I got my train into Glasgow, picked up my train tickets to Euston, grabbed some trashy magazines and settled down for the next few hours. There was a really hot guy sitting facing me and I felt like the world's biggest stalker trying not to stare at him hahaa! I'd found a hotel just near Euston station so headed off to find that and drop my stuff off and then got something to eat. I stayed at the Mabledon Court Hotel and it was really clean, the staff were really friendly but my room was literally the size of a large cupboard! It felt safe and secure though, and its not like I was staying there for long! There is also a huge Premier Inn and a Travelodge just round the corner from Euston, a big youth hostel and loads of smaller independent hotels like the one I stayed at so there's plenty of choice in the area.
I decided to do a test route to find the Embassy that night as well as I didn't want to be lost and rushing about in the morning. It is ridiculously easy to find. From Euston Station I took the Victoria line to Oxford Circus and then the Cental line to Marble Arch. Very quick route. You get out the station and walk up Oxford Street, past Primark and then take a right onto North Audley Street (Zara is on the corner). As you walk down the road towards Grosvenor Square there's a Starbucks and Gould's Pharmacy. This is the magical pharmacy that will hold your phone, Ipod, etc for you while you're at the Embassy (as these things among others aren't allowed!) When you walk into the pharmacy there are guys sitting at little tables and they have pictures of the stuff you can't take into the Embassy and will ask you to check your bag, pockets, etc for any of these things. You are allowed to take a handbag into the Embassy btw. You cannot take phones, Ipod or similar, digital watch, any electricals, car keys, aerosols... I can't remember the rest but as I said, they will ask you to check the pictures for anything you may have. The Embassy itself is just a teeny bit further down the road. You cannot miss it. Its a HUGE building with high gates round it, two security entrances, lots of flags and during the day will have a queue of people outside as well as gun-carrying police officers!
After my successful little journey I headed back to my hotel and tried to get some sleep and not be so anxious! I also made plans for the next day as Robert had booked the same appointment time as me (he is in the arrival group after mine) and then I planned to meet Harriet from my arrival group for some lunch :)
I checked out at 7:30am, headed to Euston Station and dropped my overnight bag at the luggage storage bit and got some back up photos for the appointment as I hadn't done it yet. Oh bloody hell, even though I have make up on, I have a serious under-eye-bag situation going on, it's definitely an early morning photo! Did my wee route back to the Embassy, dropped my phone at the pharmacy and went to join the Embassy queue, getting there about 8:10am. There are staff outside that will check that you have your appointment letter, the receipt for paying the MRV fee and your passport. You then wait to go through the little security office and its like airport security in a glass box - you empty your pockets, put your belongings through a scanner and walk through the body scanner. Then you go into the actual Embassy, the receptionist scans the barcode on your forms, gives you a number and tells you to go upstairs and wait for your number to be called.
Its just a fairly big room filled with chairs and a row of Embassy staff behind a counter, kind of like in a bank. You wait to hear your number and what booth your at, and then go up. The woman there took my forms, scanned the barcode and quickly just went through my application on her screen, never said anything to me other than to ask me for another photo (See! That bad photo will haunt me forever, typical!) then took my finger prints on the little machine. Not as stressful as it gets made out to be! Once that's over (doesn't take long) you get told to sit back down and wait to be called again to a different desk. She will keep your passport and forms and gives you a blue form to fill in for your passport to be delivered back to you. Try and remember a pen but there are pens available in the room so its not a huge deal. You need to pay attention now as the numbers are called in a random order and not in numerical order as before. I arrived before Robert and was about ten places ahead of him in the queue but the second time he got called before me.
When my number got called again I went to the other desk and had a really friendly, happy American woman. She took my right hand finger prints again, asked me if I'd been to the States before, if it was on a visa, what I was going to do and when I was leaving. Then she told me to take my blue form to the courier desk and have a good time in Florida!!!! YAYYYYY!!!! I took my form to the desk, paid the £14.80 to get my passport send back and skipped back out the building! £14.80 is the cheapest you can have your passport sent back, it takes 3-5 working days and they say you will need to sign for it and show ID. This gets it delivered before 6pm, its more expensive to have it delivered before midday or by 10am.
I left the Embassy, said bye to Robert as he had to go to work and went to get my phone back. Then I walked up Oxford Street and had a well deserved coffee and spoke to my mum on the phone before going to meet Harriet. I literally couldn't stop smiling, it was such a HUGE relief that it was done! I felt like singing to random strangers haha! Spent a couple hours with Harriet chatting about all things Disney of course and then went back to Euston station, picked up my bag and got the train back to Glasgow. No hot guy this time though!
As happy as I was that it was done, I was EXHAUSTED. I did a fourteen hour busy shift on Sunday, a 9 hour shift on Monday, was in London over Tuesday/Wednesday and back to work for 9 hours on Thursday. Ended up by Friday sobbing on the phone to my boss that I was so tired and wrung out that I felt like I was having a bad anxiety attack. So I took the day off, spent it in my pj's all day and getting some sleep before another 10 hours at work the night day and a really early start and another shift today. Only 9 more shifts to go and I really just want to finish work so I can concentrate on getting everything ready! Just have my health insurance to get, all the big things out the way and have bought pretty much everything that I need to take with me as well. Although I still need suitcases! The next arrival group goes on Tuesday and then my group is next! CANNOT FRICKEN WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
CONGRATS !
ReplyDeleteOnly 20 days left ... Can't f***ing wait !!!!