International Studies

Adventures with Mickey

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Welcome My first day of the Disney College Program consisted of thousands of college students waiting in a line. Everyone seemed just as confused and excited as the next person in line did. The information they gave us was very limited but made me excited to find out more. I wanted to know where I was working, where I was living, when I started, whom I was living with and I had so many other questions.

THome!he first worker gave us a planner with our work location on the back; I was going to be working at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. I was ecstatic; I was working for such an amazing company and was going to have the privilege at working at their flagship resort.  The planner also said I would be living in Patterson Court with five other girls. Five other girls, I was nervous that it would be hard to get along with so many other people all the time.  The rest of the day was a blur; we were given instructions about training and an itinerary for the following days.

Back to Reality

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Over the past weekend, the largest fashion show in Western New York took place right at Genesee Community College. The four months of extremely hard work that so many students had put into Ethereal was wrapped up in a single day. As the weekend festivities come to a close and the new week starts, the Fashion Show Production students who created the show came back to their 9 am class to discuss and evaluate all aspects of Saturday, the day of the shows. Collectively, we have all heard such positive things about the shows. We’ve learned that some attendees even wanted to purchase garments made for the show! photo-1
Aside from the fashion aspect of Ethereal, the after party in the Cafeteria was also an amazing accomplishment. Professor Amy Slusser who is the Faculty Advisor for Tourism and Hospitality Management is the head of the after party in the Cafeteria and works one-on-one with the fashion students to make the annual fashion show as successful as possible. This morning in class, Professor Slusser visited the fashion students along with Professor Dudkowski to reflect on the weekends fashion bash. “The cohesive plan throughout the entire semester made it easier to keep with the plans for the party” was just one of the many encouraging words from Professor Slusser. The theme for the show was decided in the fall semester of this academic school year and has stayed constant throughout the spring semester. photo-3
I think the transition from the runway to the after party was so smooth because of the similar elements in both rooms. The cream canopy overlay was similar in color and draping style to the table cloth that covered the tables in the cafeteria. Bringing in outside floral elements and moss in for both the end of the runway and the unicorn kept the consistency of the theme throughout. Also, the décor of both the runway and the cafeteria fit the idea of “Ethereal”. Overall, I think the Ethereal, the 33rd Annual Fashion Show was a great success. The cohesive plan that started in the forum and ended in the Cafeteria really was a transformation into a new world. The work between all of the students who contributed in the production of the show did an amazing job.
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How is Batavia NY is Different from my Hometown?

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Batavia NY is much different from my hometown in East Asia. Even thought they have about same population size, they have a quite different characteristics.

At first, a climate between two towns was killing me! My hometown belongs to the Temperate Zone, so I never experienced such a crazy snow and freezing temperature until I spent a winter in Batavia. Otherwise, summer weather in Batavia is very enjoyable, but my hometown is not because of its humidity and seriously high temperatures.

Another difference is the topographical factor. There is no ocean in Batavia, but it is located right next to two large lakes; Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Plus, it is a flat field suitable for farming corn and dairy farms. My hometown has both mountain range and inland sea, and prospers oyster farming while making use of the terrain.

Without having my own automobile in Batavia, the limited transportation reduces range of activities I can participate in. The B-line Bus Service and taxis are the only ways you move in Batavia without a car. Those services are not enough for people who do not have an automobile. My hometown has bus, taxi, train, and bullet train. The train is very expedient for communing to downtown, and bullet train is the easiest way for traveling to all around an area.

The difference between living in these two towns gives is challenging to adjust to.

-Makoto Le