T-107 Days; Money Matters

I’m a little concerned about some of the people I saw at the orientation as representing our country while they are abroad.  I realize that the US doesn’t have the greatest reputation in certain places, yet these people were showing up unprepared after a night of hard partying, talking about how they were dehydrated.  It seemed almost as if they were just sort of there on a whim, as if one morning they woke up and thought, “I wonder how they party in Marseille,” and they signed up to go.

My study abroad peer advisor is a bit like one of those.  Not NEARLY as bad, obviously, but a little.  A few weeks ago I got an email from the Visa Agency requesting that I make sure I have the adequate funds in my bank account for at least one month before applying.  Basically, when applying for a Tier-4 visa in the UK, you need to have enough money to pay your fees, which, with exchange, is about $7000.  I don’t have that much money, I have never had that much money, and, as I’m hoping to be a writer, I will probably never have that much money.  Hell, I don’t even know what that much money feels like, I’ve never even seen that much money.  And I doubt that any other student has, so I can’t possibly be the only student traveling overseas for year who doesn’t happen to have that much money just hanging out in their bank account.

So a week or so ago, I wrote an email to my peer advisor saying essentially that.  I figured there was some form I’d need to sign, or to bring in an official financial aid award, or some other little formality like that.  The poor girl, apparently she did have that much in her account, or more likely her parents did, and she had no idea what to do.  But rather than saying what I would have in that situation, “I’m sure there’s something, I don’t know what, but I can find out,” she said, “I have no idea what you should do about that… I’m going to have to ask Jenn and Steve (the people essentially in charge), they might be able to help with the specifics of your case.” My case… as if I was something special, something hitherto unknown.  And thus the panicking began.

How am I supposed to prove I have this much money? I don’t have this much money.  Best case scenario, I’ll have to lie.

And then BOOM my head exploded and I was sure I was going to be massively in debt and I have no way to pay for any of this and I’m in so much trouble how am I going to pay for anything and I just bought a backpack and I don’t have tennis shoes, but I need to buy a pair because mine are dying, but I can’t afford them.

And then I got an email from Steve saying that all I need is an official printout of my financial aid award and I’m fine.  Of course.  As expected.  I’m still going to be massively in debt, but at least I can pay for school next year.  Now I just have to figure out how to pay for the visa…