I just heard today that I have officially been issued my visa for next semester!!! I can't wait to do my internship!

After finding out that I am only supposed to take classes two days per week because I am expected to do my internship two days a week as well, I have made some schedule changes.
I will be interning Mondays and Thursdays, and I have class Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Tuesdays:
10:30 to 1:15- Contemporary British Fiction
I am very glad to be able to read actual books as opposed to textbooks for once! In this class, we are going to be reading books from World War II on examine how British culture and society is portrayed in literature and how that depiction has changed in the last 50 years.

1:45 to 4:30- Empire and Decolonization.
Although my Deaf Studies minor will be done after this semester, and I will have finished my history thesis as well, I am still not done with the history minor. I'm working on it, and after I take this class I will only have one history course left to take. As far as I can gather, in this class we are going to be looking at the British Empire and it's fall. It's a subject I've touched upon in classes, especially in high school, but it should be much more interesting to learn about when I'm actually in London. The status of Britain as an Empire was and is very important to British culture, and I'm excited to examine this history first hand.

Wednesdays:
10:30 to 1:15- European Mass Media
This class is also offered on the main campus at Ithaca, but I have never taken it. The media system is vastly different in England than it is here, and again, I am excited to see how it operates first hand. This class will give me some context that should help in my internship as well. I am also hoping the class does a field trip to do a BBC studio tour because I LOVE the BBC (Doctor Who and Merlin specifically, but there are also some great quiz and talk shows). Another interesting thing about this class is that it does not just focus on media in Western Europe, it goes into Eastern Europe as well and compares the two. As a future professional in television production and communication, I definitely think it is important to learn about other cultures and how their media systems operate and are regulated, so this class will help me to be a global communicator.

1:45 to 4:30- Drama and the London Theatre
This is a class that fulfills a fine arts requirement for me, and from what I gather, it is supposed to be the best class offered in London. It involves going to see different theatrical productions in London and analyzing them. I have been to all the plays both in high school and in college, and mom and I go see a Broadway show in the summers sometimes, so the ability to see plays for credit is amazing. I think they give you something to look forward to in a week and some time to relax.

That's the final schedule, and I'm very excited about all my classes!

Also, I found out I have an interview on January 14th with a TV production company. Not sure yet who specifically, but my internship coordinator gave me the news yesterday. Can't wait to find out more!

Now for the bad news: the British Consulate emailed me yesterday about my visa application process. Apparently I didn't sufficiently prove I had have the necessary amount of money in a bank account for 28 days prior to my application date. I sent all the information in, and the letters from the bank do actually prove this, but I sent in bank statements and a letter explaining my case, with money conversions to make it a little easier for them. So, not sure yet about the visa, but I really hope I get it or I won't be able to do an internship. I just think they didn't examine all my paperwork properly, and visa applications are definitely the most frustrating part of all of this. You can't even speak to the Consulate directly, you have to pay $12 to talk to a representative over the phone, and that person was completely unhelpful. The staff at the International Office and the London Center are all helping me with this problem though, so enough negativity I guess. What will happen will happen, and I'm excited to be going either way. It will be a fantastic experience!

I spent the beginning part of last week, Thanksgiving Break, getting all the paperwork together for my Visa Application. I had to get letters from the bank, fill out the actual application, and get more passport photos, but it was mailed in on Wednesday right after my biometrics appointment. The biometrics center was run like the DMV, and I had pictures and finger print taken. It's a relief that it's finally turned in because they really do make you run through hoops to get one. I just got a confirmation email that it was received by the NYC British Consulate, so I'm one step closer.

I have also registered for my classes in London. I have classes Monday to Wednesday, and I am taking Irish Literature, Drama and the London Theatre, European Mass Media, and Modern British History, and I will be doing my internship. I'm very excited about my course selections. All the courses in London are great because they involve travel and seeing sights. I can't wait. About 41 days left!