A Quick Update and BIG News

This is going to be just a quick update, but I received my Visa in the mail the other day and I couldn't be happier. The intensity of the process and the complexity of the forms had me worried that something might go wrong, but when that UPS envelope arrived I was elated. Its basically a giant sticker which resembles the front page of a US passport but with UK stuff all over it. They stick it in one of the available pages of your passport....so we finally discovered the reason why we had to send the New York office my passport and not a copy. Anyway, it feels really good to know that we've done things well and I'm really all set to go to England now!

Now for the really BIG news ...... my London intership ... I've been tentatively placed with the Hampstead Theater!!!!!! I'll be working with their Children's Theater Program. Words cannot express my happiness at this news.

Meetings of the Most Exciting Variety

This week has certainly been filled with news of London!

Monday was my first internship placement meeting, where I discussed my specific interests and goals with Kaitlin, our London contact. We talked about my goal of finding a way to combine my eventual career in business with my passion for the arts, and how that could apply to my internship sites. We came up with several exciting options, including theater, film/television, galleries/museums, and journalism, with theater being my first choice.

If I get an internship with a theater, I could be working with theater management or PR operations, which would be soooo exciting. And while West End internships are super selective and probably out of the question, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. It doesn't matter to me where my internship is; anywhere they could place me sounds fascinating and I can't wait to find out where I'll be working! YAY! :)

Tuesday was our pre-departure orientation meeting. Katlin reviewed a lot of what we had heard before, but we got exciting news that if we apply online for an International Student Identification Card, we can get tons of discounts in London (movie tickets, museum admission etc.). We were also given information about how to order our international cell phones, which will surely come in handy while we're there! Incoming calls are free and that's about it. So if you want to call me, the best thing to do would be to get one of those 10 cents a minute international calling cards. Of course, I'm a great advocate of Skype, especially if you have a webcam. That way I can talk to you AND see you for free! WOHOO!

So now, we wait until December 4th: our next meeting. It seems like so far away, but I have the feeling that November is going to fly by! Hopefully I'll have an internship update to post before then, but we'll see what happens!