Check In At Last!

     Finally, after months and weeks of waiting, I am all checked in for the College Program! After waking up bright and very, very early at 6am this morning, I said goodbye and "See Ya' Real Soon!" to my mom and drove from Kidani over to Vista Way. It seems surreal that just last night my mom and I rode the monorail, explored the Polynesian, and ate at Ohana (yum!). Which, by the way, is a totally delicious restaurant. Everything has a very sweet flavor, and it is fantastic. Ohana also has a really neat view, as you can see both Wishes and the Electric Water Parade. They bring in the music from Wishes, and it is an amazing experience.

Looking out over the savannah at Kidani!

     So back to check in! For me at least, the process was painless and very speedy. The first thing you find out is your apartment information, and I am staying in a 1 bedroom with 3 people at the Commons. That's right, we have a bunk bed. And I'm the top bunk. It was a bit of a struggle to make my bed, but it all worked out. Fortunately, it's pretty nice to only share a fridge with 3 people. My roommates seem really sweet and I am excited to get to know them better! After learning about the apartment, I was finally told my location. Drumroll please... I will be a Photopass Photographer at Epcot!!! I am very happy about this, and I can't wait to find the best spots for pictures around the World Showcase. I'm guessing that by the end of my program, I'll know Illuminations inside out and backwards. The rest of check in is mostly focused on going over other information, such as when and where Traditions and the Housing meeting are, and filling out paperwork, such as the I-9.

My new home!

     I ended up having Casting right after check in, so I grabbed a banana (they provide very small snacks. I would bring some of your own, just in case) and headed over to the bus. The bus is actually a pretty fun experience, and our chaperone made it extra awesome! She had a great sense of humor, and kept up a running commentary, including corny Disney jokes, for the majority of the ride. We got on to "This Is What Dreams Are Made Of" from the Lizzie Mcguire movie, which seemed incredibly appropriate. Casting is just a hop, skip, and a jump away, so in no time at all we were there!

The famous Casting building!

The Alice in Wonderland doorknobs, they're quite cool!

So beautiful! These are the statues you see when you first walk in.

     The Casting building is pretty cool from the outside and all business on the inside. It's not an extraordinarily exciting experience, as it's mainly about completing the I-9 form and getting background check and fingerprint information, among other things. All told, it took me under 2 hours to get through. However, it can take much, much longer. I was the second group of the day to go to Casting, and I sat in the very front of the bus, so I think all of that helped a lot. However, my roommate took 5 hours to get through everything. So the lesson here is, bring snacks!

     Tomorrow I have the Housing meeting, and on Thursday I get to experience Traditions :) I start officially training for Photopass next week, yay! I'll be sure to add more as the adventure unfolds! Thank you for reading, and have a magical day!

My schedule for the next few days, and important documents! Along with my Program Guide :)

-Christie