03.015.2020
Today is day two of this crazy nightmare that seems to not be a nightmare but rather reality itself. We’ve woken up from our Disney dream and now it’s time to move on.
Yesterday we received news that it is our time to end this Disney College Program journey and set forth on to our next adventures. Rather than reintegrating what I have already put out there, here was my announcement post to let everyone know what was going on:
“With a heavy heart and tear filled eyes as I prepare for my second to last shift before Disney World closes, I’m sad to say my time here is going to come to a close a lot sooner than anticipated.
An email was just sent out to all college program students letting us know that we need to pack up and move out of our program housing by March 18th. My wonderful family has booked a flight to join me tonight and spend one final day at Magic Kingdom before starting an across the country venture to home.
Please keep the thousands of college program, culinary program, and international program students in your thoughts and prayers as we say our unexpected goodbyes to our new friends and travel home.
The photo below is the main entrance gate that I drive through every day on my way to work. I have taken a photo of the entrance every day on my way to work as a reminder that I have spent over 200 hours already working at the most magical place on earth and I’m so blessed and grateful for the opportunity despite it ending much sooner than anticipated. 📷️”
In the last 48 hours, I’ve gotten about 10 hours of sleep and yet can’t find the ability or desire to want to sleep. I feel as though it’s such a stare of denial that this program and dream come true is really ending. I just got here. I’m just meeting people. I’m just learning the tricks and ropes around. Heck, I had my first Mickey Pretzel today!
I’m not ready to leave, but unfortunately, away I go with the other 8,000+ students in this program. Whether we just started, have been here a year, arrived this week, or are scheduled to be here til August, it’s time to venture home and find a safe home there.
I’m thankful to have a family that loves me so much as to last minute drop their lives, travel across the country, and spend a magical day at Magic Kingdom with me. I don’t say it enough, but their love and support is so appreciated. I struggle to show my love and thankfulness to those closest to me, but it’s something I’m working on. Right now, my sadness is overwhelming, but I’ll make it up to them soon. (And hey, I took them to Disney World, that means something, right?)
Tomorrow I will take my best friend I’ve made here to the airport and say goodbye for who knows how long. I’m hoping not long. In hopes of this crazy world event ending soon, I plan to travel to Northern California for the first time and visit Izzy. We’ve been through so much, our friendship doesn’t end here.
The number of people I’ve met is uncountable. Every person working for this company has a special place in my heart, but there’s a spot above all that holds the cast members of Tomorrowland, my home here. We looked ridiculous as we cried in each others arms, sweaty and gross for the entire day, but I think that truly showed the love this program builds between people. These people have become a family in the span of 8 weeks, and I wouldn’t trade a single member.
I’m blessed to have such an amazing leadership team to teach me, guide me, and love me in all the work I do. There was never a time I felt unsupported by any of them. The were mentors, but they were friends. Tonight I was released early from my position by one coordinator and was able to watch the Happily Ever After snow upon the castle for the last time before all eleven theme parks close for an extended period of time around the world. This, this was the Disney Magic that people talk about. I was surrounded by hundreds of college program students and sang every word to the show I listened to across the land each night. To the coordinator that let me out, Nicole - there hasn’t been a single person I’ve met here that I’ve felt I related more to. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to meet you and hear your Disney story. Each person takes a different path in life and yet somehow so many end up with this incredible company. I’m grateful to have shared this time with you and all of Rocket tower. If I had the emotional capacity to do so right now, I could write a paragraph for each person I met these past weeks. There have many so many laughs, tears, and memories that I will cherish forever and I thank everyone for what they have given me.
I like to think that this journey is not a “the end to the story” but rather a blank page waiting to be written upon. Of course, each night we go to sleep and at some point must wake up in the morning. When the day comes to an end however, the dreams come back, and we do it all over again every day. This isn’t goodbye to my forever friends from around the world, and this is certainly not good morning to Disney. I’ll be back. Real soon.
xoxo, Samantha
