Yay yay yay!!!

Thanks again 

AngUKUS, BSL is British Sign Language. It is different than ASL and other foreign sign languages. It will be a bit tricky at first switching to a two handed alphabet and learning new signs but I expect to catch on with exposure and practice.

I realized british/american sign are different. I have an excellent ASL teacher, and have learned so much in just a few months. (Irronically enough, her daughter married a man from the UK/lives in England!!!  ) I would love to learn BSL if I end up living in the UK.

Congrats, Jennifer! Keep in touch and let me know how it goes. (I realize I'm behind on emails but figured you'd be wildly busy!)

Thanks Paula. I am wildly busy these days trying to see everyone and do things "one more time!"... so many stories to tell you about what all is going on... I am hoping for the best    We'll swap stories once you get here!

Ang, I figured you did since you are taking ASL  I said that out of habit since I've been asked many times.

Best of luck...I'm sure your flight and arrival will go smoothly!  Let us know when you get here!

An update...

I flew to LA this morning to get my entry clearance. Always an adventure whenever I am out alone in the world. I had four hours to kill before returning to pick it up and I was told the beach was just a bus ride away... I was in a walking mood so I thought I'd walk it instead... 35 some odd blocks to the Santa Monica Pier later I enjoyed the California sunshine and took a little nap on a bench... me and the rest of the homeless of Santa Monica  Took the bus back to the consulate and received my passport. A beautiful yellow sticker with a shiny seal and my photo scanned on it. I found my way back to the airport and took an earlier flight home. Of course I am not totally packed yet but packed enough for this trip. I will be back at the end of December for a couple of days so I can really wrap things up then.

Now I am exhausted since I had no sleep the night before (hence the public snoozing) but can't decide whether to power through the packing or sneak in a couple of winks before resuming the packing.  choices choices....

HI JEN!  HORAY!  Wonderful news for me to read after being away from here.  Congrats and hope to hear from you soon.   

Super duper!!  well done!!

WOW !! That was a fast-paced adventure for sure!  Congratulations to you, and much success when you get over here!!

Hugs,

Gwinn

Wow I'm slow.... Congrats!!!  I'm really happy for you.  I sounds like you got just the job you were looking for.  You'll have to keep us updated on how things go in when you get to London...

Hi all,

This is my first chance on UKY since I left. So here is a little update. All went smoothly, I was picked up from Gatwick and driven to my B&B. By 11:30am I was out exploring town. By 12pm I was sipping mulled wine and eating a sausage on the high street. I had a look around... certainly won't be homesick for America given the huge shopping mall and 2 Starbucks, McD's, KFC, Disney Store, Baskin Robbins, Domino's, etc...

House hunting was fun. I found a place the first day in town and walking distance to work. I am pretty much furnished thanks to IKEA's home delivery.

Bank hunting was TORTURE!!! Despite how "easy" the recruiters made it out to be, it wasn't... I went into HSBC 4 times, Barclay's twice, Abbey twice and NatWest. They are under strict national regulations for identification. Ironically, when I finally was allowed to open an account with HSBC (after being told twice in that same visit I couldn't even though the day before I was told I could) all they wanted was my passport and address verification (my employer wrote a letter with my new address) All of which I had been carrying around for a week.  Ah life, gotta love it. So it really is just luck of the draw... at one point I was getting ready to give up my future first born just so they would talk to me.

NIN was like pulling teeth just to get through and get the right number, but when I did I got an appointment in 3 working days which of course I snapped up immediately.

NHS was a cake walk and by far the easiest thing. I walked into the office closest to me and they had an appointment for me asap to get on the register.

Work is good. I really like the area.

Speaking of... I gotta get back to work. I just wanted to look at the NIN info so I have a heads up for my interview next week.

 

Jen, I'm glad things are going well and that you found a place so quickly. Scope everything out for me!

Congrats JKLM!  Sounds like you've settled-in pretty quickly.   

hey jen!  glad you made it and things are moving right along!   

Jen,

 I've been wondering how your move went. It sounds like things are working out nicely for you. I's so glad!! Finding a place the first day!! Thats Fantastic! My husband leaves on Jan 7th and housing is my biggest concern. I hope he is as lucky as you!  Thanks for the update and take care!