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Near the end
Jul. 5th, 2006 10:46 pmSo far, the visa process has progressed with all the ease and comfort of swallowing a harpsichord. We sent the first forms off in February, and after that, the cycle of worrying for months, filling out forms and sending more information in inch-thick binders literally began to gradually kill me. I'm now on two types of medication (three if you count the bananas), I've stopped keeping the budget spreadsheet because my expenses are now entirely fees after charges after travel tickets, and it looks like it's approaching the end of it all. I have a ticket down to London, a visa interview on the 13th, have arranged to stay at Whitney's aunt's again, and will be able eventually to get a plane ticket to California from there. And then there's just organizing the wedding, citizenship, and the rest of our lives to worry about.
The only thing that I'm finding difficult now is packing. I'm going to have to leave the flat this weekend and stay at my parents' house for a short time before the incredible journey begins, and I can't think of much that I actually want to take with me apart from clothes and the bits of my computer that I can salvage. What's worrying me most are the forms that I musn't forget - the living room is covered in paper. I've reserved one sofa for the vital interview documents, another for the things left over for my medical, and the table for everything else. It was only after digging through one of the piles and sorting all the photocopies of tax returns, legal forms, passport photo pages and evidence of financial support into a large envelope that I began to see the pattern of the cushions emerge again.
It's strange - everyone in Britain who hears of my immigration is excited and says to me that they want to do the same thing. The reaction from Americans is more along the lines of "Why do you want to come here? Americans are idiots." (N.B. This is a direct quote, with eccentric punctuation having been corrected. Actually, he then went on to ask me how much a castle costs, so maybe he's not the best source.)
Right - I'm going to write my packing list here, because I'd have to move the mouse all the way across the screen to get to Notepad2. Clothes, all forms weighing under 1cwt, graphics card, rabbits, shaver, toothbrush, ears, hard drives, $45. I think I can easily fit all those into a suitcase.
The only thing that I'm finding difficult now is packing. I'm going to have to leave the flat this weekend and stay at my parents' house for a short time before the incredible journey begins, and I can't think of much that I actually want to take with me apart from clothes and the bits of my computer that I can salvage. What's worrying me most are the forms that I musn't forget - the living room is covered in paper. I've reserved one sofa for the vital interview documents, another for the things left over for my medical, and the table for everything else. It was only after digging through one of the piles and sorting all the photocopies of tax returns, legal forms, passport photo pages and evidence of financial support into a large envelope that I began to see the pattern of the cushions emerge again.
It's strange - everyone in Britain who hears of my immigration is excited and says to me that they want to do the same thing. The reaction from Americans is more along the lines of "Why do you want to come here? Americans are idiots." (N.B. This is a direct quote, with eccentric punctuation having been corrected. Actually, he then went on to ask me how much a castle costs, so maybe he's not the best source.)
Right - I'm going to write my packing list here, because I'd have to move the mouse all the way across the screen to get to Notepad2. Clothes, all forms weighing under 1cwt, graphics card, rabbits, shaver, toothbrush, ears, hard drives, $45. I think I can easily fit all those into a suitcase.
