One more…Rainy Day

I miss Animal Kingdom.

It feels slightly random to be thinking of DAK on a rainy day like today, but honestly, who cares? DAK is warm, and right now it’s really cold outside. Or maybe that’s just me, I’m kind of sick right now, too. Either way, I’d rather be anywhere but here. And everybody on Facebook is talking about the One More Disney Day, so I have Disney on the brain. I’m wishing I could go, but I have an Italian exam on Friday, and had a quiz on a musical we had to attend in Theater 100. So being anywhere but here is not an option.

Usually when it rains, I think of EPCOT. There was one day where I went to EPCOT to get pictures that I was going to attempt to draw later (still haven’t got around to doing that, since my old laptop broke). It was incredibly windy out. You could tell there was a storm coming. I stood on the bridge near Canada and watched the dark clouds forming across the lake. And continued walking around the park instead. Lightning was bouncing around behind Norway, and people were flooding to the exits- even Off Kilter had closed down their show and covered the stage. And then there was me, heading in the complete opposite direction of everyone else- deeper into the park.

Eventually I realized that it probably wasn’t safe at all to be walking around EPCOT in a storm like that, and headed back towards Future World. I hung out in the safety of the open-faced pin store. Eventually I realized the lightning wasn’t going to hit near here, so I fashioned a cover for my camera out of a plastic bag, with the help of the people working there, and ventured out into the rain.

It was a new experience. EPCOT was deserted, everyone crowding into the shops and under the edges of buildings, hiding from the downpour. And then there was me. I walked through the park without and umbrella, my clothing soaked and my hair plastered to my head, and not caring in the slightest. I got weird looks from everybody, but just kept walking around and taking pictures, before heading for Magic Kingdom. It was Florida, so the rain stopped soon enough, and my clothes dried while I was on the Monorail.

So…why DAK? Especially after all the talk of EPCOT? I’m just remembering another rainy day. One of my friends worked in Animal Kingdom. I had brought my sketchbook to the park to draw something, but, as it always did when I took my sketchbook to Animal Kingdom, it started to rain. So I followed my friend as he worked, probably annoying the heck out of him (I’m sure his co-workers gave him grief for his stalker later, but I’m not really that sorry, I had fun.) I got absolutely soaked from the rain, then went on Everest. Everest kind of hurts in the pouring rain, but it’s a lot more fun and terrifying. Also, your face gets a nice massage… I then ended up in Dinoland, talking to the woman who worked one of the games on the midway, and hiding under the awning. It was close to park closing, so nobody came by. The woman figured out quickly I was a Cast Member, so we talked about all of the different people we came across, and the differences between Merchandise and what she did, and a bunch of other random things. I stayed until other Cast Members came by to clear the park. It was a great day, and it’s sticking in my head today for some unknown reason.

I wish I was back there.