Tequila Night

So my long overdue night with the Mexicans finally happened!

I love how things happen spontaneously and that's how it all went down. I went to Downtown Disney in the evening to get some people to sign a book I've been keeping as a momento. On the way back one of the mexican guys was on the bus and said he was meeting the others at Ale House. He asked me if I wanted to come so I thought why not!

I guess it's not a greatly significant thing to write down but the main reason I wanted to was to keep track of all the songs we sang. After getting through a few pitchers of beer at Ale House we piled in a car and drove back to Vista Way. Then we all went to an apartment and had a crazy mexican party.

We got the tequila going and had a mass sing song. Here's where I need to write down the songs I remember that got played. Juanes - La Camisa Negra... Natalie Imbruglia - Torn... Madonna & Justin - 4 Minutes... Luis Miguel - Suena... Flo Rida - Low... Juanes - A Dios Le Pido... Eternal Flame... Jay Z & Linkin Park - Encore/Numb... Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten... New Kids on the Block... Shakira - Hips Don't Lie... Rihanna - Please Don't Stop The Music... Chris Brown - With You...

In my last days working at Disney I'm trying to accomplish a dream a day. I feel like last night counted for fifty or so hahaha. I got home at 5am. And the strangest thing... how we feel a lot more confident with languages when under the influence of alcohol. Haha. Mi espanol es muy bien. Hasta luego!

Apologies

I apologize for being so bad at updating this blog. Things just got so crazy busy. As the saying goes 'No news is good news'. And that's pretty much true of everything. I've had such an amazing experience. There's been hard times but what great thing doesn't have those moments?! As I write this I have about 20 days remaining. I'm very sad about that but I am luckier than most because I get to come back soon to work for a different area of Disney.

It depresses thinking about not being with the people here anymore but I will cherish the memories I made here and everything I found out myself. I guess if I'm meant to cross paths with anyone here again I will.

Obviously the post would be much too long if I told you about all that has gone on in the last three months but I thought I would pick a significant event which was 'Pirate and Princess Party'. They have ended now unfortunately but I got to go to three different ones and they were fantastic every time. Not only for the people I went with but because I got to meet my favourite character there... Abu!! And the final one I actually dressed up as Aladdin. I will never forget those amazing fireworks where it looked like they were blowing up the castle.

Have said a few goodbyes the last month. Most notably to Maria, Heather and my roomie Paul. I dread all the remaining ones.

Crazy Crazy

So I apologise for not having wrote anything for weeks! Things are so mad here I barely have any spare time. I got really down about my work location and my financial situation but my area manager was very supportive about the whole thing. It's extremely difficult to transfer to a different position to what you started in but she has talked to the scheduling team to get me more hours and is having me trained in stock so it is easier to pick up extra hours.

I'm feeling better about things although I had a bit of an insane week this week. I thought I would pick up some extra hours on the 'Extra Magic Hotline' to get me a better paycheck. I worked 64 hours over 5 days. Tuesday was my longest day. I started around 7 at Epcot then worked an evening shift at Magic Kingdom. I worked in Fantasyland and did most merchandise locations in that area. It was so much fun to be somewhere new and meet lots of new people. Although I'll admit I felt pretty dead by the time I finished at 230AM (that's a long day I know haha!).

I also went to Downtown Orlando for the first time with some american friends. That was a cool experience. We went to a club. From what I heard I actually expected the whole area to be really dodgy and dingy. It was pretty cool though if not real sweaty haha! There was so many people it reminded me a little bit of a club I used to go to at university.

UCF classes finished two weeks ago so I am on a break now until May. That is pretty sweet because I get two days off... allows me to get my life together a bit more! I'm trying to make a lot of decisions of late about my future. I'm still planning on joining the Disney Cruise Line when I finish my programme here but ultimately my dream would be to work for the company in California in their music department. I'm in a good position at the moment to talk to people within the company so tomorrow I'm hoping to send a few emails around and see if anyone can offer me any advice.

A lot of people are very encouraging towards me about staying here. I actually have three international managers (one from UK, one from Mexico and one from Jamaica). Part of me knows what I want to do with my life and the other part of me wonders how the heck I'm supposed to get there hahaha...

Peace out for now

It's been a while

I didn't write for a long time and I have some spare time in class so I figured I would write something! The last few weeks have been insane. I went to universal studios for the first time last week and went on loads of rides I never thought I would. People here just get awesomer (if that's a word). Shout outs to Megan, Drew, Heather, Rahila. These people keep me grounded when it gets tough... and it's been tough. I still like the Disney side but money has been getting me down because I don't have it. I went to the bank yesterday to get some fees reversed... I somehow managed to go overdrawn three times and they charge you when that happens!

In work news... I'm actually trying to transfer to a character role at the moment because I feel it would be more beneficial for me - future career prospects and all that.

Last night I drank too much. I'm not a big drinker. Infact I drink pretty rarely so it was pretty insane. Craig and Drew got me home somehow and this morning Drew came round because he wouldn't let me not go to class. I have vomit on my shoe still... I am a disgrace.

A Rose Is Still A Rose

Today felt so long. I woke up about 9 and went to Animal Kingdom with Megan from work. We caught the Lion King show and went on Everest before I had to leave for Epcot. What I love about Disney is all the random people you meet. I met a girl called Alissa in the line for Everest and all her dads ancestors were from Wales so they were excited to talk to me. Americans seem quite infactuated by a British accent. I can't complain though. It's nice to be interesting to other people haha.

I met some really cool kids today at work also. A brother/sister from the UK. They were probably 7 and 8 and they reminded me of the two kids from Mary Poppins. I gave them both a certificate with 'Coolest UK Kid' on it... that was my invented magical moment of the day and they were so excited by them so it was all good.

I also dealt with my first poncho rush. It poured it down today so suddenly everyone wanted to buy ponchos from me. When one lady tried to push in I thought a fight was going to break out haha. There was a line of about 20 people so it got kind of intense.

By 5 o clock I was feeling pretty ill though and feeling sorry for myself. But I probably asked for it by not letting myself have too much sleep all week. I went to 'Buffalo Wild Wings' last night and sang for the first time stateside at karaoke. It was good fun and nice to release some tension. I also ventured back to Walmart. I'm not as overwhelmed anymore. The first trip there practically made me want to cry it was so impossible to know what I wanted to buy haha. If you haven't ever been to a Walmart... think of an Asda supercentre times by three... and you're almost there haha.

I feel kind of broken today so I'm going to go sleep on it now and look forward to a new day tomorrow.

Settled Better

It's late but I know I didn't write anything for a while and felt I needed to. Things are going good for me. I got added to 'Art of Disney' at Epcot so I now work there in addition to pins and 'Club Cool' which is awesome because it's a really interesting store to work at.

I took my own advice of 'fufilment comes with taking risks' and I decided to move out of the apartment of six I was with. They were great guys but I never felt like I was going to connect too well with any of them... and that apartment was kind of mess to the extreme I never ate there. I lucked out and now live in a wicked apartment with three americans. They are really awesome people so big shout out to them!

I did finally get a room mate in the old apartment. He was a Brazilian guy called Danilo. I bonded pretty well with him but because he was on an older UCF programme he is actually leaving in April so he wouldn't have been my roomie for long anyway!

I've had a few down moments the past few days. Not because I'm especially sad about anything... just thinking about too much... over analyzing... which I often have the tendency to do. I guess part of me is already sad to know I'll be leaving a lot of great memories and people behind when I have to move on from Disney.

I had an early shift today so spent the afternoon and evening in Magic Kingdom. It was awesome. I got to ride Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain a fair few times... we got soaked.

The Curse of the Caribbean 1 + 2

Adventure One

So on Thursday after a day at Animal Kingdom/Epcot me and Drew left Rahila and Chris to go to Downtown Disney. And so the adventure began...

We excited Epcot through the world showcase to come out at a resort so we could get a bus to Downtown. Drew was convinced Downtown was close so naturally we thought we could walk there... half hour later we were at some random Disney mini golf place and the lights Drew thought were Downtown were actually Hollywood Studios. Still... he was convinced we were close... so on we trek... first we pass two old men and one of them farts on us (rank right?!) and then we start our trek down some random highway. We get to a random swamp and I'm shitting myself because I think there is an aligator in there that is going to chase us down the highway. Then I'm hearing grasshoppers... and a frog jumps out on us. Then... the sidewalk ends and we're literally trekking through grass and I'm not liking the idea of a snake attacking me. Then... more swamps, a few random honks from drivers... and we think we're gonna get shot. After about an hour we get to Caribbean Beach Resort. Drew dubs us lost so we take the safe option of going into the resort and getting a bus to Downtown. We finally arrive at Downtown!

Adventure Two

Me and Kim miss the bus home from Downtown so we think we should get a shuttle to the Caribbean hotel to get a bus there back to Vista. We get off at the resort and discover the hotel is more like a community (huuuuuuuge!). It is the size of my village back home I swear. Some random chinese guy tells us the check in is 'far far far'. So we go over a long bridge and we wander for what feels like five hours (through 'Barbados' and 'Africa') before eventually finding the front desk. Kim who had decided to roll down the hill then discovered she had dropped her phone so after some more endless wandering we find it and go back to front desk. They tell us where the bus is and a kind bus driver drives us to cast service which ironically was near where we started walking from. It's midnight by this point and I have to get up early. Then back at Vista, naturally I don't go to bed - I go to visit Drew and Rich instead and we play guitar and sing random songs. Save Tonight! I got five hours sleep if that. Today is a long day... and I'm apparently getting a room mate today. Exciting times. Even though I'm planning on moving appartments in a week I'm still nervous about them. I've been told they are Brazilian.

Conclusion... when things go wrong... the Caribbean Beach Resort is probably close by

The End

The Work Begins...

So I'm working at Epcot in 'Future World'. I am at 'Club Cool' (the place where you get to try all the different coca cola products from around the world) and 'Pin Central'. I was a bit disappointed at first at not being put somewhere more *Disney* but I've come to realise I've got it quite good. There are a lot worse places to be... at least I get to rotate a few things. Plus when I voiced my concern I was told it was a possibility for me to be added to 'Art of Disney' aswell which is very cool.

After going to Animal Kingdom for the first time yesterday I've come to realise every park here has it's own unique atmosphere. Epcot feels quite 'triumphant' and because it has that cultural element I'm finding guests love talking to me and finding out all about where I've come from.

I went to Animal Kingdom with a UK friend (Rahila) and a new friend Chris who said he would be happy to take Rahila around Epcot/Animal Kingdom. I tagged along and we had the best day! I really enjoyed Test Track at Epcot and then Mount Everest at Animal Kingdom won't be forgotten in a hurry. I didn't know what to expect so I was slightly scared. Get off the ride and you can imagine the photograph... sat next to me is a 7 year old with his hands in the air. Then there's me with my mouth wide open looking like I'm crying. Haha.

The UCF experience has been very good so far. It looks like the food could get quite repetitive (pizza or hamburger?) but at least it's included which is good. Some of my housemates decided to bring loads of people back to the appartment at 3am last night though so I didn't get too much sleep. In my Event class I was almost falling asleep. Today though we got into groups to start planning our 'Event Project'. We will work on that on the upcoming weeks and present it to the class in the final weeks. Wine class was hilarious as always. I'm so glad I took that. The beer and wine lab they have there is the best thing you'll ever see at a university I swear!

I finished off the day by going to the premium outlet mall near Commons. It was wicked! I got some proper bargains from Tommy Hillfiger, Gap and Skechers (even though mum warned me from buying stuff... I have enough apparently haha). I also tried Taco Bell which I really enjoyed. Didn't feel like it was clogging up my insides anyway like it does when you eat McDonalds haha. And most importantly... we found a Starbucks! Me and Rahila were quite pleased about that... and it's quite close so I'm going to be hanging out there a lot I think haha.

I don't want to write too much more because this is already getting too long but I just watched new Lost... woo hoo. I attach some photos from a few park visits I did already.

Homesickness

So far I have found it hard adjusting to the Disney life. The flight seemed like hell and we had to wait around ages. I was sat around a lot of British girls on the programme though and we all bonded on the flight over which was nice. It was also real nice to meet some of the other people I've been talking to on facebook when I got here. Shout outs to Drew, Richard and Amy who I can safely say are just as awesome in real life.

I have been put at the 'Vista Way' complex sharing with four others. I have the privilege of having no room mate right now but that is likely to change. I'm one of those people that really needs to have their sleep and when the uncomfortable bed gave me hell it really got to me... and then of course you start thinking about how nice your bed at home is and how much of a good nights sleep you would be getting if you were there... haha. I called my mum on Tuesday to talk and ended up in tears which is quite unusual for me... that's how much of a shock to the system it has been.

Shout out to my american friend Kim though who tried so hard to make me feel better about being here. She drove me to get groceries and an american cell and stuff and just really tried to take my mind off things. I really appreciated it.

When I did 'Traditions' training I started feeling better about things then. It reminded me why I came to work for Disney and what a great opportunity it is I've been given. I have been placed at the Epcot park but I'm not entirely sure what it is I will be doing yet. My educated guess is that I am going to be in charge of one of the 'Pin Trading' wagons in Future World. I was gutted at first because I wanted another park but now I've come to grips with what it is I will be doing I am happier. I actually went to Epcot last night and saw the firework display. It was just fantastic!

Yesterday I saw the UCF campus for Rosen College and is a truly beautiful campus. I start classes later today and I'm looking forward to it. I didn't get much sleep last night but hopefully I'll sleep easier tonight for my first day of merchandise training at the Disney university.

I miss the UK a lot but I'm hanging in here. Ben can be tough. Haha.

Goodbye

So today is my last day in the UK. I meant to write a while ago to tell you all about the US Embassy experience. I had to go to London obviously and it was quite a hilarious day. I met a few of the people going on the programme from the UK which was wicked and they seemed like a great bunch of people. I'd talked to a few of them for a few months so it was really good to meet them. I'm probably talking mostly about Alex here (who is much taller than she looks in her photos haha). We had a hilarious day though watching people trip over Tesco bags and the tourist who just *stopped* oblivious to an angry walker. Haha. I can tell there will be many legendary adventures to come though!

So to sum up the embassy... basically a mixture of a Doctor's surgery waiting room, a bank and going to buy cheese at the supermarket. It smelt like a doctor's surgery anyway. You basically wait and then when your ticket is called you go and hand all your forms in and they take your fingerprints. I couldn't put my hand down too flat I was quite nervous. Then you have a second *interview* where they ask you a few questions. Then if approved you leave your passport and they stamp it and send it back to you.

So back to my last day... people ask me what I will miss most. It probably sounds cheesy but will miss all the friends I made here the most. Anything else I will get back to you on because I probably don't know what I will miss until I get there haha.

Today I have to finish packing, get my dollars and make sure I have all my important documents (there are about 20 of them I swear). I'm mostly excited but nervous about who I will share a room with. I suspect whoever that person ends up to be is just as worried about me though haha. The picture I've enclosed is a giant cookie that they got me at the Disney Store. I always wanted one so once again... another dream to tick off the list! There is also some snaps from the farewell dinner I had with my cousins. We watched Ratatouille. It is really good but I don't think it is my favourite Pixar movie. And thanks for the cookies you made Amanda!

Some of you may have recieved a personal video message on facebook today. If you did I hope you enjoyed it! Catch u all soon!

Working for Disney

I like to think my adventure with Disney began a little early because I became a Christmas temp at my local Disney Store in early October. I've really enjoyed my time there and they must have liked me because they have let me stay on until I leave for Florida!

I was inspired to write this because today I had an experience I didn't think I would have. It was a normal day for me at the cash reigster today selling shed loads of sale items and High School Musical merchandise (who knew it would be so popular?!) and a little girl comes to me with her grandmother. She is about six years old and I could tell she either had downes syndrome or was autistic or perhaps both I'm not sure. She couldn't really talk properly because of her disability but she pointed at my High School Musical 2 T shirt (which is my uniform) and she clapped at it. I asked her if she liked High School Musical and she made a few sounds which suggested she did. She was smiling so much and was really mesmirised by my t shirt.

Her grandmother was actually buying her a Snow White dress and when I was putting it in the bag she got so excited it actually almost brought a tear to my eye, it was so moving. I asked her if the dress was for her as I often do with the kids (she giggled really excitedly) and I can't really describe how her reactions made me feel. Here was a girl right in front of me who probably knows already at the age of 6 that she is *different* to other children... yet she seemed especially content and delighted that she got to dress up as a princess... just like any little girl. She seemed almost happier than other little girls of her age. To know the dress had made her feel so happy was a really nice feeling.

They say that is the magic of Disney. I think it's one of the reasons I have such a high respect for the company. Not only that but I feel without Disney my own childhood may have been more traumatic and less musical. I love how much delight it brings to people and I think it's especially wonderful how even the foreign or the mute can still recognise and be delighted by a Disney character. And there really is no age limit on the joy. I've seen that already without even being at Disney World.

An introduction

For the people who stumble across my page who don't really know me I figured I should do a bit of an introduction bit first.

My name is Ben and I currently live in Cardiff, United Kingdom. I graduated from the University of Southampton in July, 2007. I studied music because that is my forte. Singing is a big part of my life but I won't be talking much about that side of me here. If you're interested in that you should check out www.myspace.com/benalexcowley

Like most graduates, I finished uni and didn't know what the heck it was I wanted to do. However, since I was a small child I always thought if I wasn't a singer/songwriter I'd like to work for the Walt Disney Company. I could've gone straight up to London to continue pursuing a music career but I knew I needed to take a break from that.

The summer was a real tough time for me. Nothing was happening and it got kind of depressing. It didn't help me being in Cardiff because I don't have a whole lot of good memories here so I regret to say I''ve never been fond of the idea of having to settle here. But then along came a perfect opportunity...

A chance to work at Walt Disney World and take a 'Hospitality Management' course at the University of Central Florida. I applied and as I'm sure you can imagine I was ecstatic when I got accepted. It felt like a lot of my prayers had been answered and that life had a direction.

So now I will leave Cardiff on January 20th 2008 to live in Orlando. And this blog exists to detail my whole experience of my adventure in america. Is there really a big party on 4th July? Do people *that* fat really exist? Will I go to Vegas and end up getting married at a drive through service?

All remains to be seen but all I know is I'm going to grab this opportunity with both hands and try as many new and exciting things as possible. Can't wait!