Last minute lucy…definitely my name!

So this week I’ve learned not to leave shopping to the last minute, especially shopping for an evening gown! It took far longer than I expected it to and, for a scary few hours, seemed like it would be an impossible task.

Saying goodbye to everyone I love has been the hardest part of the week without a doubt,  but I keep having to remind myself that it’s not forever and I will see them again. God knows how I’ll cope when I do actually leave for good (assuming I do get over to America permanently), I can only hope that this experience will prepare me better for that.

My suitcase and packing has now hit the point of being totally ridiculous and there is no way in hell that it is under or even close to the 20kg luggage allowance limit; all I can do is pray that I can take all of my study equiptment out before I fly and that reduces it enough that my baggage charges aren’t into the unaffordable! I don’t honestly feel like there is anything in my case that is superfluous and 20kg really isn’t a lot of weight for a 9 month span, especially when you look at the packing list you recieve in your starter pack!

I’m actually on board the train to London now,  travelling 1st class for the first time in my life and I can’t believe how much better it is than your regular train journey,  and I’m especially appreciating the endless supply of coffee! It is strange though to be travelling through all the beauty of Yorkshire for what could conceivably be the last time; I never appreciated just how lovely the place I’ve been living is until I’m leaving it behind.

On a different note I’ve had a few questions asked of me about steiner,  both on this blog and on a forum I’m a member of and I thought I should say that I’m perfectly happy to help and answer any questions or queries that I can…I don’t know everything but if I can help I will!

Bring on the sunshine!

If todays weather is anything to go by then it would be safe to say that summer is definitely over! It’s raining cats and dogs outside and isn’t due to stop any time soon if the reports are to be believed. More than anything else this has just made me start to pray that they send me somewhere warm!

I can’t imagine that the journey to training will be pleasant if the weather does persist in this manner and it certainly won’t help with the fact we’ve got to have immaculate hair and make-up!

The task of the day, and possibly the week is packing! Never my favourite part of preparing to go away, this time it’s even worse as I have to pack everything I own, enough for 10 months, into one 20kg baggage allowance.  I swear it isn’t possible within the laws of physics for a girl to accomplish this task! It doesn’t help of course that I have no idea where they’ll be sending me so I can’t pack for just one climate, I have to be prepared for all eventualities, which is a damn nightmare I can tell you!

You get a packing list in the starter pack you receive from steiner which is a good thing to check yourself off against, though it doesn’t mention towels (which you need for the ymca) and personal electronics (tablet, laptop etc…). A little application of common sense is the best bet…make a list a few weeks in advance, check it and read over it a few times, pass it around family and friends to see if they can think of anything you might have missed, then start buying the bits you’re missing and either throwing or storing stuff you don’t need. The way I see it this whole adventure gives you an excellent opportunity for a fresh start and a bit of a revamp,  so make the most of it!

I have so far managed to fit all my belongings into my suitcase with a little room to spare, which is all well and good, until I head to the mall with my mum and buy more clothes!

Fun at the embassy!

Well, my trip to london has been successful and in 3-5 working days I will officially be the proud owner of a C1/D visa for America! The trip down to London was far less painful than expected with minimal hiccups and decent weather!

The hotel we booked claimed itself as a ‘one room suite’ which was overstatement to stay the least! It was barely a box with a shower, loo and sink in a 4ftx2ft space – for £70 a night for two people overlooking hyde park however…it’s a pretty good deal!

On the first day in London mum and I decided to walk from the room to the embassy building to see if it would be feasible in the morning or whether the tube would be our best option and, though it was a lovely walk through the park, it was quite long winded and a bit twisty/turny so the underground was opted for, preventing me from getting lost!

So, the main point of this entry is to go through my embassy experience and let you guys know what to expect.  My embassy appointment was scheduled for 8:30am and we arrived outside to start queueing at about that time, if not a little before, along with what looked to be about 50 other people.  The system was well organized and ran fluidly; left queue first to give your name in and sort out any electronics and metal items, then the right queue to wait to be called forward to the security queue which comes next, where they check your passport, then finally you are called through 4 at a time to the security room to be checked through to the embassy proper.

From the security desk you then walk round the side of the embassy building and through a door into the foyer area where you hand over your ds-160 paperwork to be scanned in so you can be allocated your ticket number.  Once you have your number you then are directed through into a large hall to wait to be called up.  If you, like me, are a big fan of american sodas and crisps then I highly recommend you take some money in with you as there is mountain dew and welchs soda and root beer galore, amongst other things!  Once in the hall you will be called twice, the first time to a booth number between 1 and 11 for your fingerprints to be taken and your documents to be checked and retained, and then a second time after that to a booth numbered between 12 and around 24 for you “interview”.

As a british citizen the only paperwork I was asked to show was the ds-160 form I had printed off and the visa letter steiner had provided me with.  I was asked what job rolei intended to fulfill on the ships and whether I had already trained in that profession.  After that I was told my visa application had been granted and I should expect it in 2-5days.  Easy as that! The whole process took about 2 hours and was pretty painless, all things considered.

And I met Ricky Gervais in the security check area…planning another idiot abroad series maybe?

Online training

Yesterday I got my password for the academy online training website and, being the little geek I am, I had to log on and start my training immediately!  I had been worried that, as it states we have 2 weeks to complete the training, it would be a very long and involved process and that working the hours I am I wouldn’t have the time to dedicate to it.  I needn’t have been worried though as I managed to complete my training in one day.  I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that time frame unless you have done extensive pre-learning and are willing to dedicate time to continue your learning afterwards.

The set up is much like that of any further learning academy that uses online learning tools; a personalised log in page with courses and modules that you enroll on yourself by activating them, which then gives you access to the online seminars.  The content itself is laid out in a powerpoint type presentation format that has a few interactive click-through buttons to lead you through the content.  I was initially a little worried that I was missing content as the slide numbers do skip around somewhat but just trust steiner and you will see every slide by the end of module exam!

The first course I completed as a masseuse was on board health and safety, a course which I would expect everyone will have, no matter what their profession, which was relatively straight forward. My only gripe with this is that one of the questions on the test appears to mark the correct answer as wrong, and I did double check against the information given within the presentation as I have meticulously screen printed each one in order to make a full set of learning flashcards (told you I was a geek!) to ensure my knowledge is sound. It didn’t matter a great deal in the long run as you only need a certain % to pass which I achieved,  but it irks me none the less.

The second course I enrolled on was the elemis products course, of which I had the face and body modules. This course was much more information heavy and I would recommend looking through the material a few times before taking the tests as you do only have two attempts to pass each one.  This course took me a good few hours to complete and I did find that some of the questions asked in the tests were for products not given within the study material.  There is always the chance I missed some slides but I did go onto the slide menu and look through that way so I don’t think that’s the case.  I am going to email the training coordinator and put these questions to her so I’ll get back to you with her response when I receive it.

All in all I think the online training facility is wonderful and really helps with getting yourself in the mindset to join the ships in your last few weeks before London. For me I have timed my training purposely to coincide with the time I would normally return to university, had I not just graduated, as my mind will automatically be geared towards learning and ready to settle back into a fairly punishing routine, however some will not have been in an academic setting for a while and for them this online learning stage will be very useful – settling them back into learning gently.

Now, onward to the embassy!

So … Blogging!

I feel the need to blog but I don’t really have anything solid to fill you guys in on!  I’ve been plodding along, paying for those bits that need paying for, organizing those bits that need organizing and studying those bits that need studying for!

I have yet to receive my online log in and password for the learning bit of my pre-academy prep (I should get this by Monday) but I am still trying to make the most of any free time I have by attempting to memorize all of the Elemis products, their benefits and ingredients!  It’s a lot of work and my memorizing skills aren’t that wonderful but, after 6 years of studying, my revision skills are top notch so I’ve put together a bunch of flashcards to help me with the study.

I’m actually getting a little antsy about being so in limbo – it feels like there is so much still to be done but nothing I can now do about it!  I’ve sent everything off and now I’m just left waiting on hearing back from the CRB check people and then I have my Embassy interview coming up on the 28^th of this month.  The constant stream of emails from Steiner head office isn’t really helping my anxiety either…every time I get a new one I check it through about 5 times just to make 100% sure that there’s nothing that I still have outstanding.

I’ve also spent a little time trying to make contact with a few other people who will be landing in London for training around the same time so that I don’t annoy everyone else in my life with my incessant Steiner-talk, which is looking like a real possibility at the minute!  I found a few girls on the Steiner recruitment Facebook page and sent them messages just to say hi so hopefully something will come of that.  I’m not exactly a shy girl but I tend to find I’m a little different to your standard ‘stereotypical’ beauty student so I’m a little nervous that I won’t find many that I can immediately connect with.  I’m hoping that I can push my ‘major geek’ aspect forward and my study skills from my degree will be able to help others with all the exams and study we have coming to us – I like being able to be helpful!

If anyone else has any awesome study tools for learning the Elemis products please, please, PLEASE feel free to forward them in my direction!

Equally, if anyone is heading into training in London in September then feel free to message me to say hi as well.

B x