Tessa Shing: Journey to Independence

The two weeks in Riverside, California was unforgettable. People from all France, England, Japan, Korea, Morocco, and many other places from all over the world came together and spent their two weeks living in the not so comfy Comfort Inn. Every day was the same routine, get up at 6 in the morning, eat a quick breakfast, walk to school, sit in class for a good eight hours, and then back to our hotel we go. During the weekends we had time to visit cities around us. During the first weekend we tried planning a trip to go to Los Angeles however we realized that you must be 25 years or older to rent a 7 passenger vehicle so we ended up at Taylor Mall and did some shopping. The next day we headed to Balboa Beach where we got to suntan, lie on the beach, and run into the ocean of waves. We also took a small ferry to Balboa Island which is just a five minute ferry ride away and it only cost 1 dollar! When we left Balboa and head back to Riverside, I noticed that I got a really bad sunburn even with SPF 100 on! I peeled nonstop for the next few days.

Later on the week we had a field trip to Universal Studios California. Although it was supposed to be a trip for us to have fun and relax, we still had to complete a worksheet about the attraction.

The last weekend in Riverside we decided to go on a trip to Los Vegas! We took the Greyhound there which took us a good 5 hours to get there and almost 8 hours to come back! We stayed at the Luxor, and it was a really nice hotel. What surprised me the most is that they allow smoking inside the building! So there was no fresh air anywhere in Vegas. When it was time to say good bye to Riverside I got a bit sad because my flight was earlier than everyone else.

Once we arrived in Orlando, it was 4am in the morning pacific time so I was really tired. During arrival we had a package that we had to read and none of the information was being absorbed because I didn’t have a nice nap on the plane. I sat beside a guy who went to the bathroom every 40 minutes and a kid kicking the back of my seat. It was the worse plane experience ever, even though I haven’t been on many planes.

I was the first to arrive at my apartment and waited for a good 10 hours till my

housemates arrived. Turns out they are all Canadian! My roommate is Melissa Kuiper, who’s also a student at Capilano University taking Tourism Management. The other two Canadians are Douglas College students.

The first day at Disney was called Traditions. It is where we get to know the past present and future of Disney as well as getting a sense of what to expect. We got our schedules, how our costume looks like, and where we will be working at. It was the most exciting day ever! To know exactly what our job was and to know where we will be working.

The first day at the Grand Floridian was orientation day. It felt like a maze! During the first few days I was lost trying to find where everything was. But as the days gone by it got better. I got use to the whole resort, I know where everything, and I know where the restaurants are! I feel much more comfortable now. I’ll be doing merchandising for maybe another month and a half then I will be doing operations.

The first two weeks were the best weeks. During the two weeks I was able to be with my friends and see them almost every day! But now, once work has started I wasn’t able to see them as much, I don’t even see my roommate as much either! Everyone’s schedule is very different.