WHAT THE CP LIFE WILL TEACH YOU:
1. GROW UP. AND FAST.
i mean this as honestly as i could. Mommy and daddy are no longer right here to hold your hand. they are no longer here to pay all the bills and let you live at home for free. you are no longer sitting comfortably in your college dorm where rent was paid as part of your tuition. you are no longer going to come home to a cabinet full of groceries or be able to walk down the the cafeteria and eat a meal on that meal plan card that stays magically filled up for you. you gotta be at work on time and that means 15 min early. you cant just skip because all your friends are going to the park, you will get fired. you cant just go to work and be lazy because you will make enemies. Make good with the people you work with because those are the people you have to sweet talk into taking your shifts on the days you really had cool plans.
I have lived in a dorm so i knew somewhat of the future, but i still was not prepared. in my dorm we didnt have a stove so i never bought "real" food, but if i wanted it i just had to walk down to the atrium or any other of the food places NC State had to offer. it might not have been the most delicious of choices, but i wasnt gonna go hungry for sure. And im not sitting here saying that i have gone hungry while here at disney, but i sure have had scares. i knew that if ever it got to the point that i needed to, i could call home and someone somewhere would make sure there was food for me to eat...but, not everyone here is that lucky. i have had encounters with a few people who can't wait for housing events (where food is served for free) or grocery bingo (where bags upon bags of groceries are won). these are some of the few times that they are getting something more than cans of soup or ramen. "BUT HOW ON EARTH HAS IT GOTTEN TO THAT POINT? THIS IS A PAID INTERNSHIP, RIGHT?!" this is where lesson #2 comes in...but it is also part of lesson #1.
2. LEARN TO MANAGE WHAT LITTLE MONEY YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE COMING IN.
Yes, we are working a paid internship. WOOO. I get paid barely minimum wage. some departments get more than i do, even as cp's. at roughly 34-40 hours a week minimum wage isnt that bad. the problem is you dont always get all that great of hours. there are times where you might end up with a $40 pay check and i have been there as well. CP HOUSING automatically takes a rent out of your paycheck. this is their way of "making it hassle free for their guests"... right. this is their way of making sure they get their money because they know that we might not always get great hours and would love to hold off a week on rent to save a little more... or get food. $91 a week comes out of my paycheck and that is no matter how much the paycheck is. some apartment complexes charge even more, like the commons... i live in chatham which is on the higher end.
there are so many wonderful places to eat, places to go, things to buy here in orlando...but you really have to sit down and say "self! do you really need to get this glow in the dark shot glass? self, is it really worth the $14"... the answer should almost always be no....dont completely deprive yourself. just, wait until the end of your program. if you still want what ever it is that you have your eye on then by all means, buy it. but if it has been since august that you even thought of it last then so be it. this is the lesson that i have had the hardest time with. i have never really been that great at managing $$ though.
there are many ways to save money...one of the best? dont shop at publix for all your grocery needs. i know. i know. publix is a magical place where you can find amazing deals (just yesterday i bought jack links beef jerky because they had it BOGO)...many times you can get the stuff you need for quick meals at the dollar tree and even walmart. also, try to make your own food as much as possible. i utilized my croc pot because for about $15 i could make some sort of soup or such that would last me a little over a weeks worth of lunches. also, take the bus to save money on gas (if you bring your own car)...i kind have no say in this because i threw up on the buses because i got so car sick so i have refused to take the bus ever since...in theory though, this is a good money saving option.
3. PRETEND TO LIKE YOUR ROOMMATES EVEN ON THE DAYS THAT YOU DONT.
i can assure you that this will make your life so much better. i live with 7 other girls...well, now 6, whom i adore with my whole heart....however, there are days where i would LOVE to ring their necks. there is going to be bickering and fighting, annoying habits, and messes. are you a neat freak? GET OVER IT. you will be living with at least 3 other people and at least one of them is going to not be a neat freak. there are about 5 of us in this apartment that are not. you learn to just deal with shoes in the living room, clothes on the bedroom floor, and dishes always in the dish washer. luckily for me, i am on of those 5 who just doesnt care. i wash my dish and then move on with my life. try not to make drama with these people because you have to wake up to them every morning and fall asleep to them every night. they are the ones that you have to come home to after a really $H!tty day at work. they are the ones you have to talk to when one of the others is driving you insane. the people you live with HAVE to become a part of your life line because with out them, you will be alone. i dont care how many friends you make while on the program, if you come home to a place where no one gets alone you will never really feel welcome here and home sickness will kick in that much quicker.
4. MAKE YOUR JOB MAGICAL.... EVEN IF YOU HATE IT.
odds will probably not be ever in your favor when you start your journey on this program. you are gonna be washing clothes, making beds, cleaning toilets, selling something that someone will complain about, or pressing the same button allllll day long while saying the exact same themed line alllll day long, thousands of times in that day. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THOSE DONT SOUND LIKE DISNEY JOBS!" what i just described are: costuming, house keeping, quick service/ table service food and beverage, merchandise, attractions, and custodial. costuming sounds awesome, but really im just a glorified laundromat worker....none of the jobs are perfect, but you have to make them perfect. i get to learn about super awesome characters that are going out. i get to interact with some amazing cast members. my roommates get to experience magical moments when i dont. you really just have to weigh out all the great things that your job can offer. make nice with the people you work with because like i said before, they are the ones that will take those shifts you are trying to give away or trade and they are the ones that will give you their shifts when you are begging for hours. they are also the ones that will make your day go by so much faster because they are magical people. i have so many inside jokes and fun times with the people that i work with. i know beyond a shadow of doubt that they have my back if needed and i have theirs.
also, do your job to the absolute best of your abilities because that is the only way you will be recognized by others around you. that is your way of going seasonal if you would like, getting compliment cards (which wins your prizes if yours gets pulled from the box), and it is way to make you look like you hate your job less than you do. granted, i dont hate my job at all. i am actually very lucky to have a good one. plus, if ever you put this on a resume you dont want the company to say that you were actually a less than stellar employee, because let's face it...you ARE going to put this on a resume...WHY WOULDNT YOU?!
5. PATIENCE REALLY IS A VIRTUE.
You are going to encounter some craptastic things while you are down here. allow me to list them for you:
- buses are going to be late
- if they are on time, they are probably going to be super crowded
- if they are not over crowded, they are going to break down on the highway
- people are stupid. "excuse me ma'am, what time is the 3 o'clock parade?".... "7 pm next year. TODAY'S 3 O'CLOCK PARADE STARTS AT 3 D.A!" is not a good response to this.
- work will make you open and close back to back and will never feel bad about
- you may work 50 hours straight then not at all for a very long time leaving you broke.
- you will get home sick even if you have never gotten homesick before. this spans from exhaustion and brokeness.
- you will hear yard work happening at all awful hours of the morning ( like 7 am)
- you will work a thousand days in a row, finally get a day off and get to sleep in, but your roommate will have a 6 am shift.
- you will leave having back problems because the beds SUCK.
- things in your apartment seldom get fixed in a timely manor.
- people you work with are sometimes the worst part of your day.
- you will check the mail a thousands times for that response to that letter you know you sent a month ago, but it probably wont come
- your paycheck will be the most depressing number ever.
- the water pressure in the shower is never quite up to par.
- there will forever be a battle over refrigerator space.
- also, the air conditioner.
- housing sucks
- security sucks
- there is a great inconvenience in housing inspections and you will get docked for stuff that doesnt even exist....like patio trash...
i could go on, but im pretty sure you get the point. just breathe is all i can tell you.
6. GO TO THE CP HOUSING EVENTS IF YOU ARE OFF!
i have gone to every one of them that i have been able to and they are so much fun! you get to meet rare characters and there is free food, a really great dj, fun activities, and usually prizes. just go. i have never ever regretted going to one. ever.
7. IT REALLY IS OK TO STAY IN YOUR PJ'S ALL DAY.
there is no need to go go go all the time. you will wear yourself out and get sick. there is a nice feeling of getting to lounge around all day and watch netflix, catch up on laundry, and try that new pinterest recipe you have been dying to try. there is no shame in telling your friends "no" and just getting some rest.
8. TAKE EVERY PICTURE YOUR CAMERA CAN HOLD AND THEN SOME.
there are so many moments that i really do wish i had a picture of. there are some memories that i will never be able to fully recap because eventually the face that was made, the words that were said, the outfit that was worn will fade. capture everything your little heart desires.
9. CALL HOME.
you're in your 20's, finally on your own, finally living your own dreams. but home misses you more than you probably miss it. home is waiting for their litter dream chaser to come back and tell a thousand stories. home is where your heart is secretly calling out to. dont forget about where you came from because it is the only way to know where you are going.
10. MAKE EVERY SECOND COUNT.
there are so many lessons that can be learned here, but really the only one that truly matters is: make it worth while. come out of this a better, stronger, happier, more cultured person. you are going to meet people from all over the world and they are going to become so important to you. dont allow yourself to miss important moments with them. dont allow yourself to miss anything because you will never get that chance back. get out of this the experiences that you make. unfortunately it isnt as magical as you hope because you spend so much time worrying about money, but i promise you it is an experience you will never forget, nor will you ever want to. i have made some of the very best friends a girl could ask for. i was blessed to get placed in a wonderful department with AMAZING co workers. i was blessed with amazing roommates who i would not change for the world. i have made so many memories with the people around me and i thank god every day for allowing me to have this opportunity.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS MADE THIS JOURNEY SO WONDERFUL <3
