Travel Plans, Flights and Packing

Hullo Readers!

I was talking to Jen just before about when we’re going to meet each other at the airport, where, how many bags we’re taking, and what we’re taking on the plane with us. Which got me wanting to make a blog post about it all, sounds silly and pointless, but it’ll get it off my mind. And who knows, it may help someone somewhere.

To begin: As we have an international flight (obviously) we have to be at the airport and checked in at least two hours before the departure time. One hour before the flight departs, there’s an announcement which asks travellers to go down the next level to go through security. This is where we will be leaving our friends and family as they can’t come down with us. So, it will be a teary moment I’m sure. We’re meeting each other at 8am, saying 7:45am to parents etc since I don’t want to be stuck in traffic and dad likes to take his time getting ready to leave – it’s true daddy, we just take it into our plans now, haha. Anyway, arriving at that time allows us to check in and hopefully chose the seats we want, and to allow my predicable anxious self enough time. I like to be early. And when it comes to flights, ridiculously early. This is at the Brisbane International Airport; it’s slightly different to Sydney International, but pretty much the same time allotments.

On my travels I’m taking a handbag, it’s large enough to fit my laptop, Amazon Kindle, iPod, important documents – oh and socks! Long flights with the air conditioning on get chilly. Then onboard I’ll be taking a cabin sized suitcase that’ll go into the overhead locker. I’ll just be putting my wool coat and boots in I think, my coat will definitely be warm enough for LA and boots are just in case – plus saves room in my big suitcase. I’ll be wearing leggings, loose dress and taking a cardigan so I’ll be comfortable for the flight. Maybe this time round I’ll be able to sleep on the plane. Last time, when I went to London, I only dosed off a few times. I couldn’t sleep because I was cold and my head kept slipping of the head rest thing, haha. I’m getting a neck pillow for Christmas – boosting my chances of sleep! I got really bad jet lag last time and I think a lot had to do with not much sleep. First night in London my brother and I were asleep by 6:30pm!

Brisbane International Airport is boring. On the departures level there’s food, but crap quality. I’ve learnt not to eat anywhere there. I’m wondering how long it will take Jen and I to get through customs at LAX, I heard that it can literally take hours, but then again ICPs (International College Program students) who have already gone over to America haven’t had trouble getting through. Fingers crossed it’s the same for us!

Okay, so packing. Again, this won’t be interesting for those who are just reading for whatever reason, but it may help current and future ICPs. And I guess if I’ve missed anything important someone may be kind enough to comment! I’ve split it into categories of Handbag, Cabin Bag and Suitcase.

                Handbag

      Passport (which includes Visa)

      Disney Documents (Receipts, On-Boarding Documents etc)

      Documents for Entering America (DS-2019, I-94, Certificate of Insurance)

      Wallet (Travel Card, Debit Card, ID Card)

      STA Travel Vouchers (Accommodation, Transfer)

      STA Travel Itinerary

      Travel Diary

      Laptop

      Amazon Kindle

      iPod

      Camera

      Socks

      Cardigan

      Phone (with international sim card)

      Maps (LAX – I’ll get lost, Orlando, LA)

      Pain Killers (in case of headache)

      Make Up (If I don’t get sleep, I will look more like hell)

Cabin Bag

      Wool Coat

      Boots

      What can’t fit in my suitcase…

Suitcase

      Clothes (not many, it’s cheap to buy pretty much a new wardrobe)

      Chargers (Phone, Laptop, Camera, iPod, Kindle)

      Powerpoint Converters

      External Hard-drive

      Hair Straightener? (Still deciding to take one since I’ll be buying one eventually over there)

      Traditions Clothing & Shoes

      Toiletries

      Heels (My plain black ones are the most comfy heels known to humans)

My actual list is two pages, where I have typed out exactly what clothes I’m taking etc. Yes, I can be OCD.

That covers this post. It’s almost Christmas and there is still a few more presents to buy! We’ll be finishing that off tomorrow. For now we sit at 14 days, 15 sleeps.

Have a great night/day, and until next time!~

Almost There

Afternoon!

Now, I haven’t neglected the blog, I don’t plan on ever doing that – especially seeing as my family will have the link when I leave so they can see what I’ve been up to and therefore I won’t have to repeat myself. Much. There hasn’t been anything happening concerning the Disney front, I’ve received one email about choosing education classes last week (or maybe it was this week?) but that was information I already knew since I had already selected my class that I’ll be attending whilst there. I can’t remember if I mention in the last blog post what class I chose, but it’s one of the Exploration Series, which is a no assignments/exams class – perfect, I didn’t want to ever see an exam ever again. I chose the Exploring Disney Heritage class, which will be on Tuesdays at 4pm, I think, over in Chatham Square. Oh, and in that last email my job title changed. I’m pretty sure Attractions and Operations are the same thing. Unless attractions cut out parking etc? But instead of my job title being Character Performer/Operations, it’s Character Performer/Attractions. Nothing major, well at least I doubt it is. I guess I’ll find out when the time comes to switch positions.

I finished my last day of work in Australia (at least until I get back) on Friday (9^th) best feeling ever! I came home and threw out my work shoes seeing as they had long past their use by date (they had holes in the bottom of them). Now I’m free to relax and be lazy for the next 3 and a bit weeks! Mum finishes for her Christmas break on Wednesday, so I won’t be home alone for most of it.

Whenever I think about the fact that January is the next month, which means I’ll be in America, I freak out a tad. And when we set up the Christmas tree mum pointed out I won’t be here to do that next year. First time in like 18 years (I doubt I helped when I was 1 or 2… ) they will definitely miss me and my bossy ways of telling my brother where to place things on the tree…

Our Christmas Tree

Not much left to do now! I’ve got majority of stuff from my ‘need to buy before I leave’ list. Others I think I’m getting for Christmas. Not too sure, will have to work that one out I guess. And I’ve saved up as much as I can. So I’m pretty much set to go!

I doubt there will be anything concerning Disney before I leave, maybe a last email from Disney just re-sending start dates and stuff. 24 days until I leave and 27 until check in! Not long now.

Until next time!~

All in the Golden Afternoon

Hello All!

I know it hasn’t been long since my last post, but I’ve done a few more things since then concerning Disney, that is – I’ve finished paying everything! Yay! Well, at least everything that needs to be paid before my departure. Saturday night I paid my Program Assessment Fee, which is $100 that goes towards the events and such held for program participants. Their advice at the presentation was – go to them and eat as much food as you can. So, we’ll see if I do just that. It was actually $104.50 including the rate to use credit card or something. But seeing as the Aussie dollar was strong when I paid for it, it only totalled to $101 something.

This afternoon I finally paid my insurance, just a tad scary, not sure why I was scared of pressing that ‘purchase’ button. I never have troubles when paying for flights when they’re more expensive than this. But it’s done and I’ve got the certificate. The copy on my computer and the four print outs of that certificate, because I worry like that. I ended up going with itrek insurance. It’s the only insurance company that I could find that would go over the 12 months, which I need after the program for travelling and getting home. For $0 excess 13 months it was $950.01 also an amazing price seeing as people have gotten insurance for that price or more for only 12 months.

Also, I was meant to post pictures of my travel diary that I bought from Smiggle the other week. I love it. I do warn, the pictures are of poor quality since I used my old camera, my new camera battery was dead.



Front Cover





Map inside the front cover



Example of the pages inside

Back pocket for receipts and small notes

I can’t wait to use it!

And on another note, I received my forms back from the consulate with my passport and the visa inside! That’s all for now, not much of an update and there probably won’t be many more from now until closer to the departure date or when I’m actually over in America. I suppose we shall see.

60 days until check in and 57 days until I depart Australia!

Until next time, have a wonderful night!~

P.S. Someone also ran into my car at the car park at work today. Joyous. Not the best timing in the world.

Hakuna Matata

Evening All,

I’m not sure yet whether this will be an extensive post or not, I suppose we’ll find out. So Wednesday and Thursday this week (2^nd and 3^rd of November) I had some ‘Disney’ activities – best way I can describe them together. Wednesday I met up with some of the girls that are going to Disney and we went to Dreamworld – thanks to the generous Jen! We had a big day with many laughs – especially on the first ride. It was a fantastic day; I had a lot of fun, which drained all my energy. I stayed at Jen’s for the night as, again, she was wonderful enough to take me along with her to the Gold Coast Airport the next morning (was about $40 cheaper each ticket than going from Brisbane Airport).

We had to get up at 3am.

That was a bit of a struggle, but we were ready in half an hour, which is a massive achievement seeing as I think I was half asleep whilst applying my make-up. So we get on the plane – we flew with Virgin Australia – and after being put in holding for 20 minutes, we landed in Sydney. After racing out of the plane since we were worried we were going to be late, we caught the train from the airport - $23 return for an adult (they don’t accept any other state student cards) – and got off at St James. Then we had a bit of a panic since we couldn’t find the building. One said MLC in red on it, but it was nowhere near at least 59 floors, but after following Jen’s directions we got there…it was straight across from the small building with MLC on it.

First we had to go up to floor 10 to go through security, left our bags at security and get some stamps on our receipts. We waited for the guard to call us over to the elevator – whilst waiting we met a cheerful American; I think he’s the only person that knows where WDW is. Seeing as whenever I say ‘yeah I’ll be working for Walt Disney World’ they think that I’ll be living in Los Angeles.  Then again, I kind of expect Americans to know the difference… Anyway, we go up to level 59, get our passports checked again, then go into a room with booths along the back wall, some areas marked out for waiting lines, and chairs to sit in while you wait.

After obtaining a ticket from the machine, you had to go wait in the stand up line to get your documents checked (and entered I think) and get your finger prints taken. Once that was all done we waited in the middle of the long room to be called to one of two booths to have our interview. When my number was finally called, I only had three questions to answer – I would have had four if Jen hadn’t gone before me – I was asked: Whether I had worked or lived in America before, What university I attend, and whether I will have graduated by the time I go over of not. Once I was approved, I went over to the cashier and paid the fee and I was done!

Pretty simple, seems silly that I was getting really nervous when waiting for my number to be called for the interview. It’s not private or anything either, they speak through microphones so you can hear them from where you are seated.

So there’s my recent update on the Disney front. Five weeks until I finish at my current job, 61 days until I depart Australia and 64 days until check in at Vista Way! Next week I’ll be paying my program assessment fee with my next pay and my insurance seeing as my visa has been approved. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it yet, but I’ve decided to go with itrek insurance. They’re the only insurance that offers 13 months and for $0 excess it costs me $950, which I’m really happy with.

I’m off now, sleep awaits me. I need to catch up from the last few days.

Until next time!~

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!~