Making friends/homesickness

I won't be going with anyone, but I get the impression that most people do the ICP with friends? Is it easy to make some friends once out there, even if you are quite shy? (and under 21 so can't drink!!)

Also, how did people find the homesickness? I'm at uni and am away from home for 6-8 week stretches, but being so far away for over 2 months is kind of scary. How did you find it?

Thanks for any input............. ;D

 

I've never been but its like making friends at school you also will be living with people as well as there are activities that are for all the cast you can meet people there as well

 

I won't lie - it is VERY hard sometimes and you'll want to go home but don't.
You make friends there SOOOO fast, and some of the closest friends you'll ever have!
Everyone is in the same boat of being in a new place far from home with no family, especially around the holidays...but it just makes everyone get closer! I had one of the best christmases and birthdays ever down there with my Florida-Family

It's funny how almost everyone seems to go through the same stages of homesickness at the same times...
Around 3 weeks you get really homesick, then you're fine untill around 3 months...then again around 6 months and after that you never want to leave! lol I was far more homesick for Florida when I got back to Canada then I ever was for Canada while I was down south (I guess it helps that whenever you feel homesick you can go to WDW or the beach )

And don't worry about being under 21, more than half of the people who go down are under 21, so you won't be alone in that!

 

oh, I just noticed you said you're ICP not CRP...you have even less to worry about then! You'll have the best time of your life!

 

i went over on my own - didnt know anyone on my program.
a bunch of us met at the airport before our flight, and by the time I got to orlando I already had a few good friends who I ended up being friends with the whole summer.
I wouldnt worry about a thing.

 

I didn't know anyone either when I went, and I'd never been so far away from home before! And I had the best time of my life, so I'm sure you'll be fine

 

Ya there will be people just like you. From what I gather most of the time, though you don't know people now you will meet up in the airport in Florida with several people just like you some who may even be leaving home for the first time. Some might not have any friends there either so you will probably connect quickly with them. So it will probably be quite easy to make friends. And hopefully you will have a wonderful room mate. And that is a great friend then, and they might be more outgoing and make other friends who you can then meet. I hear people are so friendly.

As for homesickness. You probably wont have much time to really sit around and think about it. Just remember you will be home soon again, so enjoy your time there so you can tell everyone when you get back how amazing it was. Cause I am sure in the end, you wont want to leave. But I have talked to a few people who done the ICP before and they all say it goes by so fast. So it probably will for you too.

Good luck though. I am sure you will have such a great time that the months will go by so quickly and at the end you will be looking back on it saying "Wow, felt like only yesterday I was arriving and now I am leaving everyone to go home."

 

:-*

Definately! Like Simon said, we all met up in the airport and bonded during our flight delay! And now my Disney friends are my closest friends ever and I've got them for life!!!!

 

I don't think I would want to go with anyone anyways to be honest.

I'm going by myself and even just from the interview I've gained a friend. We were both lost, we found the place together. We sat through everything talked the whole way and then shared a cab home.

I think if I went with someone I would feel obligated to stay with that one person for a whole lot of the time. I like the idea of starting fresh with a whole bunch of new people all in the same boat as you.

 

My first week here was so hard. It wasn't how I expected and it seemed everyone else was settling in real good and I wasn't. I felt really sorry for myself because it seemed I had the worst luck with housing and job and just... everything!
Just be really strong, don't give up too easy and once you get the hang of everything you will have such an awesome time!! And you'll meet the best people ever. Everyone is in the same boat regarding friends. And if you have any issues there is always someone available to talk to about it so you're never by yourself... whatever the issue is!

Ben

 

I'm not one to get homesick (having been away with the Guides every year since I was 10 and having the university experience) but I did a few times in FL. Both times I was ill I really wanted to be home, and then when my family came to visit me for the first time and left I really wanted to go home! Not for long though, I'm quite sure I was dragged off to a park...

Like Tessa said, I was far more homesick for FL than I was for home! I still am in fact :-[

As for making friends... well lets just say I made some of the closest friends I will ever have. We may not see each other often (most I haven't seen since leaving!) but that Disney bond is still there! There are definitely going to be people you connect with, and being on a forum like this really helps! A lot of my friends from Disney were actually posters on here!

 

i know it's not quite the same, but on my gap year i went to a eco-villiage in the south of Spain. similar thing: felt alone, a million miles away from my family and friends: but... i think this just leads to closer friends and an amazing bond. i made friends closer than ever before... and even though some of them are a million miles away - i still talk to them like a brother or sister.

just a quick plug: if you fancy an amazing experience, whilst learning a huge amount environmental, sustainable living, why not volunteer at Sunseed Desert Technology in the South of Spain... http://www.sunseed.org.uk/

 

I'm actually really excited to be away for a year! Think of the people you met at your interview, or if you haven't had your interview the type of person that Disney hires. You'll be surrounded by thousands of people just like that who are all alone too! I'm pretty sure we'll all bond and help each other through the homesickness. It's going to be the experience of a lifetime!

 

ICP is only 8/9 weeks this time, and it will fly by.

On my programme I was away for about 12/13 and I got homesick a little but I put that down to my parents buying a puppy and me not being there lol!

I didn't know anyone either, but I met people at my interview and kept in touch with 2 of the girls there. One of which ended up being my roomie! If you choose to go on the same flight as everyone, you'll make friends there and there usually is always someone from your flight in the same living complex as you!

 

i'm all scared too! But also excited. I 'm not going with any of my friends but i really wanted a fresh experiance not knowing anyone as i never moved away from home so haven't done the whole "independant" thing, in fact i'v never been away for more than 2 weeks and even then i was home for a night inbetween (a strange case of one holiday after another!) seeing as we'll only be there for 2 and a bit months i'm sure it will fly by and we'll be having too much fun to worry about home, but it's good to know there's people out there in the same boat as me so thank u! ;D

 

Is it just coincidence that you were all on the same flight or is it arranged that way?

 

it's usually arranged that a group of people arrive on the same flight! So many people get to know each other on their way to florida

 

Wow that sounds like a lot of fun!

 

I think it was great how yummy gave us the email addresses of other people on our flight.
And I think we were lucky (me, n emma! Hi emma! hehe) that there was such a big group on our flight, cause for the whole program we were all pretty good friends.

Oooh actually emma it shoulda been Heeeeeey!

 

Also i'll point your aleady starting to get to know people that are going to disney at the same time, in fact one of my good Disney friends i met on here when we were both in Disney