Zurg
<font color=red>Eivl <font color=navy>Emperor<br><
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2002
We make tour books for the Kids to take to Epcot. Like passports on steroids. We have pictures, maps and flag sticker and statistics on each country. (http://www.badshoe.com/EpcotTourBook.htm more on the books here)
We use these to strike up conversations with Epcot Cast Members about their home countries, learn a little as we tour Epcot and to make Epcot more fun for everyone. We like to talk to the Cast and arent too proud to use props to break the ice.
A few years ago we met Seloua, one of the sweetest people in the world, using these books. Kelley started talking with her about Morocco as she came off the greeting desk out front of the restaurant.
Seloua sat down on the curb and talked about her homeland for a good half hour. Kelley and I were very impressed and seek her out every time we are in the Moroccan area.
Based on how much fun we have with Seloua, Kelley chose Morocco as the subject of 6th grade project. I have to say that it is a great pleasure for me to see my kids forming opinions and feeling about other countries based on positive happy experiences like this rather than the us and them attitude of most media, particularly when the country in question is Islamic.
One of Kelley's responsibilities for her project was to try some food from the country she is studying. Now if you don't have a 6th grader around, they don't do much in the way of experimenting with new foods. Seloua made some recommendations and Kelley and I went in to test them out. We had a grand time and Kelley can now make a fairly good beef brewat roll.
Oh and some how the staff seemed to know that they should have Kelly up to dance with the Belly Dancer.
Seloua is bright and funny, something that is often missed by people stopping by. We seek her out and chat. Naturally if her official duties as a greeter are needed we pause while she talks with another guest.
Once, in such a pause, I was practically on the ground laughing as she quietly and graciously informed a guest who had said he was a little hunger that they have table ready immediately for people who are very hungry and asked if he was very hungry not just a little hungry. He didn't get it; he kept saying he was a little hungry. Well never fear they had a table for that too.
After a few trips we had figured that Selouas guest visa and internship were up. We approached the greeting stand thinking maybe someone can tell us how to pass on a hello. I am thinking , Boy these Moroccans all look alike. As I start to talk she is thinking Boy these American all look alike.
Turns out they dont all look alike. She was still here. She was married and now lives here. We had a quick visit and exchanged emails.
So this last trip we planned to get together with her and visit. She has moved to work at Sea World so any time that fit with her work schedule, lunch or dinner is on us.
Turns out she was free our second to last night there. Cool! We would meet at in the Boardwalk lobby and find a place to eat.
Soloua brought her new hubby Joe out to play.
OK we love Soloua and to be honest we a little skeptical that Joe was good enough for her. As apparently it was a whirl wind courtship. Not that we thought there was anything wrong per se with the guy but she is so special that he needed to be special too.
It turns out that he is.
Not just because he flies, likes cameras and dives, all of which are very high on my personal cool things to do list, he is just, well - the right guy for Seloua. That is saying a heck of lot in our book.
I wish I could re-tell the story she told us over dinner of their courtship but
1)It is their story
and
2)I cant tell stories anywhere near well enough to do it justice, (and I say this with no little pride in my story telling skills.) Yes the story is that good, it would make a excellent Romantic Farce.
Lets just say it was funny, sweet and had a cast of great characters all of who were conspiring to get the two of them together frequently behind their backs. I would love to get to know her sister and his dad. Maybe next trip well have them all over for dinner too.
After dinner back in the boardwalk lobby Joe pulled out a brief case. Seems he is something of a close up magician. Joe held the kids, us, and a few spell bound with outstanding close up magic. He kept finding these foam balls in strange places, like the kids ears and stuff.
It was a riot. He did an amazing job of rope tricks. We were all laughing and carrying on.
Seloua and Joe thanks for coming out to play. In the words of another good friend, Love Ya, Mean it.
We use these to strike up conversations with Epcot Cast Members about their home countries, learn a little as we tour Epcot and to make Epcot more fun for everyone. We like to talk to the Cast and arent too proud to use props to break the ice.
A few years ago we met Seloua, one of the sweetest people in the world, using these books. Kelley started talking with her about Morocco as she came off the greeting desk out front of the restaurant.
Seloua sat down on the curb and talked about her homeland for a good half hour. Kelley and I were very impressed and seek her out every time we are in the Moroccan area.
Based on how much fun we have with Seloua, Kelley chose Morocco as the subject of 6th grade project. I have to say that it is a great pleasure for me to see my kids forming opinions and feeling about other countries based on positive happy experiences like this rather than the us and them attitude of most media, particularly when the country in question is Islamic.
One of Kelley's responsibilities for her project was to try some food from the country she is studying. Now if you don't have a 6th grader around, they don't do much in the way of experimenting with new foods. Seloua made some recommendations and Kelley and I went in to test them out. We had a grand time and Kelley can now make a fairly good beef brewat roll.
Oh and some how the staff seemed to know that they should have Kelly up to dance with the Belly Dancer.
Seloua is bright and funny, something that is often missed by people stopping by. We seek her out and chat. Naturally if her official duties as a greeter are needed we pause while she talks with another guest.
Once, in such a pause, I was practically on the ground laughing as she quietly and graciously informed a guest who had said he was a little hunger that they have table ready immediately for people who are very hungry and asked if he was very hungry not just a little hungry. He didn't get it; he kept saying he was a little hungry. Well never fear they had a table for that too.
After a few trips we had figured that Selouas guest visa and internship were up. We approached the greeting stand thinking maybe someone can tell us how to pass on a hello. I am thinking , Boy these Moroccans all look alike. As I start to talk she is thinking Boy these American all look alike.
Turns out they dont all look alike. She was still here. She was married and now lives here. We had a quick visit and exchanged emails.
So this last trip we planned to get together with her and visit. She has moved to work at Sea World so any time that fit with her work schedule, lunch or dinner is on us.
Turns out she was free our second to last night there. Cool! We would meet at in the Boardwalk lobby and find a place to eat.
Soloua brought her new hubby Joe out to play.
OK we love Soloua and to be honest we a little skeptical that Joe was good enough for her. As apparently it was a whirl wind courtship. Not that we thought there was anything wrong per se with the guy but she is so special that he needed to be special too.
It turns out that he is.
Not just because he flies, likes cameras and dives, all of which are very high on my personal cool things to do list, he is just, well - the right guy for Seloua. That is saying a heck of lot in our book.
I wish I could re-tell the story she told us over dinner of their courtship but
1)It is their story
and
2)I cant tell stories anywhere near well enough to do it justice, (and I say this with no little pride in my story telling skills.) Yes the story is that good, it would make a excellent Romantic Farce.
Lets just say it was funny, sweet and had a cast of great characters all of who were conspiring to get the two of them together frequently behind their backs. I would love to get to know her sister and his dad. Maybe next trip well have them all over for dinner too.
After dinner back in the boardwalk lobby Joe pulled out a brief case. Seems he is something of a close up magician. Joe held the kids, us, and a few spell bound with outstanding close up magic. He kept finding these foam balls in strange places, like the kids ears and stuff.
It was a riot. He did an amazing job of rope tricks. We were all laughing and carrying on.
Seloua and Joe thanks for coming out to play. In the words of another good friend, Love Ya, Mean it.
