As soon as I looked at my papers given to me at the start of Traditions, I saw that I had been given the role of Archeologist at Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. I was beside myself with excitement. No, seriously. I was holding back happy tears while others were jealously looking on.
After a few minutes of everyone excitedly receiving their paperwork, taking a few seconds to scan the words until they saw their assigned location followed by a cheer of triumph (in a few cases a curse word and sobs), we all began to ask where everyone else would be. A friend of mine, Josh, who I had stood behind in line during Check-In and instantly became friends, came over and proudly announced he’d been placed at Indy. We literally jumped for joy and started asking who else would be joining us. Three more girls, Tasha, Ari, and Miranda came forward and like most relationships among Cast Members, we were instantly friends.
Since all five of us would be working together, I invited everyone over to my room at Carnegie to have an Indiana Jones movie marathon with pizza and ice cream. Since Ari’s training would begin before anyone elses’, she had already gone to Costuming on property at Disneyland and gotten her costume. Ari had previously done the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World, so she was familiar with the costuming process. Josh and I were the only two who had never worked for Disney before. Ari arrived wearing the hat, something we all looked at like it was the singular most beautiful thing we had ever seen in our lives. Even the inside was magical! Okay, I’ll admit. We were happily drowning in the Disney kool-aide, but we didn’t care. That thing was freaking glorious. It was a physical marker that our journey was just beginning… and we were going to look fantastic doing it.
Almost instantly we sent Ari back to her room to change into the entire costume. How dare she show up without it. It only took one or two second of begging for her to break and race upstairs. While we waited, Miranda pulled out her bag that contained every type of hair tool and product imaginable. Despite not having a single bit of cosmetology training, she was a natural at hair styling. Tasha was first up. Miranda had her sit down facing the TV, which had been playing Raiders
of the Lost Ark despite no one paying attention, and curled then pinned her hair expertly. It wasn’t long before Tasha looked like she had stepped out of 1937. Next we had to see her with the hat on.
Almost as soon as Tasha stood up, Ari arrived looking more comfortable in her Indy costume than she did in her normal clothing. Everyone took out their cameras, ooh and ahh’d over the culottes and asked if it was comfortable. Despite most people’s assumption, the women’s bottoms are, indeed, pants and not a long skirt. And boy were they comfy! The women’s shirt was allowed to be rolled up to just below your elbows and the hat was required to be worn at all times- not that any of us objected. Pretty soon, we were all trying the hat on and Miranda was commandeered to do everyone’s hair. She parted Josh’s perfectly, pinned Ari’s up in a fabulous up-do, and twisted mine into a very sophisticated bun.
We took turns looking in the mirror, occasionally laughing that none of us were watching the movie whatsoever. It was a wonderful new start to a friendship and we all decided to call ourselves The Indy Crew.
Magically Disney: Jessie's DCP 