SUDDENLY HITTING REALITY | ONE MONTH TO GO...

*ALL VIEWS ARE MY OWN AND NOT OF THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY, CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY OR YUMMY JOBS*

Hey there, pals!

It was a cold winter's evening, watching ITV's The Chase in my university accommodation, when I received my email from Disney to say that I had officially been selected to participate on a Disney International College Program (ICP). It still feels like that moment was just yesterday. I've been living in a dream since last November and I haven't really fully taken in the adventure I'm about to go on next month... But now that I'm spending my last four weeks in the UK, it's all becoming real too fast.

When I started this blog, I wanted to share every experience of my year on the Disney Academic Exchange Program (DAEP) with my readers - the good, the bad and the ugly! While my previous posts have been hyping myself up (and my readers!) about my journey to the Walt Disney World Resort, this post is slightly different.

I'm taking things down a notch with the excitement and bringing it back to reality...

With my flight to Orlando within touching distance, I'm having to come to terms that my internship is actually happening. With so much going on in my life (finishing off university assignments, beginning to pack my life up into two suitcases and saying goodbye to friends and family), I've been on a rollercoaster of emotions and I need to get some things off my chest. My blog now has its definite role of being a safe space to allow myself to vent out my feelings just like a diary. So, let's talk:

I'm so naive...

In all honesty, I did not expect my pre-arrival process to be this stressful. I thought that all I needed for Disney was flights and accommodation booked before moving to the housing complexes and a valid US visa for the entire 12 months that I'll be spending in the United States. It turns out that there is a lot more to consider when moving overseas, not just the paperwork for Yummy Jobs and Disney... I've had to sort out my Student Finance for my placement year, find medical insurance that best fits my needs and arrange various doctor's appointments. The fact that my pre-arrival timeline has to be split into two separate posts says it all and I still have plenty more stages to complete before I depart.

But, I'm so grateful to those who helped

I have been very lucky to have a bunch of contacts who have helped me out big time for my internship year. A special thank you goes out to my family who has not only supported me in using a local travel agent to book my flights and organised my accommodation for my arrival to the United States on my behalf, but also financially support me throughout my upcoming adventure.

At this stage, moving to the United States seems very daunting. But, I am so fortunate to have received guidance and reassurance from my tutors, support officers, placement teams at university and other university students who are currently out in Florida on the DAEP. Although my naivety and uncertainty did come across during these conversations, the responses that I received were so helpful and definitely relaxed my mind a little ahead of this exciting point in my university career.

I could not have done this alone.

The apprehension is definitely increasing

Now that we've hit June, it has only just suddenly dawned on me that I'm flying to Orlando next month! I was chatting with my Grannie the other day and she asked me if I had any doubts about doing the program or whether I was nervous at all. At the time, I answered no because I had been treating this whole 'moving to university' process. However, this time around, the move is on a completely different scale! But ever since this conversation, I have started to have my doubts and second thoughts about it, especially as I have never travelled solo before.

Goodbyes are never easy

To date, I've already said my goodbyes to some of my closest family members. This certainly didn't feel real at the time. But now it's only just sinking in that I actually won't see them for over a year! I also have a leaving party planned so I can say the rest of my goodbyes to family and friends who wish to see me before I go off on my travels. This will be a very bittersweet day. :(

For those of you who know me well, new surroundings and changes have always been a challenge for me. And so, leaving everything behind, saying goodbye to familiar faces and people who have really had an impact on my life was equally tough.

Of course, leaving the ones you love behind is never an easy thing to do and no-one ever said it was... But, I am a strong believer in that the greatest challenges in life bring the biggest rewards - the DAEP is one of them.

Above All, the Excitement is UNREAL

Honestly, I cannot wait for this adventure to begin and these last four weeks will fly by! You know you're too excited about your program when you start to binge-watch Disney-dedicated vloggers on YouTube and follow various hashtags on social media relating to the ICP. You get the picture...

I've been lucky enough to get to know some of the other DAEP participants from this year's (2019-2020) UK arrival group and I've even made plans with some of them who will be on the same flight going out to Orlando, staying in the same resort as me and what adventures to do during our first week on the program!

In a nutshell, This is how excited I am for my program! And I'm super excited to be able to share my endeavours with you over the upcoming months!

Thank you so much for reading today's post. This type of post is something I haven't done before, so I hope you enjoyed seeing a different side to me. It certainly is an exciting time as the countdown is almost at zero! If you're not already, make sure you follow my various social media sites (@onceuponhannahsdream) for hints about future posts and other interactions during my DAEP.

Have a magical day!

-Hannah

DISCLAIMER: this blog is my personal experience on the Disney Academic Exchange Program and in no way reflects everyone's experience! Other programs and future participants on the DAEP may have slight adjustments which may not be reflected in my posts. That being said, if you do leave any questions, I will try to answer them as best I can or cover topics in blogposts :)