Allspice & Acrylics: So what's it like to work at Disney World?

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

- Walt Disney

I could not be more excited to feature this guest post from Jocelyn, who runs the amazing blog https://inspirepassport.wordpress.com/ where "The world is your oyster, adventure awaits"- I had some fun adventures on my honeymoon last week, but I think my next vacation will be back in the land of pixie dust - Disneyworld - where I can proudly say I've visited 22 times!

I'm a bit jealous - she got to WORK at Disneyworld. They can PAY you to stay there? I think I found a new calling...thanks Jocelyn for bringing back some wonderful nostalgia, and tell me after you read this, do you still think Disney World is just for kids?

What is your favorite vacation spot? Shoot me a comment - I'd love to round up some recommendations for my next Newsletter - you can subscribe at amyoes.com :)

Life is made up of different points of view. It is how the world moves and creates, how it innovates and inspires. This is the story of how I learned to start seeing with a new point of view. It’s only a small portion of a much greater story but it contains parts that really, truly resonated with me. It also contains just a touch of pixie dust.

2013 was a big year for me. I moved cross-country at barely 21, worked a full-time job and traveled between 11 different countries all while staying within the city of Orlando, otherwise known as being a participant of the Disney College Program at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Dreams were made and magic was witnessed every day for 7 and a half months. Because I worked in the Magic Kingdom, I was going to the parks ALL THE TIME. That gift, that blessing allowed me to experience the parks in a more up-close, detailed way. It also allowed my father to remind me that I was hurting myself by going to the parks so much. He was right. I went ride-deprived for 7 months after my Florida program ended. First world problems, right?

While I may be a rollercoaster/theme park ride junkie, I am also the type of person who LOVES to just explore and check out the little details that make up places (boardwalks, theme parks, art festivals, food festivals, etc).

The World Showcase at Epcot is a place that fits right up my alley. With buildings and landscaping that match the named country, it gave me a chance to do something I’ve always wanted to do: Travel the world.

I loved walking through the World Showcase. If I had the day off from work, I’d make a day of it. I would start over in Canada when the Showcase opened and I would always, always, always start my trip with a viewing of the O Canada film starring Martin Short (starring? Hosted by?). The 360 theater gave me a regular chance to view some of Canada’s most beautiful landscapes and cities (which is now permanently on my list of places to visit).

From Canada, I would walk through the UK pavilion, sometimes stopping by to get some fish and chips. Morocco followed and what was special about Morocco was the fact that if you walked far enough into the pavilion, it felt as if you left America. You were in a totally immersive place.
France was one of my favorite pavilions to visit. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to go to, the food is divine (those eclairs…) and I spent small portions of each visit reading the cookbooks.
I really could continue to take you through the rest of a visit to the World Showcase but I won’t (send me an email if you so desire) because there are other things I want to share.

Being a part of the College Program, I was learning how to see the world from a new point of view. I was surrounded by art, talented people and a creative company. I was in Florida during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival (where my money went to the Ireland and Scotland booths) and for the Festival of the Masters in Downtown Disney, now called Disney Springs.

I can cook, I can draw, I can take photos. I’m not very good at any of those, not where I would want to sell my work to people. But being around all that creativity, I was inspired. Whether it was reading the cookbooks or eating the Scottish Seared Salmon or the Fisherman’s Seafood Pie (besides making me want more), it had me thinking about working on my culinary skills. Walking through the booths at the Festival of the Masters had me thinking about improving my visual art skills. Experiencing either festival made me want to seek out similar events, to get new ideas and see the world through the eyes of people I have never even met yet.

Unfortunately my program ended in January of 2014 and I returned to school. But that creative fire had been lit and it’s been burning ever since. After completing more time in school, I applied and was accepted to a second program in Anaheim, California. Here I have found more art and creativity and I am surrounded by some of the most amazingly talented people that I have ever met. My journey through my first program got me started on a creative path that I now share on my blog, inspire Passport, and I am constantly trying to see the world with a new point of view, even if that point of view contains just a touch of pixie dust.