Jambo, Everyone!

My name is Jillian and I'll be your driver for the next five months while we safari through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve!

... because I GOT ASSIGNED TO AK KILIMANJARO SAFARIS!!!! :) :) :)

There is simply no amount of exclamation points or smiley faces that could convey my pure joy over this!!! I really can't believe it. I got my number one role choice, and now my number one location choice too. And the magic just kept coming all day...

Let's start at the very beginning. (A very good place to start.) Brian and I drove to Orlando together and stayed at the Holiday Inn SunSpree hotel last night. I really recommend this hotel to anyone planning on doing the CP in the future - it's nearly right across the street from Vista Way, the rooms are nice, and I felt safe leaving my car packed full of my life in the parking lot.

This morning, we met 2 of my roommates (out of 3) who also stayed at SunSpree in the lobby at 6:15am sharp! We were bound and determined to get in the check-in line EARLY so that we'd have a good chance of getting our first choice of complexes, Patterson Court.

We were in line by 6:30, and my 3rd roomie met us there. There were maybe 20-30 people in line in front of us then, but the line got very long very quickly behind us! Another tip to future CPers: get there early!!! You may have a better chance of getting the complex you want, and, as we found out, you may even get checked in and sent to Casting early...

I read we would be brought in to check-in around 8:30 or 9:00. Around 8:00, we were in! And let me just say, Disney has this down to a science. It was flawless. It was one smooth movement from station to station - sign a paper here, turn in a paper there, pick up a goodie bag over here, get your program guide over there... One CPer right after another. It was so great.

So we started the long process of turning in the materials we had brought and filling out the papers we hadn't been given yet. Somewhere along the way, they asked for one girl from our group of roomies to go up and get us a room assignment. I also asked if Brian could possibly be in the same complex as I was, since we're engaged and don't really want to have to sign each other in as a guest with security every time we want to see each other. They said no problem, and it wasn't - Brian was assigned to the same building as I was, even on the same floor! AND that building happened to be in Patterson Court, right where we wanted! Feeling the magic yet? Oh, I was. :)

After a few more papers, it was time to get on a bus to Casting! Already?? But it's only 9:00! So wonderfully efficient!... but I became SO NERVOUS in a matter of seconds. I don't know why. There wasn't anything I could do at that point anyway. I just had to walk up and get my assignment. But for some reason, my stomach was totally in knots.

Let me just say... I think the Casting building is my favorite building on property. It's beautiful. I do have pictures, but I was flustered and anxious and had my hands full of important documents (and an umbrella, because it decided to rain on us) so my pictures aren't as great as I would have liked. I'll work on them a little (fix the lack of flash, straighten the crooked ones I took on the move, etc.) tomorrow and post them then. Anyways, the point of this paragraph... future CPers, really enjoy that walk up to and through the Casting building. This is your moment! This is where you officially become a Cast Member! :)

We went down a long hallway and lined up to wait to enter what I will call the Room of Required Documents (a little too much Harry Potter for such a Disney-filled day, perhaps? ah well). This room is where you turn in your forms of ID, your on-boarding paperwork, and all the other important things that you must bring with you to check-in. So while we waited for our turn to enter the Room of Required Documents, someone came around to tell us where we'd be working.

COMMENCE FULL PANIC MODE.

She made her way down the line in front of me... "You're at Hollywood Studios, Sunset Attractions. You're at Typhoon Lagoon. You're at the Contemporary - oh Chef Mickeys! How fun!" ... And then it was my turn. I swear the entire hallway could hear my heart beating.

"You're at Animal Kingdom."

And then I think my mind totally went blank. I remember smiling like an idiot, and she gave me a sticker to put on something. I was just filled with thoughts of "could it be???" Then my roommate next to me said, "Where are you working?" And I said, "AK!" And she said, "Yeah but where?" and pointed to my sticker. I looked... and my sticker said AK KILIMANJARO SAFARIS OPERATIONS.

And I screamed a little.

No joke, I jumped around right there in the hallway and totally embarrassed myself, but I don't regret it! I was so happy and it felt so awesome. I just couldn't believe (and still can't!) that I got exactly what I wanted. I was feeling the magic!! Can you feel it yet??

We spent a good amount of time going through all the stops in the Room of Required Documents. Luckily, all our paperwork went through with no trouble, so we were back on the bus to Vista before we even knew what happened. After making a stop at the parking decal table, we went to sign up for classes.

Brian and I both decided to do the Disney Exploration Series classes - I'll be taking Exploring Guest Service, Brian will be taking Exploring Disney Heritage, and we'll both be taking Exploring Leadership. They all start in October. I've been debating for a while whether to take one class or two, and I finally decided that I think I could handle two if they were both on the same day. So I got my class schedules... and they weren't. :(  I was trying to make the decision of which one to not take when the woman doing the registration said, "Actually..." and took my papers back from me... and came back with new papers for the classes, and these were both on the same day! Are you feeling the magic now? :)

I certainly felt like things were falling into place. I am so happy, even at 1:00am right now, totally exhausted. We spent the rest of the day unpacking our cars, going to a housing meeting, wandering around exploring the complex, and finishing off the day with dinner at Downtown Disney. I just sat there for a while, staring off into space, thinking, "We live here now. Disney is our home." :)

Tomorrow is an off day - time to buy groceries and cleaning products and everything else we'll need for our apartment. Wednesday I have Traditions, then Thursday Brian has Traditions, then Friday we both start training! Very exciting, but I'm nervous for it too. I just want to make a good impression.

Pictures will come tomorrow, I promise! For now, it's time for bed. Have a magical night! :)