Life as a Carnie

It's been a while since I've written a blog post. A lot has happened, so I'll try to skim over the important parts.

I'm officially done with training! I've only worked two days on my own, but it feels like it's been a lifetime. Yesterday was my first 13 hour shift. It was crazy! We only get a break every 2 hours for 15 minutes, and one 30 minute break to eat. With how far we have to walk, I'm pretty much moving all the time. I thought I was going to fall flat before my shift was over. I still managed to have fun as long as I was moving-- the standing around was what hurt.

I've had numerous moments that have touched my heart. I can scarcely keep track of them all. Just yesterday a little boy named Patrick got off on the wrong side of the Barnstormer and got separated from his mother. My coworker Mike asked me if I wouldn't mind helping him find his mom before we traded shifts. Of course I said yes. I walked with Patrick down the exit, talking to him the whole time so he wouldn't be scared. After a moment, he reached up and took my hand as if we'd known each other our whole lives. We walked through Storybook Circus until we found his mom. Later, when I took over as the grouper at Barnstormer (person who says which row you go to), Patrick came back through the line. I started asking him how old he was, and he began to answer when he realized who I was. He got all excited and jumped up and down, saying, "Hey, you know me! You just helped me find my mom!" It was the cutest thing ever.

Later on, there was a family playing in the playground at Dumbo. The little girl couldn't have been more than 4 or 5. She started crying for no reason, and I couldn't let her be unhappy. I got down on her level and said, "What's wrong princess? Come here, sweetie." I held my arms out and she ran into them and wrapped her arms around my neck. I hugged her and talked her down. She stopped crying immediately. I asked if she wanted to ride Dumbo, and she nodded. I stood back up and led her over to the line. Her mom smiled and thanked me sincerely. Moments like that make working 13 hours well worth it.

I didn't get off until 1:30 AM. Originally, me and my friend Tatiana were supposed to catch a ride with some coworkers, but they clocked out early and headed home. We were sitting at the bus stop with a bunch of other people. The bus was 20 minutes away, and there were so many people waiting for it, we knew we'd be standing for an hour. Suddenly, we both got tapped on the shoulder and turned to see our coworker Cody standing there. He asked where we both lived, and then said, "Come with me. I'll give you a ride."

It was the sweetest thing he could have done for us after being on our feet for 13 hours. We both gave him a big hug, which was probably awkward for him since he's French. I got home by 2:15 instead of 3:30 AM and got a great night sleep. If one thing can be said about working at Disney, it's tough as all get out, but your coworkers really do become like family. We all look out for each other on and off the clock. I don't think I'll ever find such a union anywhere else.