huh. I wonder if I’ll feel different in 30 minutes.

I have a bicycle now! It is bicycle-like, and it has a little basket and I put on the lights myself because I’m awesome like that. I zoomed around for like, two hours and figured out where everything wasn’t(if you go too far straight from UEA, past the tiny Tescos, you end up at a church/hospice. No pubs, no shops. That’s pretty much it. Need to try the other directions next) but I’m still in a residual-good-mood, which is nice.

I’m gonna go meet bonnef and go to the postgrad pub quiz in about 30 minutes, and it should be good!

Not a bad way to spend my last day of being 21.

I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time, but I finally got around to it today! I just bought some lamination sheets and dry erase markers from poundland and tacked them onto my wall, and I think it works pretty well. :D

The blue sock down there is what I use to erase stuff, since I couldn’t be bothered to search for a little eraser.

So, I’ve changed shirts three times in order to wander around UEA and register and stuff. Settled on my Sherlock shirt for obvious reasons.

I’m, uh, not nervous at all. Changing shirts three times was completely necessary. Don’t be silly.

Also, I found a little cactus outside of my new bedroom window, so I climbed out and retrieved him. Not sure what I should name him yet, but I’m sure I’ll think of something.

…

Yeah, I should probably leave my flat. Or I could sit here for a while and just do nothing. That’s an appealing thought.

back in England, ridiculously jetlagged/wired, everything is surreal right now

but

I am back home

I have my visa

I’ve got all of my worldly possessions in Milady’s sitting room

I got to see my girl

I get to spend two nights with her

I didn’t have to navigate the tube after a 9 hour flight

and

oh my god

I’m going to my dream university tomorrow. I’m moving into my new home for the next year. I’m going to be taking my dream course.

…

……

aaaaaaaaa

TWO awesome things for the price of one post!

1. I got confirmation that my visa has cleared on Friday, and that I should get it back soon. I won’t be trapped in Texas forever - thank FUCK!

a) which means that I’m definitely going to make it back to the UK and go to uni and YAY MASTERS DEGREE YAY

b) and I can see Milady! HURRAH!

c) but not until the 19th because that’s when my new flight is scheduled to arrive, so yes

d) but at least it’s happening!

2. NEW LAPTOP.

a) that is big

b) that is pretty

c) that will presumably not crash on me constantly

d) IT CAN PLAY GAMES I CAN ACTUALLY PLAY VIDEO GAMES HOLY SHITBALLS YES

E) WHICH MEANS THAT I CAN PLAY GUILDWARS 2 OH GOD YES

f) well, as soon as I buy it

Well, the local charity shop has to be happy with the amount of books, clothes, pillows and random items that I’m now apparently donating.

My stuff now fits into two suitcases, a weekend carry bag and a broken suitcase (which should hold my bedding). A lot of it is clothes. Most of my personal items are gone or going to California. I even had to throw away my Back to the Future poster. Looks like my room at UEA is going to be a personality-less void, since all of my postcards and posters and decorations are gone.
Was only able to keep my screenwriting/general writing books and a Graham Greene book in my suitcase. My Graham Greene omnibus (collection of all of his published novels) couldn’t fit, so it’s in the box going to America - was upset about that.
Entire process took a good three hours of me repeatedly saying “box”, “suitcase”, “will that seriously not fit?”, “throw it away, I guess” and “charity shop”. Sat down at 9, am just about to leave at 12. Fucking fuck.
My flight is being rearranged for anywhere between the 17th and the 19th of September, since I don’t have my visa back yet.
YAY, MORE TIME IN TEXAS. GREAT.
Goddammit, this sucks.

okay. Update time.

My visa application was sent off on Tuesday after six hours of work in one sitting (it was meant to take 30 minutes for me to wrap up the process, put it in an envelope and send it. I discovered another form to fill out at the last minute and it took six hours for me to get everything in order.) and I’ve been a weird place, since I’ve been working on immigration stuff in one way or another for about four/five months. It’s a lot like finishing school and then being really confused about what to do now that you aren’t going back.

Am definitely not liking the waiting period for this. I just want to go homeand see Milady and not-be-in-Texas-anymore. And, on the other hand, holy fuck what do I do all of these other writers have probably been TWO TRILLION TIMES more productive than I’ve been this summer and aksjdfkljajksdkf aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa what’s Norwich even fucking like - I mean, where do I go to buy cigarettes and groceries because the campus looks right the fuck out in the middle of nowhere and UGH, I’m going to actually be an international student now and goddammit, I’ve been an EU/UK student for the last three years and I’ve been living here for six years total and now I have to be like “YEP, I’m paying twice as much as you lucky assholes happen to be paying for tuition so go ahead and assume I’m rich and also a tourist, I really enjoy that”.

… Bleh.

In other news, went to the doctor, got medication. Need to remember to keep taking it.

feeling a bit better and slightly saner

got a temporary driver’s license, am now gearing up to call my mum and sort out the rest of this application process. Applying for a student visa costs $468.

Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng.

Sorry about angsting all over your dashboards, guys. Told my brother about it after all and he was pretty chill, so hopefully I won’t spend too many evenings cooped up alone in my house without transportation / anything to do. I know that he’s had some similar experiences with depression, so he seemed pretty understanding.

Am going to try and get a doctor’s appointment and just not tell them that I smoke. Apparently that works.

Okay. Need to stop procrastinating and call my mother. Urghurgh.