When Walt Disney was purchasing land in secret, for what would become Walt Disney World, each acre only cost a hundred and eighty dollars.
Once word was out that it may be Disney buying the land, the price shot up to one thousand dollars an acre.
By then Walt had already purchased twenty seven thousand four hundred and forty three acres of land in central Florida. Walt officially announced the project at a hastily arranged press conference shortly after.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Once Upon A Time... (Part Four)
Hi all!
No dilly dallying this time. Let's just crack on shall we.
May 19th, 2013.
I'm sitting at my computer as the realization crashes down on me. My last chance to interview for Jan 2014 intake is the very next day and I'm not even close to prepared.
I run through the house like a woman possessed. Straight to the desktop computer with the printer attached ready to print out directions to this strange place I've never been. My mother, startled by my frantic sprint down the hall, comes to investigate. As I type the details into the journey planner I explain to her my situation.
"You're not going, are you?"
I turn slowly in my chair like a Bond villain.
"You have class tomorrow, don't you?" She stares at me pointedly.
I pretend like I forgot completely and say something as ridiculously suspicious as "Oh, silly me!". Apparently completely convinced she leaves the room. I turn back to the computer and, without a thought about school or any other commitments, press print on the directions.
In between trying to decipher the instructions and panicking, I checked the blog post again and again. One thing that worried me every time was what we were supposed to have on us.
A copy of our application form. Printed and signed.
But I hadn't applied yet. I rushed over to the Disney International Programs website, found the apply button and- huh?
The first page informed me that I could only progress to the next page if I had been told to do so by an interviewer.
Months later I would find out that you were supposed to email recruiting to register your interest and they would direct you to the application. At the time I felt like a dog chasing its tail.
Can't interview without application. Can't apply without permission from interviewer. Can't get permission until you meet interviewer. Can't interview without application. Can't apply without permission from interviewer. I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it.
So I emailed recruiting. Only to realize minutes later that at the time it was still the weekend in Florida. And the interview was on Monday here. Meaning if I did indeed get an answer to my desperate email it would be in the wee small hours of Tuesday morning. Around 12 hours too late to be of use.
What did I do, say you? I printed out everything I could. Copies of my driver's license, resume, proof of address. Anything I could think of that might be even minutely useful I printed it. And then I waited. I had done all that I could to prepare in the few hours I'd known.
With open eyes during a completely sleepless night I waited. Morning came and I was no where close to confident. The sun had risen on my judgement day and I had no weapons, no training. Yet, into battle I went.
- Lily
Tune in tomorrow as I regale the tale of my war wounds. Don't worry it has a (sort of) happy ending.
No dilly dallying this time. Let's just crack on shall we.
May 19th, 2013.
I'm sitting at my computer as the realization crashes down on me. My last chance to interview for Jan 2014 intake is the very next day and I'm not even close to prepared.
I run through the house like a woman possessed. Straight to the desktop computer with the printer attached ready to print out directions to this strange place I've never been. My mother, startled by my frantic sprint down the hall, comes to investigate. As I type the details into the journey planner I explain to her my situation.
"You're not going, are you?"
I turn slowly in my chair like a Bond villain.
"You have class tomorrow, don't you?" She stares at me pointedly.
I pretend like I forgot completely and say something as ridiculously suspicious as "Oh, silly me!". Apparently completely convinced she leaves the room. I turn back to the computer and, without a thought about school or any other commitments, press print on the directions.
In between trying to decipher the instructions and panicking, I checked the blog post again and again. One thing that worried me every time was what we were supposed to have on us.
A copy of our application form. Printed and signed.
But I hadn't applied yet. I rushed over to the Disney International Programs website, found the apply button and- huh?
The first page informed me that I could only progress to the next page if I had been told to do so by an interviewer.
Months later I would find out that you were supposed to email recruiting to register your interest and they would direct you to the application. At the time I felt like a dog chasing its tail.
Can't interview without application. Can't apply without permission from interviewer. Can't get permission until you meet interviewer. Can't interview without application. Can't apply without permission from interviewer. I'm getting dizzy just thinking about it.
So I emailed recruiting. Only to realize minutes later that at the time it was still the weekend in Florida. And the interview was on Monday here. Meaning if I did indeed get an answer to my desperate email it would be in the wee small hours of Tuesday morning. Around 12 hours too late to be of use.
What did I do, say you? I printed out everything I could. Copies of my driver's license, resume, proof of address. Anything I could think of that might be even minutely useful I printed it. And then I waited. I had done all that I could to prepare in the few hours I'd known.
With open eyes during a completely sleepless night I waited. Morning came and I was no where close to confident. The sun had risen on my judgement day and I had no weapons, no training. Yet, into battle I went.
- Lily
Tune in tomorrow as I regale the tale of my war wounds. Don't worry it has a (sort of) happy ending.
Disney Fact #2
The opening day of Disneyland was considered by some to be a 'a complete disaster'.
That fateful day was so hot in Anaheim that the freshly laid asphalt became soft, causing women's high heels to sink into the ground. The park ran out of soft drinks and there were long queues to use the drinking fountains.
Though the most disastrous problem of all was the arrival of around ten thousand guest with counterfeit tickets. Couple that with the rides breaking down and you start to see how much chaos could have ensued at the 'Happiest Place On Earth' that day.
That fateful day was so hot in Anaheim that the freshly laid asphalt became soft, causing women's high heels to sink into the ground. The park ran out of soft drinks and there were long queues to use the drinking fountains.
Though the most disastrous problem of all was the arrival of around ten thousand guest with counterfeit tickets. Couple that with the rides breaking down and you start to see how much chaos could have ensued at the 'Happiest Place On Earth' that day.
Once Upon A Time... (Part Three)
Hi all!
As I'm the kind of person who is easily concerned by what people think of them I imagine whoever reads this standing above me with their hands on their hips going "Really?" in that tone that sounds like frustration mixed with pity. But yes, I'm "really" not done.
My last post managed to push us forward to around a month after I started my uni course making it around March 2013. Wow, that was a long time ago. The bad news was that this series is still going. The good news is that this installment will definitely have some Disney in it. For better or worse.
So as I continued to fall more and more in love with my course Disney slowly faded out of my mind. Don't get me wrong, it was always there. I would talk about it at parties like it was a sure thing. I told my family about it every time we met like they'd never heard it before. Honestly, I don't think they remembered each time but hey, I don't mind repeating myself if I get to talk about Disney.
Around April it crossed my mind that I hadn't really done much about Disney for a while. I logged on to my computer and did a little surfing. Checked the website, read some Tumblr posts, scrolled through the Disney Internships and Programs blog a little unti- Hang on. Is that the interview times?
Yes, sudden tense shift me, it is.
I had stumbled across the dates and times for all of the interviews in Australia and New Zealand. And what did I do?
I promised to come back later then promptly forgot about it entirely. Yup.
Fast forward a month later to May 19th, 2013.
Again, I realize I haven't checked on Disney in a while. I pop back over to the Internships and Programs blog and what do I find again but the interview times.
For the second time in this series I'm going to ask you to imagine my situation keeping in mind that I live in Victoria. Here we go. Scrolling down this blog post.
University of Melbourne, 13th of May. Oh,well.
RMIT, 14th of May. Bummer.
William Angliss Institute of Technology, 16th of May. Bother.
Victoria University, 20th of May. That's more like it.
University of Queensland, 22nd of May. Oh shit.
The very last interview session in my state was the very next day. Good job, me.
Have I applied for the program at this point? Nope. Have I got any idea where Victoria University is? Nope. Am I going to finish this suspenseful and finally Disney related story in this already too long post?
Nope.
- Lily
Tune in tomorrow if you want to find out what happened when I- completely on a whim- covertly attended a Disney interview session. Also, if you like even numbers.
As I'm the kind of person who is easily concerned by what people think of them I imagine whoever reads this standing above me with their hands on their hips going "Really?" in that tone that sounds like frustration mixed with pity. But yes, I'm "really" not done.
My last post managed to push us forward to around a month after I started my uni course making it around March 2013. Wow, that was a long time ago. The bad news was that this series is still going. The good news is that this installment will definitely have some Disney in it. For better or worse.
So as I continued to fall more and more in love with my course Disney slowly faded out of my mind. Don't get me wrong, it was always there. I would talk about it at parties like it was a sure thing. I told my family about it every time we met like they'd never heard it before. Honestly, I don't think they remembered each time but hey, I don't mind repeating myself if I get to talk about Disney.
Around April it crossed my mind that I hadn't really done much about Disney for a while. I logged on to my computer and did a little surfing. Checked the website, read some Tumblr posts, scrolled through the Disney Internships and Programs blog a little unti- Hang on. Is that the interview times?
Yes, sudden tense shift me, it is.
I had stumbled across the dates and times for all of the interviews in Australia and New Zealand. And what did I do?
I promised to come back later then promptly forgot about it entirely. Yup.
Fast forward a month later to May 19th, 2013.
Again, I realize I haven't checked on Disney in a while. I pop back over to the Internships and Programs blog and what do I find again but the interview times.
For the second time in this series I'm going to ask you to imagine my situation keeping in mind that I live in Victoria. Here we go. Scrolling down this blog post.
University of Melbourne, 13th of May. Oh,well.
RMIT, 14th of May. Bummer.
William Angliss Institute of Technology, 16th of May. Bother.
Victoria University, 20th of May. That's more like it.
University of Queensland, 22nd of May. Oh shit.
The very last interview session in my state was the very next day. Good job, me.
Have I applied for the program at this point? Nope. Have I got any idea where Victoria University is? Nope. Am I going to finish this suspenseful and finally Disney related story in this already too long post?
Nope.
- Lily
Tune in tomorrow if you want to find out what happened when I- completely on a whim- covertly attended a Disney interview session. Also, if you like even numbers.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Planning Ahead?
Since I started vlogging my experiences I've kept track of all the weeks I've already done and the ideas I have for upcoming videos. After working out (approx.) how many weeks I would have left until departure, granted I get in first, I've realized that I now have enough vlog ideas to fill every single week between now and then.
Not sure if this is a little too much preparation yet but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. As they say: even the best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry.
Good thing I'm neither of those.
Disney Fact #1
The brown trail that runs through Magic Kindgom's Liberty Square is (apparently) supposed to represent the disturbing fact that it was commonplace in colonial America to throw the contents of bedpans straight into the street.
Yup, if this fact does prove to be true, the brown streak of pavement is Disney's subtle representation of a river of human waste. Delicious.
Yup, if this fact does prove to be true, the brown streak of pavement is Disney's subtle representation of a river of human waste. Delicious.
Once Upon A Time... (Part Two)
Hi all,
Anyone who bothered to read the intense block of text that was my last post was probably wondering one of a two things.
1. Why does blogger not have a character limit?
2. That only covered until mid/late 2012. What happened next?
For the question one-ers out there, I admire your attempt at following longer length mediums. If you just want the highlights of my Disney journey why not hit me up on twitter? No rambling possible.
For the rare sub-species of human who managed to read and pay attention enough to be asking question two on the list, the answers are coming your way right now.
You would be entirely correct in your deduction that my last post covered how I came across the program in mid/late 2012. Nearly two years ago. Tonight I'm going to delve into what became of my life as a direct result of discovering the program. For more actual program related storytelling skip ahead to Part Three.
So picking up right from where we left off. Once I came across the Disney Cultural Exchange program I was 100% set on continuing to university. By this point in my flip flopping from career to career I was set on Games Design. I applied for any course I was eligible for that related even minutely to that field. Eventually I was accepted to the Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting at RMIT. Not my first choice, but certainly not my last.
It turned out to be the second best thing that could happen to me that year. The first, of course, being the discovery of the program. Around a month into the program it dawned on me that I was in a course about writing for the screen. Sure, I had originally signed up to learn about writing games but I was in a course that could teach me how to write films. Better yet, Disney films. And while I still hold hopes in the back of my mind that I'll one day write the best game the world has ever seen, my new goal is not only to work for Disney but to write for Disney.
I want to write the kind of films that kids watch when they're first learning English. The kind of films that people love before they even remember seeing them. The kind of films that people watch when they need lifting up. The kind of films that touch people's lives in the smallest or largest possible way. The kind of films that people know back to front without ever knowing my name.
- Lily
Anyone who bothered to read the intense block of text that was my last post was probably wondering one of a two things.
1. Why does blogger not have a character limit?
2. That only covered until mid/late 2012. What happened next?
For the question one-ers out there, I admire your attempt at following longer length mediums. If you just want the highlights of my Disney journey why not hit me up on twitter? No rambling possible.
For the rare sub-species of human who managed to read and pay attention enough to be asking question two on the list, the answers are coming your way right now.
You would be entirely correct in your deduction that my last post covered how I came across the program in mid/late 2012. Nearly two years ago. Tonight I'm going to delve into what became of my life as a direct result of discovering the program. For more actual program related storytelling skip ahead to Part Three.
So picking up right from where we left off. Once I came across the Disney Cultural Exchange program I was 100% set on continuing to university. By this point in my flip flopping from career to career I was set on Games Design. I applied for any course I was eligible for that related even minutely to that field. Eventually I was accepted to the Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting at RMIT. Not my first choice, but certainly not my last.
It turned out to be the second best thing that could happen to me that year. The first, of course, being the discovery of the program. Around a month into the program it dawned on me that I was in a course about writing for the screen. Sure, I had originally signed up to learn about writing games but I was in a course that could teach me how to write films. Better yet, Disney films. And while I still hold hopes in the back of my mind that I'll one day write the best game the world has ever seen, my new goal is not only to work for Disney but to write for Disney.
I want to write the kind of films that kids watch when they're first learning English. The kind of films that people love before they even remember seeing them. The kind of films that people watch when they need lifting up. The kind of films that touch people's lives in the smallest or largest possible way. The kind of films that people know back to front without ever knowing my name.
- Lily
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Once Upon A Time... (Part One)
Hi all,
I was, up until recently, entirely set on having my second post be about the application process. Upon reflection though I really need to talk to you and have you understand the weight and significance of the situation I find myself in. To do that we need to go back a little.
Picture it. Half way through 2012. After years of educational problems I'm finally in my last year of high school. I hear about a program that would allow me to travel to America to live and work. Gaining experience with children in a fun working environment. Disney International Programs, you say? Not quite yet. Instead, a little known organization called Camp America that hires students for a few months and assigns them a place at an American summer camp. I was so excited, but at the same time unsure and after going to an information session I still wasn't sold. It seemed like a lot of money for such a short amount of time. There were things that made me question constantly whether it was worth it.
Months later I still hadn't applied. One of the most valuable lessons my Aunt ever taught me was never to go ahead with anything if you aren't sure. "If you have to think about it then you don't want it," She used to say. Now, of course this can't apply to every situation but it certainly applied here. I just couldn't be sure if it was for me. The one thing I was sure about was that America was where I wanted to go.
Around the same time is when I became obsessed with Disney. When I say obsessed, I mean obsessed. It was all I would ever talk about. Disney this, Disney that. Every week when I got paid the only thing I could think about was how many Disney DVDs I could buy while still being able to afford the bus. I had always been a huge Disney fan but it was then that I became what I like to call an 'active' fan. Instead of being content with what I already knew about Disney I wanted and needed to know more. I was watching and collecting the movies. I read about the company, the employees and the parks.
One fateful day during my quest for knowledge I came across a video entitled 'Revenge of the Disney employee'. I'd seen the rest of the videos in the series and clicked on it looking for a little Disney humor. Instead I got some information that changed my life. The creator of the video mentioned Vista Way, one of Disney's housing complexes, going on to explain that students from all over the world live in these complexes while they work for Disney. As soon as he mentioned Australia I was sold. I went straight to google and typed in Vista Way. Following link after link I finally found what I was looking for.
The eligibility criteria for the Disney Australia/New Zealand Cultural exchange program was staring me right in the face and I fulfilled every point on the list. Except one. I wasn't enrolled in tertiary education. All of a sudden, with a video and some participant forums, I knew what I wanted. One minute I had no idea what I wanted to do after year 12. The next I had my mind set on one path.
Disney has always been a huge part of my life. But before that moment it had just been something I enjoyed. The second I heard about the Cultural Exchange Program Disney became my dream, my future and my motivation. Disney is what motivated me to peruse education past high school, Disney was my rock when things got tough, Disney was my joy when things were going my way. Disney means more to me than I will ever fully realize. Perhaps, even absent of that realization, I will be able to one day repay my debt.
- Lily
I was, up until recently, entirely set on having my second post be about the application process. Upon reflection though I really need to talk to you and have you understand the weight and significance of the situation I find myself in. To do that we need to go back a little.
Picture it. Half way through 2012. After years of educational problems I'm finally in my last year of high school. I hear about a program that would allow me to travel to America to live and work. Gaining experience with children in a fun working environment. Disney International Programs, you say? Not quite yet. Instead, a little known organization called Camp America that hires students for a few months and assigns them a place at an American summer camp. I was so excited, but at the same time unsure and after going to an information session I still wasn't sold. It seemed like a lot of money for such a short amount of time. There were things that made me question constantly whether it was worth it.
Months later I still hadn't applied. One of the most valuable lessons my Aunt ever taught me was never to go ahead with anything if you aren't sure. "If you have to think about it then you don't want it," She used to say. Now, of course this can't apply to every situation but it certainly applied here. I just couldn't be sure if it was for me. The one thing I was sure about was that America was where I wanted to go.
Around the same time is when I became obsessed with Disney. When I say obsessed, I mean obsessed. It was all I would ever talk about. Disney this, Disney that. Every week when I got paid the only thing I could think about was how many Disney DVDs I could buy while still being able to afford the bus. I had always been a huge Disney fan but it was then that I became what I like to call an 'active' fan. Instead of being content with what I already knew about Disney I wanted and needed to know more. I was watching and collecting the movies. I read about the company, the employees and the parks.
One fateful day during my quest for knowledge I came across a video entitled 'Revenge of the Disney employee'. I'd seen the rest of the videos in the series and clicked on it looking for a little Disney humor. Instead I got some information that changed my life. The creator of the video mentioned Vista Way, one of Disney's housing complexes, going on to explain that students from all over the world live in these complexes while they work for Disney. As soon as he mentioned Australia I was sold. I went straight to google and typed in Vista Way. Following link after link I finally found what I was looking for.
The eligibility criteria for the Disney Australia/New Zealand Cultural exchange program was staring me right in the face and I fulfilled every point on the list. Except one. I wasn't enrolled in tertiary education. All of a sudden, with a video and some participant forums, I knew what I wanted. One minute I had no idea what I wanted to do after year 12. The next I had my mind set on one path.
Disney has always been a huge part of my life. But before that moment it had just been something I enjoyed. The second I heard about the Cultural Exchange Program Disney became my dream, my future and my motivation. Disney is what motivated me to peruse education past high school, Disney was my rock when things got tough, Disney was my joy when things were going my way. Disney means more to me than I will ever fully realize. Perhaps, even absent of that realization, I will be able to one day repay my debt.
- Lily
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Beginning
Hi all,
So I'm not very good at the blogging thing. In fact, I quit blogging a long time ago because I was so heinously bad at it. But I find myself currently in a situation where I have a lot of information I want to share and no one to share it with.
A while ago, nine weeks to be exact, I applied for a little thing called the Disney Australia/New Zealand Cultural Exchange Program. A mouthful, I know. As a very inquisitive and nervous young person normally does, I attempted to research the program and it's past participants. Sadly, I came across so few places specific to my program that I left my search even more confused than I began. Happily, I decided to make my own.
Here on this blog, and later on over at my youtube channel, I will share with the internet my experiences as an applicant to this program in the hopes that someone like me will find it tomorrow, next month or even next year and be calmed by the soothing power of knowledge. I sincerely hope that I can help my readers and myself trudge through this experience and emerge victorious with an acceptance and the promise of adventure ahead.
So follow me on my journey and I will share with you what I know. Let the magic begin.
- Lily
So I'm not very good at the blogging thing. In fact, I quit blogging a long time ago because I was so heinously bad at it. But I find myself currently in a situation where I have a lot of information I want to share and no one to share it with.
A while ago, nine weeks to be exact, I applied for a little thing called the Disney Australia/New Zealand Cultural Exchange Program. A mouthful, I know. As a very inquisitive and nervous young person normally does, I attempted to research the program and it's past participants. Sadly, I came across so few places specific to my program that I left my search even more confused than I began. Happily, I decided to make my own.
Here on this blog, and later on over at my youtube channel, I will share with the internet my experiences as an applicant to this program in the hopes that someone like me will find it tomorrow, next month or even next year and be calmed by the soothing power of knowledge. I sincerely hope that I can help my readers and myself trudge through this experience and emerge victorious with an acceptance and the promise of adventure ahead.
So follow me on my journey and I will share with you what I know. Let the magic begin.
- Lily
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