So today was my first day on my own! No trainers and no training group! I was super nervous this morning. Let's just go through my whole day, shall we?
I was supposed to be at work at 12 today. That means I had to catch a bus at 11:06 to Epcot, so I needed to leave the apartment by 10:50 to make it on time. I woke up with plenty of time to eat, pack my lunch, wash my face, and head to the bus stop. Only one tiny little problem.... Anyone heard of this little weather problem named Isaac? If you haven't, I will fill you in. Isaac is a hurricane. I have no experience with hurricanes. By the time it reached us, it was more of just a big rain storm with a lot of wind. Unfortunately, it brought a tornado warning with it, in effect until 11 AM this morning. Remember how I said I was supposed to walk to the bus at 10:50? Uh, yeah right! Instead, I spent about 20 minutes pacing in my apartment, checking Facebook, checking my email, checking the Hub (Disney employee website thingy), and checking the weather. I ended up driving to work and was about 30 minutes early which is perfect.
From 12 to 12:30 I was supposed to have a costume fitting. This fitting lasted all of 30 seconds. The costuming manager took one look at me and knew I was too small. I was kind of bummed because the costume was for the Duffy Bear! He is so cute! But, I would rather be in costumes that fit! After that, I pulled my costume for the day, went to warm-ups, got in a cool little van, and headed to my off-set location! Today I was friends with Pooh again. I told you he and I would be spending a lot of time together! This experience was very different because I got to hang out with Tigger too! Tigger is pretty funny. And people sure do like him! I had 5 sets today. The first set was 30 minutes and the other four were 45 minutes each. Yikes. The only sets I had done before today were 20 minutes at the most. Just another reason I was so nervous today!
Now for the best part: Memorable kids of the day! There are a few this time. Hopefully I remember them all! Alright. First kid. There was this precious little boy who kept kissing my nose! Normally, kids don't do this. But this kid just kept doing it! He would hug me, look up at me, back away about 5 inches, push my nose down very gently, and then give me a kiss on the nose! It was the sweetest thing. I wanted to keep him! He was probably 3 years old or so. He made me a very happy camper. Then, there was a baby girl. Her dad was holding her and he brought her over to give me a hug. She didn't really go for the hugging, which I understand. So we all posed for a picture. For this particular picture, I put both of my hands up to my mouth. The little girl was on my right, in her dad's arms. After the first flash of the camera, I feel her hands on my face, so I slide my hands over toward her and she holds onto my hands for the rest of the pictures! She was so adorable. It makes me feel good to have kids like me now! The last memorable child I want to talk about was not nearly as excited about Pooh as he was about Tigger! This boy was also a toddler. As soon as it was his turn, he ran straight for Tigger, who knelt down on one knee to catch him! It took him at least 30 seconds to decide he could let go. I think this is mostly because his parents kept saying, "Hey, why don't you give Pooh a hug, too?" So he let go, turned around, hugged me for a couple seconds, and then went right back to Tigger! He sure did love Tigger. This time, he didn't forget about me. He turned back around to hug me and then went back to Tigger. He must have done this at least 6 times. I almost started giggling in my costume. I just couldn't help it. Here was this little boy SO EXCITED to see Tigger! It was so cute. The only other kid that really stood out wasn't memorable for a good reason. He put a Mickey sticker on my nose, so I pulled it off and put it on his nose, so he put it on the back of my sweater. Little punk. I knew he did it, too. He did that thing where you rub your hand on someone's back so you can put a "kick me" sign or something on their back. If I could have reached my back or had a spare sticker within reach, I would have done it to him on the way out.
If someone had told me just how difficult this job would be before I auditioned, I honestly think there is a good chance I wouldn't have done it. I would have been really scared. I'm starting to have back problems that are only getting worse instead of easing up. I have to carry a 40 pound bag with me everywhere I go that is bigger around than my arms can reach. The costume is so heavy on my body and it is so hard to see and move around while wearing it. There are times that my body feels so stiff that I almost start crying. That being said, I don't regret my decision to take on this challenge. As I have said before, I know that it is so rewarding. It is so much fun to see little kids get excited to see you! Even though you aren't you. You are this character that they see on TV, or in their books, or as that one stuffed animal they sleep with every night. I honestly think this is the craziest job I will ever have.
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