Castle In The Sky

My favorite part of any work day is probably three seconds long at most.
That is honestly not an exaggeration.
It is a view of Cinderella Castle that is only seen when riding the cast member VIP bus.
So guests to the magic kingdom sadly won't ever see it.
But it is such a beautiful shot of the castle I look forward to it every single day that I work.
And it's more then just a view of the castle.
Depending on the time of the day the castle will be a completely different color then the normal off white and blue.
I've seen it when it was bright magenta at six in the morning and dark purple at midnight.
It might be the sun that causes the color or just simply disney's magic at work, but in the end I don't really care.
Those few seconds are the best part of my day and it reminds me of where I currently am in the world.

Work is very tough at times.
The hours are extremely long and the conditions are burning hot.
I have multiple burns littering my arms.
And water evaporates and sweats from your body faster then you can drink it.
Orders come in seven at a time and don't stop.
At the end of every day all I want to do is sit down and not move.
Usually I'm successful, but there is also the need for a shower and food that get in the way.

Hopefully things get a little easier.

It Rains When It Shines.

In Florida, it will downpour rain while it is still sunny outside.
I had forgotten in my time away from the sunshine state.

I don't have much to say.
Just trying to get over this bug that has infected me.
I'm actually eating solid food now, so I think I'm making progress.

This week I have learned the true value of a dollar.
It is a cold harsh reality that my hours of literal blood, sweat and tears have equaled so little income.
Still a bit iffy on this whole "growing-up/working/adult" thing I seem to find myself facing on a daily basis.

Work is tough.
It's so hot and it's long hours.
And the tickets just keep coming.
They never stop.
I feel like I'm not totally in a rhythm at work yet, which worries me still.
I feel like a small child in a room full of giants most of the time.
Just feeling my way through the dark and hoping to find a light switch.
I just hope I get more comfortable sooner rather then later.
But it's impossible to rush practice because what practice needs, is time.

Work tomorrow.
It's a closing shift and then the next day I have an opening shift.
Awesome.

Where The Birds Sing Words.

I was grilling frenched lamb racks while he took a moment to watch me.
The heat of the grill was burning and coloring my face dark pink.
I could feel my hands sweat under my plastic gloves as they tighten around my fingers.
The sizzling of the meat as it seared against the hot black bars was like a symphony to my ears.
The smell of the lamb rub caressed my nose like a blanket of amazingness.

Chef Bubba, (the same man who was watching me) who is the executive chef at Cinderella's asked me something yesterday.

Do I regret this profession?

Regret?

Do I regret the heat of the grill?

The sweat under my gloves?

Or the now 10+ burns that I have gained within nine days of work?

Or the hours upon hours on my feet without a break?

Do I regret making beautiful looking lamb chop plates that people were about to pay sixty dollars for?

Or meeting the great and friendly people, who I am blessed to call my co-workers?

Or the numerous compliments I received today on my appetizer plates?

Or the feeling of pride and humbleness I felt when receiving those compliments?

Regret?

"No chef, not at all. I've dreamed about doing this since I was nine years old."

"Huh, well alright then, can't argue with that!"

The Power To Be Strong.

So today was my last and final day of training.
It was long, tiring, and my feet hurt.
But very rewarding.
Even when my feet were hurting and all I wanted was to sit down for five minutes, I still felt so happy to see an order ticket that I needed to complete.
Hopefully once I truly get into the swing of things, I won't loose that happiness too much.

My biggest worry (which honestly is starting to become a normal occurance for me) is being unprepared.
Depending on which station I am assigned to (grill, saute, middle/fry, pantry) there are many things that I need to gather for my self and prep work that needs to be done for myself and other stations that I contribute to, that I'm afraid that I will forget to do some of the work or won't have enough time before service.
I know that people at work are going to help me if I ask, but I still want to be able to be organized by myself without someone holding my hand.
And that's what training has felt like a bit.
Not that I didn't love and appreciate how helpful and wonderful everyone was, it's just that for the past five days I've felt a bit useless right at the beginning when set up is happening because my trainers have always been getting the stuff we need.

Reading that back to myself, I can see how what I just wrote probably doesn't make complete sense to you.
So my basic point is that I don't want to feel useless or in over-my-head, which is what I've been feeling like for the past five days.
I mean, everyone has been saying that I've been doing a good job and stuff.
But it's not just me doing it all.
Yes there are times when it is just me filling the order and cooking it myself, but I haven't had to completely rely on myself in having to get more product from the downstairs kitchen because my trainers have always been free to do it.
So it's almost like I've been having two invisible hands helping me out the entire time, and come Wednesday they will be gone.

So for now, I worry just a bit.

The Dreamers Disease

So today was my first day in the kitchen at Cinderella's Royal Table.
There are two levels to the kitchen and both are long and narrow.
The dinning room is so pretty, so hopefully I'll be able to take pictures.
I was so nervous, but I had to be a work at 6am sharp (making me wake up at 4am) so I was too tired to care.
I was there for both breakfast and lunch service.
And I was experiencing little bursts of adrenaline through both services, which helped me wake up a bit.
They put me right on the line in both, so I was able to cook and compose plates at the same time.
My trainer said I did a great job and that the reason she could tell was because she never had to swoop in and save me from being buried by orders.

I would say today was very successful.
Everyone I met was very nice and friendly.
besides being allowed to take on the line on my first day, I think my favorite parts of the day were when I was able to see the princesses out in the dinning room talking to the guests.
I know its a bit dorky, but I felt like a kid in a candy store whenever I saw them.

I'm so exhausted.
I hope you had a good day.

Duck Sauce

Currently relaxing in Uncle Brian and Aunt Allston's living room.
Mood: Content/Happy
Energy Level: Tired
Stress Level: Low

On Tuesday I start my park orientation.
I'll be able to visit the royal table (and most likely ask lots of questions)
Probably get fitted for my costume and get some sort of schedule.
I'm a little anxious to just start.
I'm not a big fan of just sitting around when something important I have to do is looming over my head.
But for now, I am spending time with my family and relaxing with them.

That Awkward Phase.

So I am in a three bedroom apartment and it is two people per room.
I've met every single one of my other roommates except for the girl I'm sharing a room with.
Oh well, hopefully I'll run into her some time before she leaves on the 27th.
After that, from what they have told me, we will get two new roommates in our apartment.

Everyone I've met so far seems pretty nice.
But I'm still in that awkward phase of not really knowing what I'm doing, but everyone has been very welcoming.

Today I went to casting to hand in my on-boarding paperwork and to get fingerprinted.
And afterwards, I spent time at my aunt and uncle's house.
Tomorrow I will be going to "The Commons" which is another apartment complex and I'll have and introduction to housing and probably all the rules and regulations that Disney has.
But then I believe I'm free for the rest of the day, so I don't know what I'll do with myself.

I'll figure something out.

Rabbit Heart.

Sitting in Manchester Airport is probably the most boring thing in the world, not going to lie.
I've never flown by myself before, and it's a little unsettling.
I know I always claimed that I was nervous about leaving, but it honestly didn't hit me until now.
Which seems to be a re-occuring event in my life.
I can't believe I'm leaving.
Again.
Saying goodbye to dad and Ash was pretty hard.

Disney seems like a completely different planet.
When I was at school, I always knew at the back of my mind that Dad was always just four hours away.
But now it's not going to be like that.
Thankfully, I have wonderful family down in Orlando that I can spend time with and call if I need something.
But still, it's very daunting that I am going to be by myself again.

I wonder what my roommate will be like and which program she will be in.
Maybe she will be from a different country?

I hope I like it in Florida, it's been a while since I've been there.