One of the many things the Disney College Program did for us was put on monthly Bingo games. The winners would receive a DCP reusable bag that is filled with groceries! I don’t think most people in the CP have lived on their own before, so groceries are necessary and very much needed. Forget Disney Swag, we need to eat!
The first time I went to the Bingo, it was actually an accident. I was arriving home from work and I always walked outside to get to my room. It was a shortcut. Well, I walked outside and everyone looked up from their bingo cards. Guess I was joining them! That was also the day when helicopters began flying overhead and using their loudspeaker to announce all residents should remain inside because there was an armed criminal on the loose. We were perfectly safe up on the second story of our secured building, but it was still really freaky.
One of the many things the Disney College Program does for us is put on Movie Nights once a month. They put together snacks, decorations, and encourage everyone to dress up to the theme. This Movie Night was October 2015 for Back to the Future Day and was themed as such. We partied to the movie’s dance theme: Enchantment Under the Sea. So fun! Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well, so I became the photographer and took photos instead of participating in them. Enjoy!
I was paired with Josh for training, however we were the only New Hires paired up with one Trainer. Tasha, Miranda, and Ari all had their own one-on-one training. Josh and I got along well, so we were excited to share the training experience together. Our Trainer’s name was Adam and we had heard from other Cast Members that “he is pretty cool.” Turns out, they were right.
I drove Josh and myself early to the park and waited backstage at the main gate called Harbor Pointe. We were too excited to sit at home and wait. When we arrived, we were told to meet our Indiana Jones trainer, Adam, at “the flag pole” backstage. After that day, the flag pole area was known as “Starbucks” since Starbucks is more iconic than a flag pole. #Amurica
Tasha wearing the Indiana Jones female costume
Adam arrived, introduced himself, and we took off right away to Costuming. This was it! This was what Josh and I were most excited for: our Indiana Jones fedora and costume! Costuming allows all Cast Members to (for the most part), check out 3 shirts and 3 bottoms, 1 belt, and our gender specific jacket. In addition, I had to also get a pair of spats and tie. It’s part of every Cast Member’s job to make sure they look exactly as they should with clean and non-wrinkled costumes. It helps to keep the Show (of the Four Keys) in tact and magical. We would find many coworkers who struggle with that requirement, however. For example, we knew one person who would always wear sagging pants. Not only is it tacky, but it doesn’t match Indiana Jones’ 1937 ear style clothing. I was told that even forgetting my tie would result in either being sent to Costuming and being forced to check out a second tie, which would be a penalty on my account, or go home and lose a day of pay and be docked points. Same goes for wearing too much makeup (even if it IS era accurate, i.e. red lipstick for women).
My friend Jon modeling the male costume
Adam took us out of costuming, back to Harbor Pointe, past the Soundsational Parade floats, and on stage to Town Square. We marveled at ourselves for a moment, standing in full costume in front of the Main Street Train Station as crowds passed us not knowing what a monumental moment it was. Josh and I exchanged smiles and hurried after Adam who had taken off across the street and toward the Firehouse to the backstage entrance.We walked backstage behind The Jungle Cruise and to the Indiana Jones’ backstage entrance.
After putting our things down in the break room, we were given a tour of the attraction, which tells the story of Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Every attraction at Disneyland has a story to it. Adam took Josh and I on what’s called a Temple Tour and told us the entire story of Indy and the Temple. (I’ll make a post on that another time because it’s a very intricate and brilliant story.) When we arrived in The Station where guests board the ride vehicles, Adam waved at another Cast Member, held up three fingers, and boarded the next vehicle. He walked on, sat down, took off his fedora, and looked up at us. You didn’t have to tell us twice! Josh and I hurried onboard and took a seat and fastened our seatbelts. We were going on a Show Check of Indy!
We had lunch at the Cast Member backstage cafe, which is moderately priced and has nearly the same foods guests get in the parks. It’s notorious for being painfully slow, so never count on eating there if you have less than 30 minutes for lunch (or, in my case, more than 30 minutes because they forgot my order TWICE despite me being the only person standing and waiting in line). They make a really great milkshake, though.
After lunch, we left Indy and went back to a building nearby the Starbucks backstage and read the beginning of Indiana Jones’ Operating Guide until the end of our shift.
By the time I got home, I had enough energy to hang my hat up, heat up a microwave dinner, then go to bed.
It was 6:45 in the morning and anyone who was awake and/or not working were invited to take a photo in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. Some people had only returned from work a few hours earlier and stayed home to sleep, but the majority of us bit the bullet and made our way to the park. My two Indy friends, Ari and Miranda, unfortunately didn’t make it. I was super bummed to not have them in this photo and memory.
Disneyland’s College Program is special because they have the opportunity to take this photo in the first place. No, not because it’s before park opening, but because the College Program at Walt Disney World has too many participants to safely and efficiently take the photo!
One of our two CP coordinators, Katy, was there to take the photo with us (you’ll see her below in a photo). After the group shot, we were allowed to get into groups and take photos by department or other small groups. Unfortunately, not all of The Indy Crew showed up, but I’m really glad that I did! I’ll admit, however, that despite it being freezing that morning, I really wish I had taken off the Duster so the photo captured the darling costume underneath. Oh well. Live and learn!
About 100 out of 400 showed up for our 6:45am College Program photoKaty is the coolest! She is kneeling there in the foreground Silly photo!Adventureland CP’s “Looking for Adventure!”Josh, Tasha, Jessie (Me), Andrea, Katie
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.
Inside the fedora
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.
Miranda doing Tasha’s hair 1930’s style
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.
Ari in her Indy costume
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 
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