Well it’s official, I’ve been in the UK an entire year. It’s been full of natural ups and downs...definitely more of the former, which is new for me! I still have no regrets for moving here, though I have gotten homesick a few times (which is natural). I do wish I had a job and/or had my own place to rent. But I guess these things take time.
What’s important is that I’ve had an uninterrupted year with my husband. No distance or goodbyes. It’s been a year of just us. No-holds-barred. And I’ve loved it so much. It doesn’t matter if we’re in the US or the UK, as long as we can have a closed distance I am happy. I know we’ve still got two more visas left before I can I definitely stay here...and I sincerely hope they go well too. I believe they’ll be easier than the initial entry visa, but I’m not letting my guard down!
But still, an entire year here? I wonder if it’s time to bring out the champagne!
I’ve been in the UK for nearly a year now...and still don’t have a job. Granted, I haven’t been actively looking, but that’s because I struggle thinking of jobs I could apply for that have minimal social interaction. I’d love a job that doesn’t require me to please and alleviate customers...that’s too stressful for me. Curse this social anxiety! But there’s not much like that for me. I would love to write for a living, but I’ve only managed to land one client once. For $100. Yay. It’s all so competitive otherwise, and I worry it’s going to be just like my channel on YouTube if I try to get myself out there.
My channel on YouTube has hardly fifty subscribers...and not counting. I’ve been on that channel for at least two years now. If I start getting my writing out there, I just know it’ll fare the same. My works are gonna get pushed under the rug, and then the rug’s going to get walked on by thousands of better writers. This will happen even if I do advertise myself (which is hated in YouTube comments so I don’t even want to try the same thing with my writing). I wouldn’t mind earning from blogging, too...I think this blog is using Adsense? I don’t even know, because I can’t see ads. The Adsense connection to this site seems difficult to understand. It probably doesn’t matter because nobody is clicking on the ads because nobody is reading these blog entries.
Hello...?! Is there anybody out there....?! Are you reading this?!
I just don’t know what to do. I don’t have a degree in writing, but I didn’t think I needed one. The only experience I’ve had is what little I’ve done for this blog, and like 7 years of writing Sonic fan fictions and a year or two of currently writing novel-length Xenoblade stories.
If you’re a business guy or lady who needs a writer......I’m here? Or not. That’s okay too. There’s much better writers out there, and I’m nothing to the competition.
Maybe the 0 people that are reading this can share this blog? So I can get a foot in the door to writing? Or....you could just slam the door on my foot. That’s cool, too.
I love writing, even though I’m doing it for free. At the moment I wouldn’t mind a 9-5 and never earn anything off my writing...as long as the 9-5 has minimal human interactions. Ugh.
Well, time to go back to the writing board. The I-earn-nothing-from-it writing board.
August is over halfway over, and it's proving to be a little bit difficult. I've been stressed and sort of unproductive. And on the 10th, my husband got beat up walking home from work. Because of this, I've been a bit hesitant to go out on walks. I've enjoyed going out on walks since I've got here, but the enthusiasm to do this has gone down a bit. I'm worried if I go out, I will get jumped as well. And I can't bring anything for self-defence to feel safe because all weapons are illegal here, even if used as self-defence. I do not want to get arrested, and hence maybe deported. Not to mention my tolerance towards kids has decreased further, and every time I've gone out on walks lately, there have been a lot of kids. But if these two things were omitted, it wouldn't make a difference. I've ran out of areas to explore in the immediate area. But anyway, since I haven't gone out and walked, I've been sort of stuck here. It's been a week since my husband was attacked, and it's dampened my enthusiasm to enjoy doing the things I love. I haven't written in my story in nearly three weeks, and I haven't been interested in Xenoblade or anything else in general. I'm just hoping that things will get better, and that I'll be back to myself again. I mean it's sort of effecting me physically too. My sleep schedule has been out of whack. I'd like to listen to the things I want to WITHOUT FALLING ASLEEP!!! Thing is, I don't even know what will help me feel better.
Don't get me wrong, though. I still do not regret having moving here. What I am feeling pales to how I felt back in America. America's not doing any better, either. At least politically and socially.
I don't know. I keep getting an error message because it's failing to autosave this. It's quite frankly really annoying, so I'm just going to put this and leave this alone. Ugh.
Title says it all. The application process for this was a little bit annoying though. I had to call them, which in itself was nerve-racking to me because I don't like ringing people. I got told to remember a reference number, and that an application package would arrive by post in the next 10 business days. Well, 10 business days had passed. Then 15. Then 20. I had to ring them again and describe what happened. Apparently, the reference number I had written down was wrong as well.
I was told that if I didn't receive the application package this time, I would have to go in for an interview...
An interview!? What questions would they ask me? Would they find a way to deport me!? Did I do something wrong?! What does this mean?!
Luckily I didn't have to worry because the application package came. I had to answer a lot of questions, as well as insert photocopies of my passport details/stamps and BRP information. I mailed that in, and about five days ago or so, I received a letter that included my National Insurance Number. So now I am able to officially work here. I do intend to work here, but this social anxiety makes it difficult for me to get motivated to go out there. Plus, I'm worried that when I get a job, I will end up working with people who will be like "Go back home!" "You don't belong here!" "The UK does fine without immigrants and illegals like you!" I'm worried about dealing with people like that. I am not an illegal. I spent like £2,000 and put together an encyclopedia-thick stack of documents. I jumped through the hoops. I even got my fingerprints scanned and still came here, so I am not a criminal. I came to the UK legally, and I'm working legally.
I would much rather just work at home. But so far I've found it difficult to do that. I'm hoping this blog can go somewhere, but I doubt it...
I've also been thinking about the next visa step a little bit. It is already stressing me out. It shouldn't, because I've got over another year left before I need to worry about it. And this time, I'll be with my husband. I'll most certainly log my next visa experience here.
I have been recently visiting the optician. The reason for that is that I'm a contact lens wearer. The contacts I have brought over from America have all been used up, so I have been recently making the switch to British contact lenses. I'm wearing a pair right now, in fact. The optometrist has managed to find a pair of contact lenses that are very similar to my old ones. The only difference is a change of material (not that I can feel). They're £13 a month or £30 for a three month pack.
Going to the appointment initially was a bit nerve-wracking because I did not know
How much they'd cost
If they'd have a pair that would suit me
If they'd be able to help because I'm like 20/500
If the optometrists/opticians would be open and friendly
If they'd have an equivalent measurement system
Well, all that was proved wrong. I expected they'd cost between £100-£500 plus the eye exam. The eye exam was free, though. (via Specsavers). I've been to a British doctor before, and it was much more formal and less warm when I went. (Had an ear infection when I was visiting here a few years ago) So that led me to believe that when I got my eye exam, I would feel more like "another patient" than an actual person. I'd like to establish personal relationships with any doctor I meet. I don't want to feel like "another patient" I want to feel welcome. (Is that weird of me to say?)
Anyway, first I went in and had a brief eye exam from the optician...learned my right eye is much weaker than my left. Then I went in again to get my eyes rechecked by an optometrist, where he assisted in determining the best pair of contact lenses for me. Since I'd brought the package containing my American contact lenses, he was able to easily and quickly find an equivalent pair for me. I was given a pair of contacts to try for a trial, and I've been wearing them for four days and they've been great for me. I see just as well as with my older pair and they feel just as comfortable. I was given an interesting case though...instead of the flat one, it was a sort of capsule one. Apparently it cleans them better.
Though I've found it weird that I've had to book three separate appointments. The first was for an initial eye test plus a consultation. The one I had a few days ago was to try on contacts. The one I will have on the fourth of July will be a follow-up checkup to (hopefully) finalise everything.
All-in-all though, it's very similar to eye appointments in America. The only difference is, here, it appears as though insurance isn't needed to cover expensive appointment costs. From what I've been told, the first eye exam is free but after that it's only £35. And £13 a month? That's less than my Adobe Premiere subscription. That's a lot less than my phone bill. I'll take that. Hell yeah!
I've always thought it would be cool to try out coloured contacts so that I could alter my eye colour. But I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon...
(by the way if you cannot read this, maybe YOU should go to Specsavers and get contacts too hahahahah) Also irrelevant note, but this entry and the last one were published at the same time...
I've been here in the UK nearly seven months now. I'm definitely not having any regrets, and I'm still really happy to be here with my husband. Lately, though, I've been thinking about my family back home in America. I'm not majorly homesick, but I've been thinking about them quite a lot. I know it's possible to go and see them, that's what is keeping me from feeling too homesick. I've been thinking about all of them, particularly my mom, stepdad, granny, and dad. What I've been thinking about the most though, is my dad. My dad lived in a different state from me growing up, so I rarely got to see him. I have to admit, I feel a sort of regret for not being there in his life. I did get to see him during summers and occasional Christmas breaks, but that wasn't enough I feel. I was pretty close to my dad, but since he was in another state, I did not get to see him much. And right now I'm wishing I had gotten a chance to see him more before I came to the UK. He was there for my wedding in May, but that was only a day. I wish I could've had more days to spend with him. I would definitely love to see him when I go back to the states, but I do not want to not see mom either. I doubt he'll see this, but if he does at some point, I just want to apologise, Dad. I wish we'd gotten to see each other more often. I'm really missing you right now :( I wish I could've visited you a lot more growing up. Now that I'm in another country, it makes it even harder to find a chance to get to see you. I would love to see you again, though. My worst fear is that I won't get the chance to see him, and then before I know it, I lose him. I'm sorry, I'm just wishing I had the opportunity to have him be involved in my life a lot more...
I needed to get this out there, though. Not just to express my feelings, or to highlight on the potential homesickness, but to hopefully serve as a reminder to other people: spend as much time as you can with your dads. You never know when they're going to leave your life. Especially if you are in an expat situation like I am. Spend as much time with your family as you can. Don't leave your respective country with any sort of emptiness regarding your family. Make sure you get closure. Because once you move to another country, seeing your family becomes more difficult. Jobs keep adults busy, so they don't get much time to see their families. But if they're in another country, that just makes more loopholes for us to hop through - namely through the inevitably expensive flight prices. But I know one thing: if I had the ability, I would have gone to visit him a lot more. There was nothing I could've done, though, unfortunately. I'd had school or college to keep me busy. I didn't have a license, so I couldn't have gone to see him whenever I wanted. But if I could have....I would have. I love you, Dad.
How fitting, too, I just realised Father's Day is coming up this month. This wasn't even my intention.
I'm just going to leave this here...it's a fitting song to how I feel:
I have never seen as much flowers during the spring as I have here in Telford. Whilst living in Missouri, springtime did provide flowers, but I have never seen very many patches of wildflowers. Springtime in Missouri was hot and humid. Here, it never strays beyond 60 degrees Fahrenheit (I'm hoping someday I'll get accustomed to Centigrade) and the humidity is hardly noticeable (at least to me). Whenever I've gone outside, I've seen a LOT of large patches of yellow flowers - I think they're daffodils! The trees are blooming white and magenta flowers as well. Where I lived in Missouri, the most flower action I've seen were dandelions growing in the grass. Or maybe I'm just not that observant. Because right now I'm seeing all kinds of flowers popping up. Whatever the case, I love British springtime. Not just the sights but the smell as well. Nothing beats the smell of a fresh spring rain. One thing I will miss about Missouri springtime though is the thunderstorms - not the tornadoes, though. It doesn't storm much here, which sucks because I've always loved thunderstorms.
Anyway, going back to my Centigrade comment, I feel obliged to perhaps train myself to get out of the Fahrenheit mindset. And hopefully soon maybe even get into the metric mindset as well. I think what I will do, is post reference points. Both for myself and those who also want to train into Centigrade. It'll help for me to write them down anyway. So here they are:
0°C = 32°F (water freezes at these temperatures)
This past winter for me rarely dropped below freezing, so temperatures remained in the single digits in Celsius. Basically, if it's not below freezing but it's still cold, it's most likely in the single digits regarding Centigrade. (33°F to 48°F is the equivalent range)
10°C to 15°C is subtly warm at 50°F to 59°F
16°C to 21°C this is a considered hot summer to the Brits, but is just about the standard room temperature of 60-69°F
Any outside temperature past 22°C is not very common, but I have experienced the UK at 80°F before (roughly 27°C)
37°C = 98.6°F (average body temperature)
A temperature exceeding 38°C is a fever
I really need to make the switch to Celsius...but it'll be really confusing for me to see a 12° instead of a 53°. I need to make the switch to metric as well. Although to be fair I haven't necessarily needed it yet.
But...on the other hand, I feel like my biggest priority regarding switching right now is remembering to look the right ways when crossing the street!!
I've been in the UK for nearly four months. Even still, I am not fully adjusted. When crossing the street, I still look left when I should be looking right, or right when I should be looking left. I am still using American terms. And unfortunately I still have an American accent! But when I get frustrated, a British accent tends to come out lol. I'm not used to the fact that Mother's Day is in a week...and not in May!! There were even a few times when I plugged my phone into an outlet and forgot to turn it on - because in the UK, each outlet has to be turned on in order for electricity to flow.
I have yet to get a job, but before I do that I still need to get a National Insurance Number. Do not worry, I intend to work. I don't want to laze around on my arse for the rest of my life. Thing is, though, I do not mind work. It is just the social anxiety I have trouble with. I am hoping I can start earning from this blog or YouTube...that way I don't have to be around people technically. It's really difficult for people of my personality type.
Apart from that, I'm adjusting fairly well. I've still got a few things to get used to, but they are not major. One holiday I recently enjoyed was Pancake Day...I know for a fact I'm going to really enjoy that holiday!
It's nice to relax, though, regarding the visa process. I don't have to start stressing again until 2019. Until then, I can enjoy this expat life with my hubby. We've almost been married a year....wow...time sure flew! But we've closed the distance and we are living happily together now. We aim to honeymoon in Santorini, Greece at some point as well as have a ceremony here in the UK so his family can witness it. As far as family plans, there are none! We'd rather travel the world together as a couple.
I'm loving it here! I'm so happy here! I've found my happiness.
On a side note, the Christmas present I got for him FINALLY just recently arrived!! I posted about this in my last blog entry, so I figured I'd update it. It came in on St. Patrick's Day.
Been living in the UK for over a month now. I apologise for the lack of posts, I've been busy trying to get settled in and spending time with my hubby. I have no regrets for moving. I do miss my family, but I am so much happier here. I am able to get to places a lot easier, I have many areas to explore now. But the best part is, I am with my husband for the long haul now. No more goodbyes. I really look forward towards the end of February. Why? Because by the end of February, I will have been in the UK for three months - the maximum length I could stay for a tourist visa. Once I surpass three months, that will be confirmation for me.
I keep dreaming that I am back home...I hate that. I wish it would stop. But I always feel better upon waking up and seeing my husband laying there beside me. I am hoping that I will get an accent soon...I am already getting into the habit of writing in British English (if you couldn't already tell by the "apologise")
I had gotten my biometrics card about a day or two after I got back. There was a bit of confusion getting it, but it is in my possession now. It serves as an alternative ID.
I just apologise again for the lack of posts. Trying to get settled in here. It took me like two weeks to get used to the time zone...as the UK is six hours ahead of where I had lived in the US.
Can't get enough of chicken tikka masala, or fish and chips :P I believe I am going to need to get into the habit of drinking tea more often though...I am still caught on preferring iced tea. Surprisingly, iced tea IS available in bottles at my local Tesco. (That felt good to say) The only thing I wish I had readily available, however, is Kraft macaroni and cheese. Man, I miss that stuff :P Back in the US, I ate it pretty much everyday without ever getting tired of it. I went on the Tesco website and it says it's available for £2.20, but I couldn't find it in stores. So I would have to order it online and get it delivered.
My only complaint so far whilst I've been here is the fact that I ordered my husband a Christmas present 02/12/16 (gotta get used to writing the dates like this as well) but it STILL hasn't arrived. It's been nearly 5 weeks. I ordered it off of Amazon, and it said it was going to arrive 29/12/16, but it STILL hasn't arrived yet! And it's 03/01/17 now. I ended up ordering one (not saying what it is in case he is reading this) off of Otaku.co.uk. It hasn't came yet and I have no way of tracking it, but I am hoping it will get here.
Also YouTube needs to get their shit together...I want to publish my playthroughs, but they won't allow videos longer than 1 hours at the moment in their editor. Noticed this 18/12/16 and it still hasn't been fixed....seriously, YouTube :/
But apart from those two things, I am really happy here and enjoying my time. Those two things are not even related to me being in the UK. Well...I don't know about the present ordeal. This isn't the first time Royal Mail has screwed my husband and I over.
My husband and I are looking for a place to rent at this moment. But for now, we've got time to relax. This visa shit is over. We can now relax.
Until 2019...when we have to do the Definite Leave to Remain visa shit....oh god....
