So...I'm in South America!

It all happened so fast: one minute I'm on my way to a doctor's appointment, the next, I am taking down pages of information about an immediate replacement offer with Disney LIVE!'s "Mickey's Music Festival" in South America! Within a matter of weeks I had a Brazilian visa and a plane ticket to Belo Horizonte, Brazil and I was on my way to join my new cast!

After a 22 hour travel day I landed in Brazil, was picked up by a driver who only spoke Portuguese and taken to my hotel where I would eventually catch up on sleep and be cured of jetlag. I was lucky enough to have my own room for the 3 days I was in Belo, but I learned that things go wrong when I'm by myself. I plugged in my laptop and 3 minutes later all of the power in my room shut off. I used my new iOS7 flashlight app to make my way out of my bathroom to the front door and I looked to the peep hole to discover that the hallway was all black. I immediately thought I had short-circuited the floor or something along those lines. I strangely still had wifi so I posted on our cast's facebook wall that my power had gone out. They set me straight and let me know there was a room key slot that kept the electricity in the room on, and the hallways had motion-sensored lights. The next day I learned that my AC didn't work and made a loud clattering noise all night long (thank goodness for earplugs), you can't flush toilet paper in Brazil (a lesson I learned when I came home to a clogged toilet), and my TV didn't work/I couldn't be bothered to figure it out.

The next morning I went down to breakfast to meet whoever happened to be down there at the same time. As I finally matched voices and personalities to facebook profiles I became reassured that I was where I was supposed to be and that I had an amazing adventure ahead of me.

I still have a lot to learn but here are a few characteristics of what being on tour is like so far:

• Everyone wears the same 2-3 outfits over and over again throughout the week because we never know when the laundry machines will be available at our venue and you have to sign up for washing/drying machine slots. So basically, we stretch out our wardrobe for as long as possible.
• I'm never 100% sure if what I order at a restaurant is actually what I'm going to receive because when they ask me questions in Portuguese I have no idea what they are saying. Example: ordered a coke, received an orange juice!
• This cast has a mild obsession with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups because they are very rare to come by in Brazil.
• I already mentioned the plumbing problems in Brazil.
• Red lights mean "slow down" and lane lines are optional. Brazilians are crazy drivers.
• When you're hungry and you are sick of mall food, you order room service or eat the food from the mini bar.
• Ordering room service can be very challenging if nobody speaks English.
• Portuguese is NOT Spanish.
• When you see a movie in English with Portuguese subtitles and there are sections of the movie when the characters are speaking German or Italian, it's still translated in Portuguese.

• We use the word "ration" a lot when we talk about our American snacks, toiletries, laundry detergent, etc. because we never know if/when we're going to be able to replace them.  
• Airport security when traveling inside the same country is super lenient: don't take off your shoes, don't remove your laptop, don't even remove your liquids.

So those are just a handful of fun things I've experienced so far. More to come I'm sure...

Let's talk about the real reason I am here, the show. "Mickey's Music Festival" is a high-energy show with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and other friends from "The Little Mermaid" (the best Disney movie), "Aladdin," and "Toy Story." It is an interactive show for kids and adults of all ages and even includes moments where the audience is asked to dance along or help Woody, Jessie, and Buzz, conquer a meteor shower! I get to dance alongside all of these famous Disney characters and I even hangout with Aladdin's Magic Carpet! It really is a wonderful show both to watch and perform!

I spent the beginning of the week learning my track and I opened with the cast last Friday! It was so exhilarating performing in front of the audience and with so many beloved people supporting me. I felt like a rockstar seeing all of the cheering kids with their glow sticks and flashing Minnie mouse headbands. Definitely had a moment of pure gratification to God for how much He has blessed me. I may or may not have shed a few tears of joy and relief after that first show!

The next day (yesterday) we had two more fantastic shows. After opening night, I finally felt secure with all of my choreography, costume changes, traffic patterns, and blocking. I wasn't perfect, but I wasn't thinking about anything but performing and having a good time!

So the first week with DL6 has been amazing up until last night when the bug that's been going around the cast and crew(including my roommate) bit me last night and rid me of everything I've eaten all week...Woke up feeling completely drained, frail, and weak and had to call out of our 3-show day. Hopefully resting all day and drinking lots of fluids will nurse me back to strength and tomorrow's travel day to Porto Alegre, Brazil (last stop before Argentina) won't be horrible. At least it gave me time to write this...

Thanks for tuning in to my first post about this incredible new adventure!!!

Blessings!