshire puddings! Over here in the US, our Sunday dinner is a Wendy's or a Dominos. 

We also sell amazing sweets back in Northern Ireland, as well as chocolate and crisps! (Or potato chips if you are American). American stores do not sell multi-packs of crisps; and the one thing I would love to have in my cupboard is a multi-pack of 30 bags of Tayto! (By the way, that was a major hint to anyone who is thinking of sending any surprise packages to America anytime soon).

2. The Weather;

So back in Northern Ireland, a nice day would be classed as anything over 15 degrees. Anything over 20 degrees and that justifies boys walking around shirtless, and girls getting their most amazing summer dresses on.

In America, anything less than 75 degrees Fahrenheit, then that justifies wearing a hoodie and a pair of sweats. Bear in mind also that 75 degrees Fahrenheit is almost 24 degrees Celsius. And that is quite cold!

3. The People;

American people are generally lovely; but their mannerisms and personalities are completely different to those I am regularly used to. 

For example, a lot of Americans aren't very good when it comes to interacting with someone from another country. I regularly get asked 'Where in England are you from'? and 'Is that really your accent'?

I have also almost lost count at the number of times I have been asked to 'say hello to me in your native language'. 'Um, hello'?

Not to mention the famous question that I get asked 17 million times a day; 'Oh my gosh, how do you pronounce your name'?

4. Hygiene Products;

When I arrived in the US, I had to go to Walmart on my first night to buy some essentials because the airport had lost my luggage, I was extremely surprised to see that Americans do not use spray deodorant. WHAT??

As well as this; I find it almost impossible to find nice baby wipes! They do not exist over here - so if you ever plan on living in America, bring a lifetime supply of baby wipes and spray deodorant!

5. Television;

American television; Keeping up with the Kardashians, Ridiculousness, Friends - there are so many amazing television series. 

I love seeing the opening credits of friends and singing the theme tune, 'Well it hasn't been your day, week, your month, or even your year, do do do do do'. BOOM! Advertisement.

Why are there so many adverts on American television? I flick through the channels and its advert after advert after advert. Noooooo! Why can't I just watch an episode of friends without seeing so many adverts!

6. Money;

In the UK, we have 7 types of coins - 1p, 2p, 10p, 20p, 50p a £1 and a £2 coin. In America we have 4 types of coins - pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. 

The most annoying thing about American money though, has to be the one dollar bill. Your purse could be bursting, and you think you have lots of money - when in reality, you really only have $17 in one dollar bills. Epic fail. 

7. Sports;

In life, I love nothing better than sitting down in front of the TV and watching some Football! (Soccer for all of you knowledgeable American Sports fans). 

I really miss watching Manchester United play, and the time difference between here and the UK, it is difficult to keep up to date. So I am stuck with American Football. And it's not even real Football.

8. Tipping and Sales Tax;

It is not only common courtesy to tip in America, but it is expected - and most people tip at least 18% - 20%. Add on a little bit of sales tax as well - and the $19.99 Steak that you have just ordered might now just cost you at least $25. That cocktail that costs $6 because it is 'Happy Hour', might actually cost you $8.50 now.

Tipping is not just exclusive to restaurants or bars either; you are even expected to tip your Dominos delivery driver, and your hairdresser too! 

Don't forget the sales tax too - it can spring a little surprise when you head to the checkout! Always have a little extra money with you in case of emergency, and to avoid the embarrassment when your card is declined at the till! (Yes, that has happened me).

9. The legal drinking age;

One of the most annoying aspects of living in America - the legal drinking age. In the UK, the drinking age is 18; in America it is 21. 

Being 20 years of age in America is absolutely awful! You can't go into an off licence and get a few bottles of beer because you will be ID'd. You can't have a nice cocktail at a restaurant with your friends because you will get ID'd. 

Roll on January when I turn 21 - there will be major celebrations!

10. Driving

When I arrived in America, my good friend Eddie picked me up from the airport. I tried to get in to the left hand side of the car, and not realising that it was actually the driver's seat and not the passenger seat. The American road system is so unusual compared to home; there are so many main roads, not a lot of roundabouts, and you don't have to have a number plate on the front of your car. So weird!

So, those are the ten things that I find different about living in America compared to living at home in Northern Ireland. Let me know if you think I have missed anything out! Thanks again for reading! Mairéad.