Disney Magic

This past January marks seven years since I first ventured to Florida to call it my 'home' for the Walt Disney World College Program. There are some things in your life you're just downright certain about. When I saw the flier for the Disney College Program on my college campus I just knew, this was for me. My mind was made up that I was going to Disney and secretly I think my heart hoped, I would stay there forever.

As I drove to the Philadelphia train station late at night to pick up my brother one snowy evening, car packed to the brim - thanks to my dad's amazing packing skills, I was rearing to go. My brother was to accompany me and help with the 17-hour drive but he slept through the night in the passenger seat and I drove a good twelve hours straight. I couldn't wait to get there and start my new life.

The College Program was everything I expected and more. Magic, wonder, new friends, romance, warm weather, a creative job, all set in a beautiful backdrop - Lake Buena Vista, Florida. My job at Disney pushed me out of my comfort zone. All day long I was talking with and helping guests. I worked long 12-hr shifts many days, sometimes six days a week. I had a role that required I speak in front of large audiences...and act at the same time. It really was (cliche) a dream come true.

And what did we do when we weren't working? We played in the parks and all over property - for free. We didn't have far to go to experience all the entertainment our hearts could desire. We partied the nights away at Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island (sadly no longer there) and we ended each day with spectacular firework displays. This went on for a whole eight months and if we ever became disenchanted, we'd venture off to Tampa, Cocoa Beach, Miami, Key West or any of the other nearby destinations we had at our fingertips.

Now I can't lie and say there weren't days when guests would drive you up the wall and your feet were sore and you just stood outside in a thunderstorm and you were incredibly homesick for your friends and family or anything familiar but overall, this was an experience of a lifetime and I'm truly grateful for having had the chance to have lived it.

After it was over it was time to go back to the 'real world'. That was hard. It was like coming off a drug high. You weren't prepared for how much longing you'd be left with, for how much you'd desire that 'Disney fix', so you'd resort to online message boards where other alumni could share about their experiences, you'd plan reunions with your roommates and you'd vow to return for an advanced internship or to work summers, or at very least, a trip back to visit over spring break.

It was hard re-adjusting to normal life when you felt completely different. You were changed. And others couldn't necessarily understand that. You'd met people from all over the world, had relationships you'd never imagined having... you'd finally become yourself somehow. And you didn't ever want to let go of that.

I worked at Disney again after graduating from college and I became friends with kids who were on their college programs. I felt joy as I reminded myself how special it was for them. Now though most of my photo albums are put away, I still take mental vacations to that fond time period every so often. It's like an old friend, recapturing those feelings for me whenever I am seeking to be inspired or feeling down. I often wish I had a tribute - a video yearbook, something more than my mind that would replay some of my favorite scenes for me. Searching to see if something of sorts was out there, I found this person's homemade video they posted on YouTube and it rekindled some of those memories and the magical energy Disney will forever represent for me.