t-53 days: Moving Out

So it is my last day in Newcastle. At 5:40pm today, my train will leave Newcastle, heading to sunny Inverness, where I will spend the next six 57 days panicking and stressing (with some full time working thrown in for good measure).

It's really quite sad to be leaving this flat, my first year flat was awful and I was hardly ever there, but this flat has become an actual home. Even the things that are wrong with it, I no longer mind. I'm used to the sofa that has a big dip on the right hand side. That funny dip in the floor in the living room. The 'knack' required to flush the toilet. It wouldn't be home without them.

And so I'm going to back to my natal home (not quite true, that would be somewhere else in Inverness, and I'm fairly certain people I don't know live there now), never to see some Newcastle people again, some I'll see in a year. One I'll see for the entire year in between.

Some things I'll miss about Newcastle as a city: I know where everything is. Bagel Of The North. Regulars at work. And in the past two weeks I've discovered a whole bunch of new things (Red Box Gallery anyone? Didn't know that entire BUILDING existed until last night, and it's HUGE). My friend Mike's bar, Fusion. But some things I won't miss: The chavs. The weather (windiest city ever? I believe so). That horrifically ugly building at the bottom of Northumberland Street.

Then there's the things I'll miss about Britain: Starbucks (I know, I know), Spanish cinema, knowing the currency and the going rate for things, the shops where I buy all my clothes, Lindt chocolate, books and reading for pleasure (while I can do that in China, I'm restricted to one suitcase, and I imagine english language novels will not be overly common).

And of course, the things I won't miss: The music. Dear God, the music. The last three songs on the radio have made me want to impale myself on the aerial. The close-minded culture and the racial stereotyping. TV. Ridiculously expensive things that are only expensive because British people will pay that much. Bring on my rent which will be around £270 for the year.

Today's Fearometer Rating: 9

t-54 days: Still No Documents

So, in order to go to China for a year and live and study, they require that you have a visa. Ugh. Why can't I be going to the EU?

Anyways, for this student visa, I have to pay £30, and take myself along with an application form and an admission notice from the university to an embassy in either Edinburgh, Manchester or London. If you are American, it costs £30 also ($60?). If you are of ANY OTHER nationality, it costs £20 (or equivalent). Huh.

Problem with that? I don't HAVE an admission notice, so I can't apply for my visa. In fact, I have no idea when I -will- have an admission notice.

But at least I have a phone I can use in China. In Newcastle, there's a little known shop in Newcastle where you can take your phone, and for a very small fee, they will add Chinese to your phone. Only what they don't tell you is that they simply replace ALL the software on the phone to that which is on a Chinese version of the same phone, so my icons are now different, and the buttons work differently. But I can text in Chinese! And my phone is unlocked! All for the bargainous price of fifteen english pounds. Although texting in Chinese is not like typing in Chinese. To those who know how to type Chinese using pinyin - it's like that, but with predictive text, and you obviously can't use numbers for tone or whatever to narrow down the options.

Today's Fearometer Rating: 8 (on account of moving out tomorrow)

t - 55 days: The inaugural posting

Well howdy y'all! The purpose of this blog will be to document my year abroad next year in China, in Urumqi (烏魯木齊/乌鲁木齐）in XinJiang (新疆) province.

So, I'm leaving in 60 days. I'm currently still in Newcastle, where I go to University (Newcastle, not Northumbria). I've been here for two years, and this past year have lived with two of my best friends, one of whom is going to Brazil next year (and when she sets up a blog, I'll link it) and the other is moving to Bolton University to study art (and if she sets up a blog, I'll link that too). In two days, I leave for Inverness (my hometown) to live with my family to work until I leave.

My exam results come out on Monday, when I find out if I'm even allowed to go to China (although the flights are booked and everything, so I bloody better be), so I'll let you know how they go.

Not much more to say really, this was more just an introductory post. I'll post as we get closer to my departure and with regular "fear-o-meter" updates.

Today's Fearometer Rating:6.5 (out of a possible 10)