Orientation

Orientation at Westminster is much different than how it was my first year at FIT. It was only 1.5 days long and finished with a cruise around London. It covered the basics of school and answered our questions. The cruise was a great way to meet new people and to see London. After the cruise my friends and I went to a  place called Fischer's Hell around the corner. It was nice to have a night out in London and hang with locals. We all came to the conclusion that the people here are much nicer than the people in New York. They invited us to come to there table and told us all the cool places to go in London. We all had a great night. 

London Calling!

I am finally moved in to my new place! I absolutely love the city of London! On Saturday I started my journey from Manchester to London. It took 3.5 hours in the car. I moved all my things in and set up my room.

The rooms at Harrow Hall are small, but you get your own bathroom which is nice. I have 5 other people in my hall. I have not met them yet, they move in next week. I am still settling in and will share pictures when my room is complete.

Sunday I explored the city. London is amazing! Liam showed me around. We went to The Houses of Parliament, saw Big Ben, the London Eye, 10 Downing Street, Trafalgar Square,  Buckingham Palace, Leicester Square, and Camden Town. I got to ride on a double decker bus. It was a great getting to live like a tourest and experiencing all different things around the city. I am looking forward to doing many more things around London. 

Moving In!

London Eye

M&M World Leicester Square

Telephone Booth London 

Camden Town 

Buckingham Palace

Queens Guard

Trafalgar Square

Manchester

La Tasca

La Tasca

Today I explored the city of Manchester. It was so fun! I went with Liam and we walked around the stores and he showed me the local attractions. It was raining hard all day, but I wanted to be a real British person so I toughed it out. We ate "dinner" lunch at La Tasca. It has yummy authentic Spanish tapas. Parts of downtown reminded me of SoHo in New York. Cobblestone lined the streets and some of the stores even have doors in Soho. I really enjoyed being back in a city environment. I had a great day and a great tour guide!

Piccadilly Gardens

First Few Days...

Christmas Morning

So far my time in the UK has been unbelievable! I had my first Christmas with my boyfriend and his family. It was amazing. His family is so welcoming and they make me feel like I am right at home. I am so lucky to have them while I am here. They made my first Christmas unforgettable. I felt like one of the little kids you see in a movie on Christmas morning running down the stairs. Since I do not celebrate Christmas back at home I could not tell you many differences between it USA and UK style.  Something different they do in the UK is called boxing day. Boxing day is kinda like "black friday".

Christmas Dinner Mollie Style 

Christmas Dinner UK Style

I am almost back on a normal sleep schedule. The first day I got here I was exhausted I tried to stay up as late as I could to got to bed at a normal hour so I could have a normal sleep pattern. I still wake up or get tired at random hours. Overall, adjusting to the time difference is not so bad.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit 

The food is really different here. For starters the chocolate is amazing. I do not think I could ever go back to eating American chocolate. They eat a lot of meat and do not have the same brands of food. Chips are a major thing here aka really good fries. We had Chinese for dinner one night and they even came with the meal. The nutritional facts are written differently. Everywhere I go I see Mince pie... something I have yet to try.

Life in the UK is easier than American life in some ways. The tax is already added in to the price of an item at the store, so when you go to pay you don't pay more then what it says on the ticket. At the movies, you choose your seat when you buy the tickets. You do not have to show up to the theater early to get good seats.

I am still adjusting to the money here, they use a lot of coins and not bills. I still do not know which way to look when crossing the road and sometimes walk to the drivers seat thinking it is the passenger side. Across-the-board these last few days have been somewhat surreal, exciting, and thrilling. I look forward to what is to come.

Liam and I on Christmas 

I am Ready!

A week from today I will be starting my trip to the UK...first stop before UWM is... Manchester. I spent these past few days packing my suitcases, moving out of my apartment, and putting my things into storage. I am eager to see what is to come during my time in England!

Q&A #8 VISA

Q: What has been the hardest part when it comes to preparing to go abroad?

A: Getting a Visa. 

Honestly, getting a visa has been the hardest part of this whole process. I have talked to several other people who have done this and they all agree. You need a CAS number to obtain the visa for this program that does not come until really late in the process. No one is really there to help to get it or to call with questions you may have. The study abroad office will answer you questions to the best of their knowledge, but since rules about getting a visa change so often they may not be up to speed with the right answers. It is really confusing if you talk to different people too because they all give you different information and you dont know who to listen to.  It is important you check processing times of your local embassy before you do the application. You may need to rush it or make an appointment and do it in person. I did the normal visa application and everyone told me it would be fine, but I got an email from the embassy saying they were delayed because of Sandy. I then had to go to the embassy and talk to someone. Eventually, I ended up paying extra to rush it. Make sure when you check processing times before you choose what application to do you also look at the date the processing times were posted. A natural disaster, like Sandy, can changes them in an instant. Get help with your visa. Make sure you have all the proper paperwork done before you submit it. Be familiar with the rules. Be prepared to be independent throughout this process. 

Q&A #7 Lets Talk... Influential USA Fashion Blogs

Q:What blogs do you read/ what fashion blogs do you think are influential? A: Here is my list. Check them out. I think they are pretty great! 

• A Beautiful Mess
• Man Repeller
• Business of Fashion
• Bryan Boy
• Mr.Blasberg
• The Cut
• The Sartorialist
• Into The Gloss
• Fab Sugar
• Cupcakes and Cashmere
• Because I’m Addicted
• Honestly WTF
• The Glamourai
• Where did u Get That
• Style Defined NYC
• Fashionista
• Jack and Jill
• Hanneli
• Michelle Phan
• Red Carpet Fashion Awards
• She Finds