Visa has been. . .

Issued!!!  What a relief.  I have to say the whole visa application was quite a stressful process.  First, the questions are so vague and don't make any sense.  Second, they ended up putting an older appendix form up after I had already submitted the updated form.  Nearly gave me a heart attack.  Thank goodness everything went smoothly at the consulate in New York.  The consulate overnighted my passport with my fancy visa sticker.  The process was much faster than I anticipated, I think it took nine days from the day they let me know they received my package until I got it back.  Not too shabby.

In other news, I have packed the majority of my bags with the exception of clothes that I will be wearing until the departure.  I have two suitcases of clothes, shoes, photos and other miscellaneous things.  One bag is entirely full of books... I really hope that it doesn't exceed the 50 pound (or should I say 22.7kg) limit.  I also purchased a new backpack this last week to use as a carry on bag.  I have a carry on suitcase that will have all of my clothes for the wedding in New York, but before leaving for Glasgow, I will switch out for some warmer clothes just so I have stuff in case my luggage is lost. 

The poor living room looks like a war zone with all my stuff strewn about.

But things are now a little more organized:

The following picture is scientific proof that cats love luggage.  Just ask Olivia and Sarzo:



Olivia always wins.

 The countdown in getting closer!  We leave for Philadelphia in two weeks, and will drive to Newark to pick up my sister the next day.  Then we will attend my aunt's wedding in Newburgh and will spend sometime with my east coast relatives before driving back to Philly the following Wednesday when my mom and I will leave to fly to Glasgow! Only 14 days until the 4952 miles or 7967.77 kilometer treck begins!  (I better get used to using the metric system soon). 

The weather change will be quite different too.  Right now in Phoenix it is about 105 degrees Fahrenheit with about 15% humidity.  In Glasgow it is about 16 degrees Celsius (62 Fahrenheit) with 80% humidity.  Extremely different, but I am so excited to escape the heat and go from this:

to this:

More to come soon as I prepare for the big move.

Cheers!

Getting closer...

Things have finally slowed down around here.

I submitted my visa application online and then had to collect all my paperwork that I received from the "Uni" and sent that in after my biometrics appointment.  I had an appointment set for noon, but I didn't realize that the UK consulate branch was part of the US Department of Immigration, thus it was quite busy.  I ended up waiting for about two hours, but at least my appointment went smoothly.  I should hopefully be hearing back from the consulate this week. Fingers crossed that everything goes well!  This whole process was so confusing and the application was rather vague.  I had to do a bunch of research to actually understand what the questions were asking!  I plan to put together some of my research to help out future freshers.

I also moved back in with my parents this week.  It's kind of weird being back at home and not having to leave again for work.  It's also very strange to not have a job.  However, it's nice to relax by the pool, visit with my friends that I haven't gotten to see very often, and have time to run errands. I'm currently working on packing some books and notes from undergrad that I plan to use.  I've also been looking through all my pictures and plan to develop some of them this week to bring with me.  

We had a fantastic 4th of July party this week!  So much fun with many good friends.  For a minute, I realized everything that I would be missing by moving to Glasgow.  Five years definitely seems like a long time.  But this move is much more than just pursuing my career dream, it will make me an independent person who can handle any challenge that comes her way.  I mean, if I can move to another country by myself, I can handle everything else!

Only six weeks and two days till departure for Glasgow! (And five weeks and two days until New York/Philly!)

Cheers!