Veranda?! 10-9!

Today was my first day of work all by myself. It was freaking crazy! Let me tell ya…

So I got to sleep in this morning. Woooohooooo! It’s was amazing I’m not gonna lie. I woke up around noon and then headed to work around 1:20 even though my shift didn’t start until 3:30. I had to go to costuming and I wanted to try to get to Cast Connections and Property Control again. Well…once again, it was an epic fail. Seriously walked around the whole parking lot and still couldn’t find my way to other side of the fence. And I really need on the other side of that fence! There’s stuff I need to buy people! Lol. So after giving up miserably, I went to costuming to get pants that might actually fit me. And thank goodness they had my size this time. So I went to work and sat in the locker room for an hour just wasting time because I was so gosh dang early. At this point I was nervous about my day, but not too overly nervous. So finally it’s time for me to get my pan and broom and find my way to the custodial break room thingy in sleepy hollow. This is wear things kind of take a turn for the worse…

I get my pan and broom out of my locker and start walking to the sleepy hollow CDS (the computer we clock in on) 15 minutes early because we can clock in 15 minutes early. My schedule said I was going to be in restrooms today, but I didn’t want to get keys yet until I was sure. Now mind you…the keys for the restrooms are located at the custodial base which is right by my pan and broom locker and the sleepy hollow CDS break room is about three hallways away upstairs. Because I was early I thought I would have enough time after I clocked in to come back down stairs and get keys. Wrong. I clocked in and printed out my assignment that said “please take over Female 2 – Veranda/LTT w/ radio call MK16, bumpout Antia”. Now, I don’t know what any of this freaking means and I start flippin’ out. Especially since the time is on there and everyone is always talking about how you have to be on time all the time. So I practically run back down stairs through the long hallways of the tunnel to base and get a flippin’ set of keys and speed walk all the way back up to sleepy. My day has barely even started and I’m sweating like none other. So I get back and I still have no clue what to do. So I ask some dude if he wants to help me. Lol. And of course he was super nice about the whole thing and helped me. I love the later shifts because there are actually people my age working. The morning shifts are all older people. But anyway…I had to call this chick on the base radio that stays by the computer, and tell her I was coming to give her her bumpout. Now here’s the thing, about 75% (give or take) of the custodial team is Haitian or from some other country. Which means you can’t understand them! So when I finally figured out how to work the daggum radio I couldn’t understand her anyway. So the guy who was helping me kindly walked me over the Veranda restroom because I had no clue where it was.

Ok, Female 2 is Veranda and LTT which is Liberty Tree Tavern. This means who have two restrooms to maintain. Now, Veranda is the largest, busiest restroom in the Magic Kingdom. And yes, this was my assignment on my FIRST day by myself! Shoot me please. So I finally meet up with the Antia lady and she hands me the restroom radio and says something that I absolutely cannot understand. And then everyone leaves. Then I start to freak out even more because I’m completely overwhelmed and have no clue what to do from here. So I sign into the restroom with the scanner that’s on the bottom of the radio. We have to do this every time we enter or leave a restroom. We also have to tell the scanner what we did such as clean toilets, wipe sinks, pull trash ect. So I’m walking around sweeping because I don’t know what else to do. Then I remember that I’m supposed to be cleaning and sanitizing everything so I attempt to try to find the supply closet. And even though we were shown during our training, I couldn’t for the life of me remember where the Veranda supply closet was! I looked like a chicken with my head cut off, sticking keys in every door I could find. So I finally spot another custodian in the bathroom, who is Haitian, and try to ask her where the closet is. She showed me and then just walked off. So after I grab what I think I need from supply, I walk out and one of my managers and one of my coordinators spots me and calls me over. So now I’m freaking out majorly because I think I’ve already done something terribly wrong. But they just wanted to help me and see if I needed anything. It seriously took everything I had not to break down and start crying while they were talking to me. I was just so overwhelmed and I’m one of those people who just starts crying when I’m overwhelmed or stressed. But I held it together. They were super nice and all they wanted to do was help and make sure I was ok. So my coordinator showed me the Liberty Tree Tavern restroom and told what I needed to do and not to hesitate to call her on the radio if I needed anything. And then she left me and I was all by myself again. And it really wasn’t that bad once I started getting the hang of things. The Veranda restroom was super freaking busy and I had a hard time remembering what toilets I had or hadn’t cleaned yet. But I pretty much spent my day walking around and making sure everything was clean. I pulled trash when it got full, wiped off the counters with my squeegee when they were wet, sanitized toilets when I felt like it, swept the floor, replaced paper towels and toilet paper when needed, and said hi to princesses all day. Restrooms are pretty easy. Every time when another cast member would ask what bathroom I had they would say I feel so sorry for you, but they said that after having Veranda on my first day, everything else will be a piece of cake.

Since I had two restrooms, every now and then I would have to go check on Liberty. And I would have to sign in and out of each restroom when I did this. Super annoying. But liberty is in a restaurant and is super small. So that one was easy. And I kind of had an assistant through out my shift and they would go over there most of the time and keep up that one. But I did have my first Code V today! It was over in Liberty and it was all over the sink and floor. We could use Vo Ban (sawdust basically) on the floor, but not on the sink. Vo Ban is amazing because it absorbs everything right up and totally covers up the smell. So even though I had to clean most of it by hand, it wasn’t too bad. I think working in a daycare really helped me in this situation. Lol.

I got one 15 minute break and then a 45 minute “lunch”. After my “lunch” it was time to start closing my restrooms down. When I was done with Liberty, I was scanning everything I did with the scanner and then it wouldn’t let me sign out. And in order to sign in at the other restroom, you have to scan out of the one your in first. So I started to kind of freak out because I only have an hour left to close Veranda which is going to take forever. And I thought I broke the scanner. And if the scanner doesn’t work you have to write everything by hand and I didn’t have time for that! So I had to go back to sleepy and figure out what to do. And thank goodness Jackie was there! (My trainer) It was good to see her except she laughed when I told her I was in Veranda. But she fixed my scanner and I was on my way. Closing veranda took me an hour and 15 minutes. It’s a huge restroom. But I did it! And it looked amazing if I do say so myself. Even one of the managers told someone I did a great job for my first day. The only thing that absolutely sucks about restrooms at night is that you completely miss Wishes. And what makes it worse is that they play the Wishes music and dialog over the loud speakers across the whole park, even the restrooms apparently. So while I’m bent over scrubbing toilets I’m tortured with the Wishes theme song and fireworks that sound like bombs going off. But it still brought a smile to my face and I did sing along…loudly because the bathroom was dead because everyone was watching the show.

I got to clock out at 11:15 even though my schedule said 11:30 because we get a 15 minute walk time when we’re in restrooms because we have to return our keys. My feet hurt sooo incredibly bad! Like I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. Even when I sit down my feel start to throb. What I wouldn’t give for a foot massage! And what makes it worse is that in the tunnels right under the castle the floor slopes up so you have to walk up this hill at the end of your shift when you’re butt tired. But I made it! Then I had to endure the 40 minute bus ride home.

I had a frozen pizza, guacamole chips, and a huge glass of Dr. Pepper for dinner. It was delicious!

The schedule for next week was posted and I’m off on audition day! Yay! I’m so excited!

Tomorrow I’m in the streets. I’m pretty pumped about it. Especially since I got my pin lanyard yesterday and I can pin trade with guest.

Even though it was tough, I did it! Custodial is not for people who are not going to work hard because it is a lot of work. But I like having a job where I’m doing something productive. And I’m constantly doing something, so the time went by really fast. Even though it’s not the most glamorous job, it’s so worth it when you hear a guest say “this bathroom smells good and looks amazing” and thanks you for your hard work. J

I love Disney!