It sounds like you guyz are going to have fun this holiday season. Good luck cooking and enjoy the holidays! it’s going to get crazy afterwards.
I really enjoy reading your diary!
Kasia
Well London was great, and of course we’ll have to make many trips to see everything. We got there at 6:40, good thing, because you are charged a fee to go into the city in the “congestion areas” during business hours!! Every other business is either a pub or a curry take out!! I decided against trying to make it to one of the big cathedrals in London for a Christmas Eve service and instead went to St. Mary’s in the Town Centre which is a beautiful old church with checkerboard stones from the 1100s. It was all lighted with candles and decorated with greenery and white flowers inside. It also has a huge old pipe organ and all the dark, carved wood fittings. The band who played did some very good songs and carols and we got out after midnight and headed to an all night curry take away to give sustanence to my son. In bed at 3am and awakened at 7am for opening gifts by the kids! 
After opening gifts at 7am, I fell back over on the couch to sleep for a couple hours and woke at 10am to try and get ready to meet Bill (whuds) and his wife. They came in the early afternoon for Christmas lunch bearing bottles of a very tasty white wine. They have a 12 year old who is getting along famously with my son. In fact, he is spending the night tonight. All of England, Scotland, and North Ireland EXCEPT southeastern (where we are) is in the middle of a blizzard. Apparently there was betting whether or not there would be white Christmas, as the news reported that the bookmakers lost one million pounds with the snow!! Still haven’t mastered the appliances here, but most of today’s food was good. Of course, wine helps!! 
Kathy,
How was it traveling with your pets? What restrictions does the UK put on domestic animals brought into the country?
“Snack” I love that name.
First, about Snack. She was named by my sister, who, while out walking her four dogs in the woods in Arkansas, followed them after hearing them baying at something. She found a little gray kitten clinging to a tree for dear life. “Snack” WAS almost a snack for her dogs. Getting pets into the UK is very strict. They must go through a series of steps set up by DEFRA, which handles agricultural affairs. The pet must be (1) microchipped (2) rabies vaccine (even if already done, must be redone after chipped, (3) blood draw after one month for rabies titer. Currently, DEFRA only accepts ONE lab in the US to do all testing, the Kansas State University lab. Assuming the animal has a sufficient titer, it may enter the UK SIX MONTHS after the blood was drawn. If its five months and 3 weeks, the animal WILL be quarantined one week. Additionally, in order to conform to the “PETsSCHEME”, the animal must have a tick and tapeworm treatment no more than 24-48 hours prior to entering the UK. This is an injection (tapeworm) and something like Frontline for ticks. Also, there are APPROVED routes from each country, such as American Airlines Cargo from Dallas, Virgin Atlantic from DC, etc, which are listed at the website. EVEN IF you do all the other steps, and your pet doesn’t fly an approved route, it WILL go into quarantine. It also MUST be accompanied, meaning, the owner must be on the same flight. They have a vet there to check the pet, its papers, etc, and will charge you approx $400 for that. If your pet is going into quarantine, that will be part of the agency service (one is Airpets Oceanic, whom I used) which will charge you upfront for the vet check, boarding, etc. For me, for one cat for 3 weeks, this was $1300. THEN, there is the cost of the flight. My two cats were put on one airbill, for a cost of $325. However, it is important to note, if you have more than one animal, and one will come in after its six months, but one is going into quarantine, NOT to place them on the same airbill, as they will both end up quarantined. Of course, two airway bills, is two times $325!!! SO either way, you spend a TON of money. The animal under no circumstances will be allowed to fly in-cabin. It will be shipped as manifest cargo in its kennel in the climate controlled luggage area. The airlines will not accept pets if the weather is over 75 or under 30 degrees. They also will not fly snub nosed breeds, such as pug dogs or Himilayan cats. Lastly, there are 5 dog breeds the UK will not accept at all, one of those being pit bulls (“aggressive dogs”) Wow, that was the DEFRA website in a nutshell!! Even as much as I went over it, we still had problems, so if you do take a pet over, plan far in advance. That was much more trouble than our visas, tickets, etc.
Kathy
Ah, another UK holiday, this one traditionally when the upper classes finished their festivities, then the next day would hand out “bonuses” to the “underclasses”. Its another day to (over)eat, play and/or watch sports, and hit all the stores half price sales (rather like Thanksgiving and the day after) My daughter overate on Christmas and so Boxing Day meant a clogged bathroom sink when she threw up there rather than the toilet!! I still can’t get warm in all but one room of this house, and my fingers are like ice as I type. I’m picking up my husband’s friend from Heathrow at 6:45 am tomorrow. He’s also starting in January when I do. I’m reading Harrison’s Internal Medicine today. I know its “off time” but I prefer reading rather than vegging in front of the TV. I’m just a little over a week from being without a vehicle (when Joe gets back) and I’m not minding the walk from the apartment to the town centre, rather I’m dreading the cold. Thank goodness I got a really big coat before we left!!
Wow, Kathy. What an experience you all have had. Good luck with your school. Enjoy your experiences over there. You all should write a book. Take care.
Amy B
Well, I haven’t posted for a week because the first week of medical school has flown by, and what a ride! I have come home every day exhausted, to the kids saying “What’s to eat!?” With Mo gone, I’m doing this like a single parent. He’ll be back in two weeks, then hopefully the load will be less. My daughter finally started her first day of school today! She looks so cute in her little uniform, gray pants, white shirt with maroon and golden tie, and maroon cardigan. Her school is Sacred Heart Primary, and she already has a friend int he class. Adam doesn’t have his interview until Feb 9th, so he’s still at home, though Joe’s wife, Debbie has been really nice to pick them up and keep them at their house so that they aren’t alone. She also loaned her car to me last night so that I could attend Mass, which was really nice. I love Embryo, and thankfully, know a lot from nursing. Anatomy is a ton of information and we’re close to starting the dreaded brachial plexus!! I’ve learned to walk everywhere, hard for a former Texan who lived in their car. The instructors are really good and the dean is very accessible, which I like. The students are bonding quickly and while I’m the olest by 9 years, it doesn’t seem to matter much. The students are mostly American, a few Canadians, and even 2-3 British students, a good mix.
Wow. Thanks for keeping us posted on all your adventures over there.
This may be a stupid question but if someone wanted to do their residency and then practice in England would that be possible after attending your school?
Yes, thats possible. You can either do clinicals in the US or in the UK. We also have several students from the UK that go here also.
I kinda figured but wanted to double check. There is a part of me that really wants to move our of the US.
Hi, I’m a year behind Kathy in the 6yr Med Program (premed 2nd year)
I find it challanging so far and the class sizes are small. What I find good about being overseas is that there is no much to do from day to day here. The stores close by 6pm and the things to do are sight seeing so they have to be planned. TV is better than I thought.
Everything in the UK costs at least 75% more due to the exchange rate but we have found ways to spend our money wisely. I love focusing only on school. All my friends are back in the states where I don’t have to worry about pissing them off due to no time to spend with them. Now only my family will get pissed off. Oh well.
P.S. Tuition is in US$
I suppose there is good and bad with every thing, and the weak dollar is the only real thing making me miserable right now, other than the brachial plexus!! The funniest thing about my school is the guy in my class who keeps sidling up to me saying stuff like, “Texas, I am attracted to you”…and “Are you taken?” Considering most of the students are in their 20s and I know he’s 33 (9 years younger than me) as well as the fact that I’m a fluffy girl, I found it pretty amusing. I informed him I’d been married 15 years. I’m not sure about the marketing the school is doing, but for the record, I would say that 90% of the students are of Indo-Pak origin, though raised in the US. I keep wondering if they are advertising specially in the Indo Pak community.
Didn’t know I was on a cruise ship? Pass the prawns.
Well, Mo is back from visitng his family so I’m now at the school twice as long. “Black Monday” is February 14th, with tests in all subjects that day. Embryo is my definite favorite class. Bio stats is my least favorite. I finally got in for my appointment to register with the National Health Service here, and got to weigh for the first time in 8 weeks, and found that I’ve lost 18 pounds!! That is 60 total, as I’m still sticking to Weight Watchers!! WOW. It’s all the walking. I never used to do anything, and now I walk every day (no car here) I’m already saving up for my tummy tuck!! Most days I’m too busy to think about things, but once in a while it hits…wow, I’m a medical student. I remember that same unreal feeling when I finished my UGrad degree, and probably will turn around and be where Joe is soon, getting ready to take the USMLE. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Kathy
Kathy,
Congrats to you on the 60# weight loss. Keep walking!
Shirl
Kathy! I’m so jelaous of you walking everywhere! That’s probably one of the reasons why I gained 20 pounds since I got here 4 years ago! In Europe I used to walk everywhere! And here in Northern VA even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to! The public transport sucks, and they don’t even have sidewalks everywhere 
.
Congrats on the wt loss, my Wife,Son and I have lost per our pants ( seems to be a couple of inches) We walk everywhere here. School and shopping are so close in England. Can’t wait till My Black Monday 2-7-05. Can’t wait till Matthew and Adam start school together, Maybe they will be in the same class? 
Bill,
If they are in the same class, I feel sorry for the teacher!!
Kathy
Yea Mat said they are not in the same classes cause the Teachers knew better! 
Now if we can keep them off the streets at night! 
Mat wants to go out just like Adam has( I know he got grounded when he did this) and wander around. Mat wants to go to the library and…Study…yea right.
: Cheers Bill.