Christmas was a pretty low key affair... a group of us went to Raglan Road (Irish pub at Downtown Disney) for drinks on Christmas Eve. Then it was back home to feel a bit emotional :( I wasn't feeling very well at all which didn't help. I'm continuously getting a cold out here as one day the weather will be really hot, and then it drops down to as cold, if not colder than it is at home and it really messes your body up. I have a pretty crap immune system so I'm constantly getting sick. I opened my presents from home in the morning and tried to skype with my mum but it wasn't working properly. So I headed over to my friend Charlotte's apartment to begin cooking Christmas dinner. We had bought in all the stuff to make a roast dinner (with chicken, not turkey)... and we did keep getting distracted which meant that we didn't actually end up eating until 10pm, but it was a damn good dinner! A few more friends came round after they finished their PM shift and we fed them as well. Then I literally couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and had to go home and go to bed. The next day I did manage to talk to my mum though.
Candlelight continued throughout the week up until New Years Eve so we were still busy at work. And busy after work as a lot of people were about to leave, so there was a lot of "lasts". Two weeks running of "last lasses", one was a Christmas themed dress up, and on the 30th it was "decades"... so pretty much anything themed from a past decade. Both good nights! Then I had an AM shift on New Years Eve. Had a bit of a barney with my roommate in the middle of the night and didn't sleep well and was late... meaning that I was one of the last people to get to work and as we had overstaffed, I wouldn't be serving. Instead I was a untipped busser/food runner. Not a good day... pretty boring in fact, and I couldn't wait for it to be over!
Once I finished work, I got changed as we all brought clothes with us, with the parks being so busy we would never get back in later and everyone wanted to see all the fireworks. We had been warned repeatedly that we wouldn't be allowed to hang about the UK pavilion or spend time in the pub or restaurant because of last years drunken behavior.... so we bought our one drink that we thought we were allowed and then we got asked if we wanted a table.... We were like "... are we really allowed this, or is it a trick question?" But no, we were allowed a table for a few of us so we had dinner at the Rose and Crown around 6pm. It's actually the first time I've had a proper meal there lol. The first set of fireworks started at 6:30pm, with Illuminations and then the Holiday fireworks for the last time so we got to watch them properly. Then at 7pm, it turned Midnight back home so there was a shout out and countdown in the street that we joined in with. After this, we were all pretty tired, so we went over to Future World to do Ellen's Energy Adventure. If you don't know what it is, it's a 45 minute slow moving ride, in the dark with a few films. Perfect place to take a nap. With lines for Test Track and Soarin' reaching five hours wait time, this was a good choice. Although we still felt pretty groggy afterwords, and had to go to Starbucks to get some caffeine. Then we walked round the whole World Showcase. It was crazy! Thousands upon thousands of people, raves set up in Future World, China and Italy, a big Latin party going on at the American Gardens Theatre and a dj playing at the UK pavilion, inbetween our normal band's sets. We pretty much walked round without stopping, except at Italy as it was so unreal... everyone dancing away, from babies to adults and it properly looked like you were at a festival. We went back to the Rose and Crown and got ourselves some drinks to see in the New Year and then went down to the beer garden area to watch them. They started at 11:40pm, with Illuminations. Then they set off fireworks from behind the pavilions that had already welcomed in the New Year (like the UK, Norway, Germany, Morroco) and then they did a big countdown and then started the New Year fireworks. All the fireworks!! It was amazing, and I'm so glad that I had the chance to watch them properly. Although I was completely exhausted by the end and just wanted to get home afterwards... easier said than done. Took a couple of hours and a couple of buses, and one failed taxi attempt to get home but we made it!
Holiday Fireworks
Italy
Fireworks being set off from behind the UK pavilion
New Year Fireworks!
The next day we were all tired again, but was back to work for another AM shift. It was the last day of work for several people, some of which I have been really close with so it was a bittersweet day. Then that night, we were off to Downtown Orlando for their last night out. Bit emotional. Last night we had last drinks at Raglan Road for those that are leaving today. It's weird how many people have now left, and how many will be leaving every few weeks now. Not ready for it at all!
But on the good news front... I'm going on a Disney Cruise! In a weeks time I'll be boarding the Disney Dream, off to the Bahamas for four days. Cannot wait!! There's a lot of us going at the same time or within days of each other but we got really good deals so we had to try! Luckily I've had the shifts I needed covered picked up so now it's just time to prepare! :)
And in other happy news, I'm moving apartments tomorrow! My three American roommates have gone home and finished their program and my apartment block is being refurbished (along with several others in the Commons) so we have to move. Anyone that knows me, or has me on Facebook will know of my hatred of my Japanese roommate. People in the street ask me about her lol. So I am extremely happy to be getting away from her! Normally you would be assigned a new apartment by housing and could end up anywhere, but I want to stay with my German housemate. She knew of a nice apartment with friends thats still really close to the building we are in now, and housing have said we can move in there :) So I have a lot of packing/moving/unpacking to do but it will all be worth it in the end!
