QueenKimmy

About 4 years ago I was stuck in a rut. I was unhappily married (at far to young an age), floundering in college, feeling trapped in a small town, and unsure of what I wanted to do next. My life was changed when I saw a campus flyer advertising the Disney College Program. Within a few months I was all packed and headed for Orlando Florida, where I would live in a compound full of college kids and work at Beaches and Cream, a teeny tiny soda shop located at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Resort. When my program ended I stayed on full time, and I slaved away thanklessly at that god forsaken restaurant for nearly 3 years. Now I’ve escaped and have been deprogrammed, and the one thing that I can say for sure about my life is that I NEVER EVER want to work a menial job in the food service industry ever again! But still, I had a lot of good times working at Beaches and met a lot of awesome people. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. And the food, while probably being the most unhealthy stuff a person can eat, is awesome. If you go, try the Kitchen Sink! It’s 8 scoops of ice cream, every topping in the house, and a whole can of whipped cream (a whole can???) that’s right a whole can!

I worked at the Walt Disney World Resort for about 3 years, and during that time they sent a few groups of potential Hong Kong Disney employees out to Orlando to train. It was an awesome experience to meet so many people from such an interesting culture. I have some friends who did end up working at Hong Kong Disney and I’d love to see them again. Despite my 3 years indentured servitude there, I still love Disney World and would like to see how the concepts take shape in Hong Kong!

This place is absolutely beautifull! When I was a child my family would make frequent trips to the Smoky Mountains and I have a wealth of positive memories about lazy days spent meandering up and down mountain trails, visiting waterfalls, and discovering different points of interest on each trip. It’s a very peacefull retreat for anyone who wants to get away from the maddening crush of society for a little while.

I’m not the super patriotic type who gets choked up during the national anthem, but I have to say that seeing the statue of liberty in person made me tear up a little. It’s kinda ironic that what she stands for is loving benevolence, and that’s certainly not what our government has been fond of practicing lately. It reinspired me to make efforts to change my country for the better!

Even though Gatlinburg has it’s fair share of cheesy tourist crap, I still think it’s a fun place to visit for the day. The drive alone through the winding mountain roads makes the trip worthwhile, especially during the fall when the leaves change. It was here that I went bungee jumping for the first time- I was so scared! I don’t think there’s enough to occupy a person for more than a day or two, but it’s an interesting place to check out.