So it was a year ago today that I was forced to pick up and move away from the most magical place on earth. Forced to leave a magical fantasy to once again rejoin the real world. In the year since, I’ve had the chance to learn a lot about how much I changed during those four months. I can undoubtedly say that doing the Disney College Program was the best decision I’ve ever made for myself.
People often ask me what the best part of the program was and as anyone that did the program knows, that is quite an open-ended question. There were so many good times…Graduation, Formal, Around the World, Kidani Parades and Coloring, Midnight Swims, Block Party and MiSiCi, the list goes on and on. But I’ve realized the answer to that question is that the people are what truly was the most incredible part of the program.
As I think we’ve all learned, trying to explain a Disney friendship to someone that has never had one is nearly impossible, for there is something very special about a DCP friendship. Somehow, as much as we are different, we are all so very much the same. Each of us comes from different backgrounds, different states, even different countries; we have different stories, even speak different languages but yet we all believe in the magic. We believe in the magic and embrace it, even live it with all our hearts. I’ve found that in the year since the program that there is something so safe in a Disney friendship. There was never a fear to not be wholly who you were because deep down, you knew that that goofy, Disney-lover was inside them too. It’s that safety which undoubtedly helped me grow in those four months into a person I am so proud to be today.
Disney friends, I miss you all terribly. I truly wish that the distance wasn’t so far between us, especially my DAK Pack friends who live across the globe. Know that even a year later, you still hold a very special place in my heart and will forever. I hope you’re doing well and that our paths will one day cross again. To those friends I have talked to or seen since last May, know that I value your friendship more than you can even imagine and if ever you need me, know I will always be there for you, as I know you’d be there for me. Asante Sana, Thank You, for everything.
Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust,
Jess
