Another ‘PANIC!’ post

Dad decided that he would ‘help’ me try to find a billet by sending an email out to the Episcopalian churches in the Berkeley area. Obviously the words ‘a’ and ‘the’ are just optional extras to the English language and so he left them out. (His explanation was that he was making it ‘succinct.’) Mum then read it an commented it made me sound like a bit of a whore. All in all, not one of Dad’s more successful interventions.

But the accommodation people are the real problem. Imagine making reassuring noises to hundreds of students coming to the states over from all over the world, and then telling them they have to pay an extra $4000 to go to your hostel? Hmmmm.

The US visa people want more money, but that isn’t anything new. It’s like pouring water into a large black hole.

On the positive side, I have applied for some courses. They all have names like ‘Russia: Bronze age to 1700’and ‘National Security Concerns in a Modern World’’. Sounds pretty cool – but subject to change, and it looks like since I’m the least important student on campus I’m going to get dicked around if an American wants to go to that class.

I looked at my airpoints and might have enough to go on standby for the Premium Economy seats. That’d be nice – room to stretch out a little.

All in all, everything is bad, and I am starting to stress. Those dastardly propaganda posters! ‘Study in America’ they say – they don’t mention the mega amount of paperwork you have to do.

Anyway, I will try to keep updating. Nothing interesting is happening as yet.

written by  Crosswood on July 23, 2007 from Palmerston North, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand Student, American University.
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