Home stretch

Only a few weeks left to go....sorry I have not kept up with this blog, but life here on the island was not anywhere what I thought it was gonna be, and I have yet to hear back from Disney regarding a published blog..not to worry once this is over with I can post what ever I decide.

See ya soon

sam

For now I call it "Home"

The days have moved quickly, the hours can seem to move slowly when your working in a commercial kitchen under 100 degree heat generated from the grill; not to mention the heat and humidity index that the island temperature generates this time of year move around the kitchen I sweat, I stand outside I sweat.

This recording is pretty much about me; my time spent here on internship with Disney,all the adventures experiences,people I meet etc. However today something happened to turn my thoughts away from just me and all the cool things in my life. Today I came to the realization that this is home for many. The pictures posted of my residence show a facade, taken at angles and distance to hide the run-down neglect, the smells that I breath each and every day are often so pungent I walk quickly just to be able to get to a new location and away from what ever stench is filling the air. The facilities are abused and often on purpose, at first I thought it just the immaturity of the people that live here during the summer (college age kids of privlidge and means) showing a disregard for any property that was not their personal belonging. Now I suspect differently, much different then I did even yesterday.

This morning as I drove out of the parking, my eye caught a group of teenagers, and youngsters gathered no more like queued up single file shoulder to shoulder. Well scrubbed and drowsy looks in their eyes, holding/clutching note books and text book bags over shoulders.
"Oh these kids are waiting for the school bus"
I thought out loud.

School bus? Here on a resort island...picking up children in the parking lot of a beach head?
It hit me like a ton of bricks piling down shame and ignorance on my head; OH MY GOD THIS IS HOME to these children and their family's. This is where memories year round are created, this is where they come to at the end of each day; eating,playing,crying,wishing,laughing... all those things I grew up with at home in Montgomery County Maryland, with the 5 bedroom house and swimming pool. The cars parked in the private drive.

This place here on Hilton Head Island, located smack in the epicenter of wealth and capitalism, where just across the street decadence parks its yachts and moors its vessels. This run down, beat up, smelly drab painted complex of two bedroom units and efficiency kitchens stands shoulder to shoulder with such giant names of hospitality:
Hilton, Hyatt,Four Seasons,Hilton Head Palms (PGA gulf),The Garrison Plantation.

The list goes on, and on; I try to look at the world through eyes of reality not the eyes of naivete I guess this is one of those times where my vision was blurred. Until this writing I considered the "Hilton Head Resort" apt's just a beach flop.

I have started calling it "home"...for the next 5 months anyway.

Internship="Work"

There is no narrative this time, (I have kept notes via tape recorder, however my technology here on the island has been shall we say less than "21st century".)Add to that I have had only one (1) day off since I arrived here two weeks ago, ergo there has been limited time to update the blog. so enjoy the pictures; each one has a story.


sam

The first week

July 25, thru July 31.

First things first, its been pretty darned hot and humid here in Hilton Head. I am used to this kind of weather, however I would have thought that an island off the Atlantic shore line would at least offer up a constant breeze, or at least a daily ran storm to cool things down....heck no its just plain hot and sticky here. Check in at Disney was at 10:30 a.m.; of course one member of the team was lost and subsequently showed up late, but no worries we are all here and ready to go. Wait: there is a ton of paper work to fill out (volumes of it actually) and of course there was the gratuitous lecture of "do's" and "dont's", add to this the distribution of our costumes then we met with the management company to sign leases (accommodations are joke another entry later)on our apartments then finally we were free to go and move in.


We are a small group compared to the outgoing summer interns. Five of the sweetest young lady's, and myself; we come from all over the country from as far north as New England, and as far west as Oklahoma, the chemistry was good from the first meeting we laughed a lot to hide our nervousness. So much has gone on over a one period, and I have not been able to get online in order to update the blog, I did however take a lot of pictures so enjoy,the big building is where I live and yes it is right on the beach!...will resume again soon.

This is not Gilligans Island

July 24

Bake me a coconut cream pie, and call me Thurston Howell 3rd; for sure I have landed on a paradise located off the shore of South Carolina. The drive down was great, weather sunshine, had the music going (even tuned into the Disney stream on satellite radio) not bad, for a "tween" music programming station. The further south I drove the more beautiful it all got, pity the south still holds such a lasting negative legacy. I personally found everyone I encountered along the way to be fantastic, including the Canadian(s) I had breakfast with this morning at a fast food carry-out.

Once over the state line I had to use the facilities, I was impressed to discover that the state commerce dept., and tourism of South Carolina has visitor centers every 20-45 miles along 95. I was able to get information,directions,maps,and a smile that would have melted frozen hydrogen; not once but several times at three different visitor centers. So your asking:

"why the need to stop at 3 centers"?

Answer is simple just look at the picture of Lowcountry&Resourt Island visitor center posted. Yeah that's South Carolina in all its "anti-bellum" glory.

Been up since 03:00 a.m. I am tired and hungry, plus I need a shower.


tomorrow I meet the Mouse!

Hit the road Jack

July 24,

2:56 a.m. last minute details and then I hit the road for a 9 hour drive down route 95. Said all my good-byes with one exception...Brent. In over 13 years we have only been separated from each other by a few days at a time, this will be the longest ever not to see each other first thing in the morning. Intellectually I know 6 months is not a very long time, but when your accustomed to coffee, and sharing time with someone you get rather used to a routine and it will be strange for a while. We hung out together a lot this week, nothing special (we are broke new house and all)and it was really cool just watching television and enjoying each others company. I tried to make joke of leaving and all, but it only pissed him off so change of subject was a pretty easy thing to do.

My sisters came over Sunday to wish me well, the neighbors have done so also. I am getting e-mail from the other interns all seem like really nice people and we all share the nervous thing regarding meeting and all. This one is a short entry I need to be on the road no later than 04:00.

HERE WE GO FOLKS...Next stop Hilton Head Island South Carolina.

Packing

July 22,

48 hours till departure, a good time to start actually packing. The only problem here at the moment is where to begin? Half of what I will need to take with me wont fit in the back seat of my truck, and the last thing I want to do is pack the truck bed with a lot of stuff and end up looking like " The Beverly Hill Billys" in any case I know this is going to be a two day effort so please understand if this entry is two days long.

July 23,

Still packing,I hope this apartment at Hilton Head is a large one.