"Ah, Salaam and good evening to you, worthy friend."

I am on a quest. But unlike Odysseus or Beowulf, my journey has no ending. That is, until the ultimate end. I am of course talking about my life long quest for a good time. At 20 years old, my quest has brought me to the Disney College Program.

The Disney College Program is, in theory, a place where college age students can come and learn work ethic and business prowess and hopefully take it back and apply it to their applicable major. As an English Major, there is really no ready relevance to my current schooling, but as I’m getting bald patches from tearing out my hair whenever I get asked about my future, I’m looking at this program as a way to forge a path into my adult life. And of course, do it in the most fun way possible.

Perhaps it’s all of the Disney Brainwashing that I’ve been privy to the past few days, but at this point in my life, I can’t think of anyone that impresses me more than Walt Disney. The man had an idea, and annoyed the crap out of people until he got what he wanted. When I do it, it’s called annoying. When Walt does it, it’s enterprising. He created this world with more attention to detail that you could possibly imagine. Look at the skyline of the World Showcase at EPCOT. Seem cohesive? Think it was a mistake? They matched the surrounding buildings to those of the most relevant country. Who would ever even think of that? No one would but Walt and his fabulously trained Imagineers.

I have been assigned to work in EPCOT, which I have just recently learned is an acronym for Experimental Project City of Tomorrow- Walt’s last big idea before God decided he wanted him back. His vision was carried out beautifully by those that he left behind, and that’s where I get to spend every day for the next 5 months.

Although I’m excited about working in his park and meeting all of the fabulous people, especially the ones from all over the world that I will see at the World Showcase, I have one small qualm. Looking at my outfit makes me nauseated. Seriously, your natural waistline was meant for belting dresses, not for wearing your pants. A good 3 inches above my belly button, I don’t think my pants have been there since my phase where I imitated Steve Urkel to illicit laughs from my friends. Still, I suppose if a hideously unfashionable outfit (that is Polyester, by the way) is my primary concern thus far, I’m not doing too badly.

I will be blogging about my experience here for the next 5 months. On the surface, I’m serving Mickey Mouse ice-cream to foreigners all day, but I’m convinced there’s going to be more to it than that. I’ve left the fabulous city of Chicago, my friends, and a predictable lifestyle and traded it in for a whirlwind of ethnicity, food and wine, and spontaneous adventures. These are the voyages of Kylee Reynolds, College Program participant. This is my story.