End of the Year

Hello!

Just some quick updates on some of the logistical things that I have been dealing with:

Still no date for a National Insurance number…they want it to be difficult. I have heard the problem is because I have dual citizenship (USA and England), while being just one makes the process way easier.

I had my first drivers lesson though 🙂 The instructor picked me up outside my accommodation, and was very helpful the entire time. I did way better than I thought, I even drove myself through the centre of Guildford. I only tried to drive on the other side of the road once 😉 Successful day. I did learn that you cannot book the theory/written test before having a provisional license and the wait time is about three weeks, also you cannot book the practical/drive test until you pass the theory test and the wait time is about seven weeks. Taking this all into account, I probably will not be able to pass my drivers test before the end of the year, hopefully the theory test though.

It is coming to the end of the year now, and many of my friends at home have already finished school. I have to start thinking about moving back to America, and that means moving out of my current accommodation. I decided to bring literally everything I own when I came to England at the start of the year…11 bags worth. So now I am facing the problem of what to do with it when I am at home. I luckily have family not too far who I can leave some of my stuff with for the summer, but I still need to bring all my clothes back and they simply wont fit in the one bag that I have on the way back. Suggestions: bring vacuum pack bags for clothes, it will save loads of space. Do not bother bringing clothes like swim suits or super summery stuff, either bring them later or not at all because you will not need them. Either find someone to dump your stuff on for the summer or get a storage space, but whatever you do plan ahead!

School is going by so quickly, the weeks end in a flash. Sound Clash, a day festival in Southampton, was amazing! It was my first English festival. The amount of alcohol that is around is hilarious. There are no beer gardens as everyone can drink who attends, but drinks are like £5 each ($7.50). The same festival type people attend though making the whole scene just full of happy, drunk people. It did take about two and a half hours to get home though. I highly suggest properly planning the time that you plan on leaving other towns. We got lucky and got the last train out with about a minute to spare. We had to take three trains and a bus to get home because how late it was.

My boyfriend and I went into town the other day and got lunch outside. It was so nice to just sit and relax during such a time crunched school period. We realized that we had hardly been into town this year. It made me think about all the things that I was able to do because I came to England as opposed to staying in America. This is some of the stuff that is on my list:

1. Went to Britain’s Got Talent (saw Simon Cowell)