Two days off before the 'Magic' begins at Star Tours...

26^th June 2011 1.00am US Time...

Just a quick update as I start work tomorrow (don’t start until 2.30pm, but I still want to be relatively fresh for it!) Sorry I haven’t written much... well... at all this weekend. It’s simply because I’ve just been taking it easy and relaxing!

Yesterday I had a lie-in until just past ten, then me and Vikki decided to head to Walmart. Seriously can’t believe I’ve been to that place three times in one week, but I have! Had to pick up a variety of miscellaneous items including shampoo, bobby pins, lunch bag, sandwich things etc. Ended up spending about $75 but I’m glad because I should be set for a week or two now I would have thought. I hope so at least as $75 is no peanuts!

We decided to head to Downtown Disney for dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express and before we knew it we were being joined by Bethan, Johanna Glass-Doors, Jayne, Kat, Emma, Taryn, AJ and Steven which was nice as it’s very true that, ‘The more, the merrier.’ Unfortunately, while most of us were eating, Taryn, AJ and Steven decided they didn’t like the look of the menu so they left us for a bit to go to TREX.

Wolfgang Puck was really nice! I had a kiddie pasta which was nearly too big for me to finish... I managed it though, don’t you worry. It was in a kind of tomato sauce, pretty lush. After we’d finished eating we went for a mooch around the World of Disney and mused over all the pretty things we can afford with our merch discount enforced by our lovely Disney ID’s. Most of the girls seemed to want the charm bracelets that me and my sister used to have when we were younger. My sister lost hers, but mine’s in a jewelry box in England. With all the charms it must be worth at least $100 now. Anyway, I think I’m going to start collecting Disney pins. Like, a pin per week I’m here. Some of them are really cute... it would be an investment... but I think I like them enough to make them worth it. We’ll see.

We also looked in TrenD which is a really cute shop selling cool girl clothes. There’s a top in there, a slouchey thin wool one with Minnie on the front, off the shoulder which I’ve definitely got my eye on.

Once we’d roamed for a while and been to the toilet about 20 times (Kat is pregnant so the baby must have been kicking her bladder or something, I don’t know...) we walked to the bus stop. Steven, Taryn and AJ were there. The boys looked like they were about to vomit. No joke. Their stomachs were puffed right out like those starving people in Africa and they were in actual food comas, really dopey. I’ve never seen anything like it. It turns out they’d ordered a main each PLUS a ‘side’ of ribs, which naturally is massive as we are in America and everything is. Because they are boys and boys never want to let down the side, they’d eaten it all and were really ill. Haha. Hilare.

Went to DTD again today as it was Kathryn Martin’s birthday, hooray! We went to TREX, but I’d already eaten so me and Sexy Rich Elliot just had dessert. I was thinking about going to House of Blues afterwards with Louise and some others. However, Sexy Rich knocked an entire glass of ice cold water all over me, in the ice-cold air conditioned restaurant and as I was wearing denim, I didn’t dry off at all L My bum is still freezing cold now, even though I’ve had a hot shower and are in my pyjamas. I only let him off because he’s so sexy.

Anyways, we all got home safe and I’m going to jump into bed now so I’m fresh and ready for work tomorrow. Wish me luck!

gabriellasofia

Finding 'Home'!

20^th June 6.00am (ish) UK Time... 1.00am (ish) US Time...

Phew! I’ve made it. Finally!!!

So where did I leave off? As soon as the shuttle arrived, the doors opened and Summa was there, a girl I met at my visa interview, with a bunch of friends. Thank Baby Jesus for that. I wouldn’t be on my own on the way to Vista Way REJOICE!!!

I’d managed to get in touch with Vikki and Bethan in the meantime and discovered they would be living at Chatham along with a bunch of other people from my flight and I just thought, ‘Oh God. I’m going to be all by myself because I’ve arrived later than everyone else. Great.’

There was a proper full-on Thunder Storm Extreme occurring which was a beautiful welcome into Orlando as you can imagine... The shuttle journey was kind of uneventful as I was just shattered and I’d had such a nightmare at the airport that I really needed a quiet moment or two. As we got closer to Vista Way I started to see places I know or know of, like Hooters, Applebees, Bahama Breeze, Cici’s and Olive Garden. Yes, they are all restaurants.

As we pulled up to Vista Way I started to mentally psyche myself up to move again and when we saw the ‘Welcome Centre’ I got a bit excited. We had to put our suitcases in this kind of holding pen while we checked in with some of the staff. There were us Brits then a few Turkish and French people. In fact, there was a rather delicious young man named ‘Clement’ from France who I immediately clocked... le yum.

We were ushered into this room where it was hard to ignore the fact that there were apples, and oranges and cookies on the tables and an ice-cold water fountain in the corner of the room. I was so thankful... my mouth really needed to taste something other than just my tongue. We received a little blue tote bag with an envelope in it... in the envelope was my key... to... my... flat... at... CHATHAM SQUARE!!! Woot woot! The first thing that had gone right all day, I would be with Vikki and Bethan and Louise and everyone I love... well, not everyone as I soon found out that Kristian and Sexy Rich Elliot are over at Vista, but then two out of about 20 ain’t bad right? Beggers can’t be choosers and all that.

So what happened next? Well, I had to get from Vista to Chatham, right? So this meant I had to move my suitcases (after taking a handful of cookies and apples for the ride... I didn’t know when I would next see real food ok???) to this mini-van where Clement helped me load them in. Then we all jumped in and had a bit of a tour of Vista before heading over to Chatham. I was getting really nervous to meet my room-mates. Although not nervous enough not to, ‘Switch le numbers’ avec Clement. Haha, we agreed to head to Walmart together in about an hour after arriving and he said he would text me. His friend Virginie said she would come too. Totally ruining our little food-shopping-date but whatever, she’s pretty sweet so I didn’t mind... Clement is the boy in the background with the hat at a jaunty French angle...

We made it to my flat about halfway en route to dropping everyone off... Apartment 17210 baby YEAHHH! The driver guy helped me... well... carried my bags up the stairs for me as I’m one floor above ground level, knocked on the door then unlocked it for me. And who should I find but Taryn Whitman from Wales who I met at the interviews! What a coincidence! So it’s just me and Taryn in this massive one bedroom apartment which I was initially a bit disappointed with, only because I really wanted to get the experience of sharing a flat with other cultures and having a bit more of a party atmosphere. But in hindsight I think it’s going to be pretty sound. We’re both quite easy going and really don’t have much to complain about. I really doubt she’ll cause any trouble with drinking or partying until the early hours or bringing strange men back, so I’m onto a winner J

I kind of ditched my stuff then me and her headed out for Walmart to meet Clement and Virginie. This is after making sure I had this yellow slip of paper, my passport and my keys as we need all these to get onto the busses and into the complex until we get our housing ID’s tomorrow.

Vikki was at the bus stop with a bunch of other Brits, so unfortunately I kind of migrated away from Hottie McFrench-Alot but this was fine. We jumped on the bus and half an hour later we were at Walmart. Just before we’d left for the supermarket I’d spoken to Bethan who was already there and she really didn’t seem happy with her flat L As we were getting off the bus I saw her getting on and I kind of gave her a squeeze (oo-er) and said I hoped everything would be ok. I felt bad that I couldn’t stop and talk it over with her really, but she was with Louise and Emma so I knew she was in good hands and I didn’t want to lose Vikki again like I had at the airport!

Me, Vikki and Taryn shared a trolley and we ended up with so much stuff... It doesn’t help that everything is so much bigger in this country than in England... Here is what I had when I got back:

Very healthy as you can tell. Carrying all the food in was an absolute task. Vikki’s flatmate Heather even had to get some randoms to help her carry all her stuff as she’d bought water.

Vikki and Heather have only just left now actually, as I’d taken one of Vikki’s bags by mistake and since it was the bag with her Milka and Snickers she really couldn’t go one night without it. Addict. Yes, her and Taryn were fascinated by the English food aisle... LES CADBURIES FINGERES!!! THEY TASTE THE SAME... THEY TASTE exactly THE SAME!!!

Anyway, I have a big old bunch of stuff to do tomorrow and since I’ve been awake for about 26 hours, I really think it’s for the best that I get some sleep.

Take care and stay tuned!

gabriellasofia