Long Time Reader... First Time Blogger

Hello!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Andrew Aulerich. I spent the past 4 years at Lawrence Tech in the Architecture program and recently received a position with the Walt Disney Company as a Professional Intern for Architecture. I have been asked to blog about my experience from the administration at LTU for students back on campus. I am more than honored to do so and share some of my experiences that I encounter down here at Disney.

I'm new at this whole blogging thing, so bear with me as I attempt to work it out. I want you to take my experiences as "real" and not some candy-coated version of what's really happening. I'm extremely excited at the oppurtunity I've been given. I've met a lot of people down here already who have worked for Disney in the College Program and Professional Internships and I have heard nothing but AMAZING things about both. Phrases such as "time of my life" and "best 4 months I've ever had" have been heard on multiple occasions already. So far, I'd have to agree with them!

I drove down to Disney from the Detroit area. Piece of advice No. 1... DON'T MAKE THE DRIVE ALONE! Driving from Detroit to Orlando by yourself is probably one of the most mind-numbing experiences I've ever encountered! ha ha ha. When I drive back home in December, I'm flying someone down to drive back up with me. Any takers? :) (Another perk of the internship... Disney covers the relocation costs so you don't need to worry about the money it takes to get to Orlando).

It's been pretty awesome down here so far. The stereotypical "boring" checkin procedures weren't bad at all! I got to see a lot of the Disney property and shot through 3 different checkpoints in less than 3 hours. The weather is nothing short of HOT! I'm not too excited about that part yet, but by the time November roles around and I'm still rockin' my shorts... I will be very happy!

The living is extremely similar to housing on campus. Professional Interns have the oppurtunity to live in apartments owned by Disney (which are nice and VERY affordable for all that they include). I live with 5 other guys in a 3 bedroom apartment. It's cool because we're from all over the country: Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, South Carolina, and Florida. Apartments include everything you need... furniture, kitchen equipment, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, all utilities, internet, cable... you name it!

Perks to the internship: FREE ACCESS TO THE DISNEY PARKS! I've been here 3 days and have been to Epcot and am going to Animal Kingdom here in a little bit. Free admission, parking, and discounts on food and merchandise. There are a lot of cast-member exclusive oppurtunities and I hear they're very impressive (FYI... you are not an "employee" at Disney, you are a "cast-member"). I haven't experienced any yet, but I'll make sure to fill you in when I do.

Thanks for reading. I wanted to throw out the general information in this post so you have an idea of what's going on down here. I'm sure future posts won't be as "scattered" and more focused on different aspects of the internship. I start the actual internship tomorrow!

Until next time...