Can You Hear It?

I have adjusted almost flawlessly to saying nothing while working.  There have been a few slip ups. A few laughs, a few "oh!"s.
Being quiet is just natural now.  It's fun to interact by saying nothing.
Most times, the guests do the speaking for us,
sometimes it's our attendant,
maybe even a chatty PhotoPass.

There are those interactions when the guest doesn't say anyting at all. It's rare, but not a big deal to us performers.

Yesterday, while I was friends with Minnie at Magic Kingdom, a cute little girl walked up to us holding a Mickey Mouse doll that was almost the same size as her. She started pointing at the doll's nose, then to Mickey's nose, and did the same thing with the ears and buttons. Then she pointed at the doll's yellow shoes and looked super confused with Mickey's black shoes.  My Mickey scratched his head and looked at his shoes, that was when I jumped up with my hand in the air and pointed to my yellow heels. The girl smiled, and we jestured to have her stand and take a picture with us.  Keep in mind this entire interaction was silent.

We get her into position, and I finally look up to the parents. This is when I notice the mom standing over in the corner ASLing up a storm. Then it dawns on me, "Oh my gosh! This sweet little girl is deaf!"  We take our pictures, and then I kneel down and throw the ASL sign for I Love You out there, and her face lights up! She returns the sign, and did something so sweet. She touched her ASL I Love You to mine, and then did the same to Mickey.

It was so incredibly sweet. Such an amazing experience.

Then, I kid you not, ten minutes later, we get a small boy with a Cochlear Implant. His mom and dad are also signing to him, though they are speaking to him as well. I did the I Love You sign with him, and he smiled and nodded.

It was such a great set, and it also made me realize how much I appreciate my hearing ability.

Have a Magical Day!
~Courtney

Good, Good Life

I have the firm belief that every day here is a very good day, regardless of what I do. Yesterday is probably the 'goodest' day I've had here to date.  Leslie and I both had the day off, which is a rare occassion, let me tell you.
We went to EPCOT and checked off quite a few things from our list of things to do together.

Here's a photographic breakdown of our epic day

First:
  I finally ate Fish 'N Chips at the United Kingdom Pavilion (minus the chips, saved 2 dollars)

Were they the most amazing battered fish fillets I've ever had? No. But they were yummy none the less, and I ate every single bit of them.

Second:
  Leslie, Jenna and I met Mary Poppins!  Unfortunately her eyes are closed in every single picture. Oh well. She was wonderful and I loved her British accent.

Third:
   We finally got around to doing a Kim Possible Mission. We picked the UK mission for the sole purpose of getting a golf ball from inside a red telephone booth.  Here's a shot of each of us with our Kimmunicator that Wade talked to us through.

Fourth:
  Leslie and I met Aladdin and Jasmine, and Belle and the Beast. Check four more characters off my to meet list!

Fifth:
   We explored the Japan Pavilion where we both tried on beautiful silk Kimonos.  I came this close (holds thumb and pointer finger very close to each other) to buying the one I had on, but $87 is kinda pricey, so I decided against it

Sixth:
  We had a flash back to our high school years, and had a random photo session.  Such memories.

Seventh:
  We had the No Way Jose Sunday that is famously popular among College Progammers. It's served at Beaches N' Cream, the cutest little ice cream shop located in the Beach Resort.

 It was yummy. Melted peanut butter, hot fudge, vanilla and chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, whipped cream. Yes please.

 Here are our sick faces afterwards. Eat too much? Maybe a little.

Great day, right?

~Courtney

China, Anyone?

Due to technical difficulties, I have to write my entry down here, as opposed to at the top like I usually do.

Kiara and I spent the evening in China at EPCOT.  We had amazing seats to the Jeweled Dragon Acrobats Show, where the girl in pink turned herself into an octopus, and the girl in yellow managed to twirl massive pillows AND flip a table around using her feet.  Chinese people are amazing.

Then we spent quite a while in the China shops. Kiara and I attempted spinning plates on sticks. I came really close, but Kiara successfully did it. In that picture, the plate is spinning really fast, even though it looks like it's just sitting there.

Not to mention the Chinese' obsession with fat cats. That gave me quite a few giggles.

The next day, my friend Naomi and I went and ate at the China quick service. She has all the pictures, as I forgot my camera.  We both ordered orange chicken, and let me tell you, best orange chicken I've ever had outside of Panda Express.  Panda holds a dear spot in my heart. Love them.

EPCOT is quickly becoming my favorite park. It's so fun to explore all the different architectural designs and see the performers in each pavilion.

~Courtney

And Then, Reality Slaps You In The Face

Hello readers.

Have you ever read my about me info box?
It's located right there --------------->

Anyway.

I got my third nursing school rejection today.

You would think after a few times it stings less. Let me tell you, friends. It just keeps on stinging.

~Courtney

Here piggy, piggy, Piglet!

One of the few places you can find Piglet is at Crystal Palace Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom.  I've been friends with Piglet for the past two days, and I can honestly say, Piglet is no fun. Honestly, his vision sucks, his mouth ripped up my chin, he's crazy sweaty and to top it off, he has no depth perception.

Not to mention Crystal Palace is a confusing mess of tables, mirrors and poles. Character dining has been very straightforward and easy for me so far, but Crystal just killed me! I couldn't understand table rotation, and my attendants had to baby me during every set. Fortunately for me, Piglet is a timid character, so having grown men holding Piglet's hand all day long was semi acceptable. Whenever I lost my attendant, i would get immediately lost, not know what direction i'm supposed to be going, and which tables i have actually seen.

I don't swear. I never have, I never will. But today, I came soooo close to swearing multiple times. I would somehow manage to get myself stuck in a corner, and with Piglet's crummy vision, I wouldn't be able to find a way out. I would have to turn in circles for minutes on end until my attendant would come to my rescue.

All in all, today and yesterday's shifts have been my least favorite shifts to date.

Lucky for me, I was disapproved as Piglet because of that whole Piglet's mouth shredded up my chin and lips. The Magic Kingdom costuming manager came in today and had me try on every single Piglet head they have, and every one had the same problem. My chin and lips are just too big for his head. So i am officially disapproved, meaning I will never be scheduled as Piglet again. (hopefully) Which means I won't ever have to work at Crystal Palace again!

Huzzah!
~Courtney