I have just come up with the perfect career!!! I'm going to become a doctor to help us alumni readjust to life back in the real world!!! I think I'd make a mint! It really is true. It's been pretty tough. I don't do much. Just work at my crappy mall job (that I had before I went to Disney...along with my wicked job doing marketing for Disney films...yes, I was a disney employee too!!!)...and come home and watch whatever my TV show of the night is. I'd have my nightly phone call with my bf in Scotland and that was about it. I went out a few times with my friends here, but it was never the same, so that would make me even more miserable. The bf has moved here from Scotland now, so that's a little better. I'm hopefully going to Montreal to see some of my girls in June and headed out west to see the rest in July. The one thing I can say about all of you alumni overseas, is that it is definitely a lot easier for you all to get together!!!! We seem to be so far apart in Canada and so isolated from most of the other countries. Oh well. I applied for another "great job" and it would be soooo much fun if I got it...but part of me doesnt' want it, because I don't really want to stay here and if I got it, I would feel that I had to. I want to leave again!!!! Somewhere....anywhere. To all the non-alumni reading this...make the most of your time at home before you go and the most of your time down there...nothing will be the same when you get home!!! Shan
It was hard. They didn't understand. I'd try to tell a story, but they didn't understand. I found myself constantly refering to things that happened there. I think they got tired of me talking about it! It just hasn't been the same with them. I seemed to sink back into my old life. It's hard not to. I hate living at home, but thankfully I'm moving in 2 weeks A friend and I went back down 4 months after i left and it was hard. She didn't understand things. She didn't understand the little things. Ohwell... I'll have to go down with friends from Disney...
I see what you guys are saying about friends... but I make an effort not to talk about Disney with them. I've told them fun stories, but I've known most of my friends for at least 5 years now, so we have so much else to talk about. To answer the question, when I got home I was unemployed for 3 months, I was so tired at that time so I made very little effort to get a job... Then I started working at a bookstore, did that for a year and then went to uni half a year, still working at the bookstore. But something was missing. I spent the next coupla months trying to figure out what to do, still working part time at that bookstore. And so later I applied and got the job at Disney again, I'm so happy now! No matter what happens I know I want to stay in the States. And I have only 10 days left of work at that damn bookstore!
I am a little confused... are you doing the International Program again or going back to the Norweigan Pavillion in another capacity?
but that is where the problem lies......... you cant stay in the states because of visa's (unless you marry someone which really is gonan be fake anyway cos theres always a selfish reason for the marriage - and oooppps 3 years later file for divorce), in most cases a disney job is not forever cos it has no future........not until internationals are allowed to stay permanently and progress up the ladder and stop being "slaves" i dont think its disney...............its the need to explore, to see more of the world, to not have any worries, to not be in normality, to not be constantly surrounded by people who are having kids, buying homes, getting married, to not have parentals nagging all the time.............. going and working for anyone in another part of the world would quite frankly be appealing if you had an aversion to normal life in your home country. and lets face it, really, there arent many of us alumni from disney who dont find this normality of home damn boring, and damn frustrating.......... ...yes, i am gonna go to university and get a qualification, get a skill, but im gonan make the most of it, nothing is ever permanent, and if i ever feel whilst at uni like i cant go on cos i need to get away, i shall just remind myself that once ive done that qualification i can do watever the hell i want, i can go and work anywhere. if thats wat i still want, who knows wat the future holds, but thats the decision that i have made, and we all have to make our own decisions. good on Ona for knowing that disney is who she wants to work for - it may suit her for the rest of her life, it may suit her for a year or so, who knows, but the important thing is that we as individuals are happy in what we do. Good on jamie for getting job as a assistant manager at restaurant, good luck shannon with getting that job - hey if you decide you dont want it, well you can tell them to stick it..... go travelling, see the world, earn a bit fo money first, its all good!!! we had it all in florida, we had friends around us who shared the same interests, we had our own apartments, we had the weather, free access to disney.... etc etc....... totally not a normal life at all and not one that anyone could ever hope to permanently remain in cos it just wouldnt be possible. its largely to do with the people. i think that if you took a block out of the commons and put it in london or wherever and took all the friends you could want from the commons, you'd still have a pretty good quality of life, and would enjoy things a lot more........friends mean a lot i still value my old friends, but have different relationship with them to my disney friends.... rite im off to watch desperate midwives....back to normality laura xxxx
I think you´re right, Laura. My normal life is nothing that I hate or that I´m bored with, but rather a little tired of, so I´m definitely happy to get away from uni for a while. But I´m done with about 2/3 of my courses, so I´m going to finish uni when I get back and I´ll be happy with it. It´s gonna be my dream job. Disney´s just a wonderful experience, but nothing I would want for my whole life. Well, I´ll see when I get there. I´m very worried about my friends though...but in particular because I fear they might feel neglected or left out, so I really want to write lots and lots of emails (I like that anyway... ). I have two best friends who are actually like family to me, so I know they´ll support and understand me; they always have. And I´ll try to let them be a part of my life still as much as I can! And the rest, well...I have lots of good friends, but after our graduation from school we all went to different unis etc. so we don´t see each other every week, but that´s ok. It´ll be the same after Disney: I´ll still be as close with my best friends and the rest; I´ll see. It´s normal that you kinda drift apart or develop differently. The very close people remain as important as before though. I really hope so. Anika
@Laura I'm a US citizen, so I don't need a Visa... *Lucky me* @Dee I'm doing the IP for the second time, not something else
yeah i guess that is lucky for you, especially as you like the states weird that disney allow someone to do the IP programme for a second time......."a once in a lifetime opportunity" i was told by yummy jobs. but then i guess citizenship makes the world of difference....... so basically people, disney are saying, if you aint half american or havnt got american parents or werent born in their lands, then screw you!!!! lol
Anyone it's able to do the IP a second time...... Norwegians have more opportunities because there are not too many people applying.... Little Pony, why don't you try to get a formal job at the company???, everything it's easier when you are an American Citizen.... I think I would never do the program twice, everything was so great for me that I'm afraid that a second time could be dissapointing.....no, no, no... I would love to work againf for Disney but in another position...I have to try
I am one of those really odd creatures that came back and immediately got a great job that I have been with since (almost 5 years now). But then again, I was older when I went on the program, and was ready to settle down once I returned. I now own my own home, just picked up new car today, and a fabulous bf! It was a bit hard at first adjusting back, but I found that my firends were already past that main "change of life" time, so we had already settled beyond your uni friends, high shcool firends, to your "real friends" and they still are my best friends. They came to Disney with me for a visit about a half year after returning and saw what my life had been, since i still had a few friends there. They don't totally understand everything, but I am careful not to try and explain all the inside stuff...it really makes no difference to them, they are just happy that i got to experience something tha thas meant the world to me (sorry for the pun). I am still trying to convince the bf that a trip to WDW every year is a must (even though the wedding won't be there), and he's starting to bend a bit on that, although he's holding firm on the fact that i am only allowed 1 disney room in the hosue we buy. Overall, i am so happy to have done the program, but i also thought it was important to move on and i chose stability.
Little foot!!! Good for you!!! But for me the program make me find out that stability and ordinary things are not for me, right now..... even though I made the program in an age that you should start to settle down...between 24 and 26, Someone else with that feeling??? Afraid of having an everyday routine..... hehehe That's why I'm moving on outside my home town....
Isolda...yep...I keep thinking...get me outta here!!!! Hey Ali!!!! How ya doing??? Aren't you the grown-up?!! Very nice. I'm stuck here for at least a year. The bf got to escape his life and come here. But when his years up...who knows!!! Shan
I guess I'm a little like that too. :-\ Life just isn't as exciting. But I think if I was doing something I loved it might be a little different. :-\ If I was doing a 9-5 but spending those 8 hours doing something I love, I think I'd be ok. I know that's everyone's dream. doing what you love. But the problem is that I did that for 13 months. I loved my job (not saying every moment of everyday ) and went to work happy. For me, that's what life is all about; waking up in the morning happy. I had that and now I don't. That's what's difficult to deal with. I was a bit older to when I did the program (22 - 23) and i just didn't know what to do when I left. Part of me was like, "I'm 23. Time to get a grown up job etc." and the other half wanted to keep this new life going. I chose the former. Big mistake for me. I'm in the process of remedying that at the moment. For me I think it's to do with passion too. The job I'm doing at the moment (teaching), you have to have passion for it. And I don't. Unfortunately my passion (as sad as it may sound to those who don't understand) is for Disney. So that's what I have to do. Work for Disney. But unfortunately, being from the UK, that's not easy. But I'm determined. Apologies for the rant folks. :-[ Ona x
ona...i think you said it well! i did find what i love to do and it happened to include the settling part. i did have a bit of that wanderlust when i hear about my disney friends working on cruises, travelling the world, etc., but i knew this was for me. i did my travels between my 2 university degrees, and i had long since found what i loved to do when i switched from my law degree to wedding planning. so, disney was a bit of my confirmation about life choice, and now i am a convention/event planner in toronto and love it. but here's a tip...no such thing as 9-5. my day can be anywhere from 5am - 10pm or sometimes longer, but i do absolutely love my job...nothing beats an event gone well and a thanks from a client or a bride thrilled with the most important day of her life. also, my career path seems to be littered with disney folk. some trade shows and conventions i plan have some of my friends from florida exhibiting, so we catch up. and, a client meeting i had just yesterday for a possible convention next summer did the cp almost 20 years ago, yet we still compared notes as though we were both there yesterday. too funny!!! shan...life is crazy busy, but good. the mtcc is absolutely nuts this year, but i guess that's a good thing. we have 65,000 AA members coming to Toronto this summer, which will prove to be a really interesting convention. leaves little time for vacation, but when i do actually take one, i'm sure it will be good. so happy you're bf made it here!! where did he wind up finding a place?? we really should try to hook up. i have to meet the uk guy who made you ignore my advice!!! ali
I only discovered last week that I guy I work with did the international Program in 1985!! - its like I've found a secret bond with someone that no one else can understand!!! lol!!!
Ona...I must agree. You and I are scarily alike. Ali...AA convention???? Interesting definitely!!!!!! Ha. Craig found a place. Got a really good deal on a decent size bachelor at Yonge and Eg. Starts a job tonight as a bartender at an Italian place up there...we'll see how that goes. We should get together!!!! Shan
Wow! That is scary! I do feel sorry for you. ;D. Lol. Yeah seriously. I do think there's money to be made in some sort of reinsertion to the "real world" therapy for IP participants. Ona x
Ona...I've heard that idea so many times. Re-intorduction to the real world or something similar. Maybe you could pitch the idea to Disney and get yourself back down there starting the process while cm's are about to leave the ip. hmmm.probably some good money in that! shan...craig is right around me, since my place is only up yonge st. at the 401! tons of my friends live around that area (yonge & eligble!), so i probably eat at his restaurant, since italian restaurants are everywhere around there, and my friends tend to gravitate to them. AA...I mean Alcoholics Anonymous. Should be a bit odd. And, it's over Canada Day weekend, which means the bars downtown are really angry at Tourism Toronto for bringing this one in, since they'll get no buisness 9if the convention is going well). The main AA meetings are being held at Skydome...picture "Hi! My name is Bob, and I'm an alcoholic" on the Jumbotron!. Yep...should be fun! ali
Well they kinda do that already....At least when I was there. Just before you leave, you had a meeting with other people leaving at that time, about 're-entry' back to the real world......and they gave you some booklet to read on the plane. It wasn't much, but at least we got the heads' up that things won't necessarily run all that smoothly when you return home.
