They approved the Visa

[guanin]

I just saw the e-mail. Finally, I can breathe! I've been going totally nuts over this. Now I have to get a plane ticket and book a hotel for the first days I'm there before classes start.

I also watched Tropic Thunder with my cousin today. That movie is hilarious. I might see it again, but there's this whole saving money issue. I'm still debating whether to get Season 2 of Heroes or not. I kinda want to but I kinda don't.

ETA: I just booked the flight. $300. That's it. And it's nonstop. I'm still in shock. Everything else was $900 upwards.

Comments

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

Yay, Visa time! Take a moment to celebrate that! And the fact that you get to go to Europe! Woo, Europe!

You could always see Tropic Thunder in less than legal but much cheaper, ie, free, ways; same with Heroes S2. Which is what I do. ;)

[guanin.livejournal.com]

I know! The reason why I pushed so hard to go to London was because I kept hearing of people who were studying in Sevilla and in Madrid and in Paris and in Tokyo and I just got fed up with it and decided that I would go, too. Even if it costs a fortune. I don't care. Well, I do, but fuck it.

That's how I'm going to watch S3. I'm not waiting for the British TV to air it, though apparently it's only going to be week apart this year, but that's too much for me. I don't know how to watch movies, though, at least not in a way that doesn't involve torrents, which are determined on hating me. Although actually my cousin gets movies from this guy at work.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

I went to Germany for a winter break semester...it was awesome, and that was only for one month! But trust me, it's great; the money is...always an issue, but you'll love it. It's London!

I wouldn't wait, either. I'm even going to do my homework early for S3, because I have two major assignments due the day after the season premier. surfthechannel (http://www.surfthechannel.com/cat/movies.html) and sidereel (http://www.sidereel.com/_movie) have both movies and TV shows; their not always 100% a sure thing, but I can watch them on a mac and torrents don't work with them.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

I've been to London twice and I still yearn to go back. But it is so horrendously expensive. The only other place I've been to in Europe is Ireland, but that was way cheaper. And gorgeous. The famous English countryside has nothing on Ireland.

It premieres the day before I leave, so I know I'm not going to get any sleep.

Why had I not noticed that these sites had movies? I've been so focused on the TV shows that I never noticed. *headdesk*

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

I've been and I love it; you have to keep in mind that the stuff you do as a tourist in London tend to run expensive. Once you're actually living there, and people are telling you all the good places for starving students to go and get cheap food, you'll figure it out and it won't be so bad. The housing's still going to be ridiculous, though; that's just cities. Ireland, I hear, is lovely; never been, but always wanted to.

Heh. You'll get plenty on the plane?

Well, now you know. ;)

[guanin.livejournal.com]

I know at least one place with cheap food and it's really good, too. And I'm a cheap traveler to begin with. I didn't spend anywhere near the amount of money the other people I traveled with did. Although I do want to get some plays in. The housing is 18 pounds a day. Quite depressing. Ireland is amazing. They have shades of green I'd never seen before and they have plenty of the three keys things I need to keep my sanity; green, mountains, and water. There are rivers and lakes everywhere.

I can never sleep on planes unless I'm thoroughly, 100% exhausted and even then it's no guarantee. I actually just booked the flight. It came out to be only $300! And it's nonstop. Everything else is 900 upwards. I'm still gaping in disbelief.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

I've only ever been to London with parents, who are...moderate spenders and not so much for going into the weird, cheap-food looking places, but I know any place with as many students running around has got to have that sort of thing. Eighteen pounds a day...that's like what, about $25? A pretty penny indeed, for probably fairly crappy rooms. But c'mon, when else are you going to get to live in crappy, overpriced rooms in England? I remember a friend of mine who went to Ireland and came back with pictures said pretty much the exact same thing about the green.

Gee, make me feel like a freak, why don't you? I sleep just about everywhere, but most people I talk to complain about not being able to sleep on planes. Me, I love it.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Eighteen pounds a day...that's like what, about $25?

I wish. Depending on the exchange rate, which is mostly at $2 per pound but can go up to $2.50, it's $36 to $40.

Oh, my cousins are like that. They can throw themselves anywhere and they're out within minutes. I'm the freak, really, a term that I've come to embrace. I really think I have a sleeping disorder, because it's very difficult for me to fall asleep. The bed/sofa has to be comfortable and even then it takes me around an hour to fall asleep, though it often takes me longer than that. I don't have insomnia, though, because I do fall asleep and don't feel sleep deprived afterward, unless I got less than seven hours, which is the amount I need to feel okay. But I refuse to take sleeping pills. I'm fussy about taking pills. I only take them for headaches, cramps, and colds because I know I'm going to be completely miserable otherwise.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

Oh, ouch. Yeah, I'm apparently still stuck on the last time I had to convert to pounds...well, I'm not going to bore you with the significance of exchange rates and how those effect the economic standing of countries; I'll just say that it sucks. How long are you going to be over there?

And there again, we differ; I'll take pills for just about anything. I am the wimpiest person in the world, because I'm poppin' them for headaches, backaches, stomachaches, whatever ails me. The only place I draw the line is at weight-loss products, because that's just...worrying. Not the least of all for that Doctor Who episode.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

It's a one year program, which is why I can afford it. My family thought it was two years and were planning on visiting me on my second year. Now they're not sure.

But the fat babies were so cute! But yeah, the weight losing stuff scares me.

I got that from my dad, though he's even worse than me about taking medicine.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

A whole year? Lucky! What are you studying?

Heh. Well. Yes, the adipose were quite cute, until you got to the part where they were made out of people's bones and organs. I know it was only that one person, but still...scary. And gross.

Both of my parents are microbiologists; my dad's in the FDA, and my mom works for a pharmaceuticals firm. So we're big on the medicines, 'round here.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

I'm getting my master's degree in Latin American history. And here I'll actually be able to learn stuff, unlike in my old college where I learned more history studying on my own than in the classes. The history department there is quite poor and it's the state university.

Well, that's true. The process was quite icky.

Wow. That is a lot of medicine know how.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

Very nice; I remember there being some very cool Latin American artifacts hanging around in the British Museum, so you can go and visit those.

Quite. All the bubbling and the...the gurgling sounds and...no matter how cute the little critters were, waving goodbye to everyone, still a bit creepy.

I know. Also? A lot of sickness know-how, which meant it was nearly impossible to fake sickness to get out of school.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Oh, there are! They have some amazing stuff. I'm going to be in there all the time. Especially since it's free.

That sucks. I never tried that with dad, since he's very strict about going to school. He would have known in a second.

[visiblemarket.livejournal.com]

*grins* I love free museums...they should be universal human rights. I mean, I still go to the ridiculously overpriced ones, but the world would be better, I feel, if more people were allowed to dip into quiet rooms with things at least ten times older than they are without having to pay for the privelege.

Well, I am a very good liar. I shouldn't be quite as proud of that, and maybe I'm not.

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Very true. Of course, we'd need the government to fork over the cash and give them the proper support they need, because maintaining all those artifacts is really expensive, plus there's the new acquisitions. But since in this country culture and learning don't seem to be a priority...

[g0shawk.livejournal.com]

Hurray! It's so cool that you're going to London!

I know what you mean about the save money vs. get shows debate - I'm always like, I have to buy this and this and this oh wait I can't afford to. Thank goodness for iTunes and the internet. :)

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm really excited about it, though the realness of it hasn't quite sunk in yet.

I managed to stop my DVD buying except for movies that I know I'm going to watch over and over again. But yes, the internet is fabulous.

[fleur-eternelle.livejournal.com]

Mazel tov! Finally!

Wow, 300$!! How cool is that!

I am sure that many museums also have students discounts.

I personally have some "priorities list" on what to spend money on while abroad. I won't spend them on clothes but I'll spend any necessary amount for a museum or a tour or BOOKS!!! Aaaah, I hope the giant 5 FLOORS books store is still there on Picadilly circus...which is near the Her Majesty Theatre...where "Phantom of the Opera" is being shown!!!

Dude, you gotta have SO much fun!!!

[guanin.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I know! My dad couldn't believe it when I told him. I'm still giddy about it.

There should be. The museums here in Chicago and some in Puerto Rico have student discounts. And I saw a movie theater in London that had them, too.

I'm like that, too. I also don't buy almost any souvenirs for myself, except for books and things like that, which who can resist?

5 floors book store?! I have to check that out.

[fleur-eternelle.livejournal.com]

Yeah yeah, they get THAT big in London...

In NY and Boston they also have students discounts (and also in Sweden and here in Israel). In MET it is as much as half of the ticket price.

Oh, I also remember liking Victoria and Albert museum. It has lots of artifacts from tha countries that GB colonized. It's near Hyde park, btw.

Oh, and of course: 221b Baker Street - the Sherlock Holmes museum. I remember it being SO cute, it's styled as if there were actual people living in this house! (Hope they didn't change it much though...they do change things around there.)