When in England, realize how difficult it will be to fall in love with an Englishman.
So I announced on twitter last night that I had some really big news. After 3 months of waiting for my application to be processed I was feeling deflated. Scratch that. I was feeling awful. Priority processing time for the UK is 15 days…so months? Yea. It really wasn’t looking good. When the UKBA receives your application they send you an email saying the next time you hear from them would be when they email you saying “a decision has been reached in regards to your application” and then they provide the tracking information so you can watch your maybe successful/maybe unsuccessful application make its way painstakingly from England to the US.
Because of the time difference between New Mexico and the UK (7 hours), the work day in the UK is over early in the morning New Mexico time, so I always know that if I haven’t received an email by lunch time then I won’t be hearing at all that day. It’s a depressing way to start your day, believe you me.
Yesterday was no different. No email. So I carried on with my day. Yesterday, before dinner, while I was skyping with Sam the UPS man came by the house. Weird. No one was expecting any packages. But it was addressed to me? I opened it while still on skype to see that inside was my passport.
.jpg "Union jack sunglasses") |
| True story: my mom received these Union Jack sunglasses as an end of the year present from a student |
WITH MY SETTLEMENT VISA INSIDE. I was so stunned and overwhelmed that I thought I was going to be sick. I was shaking for hours afterwards.
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| Sorry guys, that’s all the internet gets to see of this highly personal document. I’m excited, not stupid |
I can’t tell you how relieved I am. I’ve been crying off and on since last night in fits of happiness. I should add that Sam had a suspiciously large glass of bourbon…
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| See your unfortunate climate soon, England! |
No one can answer why I never received an email- the UKBA violating their own policies is a pretty big deal- but I am too overjoyed to kick up a fuss. I’d been feeling lately that there was this black whole in my chest and it was sucking out all the happiness and ease from my life, and now it’s over. I can breath a sigh of relief. (For the next 2 1/2 years and then I have to renew it, but that’s easier than the initial application.) 6 months of preparation and 3 months of waiting are behind me. I literally slept with my passport under my pillow because I just couldn’t believe it. I still don’t really!
I officially leave for the UK on July 17 and I’ll be the happiest customer that has 3 connections that US Airways has ever seen.
