Visa Arrived and Account Up

My Visa just arrived! I have my passport back and there's a shiny new Tier 4: Student Visa in it! YAY! And my checking account that allows me access to my college fund is up and running. Double YAY! This means that I'm going to start trying to find flight times that work for me. I'd like to stay until the 17th so I can go to the 16th puppy meeting, but we'll see if that actually happens. I've made the request to stay here until at least after September 11. That's when the garage sale is and I'd love to help out and say good bye to everyone. But, I am definitely allowed into the country now and that makes me very happy.

15 Business Days

I got this handy little email telling me that my application was received and "thank you for using the British Consulate in LA". At least I know that my visa application is being reviewed and processed. The email also stated that PB (points based) application usually take 15 business days from the date of the email to fully process. It also said that due to the amount of applications they receive I am unable to ask for updates. Pooh. 15 business days from yesterday? What would that make the date I should expect an email telling me that I was granted a visa or not? Around the 5th of August right? Well, there isn't much I can do but hope and work on other things like packing and bank stuff.

Visa Sent Away

Yesterday I finally mailed in my visa. I meant to throw it in the mail on Friday, the day after my biometrics were done, but...well I don't remember why I didn't but there you go. It did give me the weekend to make sure that I had all the proper documents though. In the large manila envelope that I sent away to the British Consulate in LA was my visa application, my CAS number (this stands for Certificate of Acceptance. for those of you who have never applied for a long visa I need a sponsor to apply for a Tier 4 Student Visa, which is what I applied for, and the University of Aberdeen is my sponsor), a bank statement so they know I have money to live over there for at least a year (Thank you Grandmother Marge and Granddaddy Ed for my college fund hope you guys are having fun in heaven), my proof of residence (which was just my signed lease and copy of the receipt for my down payment for my single study bedroom), and my passport.

I hate mailing off my passport. Why? Well, because I've had one since I was 2 and I feel a little lost without the little book that really proves I'm an American citizen. Not that I ever have to prove that seeing as I was born in Texas and all I have to do is show them a copy of my BC and everything is fine. Anyway, I guess I'm just nervous that it'll get lost. I mean I trust the consulate and everything, but just what happens if it gets lost? I'd have to apply for another one and who knows how long that could take and I need it to get to the UK and if I don't have it I don't get to go to school. Remember when all you needed was to be up to date on all of your shots to go to school?

Fingerprints

I'm officially fingerprinted. Hmm...is that a word? Fingerprinted? Shows you how ready I am to get get my degree in English right? Haha. Anyway, I had to go down the application support centre (no, I'm not getting ready for the UK. I always spell words like this. Colour, Favourite...you get the idea) so my biometrics could be entered in the system. It was a little weird because all I had to do was take a picture and have my fingerprints scanned. They asked me when I made the appointment to bring all these documents and papers but all they looked at was my passport and my appointment confirmation. Sigh...and I cam all prepared too. I had all my proper papers in an accordion folder in the proper order. Oh well, at least that part is over and done. I have to say, it was a little awkward. Living in CA I see many different nationalities all the time. Especially here in the valley. So you can imagine that I was...different while walking into a visa help centre. I kept getting this questioning look that said, "Why are you here? What did you do?" Haha, they were also pretty surprised that I knew how to speak Spanish...well, only a little. But enough to ask a little boy who kept eyeing Rocco (Rocco, for those of you who don't know, is my Guide Dog Puppy in Training) if he wanted to pet my perrito. :) I remember this one time that my mom was in the supermarket in Tennessee and these two guys were talking about her body in derogatory ways in Spanish. She turned right around and said in perfect Spanish, "You might want to watch what you say because you're never sure who can speak what language." HAHA! It made me laugh so hard when she told me that. No one ever thinks that she's fluent in Spanish because she's whiter than I am so she surprises a lot of her classes when they walk in the first day of Spanish. She's got a wonderful accent though. And I'm thankful I'm related to her because I can roll my R's perfectly. In fact when we lived in Costa Rica the old ladies on the island kept telling me what wonderful R's I had. Anyway, off of the rambling now.

I'm getting pretty excited! All I have to do is send in my visa application to the processing centre in Los Angeles.

Visa Picture

I went out with Rocco today to get my Visa Picture. For some reason I can't take good passport pictures (those are what goes on your visa). I always look like I'm trying to, I don't know, swallow my own tongue or something. Oh, well. No one is going to see it anyway. Except for Passport control when I get there and I'm going to look like crap anyway because I will have just spent 14 hours+ travelling. Getting close now. All I have to do visa wise is go to my appointment next Thursday and then send it in.