Thursday, March 26, 2015

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo - My Training to be a Fairy Godmother in Training

So this is probably the most exciting post I'll have on this blog because its something not too many people get to do, and I really apologize for the length! I had 5 days of training to become a Fairy Godmother in Training (aka FGIT), and it was both fun and stressful! Unfortunately, since this post talks about some backstage info, I won't be able to post pictures!

I received my training schedule on my arrival date. I was starting later than most of my friends - my training did not start until Wednesday. Well, Monday morning at 8am I get a call asking why I wasn't at my first day of training! After explaining my situation, they checked my paperwork and saw that I was given the incorrect schedule! They arranged my training so that I would start on Tuesday instead. It ended up not being a big deal, but it sure stressed me out!

So my ACTUAL start date began at costuming where I met my first trainer, Connie. She is super sweet and patient, and she was perfect for my first day. Going into costuming is about the most magical thing ever - you see the costumes from all of the cast members at the Magic Kingdom! Even the checkout process is magical - you walk through a scanner, like at an airport, but it actually reads all of the costume items that you have. Super cool.

We took the shuttle over to the Magic Kingdom. I entered the boutique for the first time, and we took a little walk around Fantasyland. It was so exciting to see everything for my first time as a cast member! After that, we went downstairs. My first day of training was in a tiny room in the tunnels. The first part was information about the boutique and it was a lot to remember. After we went over paperwork, we started working on mannequin heads. Connie taught me and the other girl I was training with, my friend Kayla, how to do the different styles. She was pleased with how quickly we picked them up. Kayla has a lot of hair experience, so she was great right away! Some styles take more practice than others. The first FGITs had four weeks to perfect the styles - we had about 4 hours! After learning the hairstyles, we had lunch, then went back to practice. I got to meet with one of my many fantastic leaders, Paula, who took the time to get to know a little bit about us and why we wanted to work for the company. When people think of working for Disney, they don't think about meetings like this, or the family feel the company tries to create. Disney is really a special place to work. I feel like there are so many people looking out for me, and I feel very lucky for that.

After our meeting, we practiced the styles for a few more minutes, and our day was done! I couldn't believe that my next day of training would be working with little princesses on the floor!

Before I did that, I had Magic Kingdom park orientation. It was the best work orientation you could ever imagine! The day started out with us seeing the opening show and some of us teared up a bit. We had a tour down main street, then around the park. It was a chilly day, so we appreciated our ride in the Haunted Mansion. Who gets paid to go on rides? I DO! I really enjoyed MK orientation, but I was so ready to get started in the boutique!

The next day, I was on the floor in the boutique! I met my second trainer, Ramona who is like my work mom. She is SO sweet and is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. I loved training with her. She taught me so many tips and tricks and made training so much fun! The first girl I had was super excited to be there. She jumped into the chair! While I knew it was my first time working on a "real" princess, she nor her mother knew that, so I could only freak out on the inside! I tried my best to look calm and collected, especially after taking a better look at her short, stringy hair. While a beautiful blonde, her hair did NOT want to stay in that princess bun! Ramona helped me mold the hair and showed me some tricks to keep the strands down. When I turned her around in the chair, she gasped! She was so happy!! I was so glad that the first girl I saw had such a happy grin! When we finish, we bring the princess to the front so they can pay and we can give them a bag and stickers! Then we head to the back to scrub our hands to make sure they are clean for the next princess. When we went to wash our hands, Ramona told me that she felt bad that my first princess had such unruly hair and that she was proud of how well I did! I was really happy to hear that. With every princess, I get better and better, even now that I've been in the boutique for about a month.

Day three I had a new trainer, Maggie. She's really nice, and watched me from farther away. She wanted me to feel like I was on my own. Day four was similar to day three, except I had a new trainer, Dawn. It was very much like Day three. I was feeling much more comfortable. On day five, Dawn taught me how to work podium. It is a bit stressful, but I like it because it is a change of pace. Podium 3 is my favorite because you get to go shopping! You also get to bring the children to the dressing room and its like making magic every few minutes because it is always exciting for the kids to have their dress magically appear in the room! Podium 1 checks people in. This is the most stressful position for me because there is sometimes confusion with reservations. Podium 2 is fun because you get to look at dresses with the girls. You also get the invitations from Cinderella ready for the girls. And podium three you get the dresses from the back and make sure the dressing room looks super magical for the royal families.

That's all of my training! After that, I was on my own! Even now, I can call over a trainer if I really need help, so you never have to REALLY be alone. Every girl is so different. Sometimes the hair is so thin and short, it is nearly impossible to make a bun, and sometimes you have girls with hair so long and thick that you can barely wrap your hands around it. You also have children that will talk to you and laugh and sing your whole time together, and then have a child who will barely say a word. You really have to learn how to adjust to each child - both with the hair and with your personality (if a princess is shy, I won't be as loud or crazy as I am with a princess who is just as zany as I am! That is what makes the job exciting though - you never know what to expect! Coming down, I thought I would really love working with the little princesses most, but I learned that I really enjoy the older girls. I feel like most of the memories I and at the boutique are with older princesses who are old enough to really grasp how special the experience is, and who have wanted to be princesses their whole lives.

I've also learned that working at the boutique is like putting on a show. You ARE a character, and you have to stay in character the whole time! Sometimes parents will ask questions, and you have to answer as a FGIT - questions like "did you have hair experience before working here," or "what are you majoring in at school" or even "how can I work here?!" You never know what people will ask so you always need to stay on your toes! I think my favorite thing to do is talk about the parks and give advice. Sometimes parents will take out a pen and paper to take notes, or pull out a park map and ask me to circle the rides I think their child will enjoy. It makes you feel like a Disney expert, and it is so exciting to share your knowledge about something you love so much!

Now this post is getting super long, and I have to save some info for future posts! But I will post a couple princess stories because some of these princesses are just too funny, and some of these stories very heartwarming!!

- "I'm younger than I look! I look like I'm 16, but I'm actually 6!" (says the little princess in a booster chair because she was so tiny!)

- "Princess Story: I had a 12-year-old princess who was in the boutique for the first and last time since 12 years old is the age limit. She was enjoying every second. I got a magical moment card that said that she was "forever a princess." Something so small meant so much to her that she came back about an hour later to thank me, give me a hug, and take one last picture. It was such a special magical moment.

-  I actually had a little princess tell me that "people die in Disney World." How do you respond to that one.....

- Princess Story: I had a girl one day come into the boutique - she was the last girl I had that day, and it took me a while to brush through her hair so we spent a lot of time telling stories. She told me she had trouble with math, so I taught her the 9's multiplication trick and she almost fell out of the chair because she was so giddy with excitement that she finally understood math. We sang songs and played games and had so much fun. While I was putting on the finishing touches, the mother whispered in my ear, thanking me for making the experience so special for her daughter. Then she told me that her daughter was a cancer survivor so it really meant a lot to them. I held in the tears as I gave her a special button that showed she was an extra brave princess. When I turned her around in the chair, she started laughing and was so happy. The whole family cheered for her and it was really special. While her family spoke with the photo pass photographer, she pulled the handheld mirror in closer. When she didn't think anyone was listening, she said to herself with a bit of surprise "I'm pretty." I bent down to her and told her that she was more than pretty - that she was beautiful inside and out, and she gave me the biggest hug. I'm getting teary-eyed as I write this now, because it is moments like this that you feel like you really are making a difference. Every time that girl multiplies by 9, she'll remember her time in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and how beautiful she felt, and knowing that I was a part of that is the best feeling in the world.

Monday, March 16, 2015

More Than a Dream - My First Days in the DCP

So I've been here for over a month and FINALLY have the chance to post about my first few weeks! I've had a great experience so far - I love my life! I walk into work with a smile on my face, and I walk out with a smile  - though I'll admit after 12 hour shifts, it is a bit more tired of a smile! This post will be about my first few days in the program. I'll put my first few weeks of boutique experience in a separate post!

My first day started early as my mom and I prepared for Day #1. I got a text from my roommate - we were so happy to have been placed together! But it was in Vista Way. Vista is famous for being the party complex - and those of you who know me know that isn't quite my personality! Neither is my roommate's - but we decided to make the best of it because at least we were together!

When I arrived for my arrival time, the first thing I received was a sticker. I didn't realize I would find out my role that quickly - but there it was. I found out I would be working in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in MAGIC KINGDOM! The thought of working in the castle everyday is such an indescribable feeling. I started crying in line! I then met with someone who checked my license and social security card, and received my rooming assignment (which I already knew). After that, I got my room key and met with another group to fill out paperwork, then someone went over our schedules with us - I'd be going to casting the next day. After that, someone taught us about safety and another about the academic opportunities available. It felt like a college orientation. After that, I was free to go to my apartment and get things ready! I finally met my roommate, Tatiana (we're literally like twin sisters - our personalities are identical!), and the other girls I was hoping to room with (but wasn't able to). After that, we got lunch and my mom picked up cleaning supplies for our apartment.

My first few days in the DCP were not average. I had a problem with my first apartment - mildew all over the floors, and I got sick from it. I got hives, a sore throat and really bad sinus headaches every time I went in the apartment. We tried to scrub it down, but it just wasn't enough! I was still getting sick. After spending the night in a hotel with my mom and Tatiana, we decided to go through health services and see if we could get moved from the apartment. My mom had to extend her stay to help with paperwork.

A picture of the carpeting - Not sure how well you can see it, but the stains were pretty bad. 
My amazing mother scrubbing the apartment with me and my roommate. 
After a few days of stress,  I was finally able to move to a new apartment! My mom and my uncle helped me move into my new apartment in Patterson, and my new place is beautiful. The only sad thing is that my roommate isn't with me =( Tatiana is still in Vista, though she got them to clean the floors and she has a new roommate who is wonderful. We still hang out all the time though, and I'm glad for that!

But backtrack a couple of days! While we were getting all of the paperwork ready, I still had to get things done for the program. I went to casting, which is really just a lot of paperwork. They had trouble reading my fingerprints, so I had to fill out additional paperwork, but it worked out just fine. I also had a housing meeting - when we walked in the lights were out and there were flashing lights and TVs everywhere! The actual meeting wasn't very exciting, though the facilitators really did their best to make it exciting for us!

Okay, now we're all caught up! On Friday, it was time for Traditions, which is a special class all new cast members must take. It teaches you about the history of Disney, and your purpose as a cast member. They emphasize the four keys (safety, courtesy, show and efficiency), and really drill in your brain "we make people happy." There are lots of surprises which I won't post on here because it will ruin the experience for people who have never been and are hoping to become cast members, but let's just say its pretty magical and half the people in the room cried a few times.


And there you have it - my first few days in the program. My next post will be about my time in the boutique and about my training and making the magic happen there! Thanks for reading!