I did not know what to expect on this program but I was very open to this experience. I spent almost half of a year here and I don’t think I was disappointed. I made new friends and pen-pals which I’m very excited about and I passed my classes.

I lived in Patterson Court and worked at All Star Movies Resort as a Quick Service Food & Beverage cast member. It was a rollercoaster.

I was trained in various positions. I did trash rounds, cleaned tables, served milkshakes and pizza, burned myself on the fryer, woke up with bruises from bumping myself into furniture at work. All that good stuff.

One of the more enjoyable things CPs at my location got to do was dance. A leader or coordinator would play music for us and we’d break out in a flash mob in the middle of the food court. My favorite was dancing to the Electric Slide.

I even got over my fear of being on cash register. I had patient leaders who took their time teaching me where buttons were on the screen and helped me understand the resort’s dining plan.

Another fun thing was interacting with guests. It wasn’t as nerve wracking as my idea of Florida and its residents were before I moved down here. A lot of them were down-to-earth and really funny. Being on cash register and cleaning tables allowed me to make connections with guests.  Grape sodas–which were recognitions from either cast members or guests–were nice but getting to laugh with guests and a few coworkers I genuinely liked really made my time at All Star Movies worthwhile.

 

One time when I was on tables, I sat down with a couple from Brazil. I forgot what they did back home but I found out that the woman was a fan of the Phantom of the Opera and could play the songs on piano. Another time, I sat down and talked to a guest from London. He was a travel agent and police officer back home. It was really exciting having in depth conversations with guests.

It was also really exciting meeting international students and guests and making friends here. The only thing I wish I could have done differently was gone random with roommates and opted to live in a 6-8 bedroom apartment but life doesn’t always meet your expectations.

Below are some of my accomplishments, I completed a stress management course for my Human Resource Management class, and received an evaluation and two completion certificates.

 

It was almost surreal when I got back to the city. I know I am going to miss my friends and the nice weather. Overall I’m really glad I did this program.