I realise that I have been completely slacking on this whole "keeping a blog" thing! But hey, better late than never.
I've been in England now for 2.5 weeks. I'm finally over the jet lag and settled into my dorm. Ikea and Tesco (the equivalent of Publix here) helped me outfit my dorm and kitchen with all sorts of fun things.
I've also been busy getting lots of cool things like a student bus pass, student rail card (which gets me discounts on train tickets), and opening an English Bank Account!!
On Monday, classes started - I did NOT realise that I would be in class ALL DAY!! Holy poop. 3 classes. 9-5. This is serious. I only have one class on Tuesdays for 2 hours and no others the rest of the week, so I'll just have to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.
By next September, I'll have finished 8 classes and a dissertation. The problem here is that I have to figure out my dissertation topic and find a faculty supervisor in the next 3 weeks! I've already had an idea turned down, so now I'm racking my brain for back-up ideas. There's also this horrible thing called statistics that I have to actually learn. :( I am still really excited about the programme, just a little bit nervous now!
In fun news, I've met so many new and fun people and I can tell they're really going to brighten up the year! This weekend is going to be really fun because Mike is coming to visit and we're planning on going in to London and also having a Monopoly battle!
So now that we're all caught up, I'll leave you with a photo of my finished room and one of the view from my window. Happy Friday! :)
*SEVERE WEATHER ALERT*
We're calling this full-blown category 5 storm Hurricane Rachel. For the last three weeks this storm has had an unpredictable path - traveling all of the country leaving her mark in New York, Tennessee, and all over Florida. The storm system is expected to remain stateside for the next 8 days and then travel across the Atlantic to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting United Kingdom.
That's right everyone, in preparation for the move this last month my life has been a whirlwind. I travelled to New York City to visit the wonderful Brogan and totally kicked his butt in Monopoly. While I was there I did some shopping and, most importantly, got my Student Visa. (It was super easy - I just had to tell them the name of my school, turn in my application, and leave my passport with them. Then I went back the same afternoon and picked up my passport with my newly added visa!)
The next week I went to Tennessee to visit my mom's side of the family. I got to see my Mimi who makes me smile with all of her love, hugs, advice, and cooking! I also got to visit my Great Grandma Webb who will be 99 this month! I loved getting to spend time with my cousins and family and getting to catch up with everyone. Mimi and I also planned a T-shirt quilt that she's going to make for me!
Upon arrival home, I received some news about someone very close to me that wasn't so great. This news may have some affect on future plans so everyone should send some happy thoughts into the universe for her. (I know, super cryptic but updates on this situation will only be on a need-to-know basis.)
On a lighter and happier note, this past weekend I was so excited to visit my very best friend Emily. It was such a special weekend because I was able to celebrate Emily's birthday and ENGAGEMENT to her amazing fiance Caleb!! Emily, Emily's mom, and I got to go wedding dress shopping and we found lots of promising options! My favorite part of the weekend was when Emily asked me to be a very special part of her wedding (details to follow later)! I'm so happy I was able to see her before I move and am so honored to be a part of such a special time in her life.
Now I have 8, OCHO, EIGHT days left until I board a plane to England. Everything is looking like it's lined up and it should all work out! Now I've just got to squeeze in lots of friends and family time along with the enormous packing job I have ahead of me.
Until next time, I wish to leave you with my favorite thing I have discovered about my new uni: my school mascot. Steve the Stag.
It's been a little while since my last post and in that short time, a lot has happened!
For starters, I sold my car. Sad day! :( I was initially really sad about selling Blue Belle and was even questioning my decision but now I feel really good about it. I feel like it's solidified the big move but I still miss her lots!
Next I got the two documents from my school that I needed for my Visa interview. (Although the one that was mailed to me arrived in a sort-of rough condition!)Then I went to the Immigration Application Center and registered my fingerprints and photo with the online Visa system.
After that I got to have an amazing mini vacation with my lovely friend Nicole! We went to a spa in Safety Harbor and had a weekend of laughing, food, swimming, herbal wraps, coloring, and adventuring! It was just what we both needed and I'm so glad we got to go!
Today I received my housing assignment and I did get the room style I wanted, although I won't be on the main campus where my classes are. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of walking!
Next week it's on to NYC to visit Brogan and have my Visa interview.
5 WEEKS LEFT!
It seems like just the other day that I was so stressed about having to wait for everything to start happening in this whole international moving process... Oh wait, it was.
In just the last few days some major developments have happened. I finally got everything straightened out with my loan paperwork and that should be approved within the next few days. Then, on a whim the other night, I decided to start the visa process and save it at whatever point I needed to have information from my school and continue once all materials were received.
Luck was on my side though and I didn't need any of the official documents for the initial application. I submitted my application, paid my happy little fee and made an appointment to get my biometric information taken.
Then I decided it was time to check on the NYC situation; so I applied for an appointment, paid that happy little fee and booked my airplane ticket. (Which I only had to pay $5 for, thanks to a birthday gift from my parents last year of an airtran gift certificate!) Watch out Brogan, here I come!!
Also on the list of things to do: updating my glasses and contacts. So today I went to the eye doctor and, in an interesting twist, was pronounced legally blind!I feel like this is an accomplishment.
The next thing on the list was selling my car. In just a simple facebook post I found someone interested (Thanks Thomas!) and I might have to say goodbye to my precious Blue Belle soon!! :(
So this week has been very productive and full of anti-procrastination. Now all that's left, for now, is to start the packing process.
Thanks universe for helping everything fall into place!
Those of you who know me well may be aware that I'm a self-imposed procrastinator. It's a skill, really and I'm well-practiced in this art-form. I am, however, reforming my ways. But the fact that I have forces outside of my control affecting my timeline to get everything done is not the type of procrastination I enjoy and is incredibly nerve-wracking.
I booked my plane ticket for September 18th, got a great price on it and, got my luggage for moving. (Thanks Mom!) Then I received, signed, and submitted my offer letter from the university to switch my status from part-time to full-time. I also applied for my housing and gave my top 5 choices for room styles (fingers-crossed I get my first choice!). So now I just have to wait.
I'm waiting on my loan to be approved. Once this happens I will have to WAIT for my official documentation to be mailed to me from the university. Then I can apply for a visa and WAIT to be assigned an appointment for fingerprinting (here in FL) and for my interview (in NYC). And I have to WAIT to decide when to go to Tennessee until I know when I'm going to NYC.
All of this waiting is necessary and can only be reduced by the people who are helping me in this process. This is NOT the type of procrastination I enjoy, especially with only 7 weeks left until I leave!
In the mean time I have lots of things to do here on the home front. Some of them include:
-Selling my car
-Choosing clothes to bring
-Packing clothes
-Figuring out what needs to be shipped to the UK
-Applying for my visa
-Going to NYC
-Going to TN
-Going to Miami
-Going to England
The list could go on and on because there's so much more to do than just those things, but for now that's what's next for me.
49 days left!!
Last week, everything was going smoothly with preparation. There was a lot to do, but there was a plan in place. I worried that everything was too good to be true and it turns out I was right!
I discovered an issue when I was trying to apply for my on-campus accommodation. I was unable to register, and when I asked why, I was instructed that as a part-time student I was not eligible for university accommodation. This got me thinking: if I couldn't get housing as a part-time student, could I even get a visa?
No. The answer was no.
*Big Hiccup!*
I immediately composed an email to the university asking if I could be switched to a full-time placement in the programme. If not, I was going to have to kiss my dreams of England good-bye, for now at least, since I would be ineligible for a student visa. I heard back from the uni today.
Yes. The answer was yes!
What does this mean? It means that I will be able to secure a visa and start the programme in September. Woohoo! It also means that I will be able to get housing on-campus and will complete the programme in one year instead of two. The time difference makes me a bit nervous, but I'm sure it'll all be fine!
That was a close call, and I'm hoping everything really is smooth sailing from here out. Only 8 weeks left!
Early last week I found out that I had been accepted to the University of Surrey to begin the MSc in Research Methods in Psychology programme. To say the least, I was stunned, amazed, and completely excited! What I didn't realize was how much preparation this was going to take in such a relatively short amount of time. (I knew it would take a lot of work, but I had also not fully digested the idea that I would actually be going.)
I have been lost in the land of printing papers, scanning documents, and saving files from the minute I got my official offer. I applied for my first loan EVER... yay for debt! I am searching for the perfect price on a flight over to the UK and selling all belongings that can fetch a price (minus the clothes of course).
To make things more interesting, by the time my replacement passport and official documents from the University arrive, I will have seven weeks (SEVEN!) to apply for and secure a student visa. By mail, this process takes at least 4-6 weeks, not including delivery times.
What does this mean? Impromptu trip to New York City, that's what it means!
Turns out the only actual visa office is in NYC and in order to guarantee the visa gets done in time, this is my best option. This means I'll get to visit my love, Brogan, and have a mini-vacation filled with shows, shopping, and other wonderful things! (Right Brogan?!)
In all, it's been an interesting week of preparation and with 9.5 weeks to go, I'm sure there will be many more interesting twists!
