Hi all!
Took a few days off from blogging cause editing my vlogs was getting a little intense. Make sure you know about proper importing procedures before you start making videos. That's all I'll say on the matter.
Last time we spoke I got up to the night before the presentation. A sleepless night and a lot of research definitely had not prepared me for the adventure that awaited me on the 20th of May, 2013. The day of the presentation.
I got up as early as I could and pretended to be getting ready for school. My mother still didn't know that I intended to skip and go to the session so I had to at least pretend like everything was normal. When she was finally gone I put my casual clothes away and took out my serious business attire. Thinking about it now, it wasn't particularly Disney look but it was all I had on such short notice.
The weather outside was disgusting. It was wet, cold and blowing a gale. Melbourne's public transport isn't famous for being the most reliable out there so I made sure to leave early just in case. Turns out that was possibly unnecessary. After a bus, two trains, asking directions from strangers, slipping in the rain and another bus I finally made it to Victoria University's Footscray Park campus. An hour early. Even accounting for the five minutes I walked around in circles looking for the right room I made it in far too much time.
Luckily for me I wasn't the first there. There were maybe six or so people all sitting outside the door. Three girls sat together, chatting as though they were fairly familiar with one another. Two girls sat beside each other on a bench not talking. One boy stood a way away playing his Gameboy and avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the hallway. I walked straight up, dumped my bag on the floor and stood just across the hall from the two girls on the bench. Almost immediately one of them asked me if I was there for the Disney interviews. Beyond that I honestly can't remember how it happened but the three of us became fast friends.
We talked about where we were all from, my crazy experience from the day before, what the application was like (as they had both applied online before the interview) and Disney. We talked a lot about Disney. Making the connection with such like minded people calmed my nerves and made the hour of waiting fly by like it was nothing. Eventually, mid way through our conversation about our favorite Disney movies, one of the teachers from Victoria University, complete with a Disney Pin Trading lanyard, came and opened the door for us. In complete nervous silence we walked in and sat down.
Minutes later the presentation finally began and it was, dare I say, magical. The presenter gave us basically all the information we already knew but in a fun way. In between each block of information we'd watch a video or do a trivia question. I was lucky enough to win a pen for getting one of the questions right. I spent the whole time worried that they were going to work out that I hadn't applied yet until the presenter explained that anyone who was interested could apply in the computer labs afterward and then interview. I was so relieved.
But then another problem arose. Toward the end of the presentation, after we'd heard from some of the program Alumni, they opened it up for questions. One of the first questions asked was 'My daughter has not finished her first year yet but will before the program begins. Is she eligible?' the answer that followed was a short 'No.' and then we moved on. My mouth fell open. Quite a few people in the room were shocked. The presenter was asked a few other questions while we stared in disbelief.
The woman who asked the original question raised her hand. She was called on again and told the presenter she'd been assured that as long as the applicant finished their first year before the beginning of the program they would be eligible. A lot of people, including myself nodded in agreement as we'd been given the same information. The presenter explained that his partner who normally conducted the presentations was sick and he would have to call her afterwards for confirmation. So the presentation continued for a while with half the room significantly less enthused than the rest.
Out in the corridor after the presentation, surrounded by impatient possible applicants, the presenter called his colleague. Genuinely saddened at the prospect of delivering bad news he regretfully relayed to us that his initial answer was correct. If we were to apply that day we would have to complete our first year by July. I wouldn't complete until November.
I was utterly devastated. While I was fighting back tears they encouraged all of us to apply for August 2014 instead. I left upset. The whole trip home I tried to decide if I could even do the August program. It just didn't fit with my school schedule. That day I resigned myself to waiting for the Jan 2015 program and on the 25th of April this year my day to apply finally arrived.
To be perfectly candid I was so upset that I couldn't apply but I'm actually glad that I had to wait. In the year between May 2013 and now I have done so much and added so much to my resume. I've joined school societies, got a promotion at work, done work in different areas, improved as a person and become so much more prepared for the program as a whole. If I believed in fate I would proclaim that this rejection and then growth of character was some sort of planned event. I am genuinely confident in my chances for this application season because I can look back at who I was last year and see the blinding contrast.
- Lily
That's all folks! But not really. While we are now up to date with my past experience with Disney we have not yet explored the application process. My next post will be all about the application I submitted for the Jan 2014 intake. See you real soon!
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