FROM: Amber Earns Her Ears Published Mondays

Amber Loses Her Way

Amber made it to Orlando for the start of the CareerStart program, successfully completed her Traditions course, got her apartment, met her roommates, and finished her training at the Electric Umbrella. What could possibly go wrong...

- Amber Sewell, April 4 2011

My first days working at Walt Disney World were hectic and slightly overwhelming - it was all that I thought it would be, and more.

My free time, however, wasn't exactly how I had planned it. Your days are not filled with work (as much as I would eventually try to cram my schedule), and things that happen on your day off are just as entertaining as things that happen in the workplace.

Amber's Trek to Target

Take, for instance, one of the first days I was there. You have to wear business casual outfits for the first couple of days, and I hadn't brought enough. Earlier, I had been to Target with Leah, a roommate, and was sure I would be able to find more outfits.

So I set out at about five in the afternoon. My GPS (which was something my parents insisted on buying me before I left, because I have zero sense of direction), nicknamed Rex, was turned on, even though I didn't have the address of where I was heading. I didn't have any addresses in Florida plugged into it, actually.

Tip #1: Set your apartment address in your GPS as soon as you know it.

I found the Target store easily enough and within a relatively short period of time, I had a shirt plus some more things that had looked appealing as I strolled the aisles. I checked out and started back to the apartment.

After about ten minutes, I began to suspect that I had never before seen my present surroundings. It was taking much longer to get back to the apartment than I had thought; soon, I was starting to panic, because I knew that I was lost. I don't handle being lost too well; I tend to panic when I don't know where I am or where I'm going.

So I was somewhere in Florida, going in a random direction, and the sun was beginning to creep across the horizon, threatening to leave me lost in darkness.

Amber is Lost

I honestly cannot remember how long I drove. Eventually, I pulled over at a gas station. My phone - of course - was dead, and Rex was on his way out, as well. I had sent a panicked call to my sister before my phone had died, and though I didn't know it, my parents were getting angrier as time passed and I wasn't answering my phone. My thinking was to let my phone charge, then call my roommates to get the apartment address, and then charge my GPS while I finally found my way home.

Everything was taking longer to charge than I had thought, so I ventured into a gas station to ask for directions to Disney World. I figured if I could at least make it to Disney, I would be able to find the apartment complexes. The guy informed me that I had missed the exit; I needed to turn around and get off at the Arby's sign.

I was on an interstate, and I knew there was no way I would be able to find an Arby's sign from there. But it was better than nothing; I at least knew to turn around, rather than getting farther from my goal. I drove a bit down the interstate, saw an exit for Orlando, and took it.

I spent the next hour, at least, following signs to Orlando, then Disney World. My tension, finally, began to ease when I passed through the Disney entrance gates. I was still lost, but at least I was lost on Disney property.

But now it was completely dark. Lovely. I pulled over at a Hess gas station and asked the people working there if they knew where the apartment complexes were. Nope. Nothing.

Tip #2: Make sure all of your electronic devices are charged before venturing out into the unknown.

So I continued to drive around property. Eventually, exhausted and just wanting to be home, I pulled into Saratoga Springs and begged the security guard for directions, praying that she knew where to find Chatham.

I have never been so thankful to a Cast Member as I was when she told me emphatically that she knew exactly where it was. She even went a step further and actually wrote down the directions for me; a good idea, seeing as I was so frazzled from my adventures that I doubt I would have retained any information.

Amber is Found

At seven-thirty, I finally pulled into my parking space at Chatham.

A roommate cheering-up party ensued - not so different from most nights in our apartment, but it was much needed. Leah, Paige, and Jenni all listened sympathetically to my horror story, and then there were brownies, jokes, and board games that made me forget, mostly, how freaked out I had been about being lost somewhere in Florida.

Over time, the favor was returned. One of us would have had an awful day, and immediately the apartment would kick into overdrive, doing whatever we could think of to cheer one another up. Sometimes it would be as simple as watching Rent (which we never actually finished), sometimes it would be sitting around on the couch munching on lemon bars and telling funny stories, and other times it would simply be offering a receptive ear.

Tip #3: Get to know your roommates. They will be your lifeline to sanity during your stay, if you're lucky.

Amber's Advice

One of the only regrets I have about my program was not doing enough. On some days off, all you want to do is lounge around the apartment, reading or watching movies or just being lazy. On other days, though, I had all this energy but none of the motivation or knowledge to do anything about it.

Outside of the parks, the only thing I did in Florida (besides going out to restaurants or shopping) were the two times that I went to Universal: once to do the whole park, and once for the Wizarding World. It's definitely something that I'm going to try to change when I start the College Program.

Tip #4: While you're in Florida, do stuff.

Who knows when else you'll have money to burn and time to spend doing whatever? Have fun, and make the most of your time there. And of course - remember to at least know how to get back from wherever you're going.

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