Stephanie's Year of Disney

A Reason

(The Christmas Tree - American Pavilion)


Well, it's almost a week until I will officially be back home. I am more excited than ever, yet being able to go home now makes me appreciate being here so much more. The days at work have been incredible. I really do love my job. Although the questions and guests get repetitive, the work really is unique and inspires a lot of joy in my heart when I get to make an impact, even the tiniest, on someone's day.

I was asked today, but my coworker (the one that inspires me to toss her in the waterfall) why I was leaving, since I obviously liked my job. I thought about the answer for only a few seconds before I knew. Unlike why many people have left, it's not really the job. Yes, I think I have learned all that I can learn from being here and that staying would only tax the situation, but the atmosphere was always inviting and there was always people to talk to and new things to learn. The reason I am leaving is the people.

Of course, I was never one to easily socialize... but when I do, I really tend to connect to people. However, this never really occurred in my stay in Florida. I met some great people, sure, but no one I felt really in tune with. The mentality of living at the Commons and working for Disney is that you either get drunk every night or stay home watching TV, because being under 21 and/or choosing not to drink or sleep around or go out and party in a way that no one else at home will ever find out about is unacceptable to the Commons lifestyle.

The funny thing about this is that I am one of the youngest people here (the majority being in their early 20s and only about three that are only eighteen), yet I have been told too many times to count that I seem like I am in my 20s because of my maturity. I certainly feel more mature than a lot of the people here. Especially those who come to Disney never having had a job before...

In any case, this is the reason why I feel the need to leave. Though being homesick does isolate me slightly from being completely social, I can't place too much blame on this one factor as everyone here is dealing with the same issue. Perhaps this is the reason they feel the need to go out and party nearly every night and forget how far away from home they really are and that this will all end in only one year.
I suppose another reason I have chosen to leave now is because I don't want to get sick of being here. I don't want my year to end with the same feelings one of my coworkers exudes; laboured sighs at being asked monotonous questions, bad show onstage, offending guests who don't know any better, hating every aspect of the job and showing it in both my verbal and body language.

I want to have enjoyed the time that I've spent here without being killed by it. I've learned so much, done so many things... but I still remember what my parents and grandparents asked me when I first came to Disneyworld at the end of the trip:


"Have you seen everything you wanted to see?"


The answer always being shouts of "No, of course not! We want to see it all!" Always hoping that our stay could be extended.


Yet the reply would leave us satisfied:


"Then there's a reason to come back next time."

posted by Stephanie @ 7:57 PM