3 weeks in.

So updating a blog is proving to be far more difficult than expected. As stated by the title, I’m in my 3 week of living in WDW. I’m not going to lie. I’m finding it tough. It really is an emotional rollercoaster, not to be so cheesy. There’s been some ups and some serious downs. I have been enjoying myself though.

The first week here feels like it was forever ago. I have met some really great people but I’m sad to say that Rose, who I really clicked with, has left L

On the Sunday after Traditions, we went to Magic Kingdom. To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy myself. I was really missing my friends and family and just wanted them to be here to experience the park with me.

The second week I worked 2 shifts. Both of which I was training in the chippie. The first day I was filling, which basically means getting the order ready and passing it on to the guests and the following day was spent on the tills.

I had four days off which were spent in Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot for the 4^th of July.

I really enjoyed my days in the parks. I love them all. I’m always inclined to say Animal Kingdom is my favourite, but I have a soft spot for Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, Sarah and Siobhan wouldn’t join me on the Tower of Terror or Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster. I had to go on them, so I made them wait while I went alone. I LOVE THEM.

On the Sunday (I was off Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon), we just had a chill day. Rose and I had intended on going to Walmart, but our bus didn’t turn up L. In the evening we went down to Downtown Disney where we ate at the Rainforest Cafe (I will be writing back to back little food posts very, very soon). I had steak and coconut shrimp and it was so good. I particularly liked the coconut shrimp. We then went off to Raglan Road for a few drinks.

Monday was Independence day. We spent the whole day at Epcot. About 12 hours there. Rose, Siobhan and I ate at Teppan Edo. I love that place. I’ve been there a few times before (Again, I’ll discuss it in my food posts). We then went to the UK Pavilion and watched the incredible fireworks. I swear at one point I thought my eardrums were going to explode though.

Today was my 3^rd shift and it wasn’t too bad.  I was really sad though, because my roommate moved back to Mexico as she wasn’t enjoying her job and Rose left too, which I’m pretty devastated about. I’m a little worried about tomorrow as I’ve finished the first part of my training so I’ll be left to my own devices. Wish me luck.

I better head off to bed now. Night, night.

PS Apologies for any typing errors. I’m ridiculously tired

Is This Real?

This is the third day I’ve been in my apartment and it still doesn’t feel real. I’ve lost concept of time. I’m sharing a two bedroom apartment with a girl from Norway, Japan and Mexico. I really wanted a Mexican roommate so I could pester them about cooking. They’re all very nice and I feel quite like to be put in this apartment.

The arrival day was spent largely in Florida Mall and Walmart. The latter was so incredibly overwhelming. Siobhan and I had gone the day before, and were completely overwhelmed, but it didn’t seem any less daunting the following day. It’s seriously massive and everything they sell is just supersize.

I bought water (I don’t want to risk the water here), bedding (Comforter, two pillows and a sheet),  coat hangers, cleaning products, toilet roll, ramen noodles, cereal bars, pop tarts – That cost me $87. It was an absolute nightmare to carry on the bus back to the complex.

The following day, we had our housing meeting, where we were told about the rules and regulations of housing and we were given our housing ID to allow us in to the property with ease.

We went back to Walmart and I bought more substantial food like bananas, bread, cheese, more coat hangers etc. It came to about $37. I also went to get a mobile phone from the store across the way. That all cost me $100. I’m really gutted that it was too expensive to get a plan on my blackberry. It would have cost $70pm if I wanted to include international text, whereas I’m now paying $40pm for unlimited text, web and talk domestically and unlimited texts internationally. I’m still sulking over the blackberry.

Then in the evening we hung out by the pool and watched the lightening and headed back to Rose’s place to watch some Gavin and Stacey, and eat some pasta.

Today (23/06/11) we had our immigration meeting, to discuss the procedures if we were to be terminated etc and to fill out forms for our social security number. After that, we went to the outlets. It wasn’t that brilliant, but not bad to go for a wander about from time to time. We’re going to Downtown Disney in a bit. I’m looking forward because Rose hasn’t been here before and I know she’ll love it down there. I want to buy so much there.

I felt a bit homesick yesterday. I know there are going to be some down days but equally there’ll be some awesome days. I guess it’s the fear of the unknown, and part of me wishes I had my friends and family here to enjoy it with me, but I know I’ve got to do this on my own.

And on that note, I’m out. Laters gators.

Hello Sunshine State!

19^th June

I landed today. The flight was alright. One of the nicer ones I’ve been on.  It doesn’t feel real. We got to the hotel at about 4:30pm, after a slight panic at the airport. Everything was going swimmingly. Got through customs with ease, baggage was there as soon as I made my way to the conveyor belt, but then we had to put our baggage on another belt because it was too heavy to take upstairs. When we got to the other side of the airport, we had no clue where our luggage was. I had a mini internal freak out but luckily we found it in the end.

The hotel is really nice. I’m staying at the Buena Vista Suites. I have a little sitting room and a separate bedroom both with large flat screen televisions. The bed is comfy too. Oh and the staff are just so friendly.

After freshening up, Siobhan and I caught the free shuttle to Downtown Disney (DTD) and we ate at the Earl of Sandwich. I’ll write a separate post on that, for my food challenge (page still needs to be set up). The sandwich was deeelicious.

I love DTT. I’m going to try and restrain myself on purchasing all the amazing Disney merchandise. I’ve seen so many things I want. At this rate I’ll be starving myself to fund my Disney Merch buying habits. To be fair though, I didn’t buy anything because I’m waiting for the discount perk.

We were pretty tired so we went back to wait for the shuttle. The shuttle took us around all the parks to pick up other guests so it took us about an hour to get back. It actually wasn’t that bad. We got to see a tiny bit of Illuminations.

20^th June

Today I woke up at 4:30am. I think my body is still on UK time. I had a decent night sleep, before the wake up though. It still doesn’t feel real. I feel like I’m just on holiday (or should I say vacation, now that I’m across the pond?).

We went for breakfast at 8am.I had scrambled eggs, pancakes, a weird looking sausage and a slice of orange. It wasn’t too bad. Not a combination I’d usually pick. Then after breakfast settled, we went down to the pool for a bit.

I then went back to my room and skyped with my mum and dad for a bit. It was nice to see them and they seemed a lot happier now that they’ve seen I’m okay. I’m so grateful for skype. It makes communicating so much easier.

After that, we went to Walmart to look for a phone. Talk about completely overwhelming. Everything is so big, I couldn’t really soak it all in, so I’m going to try and write a shopping list before going so I don’t end up buying junk I don’t need. I did buy some cookies and a notebook though.

Back at the hotel, I had a skype session with Catrin and Susan and lazed about for a couple hours before heading out to dinner with Siobhan, Amanda, Meerah and Sarah. We went to an all you can eat buffet. I was overwhelmed yet again. I had some mac and cheese, rice, fried chicken and bbq drumstick. I barely ate it.

Tomorrow we’re heading for Vista Way to check in to housing. I’m quite excited, but equally apprehensive.

I’m also hoping to sort out my phone tomorrow. I hate not being able to use it. Well, I can use it, but with the consequence of extortionate charges.

I’m off to get some much needed sleep.

Night, Night.

'Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'till Morning'

Well, as clearly stated by the title; this is my last night in the UK. I’m spending it in the Radisson blu, by Manchester airport, with my parents.  We went for some food in the restaurant which was nice but pricey for what it was. It feels surreal. I feel like I’ve just gone for my visa interview and I’ll be back in a few days.

Today has been quite emotional but I’ve also been excited that I’m going. I expected to be a far worse emotional wreck, but I’m actually quite relaxed. Having said that, I don’t do well with waiting around for the plane, so I think I’ll be an absolute nightmare at departures.

I quietly shed a few tears in the car, but I didn’t feel the need to get too upset because I know I’m going to be in touch with everyone, and my family will be coming out to see me.

I’ve had such lovely gifts and cards off everyone, which I totally wasn’t expecting. All the support I’ve had, has also been incredible.

Next time I write, I’ll be in Orlando, Flordia. Eeeek...

See you all later.

Image found here

Last Night in Wales

I thought I’d write my last blog update, this year in the comfort of my peaceful but slightly untidy bedroom. I’m heading over to Manchester tomorrow and staying at a hotel before my flight on Sunday morning.

This last week has just flown by. I had intended on posting up my ‘to do’ lists, but they’ve remained untouched, since I’ve been way too busy.

This whole day has been a big blur. Big tip for you all: Do not leave you packing until last minute. I’m sure you’re all thinking, well OBVIOUSLY, but seriously; I had intended on starting this packing ordeal, weeks in advance, but it just didn’t happen. I kept putting it off. Thankfully, I have an amazing mother who stepped in and sorted it all out. I’d be lost without her.

I’m taking two cases with me. I’m seriously hoping they don’t go over, but knowing my luck, both the cases will. I’ll have to weigh them before leaving, tomorrow. Oh, and I've bought vacuum packs, which have been a brilliant space saver.

I’d also like to thank everyone who has sent me cards and gifts. I have had so many lovely cards, and so much support.

Well, I better get to sleep. I’m going to miss this bed, as silly as it sounds.

Night, night.

Not Enough Hours in the Day

This week is already going so fast. I know it’s only Monday night but today has just flown. I thought I’d just write a quick update on how things are going.

I had intended on sorting out all my packing this morning but it’s not happened. I’ve decided I’ll be taking two cases. I’m not even going to try and stick to the 23kg. It’s simply impossible.

Right now I have my 3 year old niece Elisha over. We’re having a sleep over. By the looks of things, she won’t be sleeping very much. She’s so adorable though.

Although I didn’t pack, I did manage to pop into town and get my blackberry unlocked. I’m hoping to pick up a sim to use in it, instead of having to purchase a new phone. It did set me back £25 which is pretty steep, but oh well.

I’m planning on taking as many things out with me. I know people usually like to just a lot of their toiletries  etc out there, but I figured the less I spend on things like that, the more money I have to buy other useless things

My ‘to buy out there’ list consists of:

·         American sim card

·         Hair dryer

·         Bedding

·         Towel (I’ll take a couple from here)

·         Food (Obviously) –I’m definitely buying some Lucky Charms and Milk Duds

·         Universal Studios Annual pass

I’m sure there’s a lot more things I haven’t considered, but that’s it so far. 

Nos da.

One Week.

Hellooo...

I apologise for neglecting my blog yet again, but I’ve genuinely been very busy. A week today, I’ll be travelling to Orlando. I'll undoubtedly be an emotional and nervous wreck, in need of some strong tranquilisers.

Right now, I’m feeling a bit nervous, but the majority of the time it really doesn’t feel real. I think it’s because I’ve been counting down for so long and the fact that it will almost have been a year since I considered this opportunity. Time really does fly.

My biggest fear, after all the fuss I've made over the whole move, is actually not liking it. I'm also worried that my wonderful parents will be worrying too much about me. I really want to do this though.

So far, I’ve had 4 ‘leaving parties’. My first one was with the Garden Centre people. I went for a Chinese. Food wasn’t brilliant, but it was fun.

My second was last weekend.  I organised a fancy dress party. Disney themed, of course. I made the mistake of making the fancy dress aspect optional, so of course, people took advantage of that. Naming no names ;-). Nevertheless, it was a really good night. Susan had kindly offered up her house for a pre-drinks and buffet, princess style party. Oh yeah, I dressed as Minnie Mouse. Cliché, but that was kind of the idea.

The third was with the lovely library staff in Fat Cat, for some food and cocktails.  Really nice evening and I came home with some gifts and dollars, which was very kind of them.

Lastly, I went for a curry last night with some of the old GC crew. By some, I mean three, so it was very small scale and low key. It was really good fun. We then went to the Menai, where some Karaoke took place. It was way too loud, with people taking it far too seriously, but it was still funny to watch.

This week, I’ll be trying to spend as much time with my family and close friends as possible. I still need to pack too. I literally cannot think of anything worse than packing. If I could afford to employ someone to pack for me, I would. To be fair though, I’m pretty certain my mum will step in and sort it out. She usually ends up rearranging my packing when I’ve attempted it, anyway.

That’s it for now. I’m going to try and update this blog daily, this week and get my ‘Walt Disney World To Do’, ‘Florida To Do’ and ‘USA To do’ lists up.

PS. I do apologise that I’ve not posted any pictures of the parties, but I’m too lazy to transfer them from my camera.

Visa Process

As promised in the previous post, this will consist of details of the much nerve wracking Visa application process.

If you have no interest in the visa process or you would like to find out for yourself how it goes, then I strongly advise you to skip reading this.

I’d firstly like to say that there’s honestly nothing to worry about. As long as you have a clean record, you do exactly as you’re told, bring the right documents and be truthful, you’ll be absolutely fine.

Pre Appointment

I received my visa petition (or notice of action) on the 22^nd of April. Two months before my arrival date. As soon as you receive this, ring the embassy up immediately to book your appointment. Be sure to have a credit/debit card, the petition and your passport at hand, as they’ll ask for a payment and your passport and petition details. The call lasted me about 10 minutes, and it’s around £1.23 per minute, but you’ll have all this information on the sheet and in yummy’s documents.

After booking your appointment, you’re advised to fill out the DS-160 form on the embassy’s website as soon as possible. (Seriously, do it as soon as you can – just get it out the way, you’ll feel so much better for it)  I’ll warn you now, it times out a lot so be sure to save. Mine timed out every 5 minutes or less. It can be very frustrating. You also have to supply a photograph at this point and be sure to read the requirements as they’re quite specific.

Make sure you download all the relevant documents on yummy’s site as they do help a lot, and go through the checklist on the embassy’s website for what to bring to your appointment.

Appointment Day

I booked the appointment for 8am – I believe the earliest time slot available.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I stayed in the Travelodge in Covent Garden (£89 a night, not including breakfast but check out was at 12pm which was a bonus).  We left the hotel at about 7:05am, and caught a taxi just outside the building. The taxi cost us £6.40 or £6:80, definitely under £7.

We arrived at the embassy at approximately 7:20am and queued outside.

My appointment confirmation was checked by an embassy worker outside, and then my passport was checked by another worker.

They let a few people in at a time to a small building, just outside the embassy, for security checks. I strongly advice you, if possible to just bring your documents and nothing else. It really slows the process down if you’re fiddling about with bags and you’re strictly prohibited from bringing mobile phones or any other electrical devices.

So after going through the security checks, I was then led through by some signs, to the reception of the embassy where they hand you a ticket with your number. This was given to me at 7:42am.

I then went through to a room where there are television screens and waited for my number to be called out. I was the 10^th person in. When my number was called out, I went up to this little window where I handed in my documents (including passport) and they took my prints from all fingers and thumbs. I was then asked to sit down again, and wait for my number to be called for the second time.

When my number was called for the second time, (and this time, in no particular order) I went to another window, where I had my ‘interview’. It was basically a few simple questions, such as what you intend on doing when you’re back in the UK and what are you going to be doing out in the US.

I was then told my visa was approved and was sent to the courier service desk, back in the waiting room.  Queue was about 5 minutes long. You just confirm that your visa has been accepted and you have to pay £14.80 (if I can remember rightly) to have your passport and visa sent back to you. There are additional costs if you want it before 8am (approx £30) and 12pm (approx £26). This must be paid for by credit or debit card (they do specify which ones). Cash is not accepted.

After the courier fee was paid, I was then free to leave the building. That was at approximately 9:15am.

We then took the tube from Oxford Circus to Holborn, back to the hotel. I believe we were back before 10:10am, or at least around that time. We did stop off at a Starbucks for a take away coffee, along the way. To be honest, I do think if you’re not too tired and like walking, you could probably walk back to the hotel in less than half an hour (Providing you’re familiar with the way).

Dress Code: I just wore jeans and a jumper. The majority people were in ‘normal’ clothing. As long as you’re not scruffy and have some tidy shoes, you’re good to go.

So, I think that’s about it. The whole process (including the wait outside) took about 2 hours. If you have any questions, please feel to ask.

Disclaimer: All information provided in this post was correct at the time of submission. Please check regularly for updates in Yummy Jobs documents and the US Embassy website.

The Big Smoke

Image taken from here

Firstly I’d like to apologise for not posting in a while. I’ve been sort of busy. Yeah, I’m sorry. This ‘busy’ excuse is getting repetitive and I’ll try not to use it too much, out in the Sunshine State.

So last week I went to London for my visa appointment (I’ll do a separate post on the whole procedure etc, after this one). I stayed for two nights in a Travelodge in Covent Garden. Okay, so it was pretty basic (as to be expected from a Travelodge – not a snobby remark) but I really could not complain about the location. I would stay there again, just for it’s convenient location.

We went down on Tuesday. Had a bit of a walkabout around Covent Garden, Soho area and China Town. I’ve always wanted to visit there.  We then proceeded to seek out a place to eat.  Earlier on in the day, my dad had asked me to search for a Mexican place called Wahaca, but I had no luck. Cut a long story short; on our walk back to the hotel, I spotted this Wahaca, so we tried there. I’m so glad we did. It was excellent food and service. The price was pretty reasonable too. I had chorizo and potato quesadillas (I’ve since made these at home, from Thomasina Mier’s cook book; Mexican Food Made Simple, who coincidentally is the founder of Wahaca) and black bean tostadas (From the tapas style section) and I washed it down with a classic margarita. If I happen to find myself in that area again, I’ll certainly be going back.

The following day, we had nothing arranged. We had been sick the previous week so didn’t really have the chance to arrange any outings. Instead, we wandered down to Trafalgar Square and then checked out the National Gallery. The rest of that day is a bit of a blur, I’m afraid. However, in the evening I met up with Siobhan (Who I’ll by flying with). After wandering around looking for a place to eat, that wasn’t packed, we ended up in Cafe Rouge.

Thursday, the final day, was visa day. I was awake at 5:45am. I won’t go into too much detail here, but we go to the embassy around 7:20am and out at around 9:15am. Siobhan and I also met Amanda at the embassy who’ll be starting the same day as us.  It’s nice to know that we’re all feeling the same nerves and excitement.

After the Visa business was out the way, we headed back to the hotel and I went to meet my parents. I really wanted to check out the Primrose Bakery which was somewhere in Covent Garden, so we made a dash for it before having to check out. Turns out it wasn’t really that far from my hotel. I bought a few cupcakes to sample. I really liked the cookies and cream cupcake. Well mainly the sticky meringue style frosting with crumbled up oreos.

Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery. Coconut, Chocolate & Cookies and Cream.

That’s about it for my London adventure. I really love London, from what I’ve seen of it. I definitely want to go there more often when I’m back in the UK.

In other news, I’ve finished one of my jobs and there’s One month left until I depart. I’m feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement. I’m more excited at the moment, but I’m sure a bout of nervous will smack me before long.

I’ll be posting on the actual visa process tomorrow. Until then, good night.

"The Only Thing We Caught Today Was The Sun"

I started the day off with a sangria induced hangover. Last night it was Catrin’s sister’s 30^th and they had a party at theirs. Good fun. I supplied Black and White cupcakes, which I stupidly failed to take pictures of.

The plan was to go camping in Abersoch today, but it didn’t go ahead. Instead, we went fishing somewhere down that end. Obviously by the title of this post, it’s clear we failed miserably. I of course, put no effort, whatsoever, in trying to catch any fish. We got off on a bad start. Two rods out of three were broken; Mine being the only operating rod.  Although fishing proved to be unsuccessful, it was still a lovely relaxing day. It was just nice to chill out and forget about the world for a few hours. We were in a beautifully secluded spot.

Tomorrow, our plan is to head to Llanberis and camp there. I’m glad. I wanted nothing more than to just curl up in my own bed, this evening.

I have 55 days left in the UK. A few things I want to do before going;

Camping (Tomorrow)

Climb up Snowdon (Possibly Tuesday before work, if I’m in a fit state)

Go to Alton Towers

And that’s about it really. Nothing too exciting.

Oh, and before I sign out. Bit of a LOL story from last week. We visited Llanberis lake again. We had a BBQ by the lakeside. Following that, we went out onto the lake on our dinghies. It was all good. Lovely weather. We spent an hour or so, just casually rowing along, and decided to dock on the other side. Unfortunately our dinghy punctured. I wasn’t too happy about boarding on the dinghy again, but the other two idiots forgot their shoes, so it would have been a nightmare walking back.

I reluctantly got back on the dinghy, but it wasn’t long that we realised it was deflating fast. Gaz furiously rowed, but it just wasn’t moving anywhere. I had a mild panic attack, in which I quickly snapped out of. For a brief moment, I thought I’d actually have to swim back. I may even go so far as to say I thought I could die. Well, when I say die, I was actually more concerned for the life of my ipod. I just can’t function without that. Luckily we got rescued by fellow dinghier Rhian. We tied ourselves onto hers and made it safely back to shore.

Visa

Today I received my Visa document, so I can finally go ahead and book my Visa appointment. It kind of feels more real now. I’ve started having dreams involving moving to Florida. So there’s my subconscious kicking in, I guess. I’ve pretty much forgotten most of the dreams, but what I do remember is I was shopping in Walmart (But it was the Iceland in town) and I bought a Martini glass shaped cookie cutter. God knows what that actually means, if it means anything?  It does mix two of my favourite things though; baking and cocktails.

I’m leaving booking my appointment until Monday, since it was quite overwhelming reading all the documents and I want to be completely prepared for when I speak to them on the phone, plus I need to part with $150 and I wasn’t quite ready for that.

In other news, I’ve started organising my leaving do. When I say organise, I quickly put up an event on Facebook, and I’m now impatiently waiting for people to reply. To be honest though, the most important people have already said they’re coming, so it’s all good. It’s going to be Disney fancy dress, naturally. I’m probably going to go as Minnie Mouse for the irony. One of the most commonly asked questions for when I told people of my opportunity to work at Walt Disney World was: ‘What are you doing? Dressing as Minnie Mouse?’  I’ll be arranging meals with family and close friends too though. I’m milking this one.

I unofficially handed in my notice in work, today. It feels weird. I’ve worked there almost seven years.  I can’t wait to go though.

I still have to post my Disney/Florida/America to do lists, but until then, I bid you a good night.

Ooops, I Ripped My Pants!

Image found here

So, firstly, I’d like to apologise for not posting in a while. I’ve been sort of busy. Busy doing what, I’m not quite sure.  Anyway, so I was minding my own business in work today, on my lunch break, when I casually looked down and caught a glimpse of my bare skin appearing from a rip in my trousers. Talk about pure humiliation. They’re pretty old, since I only wear them to work. I sat there for a while, wondering what to do. There were a couple people in there, that I didn't really know and I kind of didn’t particularly want my business being known to them.

So they leave and I find a stapler. Yeah I know. Genius work right thurrrr. Thankfully, the trousers were baggy so I managed to staple it quite loosely. I don’t think I’ve experienced such a wardrobe malfunction in all my life. Let that be the last time, I hope.  I don’t really know why I told this story, but I guess bad experiences always make for humorous tales.

In other news... Well, there’s no other real news, other than I have ten weeks left in the YOO KAY. Yikes.  It’s getting pretty scary now. Well, not so much scary but I guess more real. If that makes sense?  I’m impatiently waiting for my visa papers to come through, which I doubt will come until end of the month/beginning of May. I also need to sort out medical insurance, but that can wait until I’ve had my visa granted.

Since I made a SpongeBob reference, I thought it would be appropriate to briefly discuss Universal Studios. My other love, that resides in the Sunshine State. I’m seriously considering getting myself an annual pass. I hope it wouldn’t be considered as cheating on Disney, but I just can’t help myself. I love the rides there, particularly the Hulk and The Mummy. Do you know what? I’m going to get one, and that’s final. It initially seems pretty pricy, but when you compare it to a daily entry, it’s quite a bargain. Ohhhh, and I’m also looking forward to visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Eeep.

The Incredible Hulk at Universal Studios, Orlando.

And finally, a big Happy Birthday to my fellow cast member to be, Daria. We’ll both be spending our next Birthday’s out in Florida. CAN’T WAIT!! Oh, I was going to have Butterscotch Angels delight, in her honour (She was horrified at the fact that I had never tried this) but unfortunately, I'm not sure If I've developed an allergy towards dairy. Boo hoo.

Happy Belated Birthday To Me

Hello, so it’s been a while since I last posted an update (Sorry Susan), but I’ve been quite busy. It was my Birthday on Sunday. I’m now 24, which depresses me slightly, but it shouldn’t really. I’m still a young duckling.

So yeah, I usually sulk on my Birthday because I hate getting older. You could say I’m like the                  female version of good old Peter Pan.

I was spoilt this Birthday. Maybe it’s because I’ll be away for my 25^th, but I got Coco Chanel perfume, which I utterly adore and a food processor. That’s a bit grown up, I know, but I was so excited to get one, but unfortunately can’t pack it to Florida. I also got a few clothes from H&M, which I picked myself, when I went into town. It was just a nice day, spent with family.

My Birthday was on a Sunday, so I went out on the Saturday with a few of my friends. It was good fun, but unfortunately, I can’t remember much of it. I was severely hung-over on my actual Birthday, but fought through it, as I wasn’t going to let the copious amount of alcohol I consumed ruined my only day where I can be excused for being a big attention seeker.

The following day, my Birthday Boxing Day (Monday), I went out for some Chinese food with a few other friends. The food was good, but the service was awful. Our sever was just terrible. She was rude, rushed us. And I mean properly rushed us. She wasn’t able to write down what we ordered, without making a bit of a fuss. I really hope I won’t be like that in Florida. I know I won’t be rude, I love talking to customers, but I hope I won’t be a complete tool in not knowing the menu etc, which I highly doubt, since I heard Disney’s training is superb and very thorough.

One thing I’m a bit gutted about (and not to sound ungrateful) is that nobody made me a cake  L.. Yeah I appreciate my mum was busy, and she did buy me one, but still.

In Disney/Florida related news, it’s a little less than three months until I fly out to Orlando. I’m excited but I don’t feel it’s quite real. I really don’t think it’s sunk in. In May I’ll be heading to London to go for my Visa interview  so I guess I’ll be feeling all sorts of emotions then.

Well, that’s it for today. I’ve got a few ‘To do lists’ to post up soon, if anyone wants to see.

Without a Paddle

Image Found Here

Yesterday, a few friends and I decided on a last minute trip out to the Lake. Before that, we went to a small beach shop in Dinas Dinlle to buy a couple dinghies. Yeah, we’re too cool. So anyway , after  some minor financial issues (none of us had cash and the store didn’t accept card), the dinghy’s were purchased.

Llanberis Lake

We headed off to the lake, in Llanberis, which by the way is absolutely stunning. I feel my pictures don’t do it any justice.

Gaz bought the 3 man dinghy and a 1 man. Daf, Iwan and I were in the 3 man, and Gaz had the single to himself. We blew them up (with a bump, of course) and off we went for a paddle around the lake.

I have to say, I was the best rower. Now, I know that’s easy for me to say here, because Iwan and Daf can’t defend themselves, since a) they don’t have a blog and; b) they know I have a blog, but don’t know the address, yet.  It’s true though. I was the best, but when they do read this, I’d like to apologise for my name calling. It was all in good fun, but I can be a bit of a Monica (Friends reference) at times, what with the whole competitive/team spirit kind of attitude. Yeah, I may or may not have yelled ‘Team Sheen’ and ‘Winning’ a few times.

So after a casual drift around the lake, we stopped off at a little spot on the other side, just to chill out for a while. We probably stayed there for about 20 minutes, but really could have stayed longer. Next time, we’ll pack a picnic or something.

It was beginning to look like the sun was leisurely making its way down to set, for the night, so we made our way back to the Dinghy’s. Now this is where the LOL’s began. Oh my goodness. So I decided I should hop into the dingy first because I could pull it out, into the lake and jump in, since I had a pair of wellington boots on. I did that, but I fell. Yeah, fell into the dinghy. Now how lucky but hilariously laughable is that? So, I fell in but quite awkwardly. I tried to compose myself, but could not stop laughing as I drifted away, WITHOUT A PADDLE.

Dinghies taking a rest

Gaz hopped onto his dinghy and threw me a paddle, but I couldn't row, to save my life (literally).  Now, I know that’s contrary to my previous statement of being the best rower, but when you’re in fits of laughter, it really is difficult to row. Eventually, my dinghy navigated itself back to shore, but not without almost capsizing poor Gaz. All the while, Daf stood there, laughing away taking pictures of the incident. I’ve yet to see these pictures. I might be a ‘you had to be there’ moment, but oh well.

After quite the struggle back (we were absolutely freezing), we eventually made it to Gaz’s car, all in one piece and decided we should do this more often, however, I strongly advise warm clothing and an extra pair to change. I’m glad I was smart enough to bring a pair of wellies.

I’d really love to take up kayaking or something, and I’m hoping there’s something like that to do in Florida, however, I can’t imagine it being too safe paddling in a lake swarmed with alligators.

Pancake Day

...More formally known as Shrove Tuesday.

Mickey Pancakes

So, I made these Mickey pancakes earlier for myself, brother and his beautiful little children; Elisha and Nathan.  In case you’re thinking I’m a pancake shaping genius. I am not. It’s just a silicone shape that I got during my last visit to WDW. I think it was probably purchased in Mickey’s Pantry, at Downtown Disney.  I’ll have to keep away from that place, since I’m  obsessed with the Disney kitchen things.

I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t do the traditional pancakes, but that would have been ridiculously greedy since I also stuffed my face with pizza, which I now, deeply regret.

Since I indulged in pancake heaven today, I decided I’d give up something for lent;

• White Bread
• Crisps/All other potato snacks 
• Fizzy drinks

So, I don’t eat a whole lot of potato snacks, but I figured I’d go all out, if I’m going to cut out white bread (I sometimes like the occasional crisp sandwich), which is going to be difficult since I’m a bit of a sandwich fiend – Joey from friends, style.

Anyway, I hope everyone’s day was filled with pancake joy.

PS: This should have been sent on the 8th, but it's just gone midnight, and I was interrupted by a phonecall.

Run Fatboy, Run.

"A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise."
-- Winnie the Pooh

Good afternoon. My, what lovely day it’s been.  So I’ve started jogging with Catrin. Not brilliantly, but it’s a start. I’m aiming to be able to run 5k easily, without feeling like I’m on death’s door. There’s a couple reasons why; Firstly, I just want to be fit, and lose weight (I know, two there but it kind of goes hand in hand), and secondly, I want to be able to do the Expedition Everest Challenge, next year. I’m hoping it is annual event, as it’s been held May 7^th this year. It looks like so much fun. It’s basically a 5k run, with obstacles along the way.

The Expedition Everest Ride: Animal Kingdom (Picture taken in 2008) - One of my favourite rides, though you can't tell it's one, here.

If I’m feeling brave, I may even attempt The Disney Princess Half Marathon, which was held last month, and hopefully will be held again, next year. I’ve noticed there are loads of different marathon’s to do, but these are the ones I’d like to do. The Half Marathon, only if I’m confident enough. Right now, I’m not feeling, but POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE and all that.

Right now, we start by walking, then a jog, we walk again, and jog again, so it’s just taking easy. I don’t want to jump straight into the deep end, otherwise, I’ll only end up injuring myself, and probably give up pretty quickly, but I’d say I’ve been doing this for  about three weeks now.  If anyone has some helpful tips on training for this, then please do share.

In other news, Lea and a few others will be flying off to Florida tomorrow, to start on the 8^th of March, so best of luck to you all and hope you have a safe journey, across the pond.  I’m going to miss my chats with Lea, but I’ll be out pretty soon, so YAAAAY. Also, big thanks to Lea for my pretty little key ring that she made for me, and gave during the meet up in Birmingham! J BON VOYAGE.

This is going to sound like a bit of a ridiculous analogy, and I’m pretty sure I’ve shared this already, but it kind of feels like I’m waiting in line for graduation, especially when you look at the ‘arrival dates’ notes in the Facebook group, and it says ‘Arriving next’. That probably made no sense, but oh well.

Adios.

A picnic with Pooh Bear

Last weekend, I had to make a Winnie the Pooh and friends cake.





I really like this, but as per usual, I’m critical of my work. Eeyore has got to be the best one I’ve made, but Piglet looks too big. He just kept squashing down, because his head was too heavy. It didn’t take as long as I thought. The cake is an 8inch vanilla sponge, with vanilla butter-cream and raspberry jam.  I do love this cake though. It’s definitely one that I would have loved, as a child.

So, on the topic of picnics, I thought I’d discuss my little picnic/road trip adventure I had, on Sunday, with a couple friends, Gaz and Daf (not to name drop or anything).  Anyways, I made some sandwiches and packed a picnic basket, but we also went down to Waitrose to pick some cheese and wine. Yeah, beyond  sophisticated.

We hadn’t really decided on anywhere to go, so we ended up exploring the Island (by island I mean Anglesey). We drove (Well Daf actually drove) to Benllech beach to have our picnic. It was windy, but the sun was shining.  After our first course of lunch, we took a stroll across the beach, with an ice cream.

After that, we went over to Din Lligwy. I used to love going to this place as a child. I am a bit of a geek when it comes to ancient things like this. It just fascinates me. If you want to read more about it, just click on the link. We had to walk through some muddy fields to get there, so I was a bit gutted I didn’t bring my wellies along. It is a beautifully peaceful place.

Next stop was Bull Bay, where he had our Cheese and Wine at a lay by (well, me and Gaz) and checked out the local pub, for a drink.  After that, we went over to Amlwch, up to the old Copper Mines/Parys Mountain. Apparently, the mines have been worked on since the Bronze age. I like this place too, but mainly because it creeps me out. I know that sounds odd, but it kind of reminds me of the Hills have Eyes (Not that I ever want to be in that situation). If you go far enough in, you can’t hear a sound. We just took a leisurely stroll around but they played about, hiding etc. I can imagine a film being set there. Perfect location for a horror like the one I mentioned.

I’m local to the Anglesey area, however, Gaz and Daf aren’t, so we when it came to leaving the copper mine car park, Daf wasn’t sure where to turn. If you’ve read my Logistical Nightmare post, you’ll know, I’m not the best person to ask for directions. We did get lost for a brief moment, but thankfully, the trusty old iphone came out and saved us.

It was just nice to explore the local area before heading off to Florida.  I don’t think many people take the time to check out what’s on their front door, so to speak. I would really encourage it. Appreciate your surroundings.  



Image found



"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."-- Winnie The Pooh

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant Hapus

Hello! Just a quick message to say Happy St. David’s day. For those of you who don’t know; Saint David was the patron Saint of Wales and March 1^st is a day to celebrate his life.

I made these cupcakes last week for my friend’s Birthday. A group of us went out to dinner, and these were brought out after desert, lit up with a sparkler. They’re just vanilla sponge with vanilla butter-cream and the dragons were made out of rolled fondant. I thought it was appropriate to put them in this post, since the Welsh Dragon is represented on our flag

I know I’m cutting it fine writing this, but I’ve been out this evening, so what can you do. I discovered the wonder that is Disaronno. Oh my gosh, I cannot believe that I’ve only been introduced to this delight, this evening.  Anyways, that's all for today. Goodnight.

Preparations so far.

Spaceship Earth (Picture taken on my visit in 2008)

So as you’re all aware, or for those of you who’ve just stumbled across my blog; I’m going to be working in Walt Disney World, Florida, in just less than four months time (21^st June).  I’ll be located in the United Kingdom Pavilion, in EPCOT. I thought I’d write a quick post on my preparations so far.

So, I received my call for the offer on the 11^th January, and was told I’d have my Criminal Background Check forms, as soon as possible. That arrived later on in the week, and I filled it out straight away.

Two days after my call, I decided to book my flight. I thought I should do it as soon as possible, as I was advised prices would be shooting up pretty soon. I’ve booked my flight for the 19^th of June. Two days before my arrival date. I’m told that it isn’t really that necessary to go before the arrival date, however, I wanted to, just so I can adjust to the time difference (Even though jet lag isn’t too bad when the time difference is behind) and just wanted to have a little chill out at a hotel before a hectic year ahead. Also, I’ll be flying out with Siobhan, who is starting the same date as I am, and will also be staying at the same hotel, so that should be good .

The following week, after the phone call, off Hannah from Yummy Jobs, I had scheduled another call just to confirm that I had accepted my offer and to tell me a little bit about the role, and what preparations I have to do, before going out there. I have to say, she was incredibly informative and so easy to talk to. I think I rambled on way too much, but I couldn’t help myself. I was just so excited about everything. She pretty much told me everything I wanted to know, and answered all questions with all honesty. They’re such a helpful and friendly team.

During the phone call, I was told I’d hopefully receive the Disney Pack later that week. Disney had processed my details pretty quickly. I couldn’t wait to receive it.

The much talked about 'Disney Pack'

Basically, the pack contains the congratulations letter, which made me J and little snippets about the ‘Disney Look’, ‘Earning and Learning’, ‘Living’ and the ‘Housing Agreement’.  It’s all the information we were told about during the interview, and thing’s I’ve read around the internet, but it’s just nice to have it officially written down, by Disney!

A rubbish picture of inside the pack. The mickey picture makes me smile.

So to break it down;

The ‘done’ list (Couldn’t think of anything else)

• Criminal Record Check – Done.  All clear.
• Flight booked – Done, through STA travel
• Disney Pack - Received
• Hotel For two nights booked – Done.

To do list;

Do a comprehensive packing list (Need to do that ASAP)

• Wait for my Visa papers
• Go for my Visa interview at the Embassy in London
• Sort out decent medical insurance
• SAVE!!
• Organise various leaving do’s (Yeah, I’m milking it)

To be continued..(I’ll update it when I’m not so tired – I know I have loads more to do)

Ciao.

Logistical Nightmare

Image found here

Hey, so I thought I’d write on how I came about the title of the blog; ‘Wow, where am l?’ In essence, I have absolutely no sense of direction. It’s actually pretty embarrassing.  Daria, a fellow future Cast member, has already, mildly experienced this during the CRP meet up in Birmingham. Oh and during that meet up, I don’t think I mentioned, but I quickly left Frankie and Bennies to take my Minnie ears back to the room, and when I went back down, I walked into the wrong restaurant. Yes, I know. IDIOT.

 In 2009, I went to visit various European Union institutions and the Council of Europe, as a part of my Law course. We went to Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.

The River Ille, Strasbourg

The picture of the bridge above is what I tried to use, to guide us back to our hostel, only to find that there were about 4 other almost identical bridges, across the river. I was zooming and playing around. We were panicking slightly, because we had to make it back to get ready, to a meeting in the European Parliament. Luckily, we bumped into some of the other guys, who were on a morning run and casually tagged along with them, back to the hostel.

The Beautiful Gothic Structure, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg. First stone laid in 1015 and completed in 1439





Part of the Notre-Dame Cathedral



Oh, there was another incident too – It was the night before leaving, to catch our flight home from Geneva. We had to be up really early, to get on the coach. A few of us decided to leave the club we were in a little earlier than the rest.  One of the lecturers decided to join us. Cut a long story short, we got lost. It was 4am, and we had no idea where the hell we were going. The lecturer was drunk so he had no idea and I almost thought we’d not make it back, so in the end Gaz decided to use the GPS on his iphone, to direct us back to the hostel. Thankfully it worked. So I like to think, the iphone saved our lives.



One of the streets we got lost down, in Strasbourg.



So yeah, I know I’m a complete fool when it comes to directions, but I’m surprisingly not a geographical idiot. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to that. I love looking at maps and reading about other countries. It’s one of the reasons why I want to do the Cultural Representative Program, so I can hopefully learn about other cultures and countries too. You’ll also be pleased to know, that I’m trying my very best to work on my ability to direct myself to various locations, before landing on Floridian soil, so nobody has to babysit me too much.



So to conclude, scientists need to build some sort of GPS implant, I can put in my brain to help me out. You heard it here first.