Catching Up

Hi everyone!

It's been...a while since I last posted, to say the least.  And a lot has happened between now and Thanksgiving.  So I thought I'd share more about what I've been doing with the company.

My internship as a Conservation Education Presenter ended on January 27th.  As you saw/read from my posts throughout the summer and fall, it was an amazing experience and a fantastic intro into working for The Walt Disney Company.  I know I've told some people, but one of my fears coming down to Florida to work for the company that is responsible for some of my favorite things in the world was that as a cast member (CM), I'd discover some dark secrets that Disney successfully keeps from guests.  I've been a CM for 10 months now, and my love for the company has only grown.

Right after my internship ended, I moved to the Wild Africa Trek (WAT) team.  WAT has been wonderful so far.  I trained for about two weeks, and since then have been a full-time CM.  I'm on a temporary assignment right now with no definite end date.  A quick overview of what WAT is: it's a three-hour guided experience through the Africa area of Disney's Animal Kingdom.  We start by walking through the village of Harambe to reach our own private trail.  Then we clip into a cliffhanger that lets you look out over the hippos while we chat with one of their keepers.  We get to take guests across two suspension bridges that go over hippos and crocodiles before clipping in again for an up-close view of the crocodiles.  Following a guided tour of the savanna, we stop for a snack on the boma (a viewing platform in the middle of the savanna).  We then finish our guided tour through another part of the savanna, and bring everyone back to the village.  The photos below are from my first day on the team, during which I got to experience WAT as a guest before officially starting to train. It was wet. And cold. But still awesome.

Clipped in and checking out a training session with Henry and Hans (father and son hippos at the park)

Crossing the bridges

I swear those are crocodiles in the water below me--it was just a cold day and their water stays at a constant temperature (so it was warm for them that day)

See? Wet and cold. 

There is a lot more that happens behind the scenes for an operation like WAT to function than I realized.  As a guide, I can be taking guests out on trek, helping make sure that the right food gets on the right truck, greeting guests and helping get them checked in, helping get guests into harnesses, or any one of a number of other things.  There's never a dull moment, and I love being part of a team that provides a once in a lifetime experience.

As for housing, I've moved into a new apartment in Davenport, FL with two awesome roommates, so all is well there too!

That's enough for one post--I'm planning to do a few more covering some other things that have happened in the past few months soon!

Bye!