Heigh-Ho

Evening Everyone!

Just a small update tonight, nothing major or that exciting really, just thought I’d add another blog to me list. Plus, I’m bored. So I paid my U.S Non Immigrant Visa Application Fee for my J1 Visa interview today whilst I was at uni. I could have done it earlier since there’s an Australia Post down the road from me, literally like 30 seconds drive, but he is the dumbest slowest person on earth and I would have probably paid for some other Visa fee for some unknown country or something. At least I figured the Australia Post at Griffith University would more likely have more people paying this type of stuff. Anyway, $140 dollars later I received a VERY important receipt that I cannot lose. I was kind of expecting a special receipt or something along the special/unique lines, but no. It’s literally an Aus Post receipt. To decrease my likelihood of losing this receipt I’ve put it in an envelope, which is in another folder. Whilst I was at the Post Office I bought the Australia Express Post Platinum 500g bag.

I swear I read on the Australia Post website that it’d be $35.00 but it ended up being $13 something. Oh well, better to be under the assumed cost than over!

The other day when my countdown hit the 70s I had a mild heart/panic attack. Mainly because I realised I’d started the countdown in the 200s now I’m in two digits. BUT it was a positive panic attack (an excitement attack?) since I was going over and over to myself “omg this has always been a dream of mine”, “I’M GONNA BE WORKING FOR DISNEY”, stuff like that. I submitted my last assignments ever (well they better be) last Thursday, now only exams stop me from celebrating the end of university, plus one week of classes still remaining. I’ll tell you now, if I fail something this semester, it’s never happened before so knock on wood, I most likely will not be going back for that subject. Sounds silly, but that’s how much I dislike university. At the moment, and the next few weeks, it’s been work work uni work over and over. It bores me till no end.

That’s all for this evening. 7 weeks until I quit my current job, 76 days until I leave Australia and 79 until the program start date!

Until next time!~

A Spoonful of Sugar

Hello Again!

Yes, it finally came! I took the whole day off uni yesterday (Thursday) – I’m usually there from 9am to 6pm (if I stay for lectures…) but I wasn’t taking any chances since no one would be home all day today (Friday). I attempted to continue and adjust my university assignments – my last two ever – but my brain could not focus. I was getting very impatient and would run to the window next to the front door each time I heard something, which was usually nothing. After working out that I could have gone to uni for my tutorials and be back by now I got a knock at the door! I jumped up from my desk and ran to the door, only to be partly disappointed – my Amazon eBook Kindle thing arrived. At least now I had something to occupy myself with.

Then Jen rang and we decided to book our Visa appointments. My Kindle was charging so there wasn’t much to do with it, plus the 3G network thing wasn’t working so I gave up on it. Anyway I started the whole process of getting a PIN access thing and…. Knock knock knock. Again I jumped up and this time it was Fedex! It was as if I really had a spoonful of sugar (see what I did there?), I was boncing around the place.

BUT, I couldn’t open it. Jen wanted to get the Visa appointment sorted and I was halfway doing my pin thing, so it sat on my lap for another hour unopened – the things I do for friends! Haha! Eventually we got it sorted and have an appointment at 10:15am on November 3^rd. I then figured it’d probably be best to book flights now just in case. So I booked for both of us, we leave the Gold Coast Airport at 6am. Bleh. But it gives us enough time to arrive and get to the embassy before our appointment.

After sorting all that out I ditched Jen to go open my Disney Pack! And this wonderful folder greeted me:

It came with many important documents that I CANNOT ‘misplace’. So they’ve gone straight into my important drawer. What came in the pack exactly? Why don’t I tell you using my favourite dot points:

      The Disney Look Book

      Welcome/Congratulations Letter

      DS-2019 Form and instructions to pay SEVIS fee

      Arrival and Departure Record Form

      Instructions for the Arrival and Departure Record Form

The welcome letter gave us our applicant number, welcome speech and a description of our responsibilities involved with our particular roles – so in my case Character Performer/Operations. I made a blog post a few posts back of when Jen and I got to buzz Jeni with our questions, one of mine being what do the auditions contain and when do I find out when they are, in which she responded there were none. I did find this odd at the time, so maybe I misheard since in the welcome letter the first sentence for my Character Performer role starts with “pending the results of your audition”, so there are auditions, which does make sense since how would they know we can actually portray characters without an audition? Luckily I bought Wii Just Dance! Try and help me with my lack of talent for dancing. I’m a little worried about the animation part, since I don’t know exactly what they’re after – just smile if all else fails! Anyway, my pay rate for Character Performer is $8.25 an hour, which is the highest I’ve seen for International College Program members. My other position for the last six months – Operations – would have me placed in either Attractions or Main Entrance Operations, which I obviously find out when we switch roles. My pay rate for this one is $7.31. I’m taking over a reasonable amount of dollars for back up and for my holiday after the program so it’s all manageable.

Oh and it also says when the commencement of actually work – first paying day – is which is January 11, 2012 according to this letter. So I’m assuming we have a few days where we can settle in, and maybe traditions will be combined with the Americans that arrive on the 9^th? Who really knows… I’m thinking of purchasing my insurance this weekend, I’ve been putting it off since it’s a big chunk of money (at least it is for me), but I’d like to have it by the time of the Visa interview, just in case, because I’m paranoid like that. I’m probably going with itrek insurance, I’ve heard/seen a lot of good reviews from this insurance company plus it’s the only one I’ve found that can do up to 18 months coverage, which is great (I’ll be needing 13 months since I’ll be travelling afterwards).

This has been a very long post, congrats if you’ve made it all the way through. I have work at 12pm. It’s always the downer of my day; I cannot stand my current job, nine weeks until I leave that place! Not that I’m counting… I’m taking three weeks off before I leave where I won’t be working so I have some form of relaxation period. Plus I can afford it, haha. To be honest if it weren’t for me going to America and trying to save, I wouldn’t even be at this current job still. Anyway, enough of the boring stuff that always manages to make me feel all angry inside. Countdown is at 9 weeks until I finish at my current job, 89 days until I depart Australia and 92 days until the program start date!

Try and have a magical day for me, since I won’t be having one!~

Something There?

Hello Blog Readers (if there are any)!

A new month already? Wow. Not that I’m complaining – one step closer to leaving! Countdown is at 92 days until I depart Australia, 95 days until I check in and it all becomes a reality! I’ve decided to do another blog post, not because anything has happened yet, but because of the fact that nothing has happened yet. I literally had to read that sentence 5 times to make sure I made some form of sense. You see…I’m a very impatient person. Especially when everyone is getting what I’m waiting for. The questions that enter my head each day: “Today? Will it arrive today? Maybe today?” What am I going on about you say? The Welcome Pack! A lot of people who have received theirs already said there’s not much, but I’m sure I’ll sit there and stare at it for a while, read the ‘Look Book’ several times – basically be the Disney nerd that I am.

This Saturday we’re having another little gathering with Jen, Nadine, Alice and Jessie. This time bowling and Hog’s Breath dinner, perhaps I should start preparing myself for the embarrassment that awaits me. I can’t bowl to save my life. At least it will be amusing I suppose/hope.

Hopefully tomorrow the Welcome Pack will arrive. I’m sick of this waiting game. At least I’ll be home tomorrow to sign for the delivery!

Have a magical afternoon!~