FROM: Amber Earns Her Ears Published Mondays

Amber Remembers Some Castoff Cast Members

Bittersweet, Amber reflects upon CareerStart participants who did't make it through the program, some because they stole from Mickey or fell down drunk in the Grand Floridian, others because they were homesick, and others just because.

- Amber Sewell, May 9, 2011

Sometimes things happen that you don't exactly plan for. Sometimes things go wrong, or reactions to an event aren't exactly what you had envisioned.

For example, a lot of people arrive in Florida for Disney's CareerStart or College Programs with the mindset that nothing - nothing - is going to deter them from sticking it out. They are going to see it through to the end.

But then, of course, stuff happens.

While I worked in Walt Disney World on my first program, I saw many people leave before their time was up. Some caused trouble, did drugs, or got caught drunk.

One girl I worked with, who was absolutely a blast to hang out with and extremely amiable, once didn't come in for her next shift. When I asked around, I found out that she had been found the night before, passed out drunk in a bikini on the floor of the Grand Floridian Resort. And she was wearing her Disney ID, which only made the situation worse.

Another guy that I worked with couldn't comprehend the fact that, as we all had to sign in with unique usernames when we operated a register, Disney would easily be able to track money. He was terminated for stealing from the Mouse.

Jenni Packs Her Bags

And then there are the people who leave against their will, or who leave and wish they could come back. My roommate Jenni, for example: she didn't like her job and she was homesick. She never fully unpacked. One morning, as my roommate Paige and I sat on the couch, watching Family Feud while we ate our customary breakfast and coffe, we got a text from our other roommate, Leah.

Have you looked in our room?

We looked at each other, deep down knowing what this meant, but not fully being able to comprehend it. We shot out of our seats, tapped open the door, and stared, bemused, at the suddenly gaping space that had been Jenni's half of the room.

Her mother had driven from Texas to help her move back. We spent one last day with Jenni. We ate at EPCOT, and I remember all of us Fab Five sitting on the sticky, hot plastic seats behind the Yakatori House. There wasn't much to say on such an occasion.

That night, we went to Downtown Disney, where Jenni's mother treated us to ice cream from Ghirardelli, and we tried to reconcile the fact that it had happened so quickly.

Since Leah shared a room with Jenni, they had the strongest bond, and Leah was hit the hardest. Finally, we all stood - some with tearful eyes, others just sad - and hugged, bumping against the bleachers of the outside stage as we swayed a little.

In the apartment that night, we were a tad shell-shocked. Paige and I had been expecting it, and weren't totally devastated. Leah, though, was completely shaken.

By the time Jenni and her mother had reached the Florida state line the next morning, Jenni was ready to come back. If only she hadn't turned in her ID or given her notice. If only she had just taken a trip home to get a fix of being with her family. If only.

A few months later, Jenni did make an attempt to come back. She found an apartment - or someone to stay with for a short while - and applied for some jobs at the local outlet. Her goal was to wait until she could apply for a job with Disney again; she wanted to get back on her feet.

She returned to Texas within a week. Paige and I didn't see her at all during her short trip.

Leah Packs Her Bags

Leah was the perfect Cast Member. She was cute and bubbly - the ideal princess. She wore bows in her hair that coordinated with her costume, she joked around with the kids, and even when she was completely sore from lifting a 45-pound robot, she could find something to smile about.

Around May, things started to get a little rocky. She was having boy issues - her boyfriend back home wasn't being the best of beaus. It was enough to stress her out a lot, but she was in the midst of planning a trip for him to come down to visit. She had plans for every day, cool little excursions that he would love. And then her father went to the hospital. It's probably bad that I can't remember exactly what had been wrong with him, but it was enough to send Leah over the edge.

Her entire goal in coming to Florida had been to see if this was what she wanted to do with her life; now that she was fairly certain it wasn't, she didn't need all the stress that being in Florida placed on her.

Leah's father drove to the complex to help her load all of her stuff. Security, however, wouldn't let Leah or her father inside, so I packed my car Dinosaur with all of Leah's belongings and drove it out to the front gates, walking back so I could get ready for work.

With a quick hug, Leah was gone.

Amber Is Locked Out

With the disappearance of each roommate, Disney would change the locks and leave a letter on our counter informing us that a new roommate would be arriving soon.

The first key change I managed to catch, but the second time, after Leah had left, I drove to the apartment, ran up the stairs, and then realized that I hadn't had a chance to get the new key. I knocked, thinking that May (one of our 'replacement' roommates) did have the new key, but no one answered.

I slowly made the trek to the security booth, hoping they'd be able to let me in. I was exhausted, I had worked an hour past the usual end of my shift because I had been delayed in cleaning the fryers, and I smelled like a revolting mixture of cooking oil and French fries.

When I arrived at the security booth, I saw May sitting on one of the benches. I gave a little whimper and sat down next to her. We would have to wait for Paige to come home.

After an hour and half of waiting - I had called Paige, with no result, and had actually fallen asleep on the bench, my backwards baseball cap falling from my greasy hair to rest against slick shoes grainy with crumbs from chicken chunks - we heard Paige's sympathetic call, and I lethargically rose to accompany her and May to the apartment.

Where Are They Now?

Jenni is currently working merchandise on another CareerStart Program. She seems to be doing much better this go-round, and has a great support group of friends and co-workers. Her new job is much preferable to working with egg rolls in a stuffy cart, I hear.

When I visited on spring break, we spent one morning together in the Magic Kingdom. Jenni was once again the vivacious, bursting with laughter girl who I remembered from the beginning of our program, and not the lonely Jenni who had made the decision to pack up her stuff in the middle of the night. Her plan is to extend, and then hopefully become a part-time Cast Member when her program is over.

Two people that I chatted with on Facebook before arriving in Florida, one of whom I was supposed to room with, ended up getting together during the program. They have now been living in Florida since the program ended, sharing a wonderful, spacious apartment just a few minutes away from the World. They had been stuck for a little while in the jobs they held during their program, but both are now learning the Hoedown Throwdown to perform at their resorts with the children. They have an adorable kitten named Ohana, and can see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from their bedroom window.

Leah isn't quite sure what she wants to do anymore. Sometimes she was desperate to return to Disney; other times, she talked about opening a cute little boutique back in her hometown. I'm simply hoping she finds something that makes her happy.

Paige and I, the two who stuck it out for the entire program, are waiting for the day we can return. Mine is coming up quickly - on May 23rd I will again be in one of the apartment complexes, moving in and making myself at home for another seven months. Paige is back at her Disney Store, leading children in tiaras and ballgowns around the premises.

And the ones who got terminated? They never mentioned it much, and I don't speak with them anymore. But I'm sure they went back to the lives they led before they departed for Florida, reflecting on it as a fun experience cut short before they were done partying.

More: AMBER EARNS HER EARS