So I have been a very bad blogger these last few weeks and I feel terrible about that. But at the same time I have a lot more to tell you about!

I have now been in Florida for one month, it still feels like a few days ago since I arrived so it’s kinda crazy. I mean I am leaving in just 11 months and I still have so much I have to do while I’m here!

Okay first let me tell you about work. Work is like 98% awesome, which IMO is a pretty good score. I mean it all depends on the positions you get to do. Personally I love the bakery. The bakery is so much fun! It is fast paced, but we still have the time to talk to the guests which is really why I chose a job in Disney; Meeting new people. The beer cart is also a lot of fun and we get to stay outside all day in the sun! Now the resturant positiions are not my favourite, but I have a lot of fun in there too. The reason I do not LOVE the resturant is that it’s just TOO fast paced and we never get the chance to talk to the people who comes in. But that’s the name of the game and once I get to be a server I’m sure I’ll get more chances to talk to the guests.

In my spare time I’ve been going to Disney parks, of course! I just love spending time in the parks. Doing rides are fun, but also days just walking around and taking it all in is amazing. Plus I love people watching, it’s always fun.

I’ve mostly been in Epcot, seing as that is where I work and it’s so close. Today I actually spent most of my day in the park looking at the gorgeous tropiaries for the Flower & Garden festival. So much to see! Had lunch in Japan, dessert in Germany and drinks in Norway, hurray for pay-day.

Fun fact: for us castmembers Epcot doesn’t actually stand for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, but rather Every Paycheck Comes On Thursdays.

Last week I got the chance to go to Animal Kingdom, which is by far the most beautiful of all the parks. And the best thing to see in Animal Kingdom is the Festival of the Lion King show. Seriously it’s so gorgeous I have trouble NOT crying every time I see it.

Other than that life is pretty good down here in Florida. I get along great with my roommates, work is good, days off are even better. Excited for my bestie to get down here in under a month tho, it’s gonna be fantastic!

Gonna do a better job updating along the way. There’s just so much to do here that I feel guilty every time I just sit down in front of my computer in stead of being out there doing stuff! Haha I’m sure I’ll calm down soon, as I know myself and I need time to relax once in a while.

“I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment.”

Until next time: TTFN ! 🙂

Here I am!

Hello there world,

Been three weeks since I last wrote, but things have been crazy lately. But I made it to Florida!

The trip down went a lot smoother than I had expected, and I made it without any delays. Ended up in a three bedroom six person apartment at Vista Way. It wasn’t my first choice, but I am actually really happy they put me here. There is so many nice people around, my roommates are wonderful and they offer so much here at Vista Way. We have a library where we can rent out books, dvd’s and board-games. There is a gym, two pools and a basketball court. Also worth mentioning I am in walking distance of Starbucks and Wendy’s (both so bad, but so good!).

I have been here for a little over a week now and so far most of my time has been spendt in meetings and courses that we have to do before allowed out there “on stage”. Of course I’ve done most of this before on my last program, but a little refreshment course is always good.

Of course I have also made time to go in the parks. Did Hollywood Studios with my roommate and my two very dear Canadians the other day, which was a lot of fun! We saw the Beauty & The Beast show and we did Tower of Terror!

Last night me and my roommate spendt the afternoon at Epcot after we finished our training. We rode Mission Space which imo. is one of the very best Disney rides. Also spendt a few hours walking around the world which is also fun. We had to check out the Norway pavillion! The store which used to be trolls and vikings is now about 50% about Frozen. Luckilly for me I like Frozen, so I think it’s awesome! They have torn down my dear Maelstrom now, and the new ride is in full building mode!

So today I had my very first day of on-stage training. Safe to say I was insanely nervous before today as I’ve never done anything food & beverage before. The costume is cute tho! But I hate the hat I have to wear while working in the bakery, which is what we did today. Luckily I had a good trainer today and he took time to do everything with me and answered all my silly questions while opening the bakery. I had to learn what everything is, how to serve it and how to explain to the guests what it is. It went okay. Not great, but okay. I learned a lot at least. The food we serve there is amazing tho, so be sure to stop by next time you’re in Epcot!

I am just so happy to be done with my first day of training. I still have eight days or so left of training before my assesment, so there is still a lot to learn. I am just excited to learn it all and to feel like I’ve got this under control! For those of you who don’t know me: I like feeling like I’m in control. I love having a job where I feel like I know just about everything and people have to ask me for help. Hopefully I’ll get there in this job eventually, but I am far from there yet! But it’s fast-paced and I love it!

Until next time: Have a magical day!

And so the countdown begins

So it’s officially two weeks before my departure from Oslo to Orlando, and I am starting to get freaked out. I am beyond excited, but there is so much to remember I am bound to forget something.

1. I need to print, organize, sign and complete all the paperwork. Which is a lot. Think Lord of the Rings. Yeah, that’s about the right size.
2. I need to get my plane tickets. Don’t worry, they are ordered and payed for, I am just waiting for International Services to send me the actual ticket.
3. Dentist and doctor, need to remember those.
4. Packing. My greatest fear.

Okay I know there was more on this list. See, I already forgot something! Just started my last week at work, which is good. I’m gonna get a whole week to prepare, say goodbye to everyone and get everything sorted out. Maybe even remember the last four things that were supposed to be on that list. I. Can. Do. This.

In two weeks and two days I’ll be back in Florida and this stress will all have been worth it. I will be home.

Organize, don’t agonize!

So it’s about 4 weeks before I leave for (what I hope will be) my greatest adventure so far! 4 weeks until sunshine, palm trees, pineapple floats and fireworks every night! Are you jealus yet?

I think right now I’m about 80% excited and only about 20% nervous for the year ahead. But I am a firm believer that if something doesn’t scare you, it’s maybe not worth doing. Does that even make any sense? I mean life is about taking chances, takings risks and exploring. It is scary? Yes. Is that gonna stop us? Hell no!

So life according to Izzy is this: feeling stressed? Make a list. So that’s what I did tonight. I made a packing list. I have no clue how I am supposed to fit my whole life into one suitcase, so I figured better start planning now. So far I’ve come to the conclusion that I will bring only four pairs of shoes and therefore have a perfect excuse to go shoe-shopping on my first day off.

Tomorrow I leave for Oslo, as I have an appointment at the US embassy Thursday morning. My whole year depends on this meeting. If they decide I’m not getting a visa then I am not getting a visa. Simple as that. I have a feeling it’ll be okay tho. I can be adorable and delightful if I decide to put some effort into it.

Wish me luck!

When Christmas comes to town

So guess what? In case you’ve missed all the snowmen, santas and shopping-crazed people everywhere: It’s christmas!

It’s the day before christmas-eve right now. In Norway that means MERRY CHRISTMAS. Tomorrow we’re all eating pinnekjøtt and ribbe, watching Sølvguttene sing in christmas and opening presents starts at about 7 PM. I could say I’m not mostly excited about the gifts, but I’d be lying.

Next years Christmas will be spendt in Florida, and I’ll really miss all these Norwegian traditions. But I’m not dreading it eighter. I’m hoping I’ll have my own disney-family down there to share different traditions with. I’ll make riskrem, because everyone should try that at least once in their life (and I don’t trust myself of being in charge of dinner).

December is finally here!

Izzy makes lists: One

Reasons why December is the best time of the year:

1. My sister comes home from university.
2. It’s my birthday in two weeks, so December means double the presents!
3. Movies. “Home Alone“, “Love Actually“, “The Holiday“, “Rock`n roll Wolf“, “Three wishes for Cinderella” and “Dinner for one” are ALL a must.
4. Christmas music. Granted I started listening to my christmas playlist in September, but no one needs to know that.
5. Time off from work. I get five whole days in a row, which is awesome. Will be spent in bed catching up on tv-shows and sleep.

Many of my friends find it weird that I am almost 25 years old and still so excited for christmas. What can I say? I am a 25-year old kid.

In other news I just got back from spending the last three days in Trondheim with one of my very best friends Nina. Good good, funny movies, a little bit of shopping and lots of girl-talk. With Nina girl-talk doesn’t equal make-up, nailpolish, boys and gossip though. We plan and dream about traveling, seing the world, moving far away and living life. So since she has no plans for next year (and doesn’t really enjoy her current work) I of course have mentioned Disney World to her. And guess what? We sent in her application three days ago!

I really hope she gets in. Mostly because I think she would love spending a year away from Norway. The fact that I would have my best friend close by and have someone to spend next christmas with might also have something to do with it. I would categorize it as 10% selfish and 90% being an awesome friend.

Hello

So I’ve made the choice to go and work for Disney at WDW, Florida for another year. Long story short I need another adventure. This blog will be my diary for everything Florida, Disney, dreams, goals and (undoubtely) frustrations.

I worked in WDW years back when I was 18 years old. I am now almost 25. I love my home, my friends and family like crazy, but I am still young and I’ve got a lot more living to do. I guess I am still just looking for my place in the world, . So let’s go to Florida for another year! The place where dreams come true, where there is magic everywhere, where the sun shines every day and the evenings are filled with fireworks and pixie dust. I am ready to go home.

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

 -Walt Disney