Money, Money, Money

And I’m back. Catch up time, I suppose. The day before I left Leeds, I secured a phone and went in to Barclays to set up a bank account. Unfortunately, because I’m an international student, I had to make an appointment, and also get a “bank letter” from the school, which turned out to just be a visa letter I already had. So I went in last Friday for my appointment and with very little difficulty was able to set up a bank account. The only downside is that I have to fund it with £1000. I was planning on setting it up with my money from the loans, once they were distributed, but due to timing, the money ended up coming out of my U.S. account…in £300 chunks. I assumed this wouldn’t be a big problem, I figured I’d just take it out of the ATM, no problem. Wachovia, apparently thought differently. Before I left, I had set my card to “international,” it seems this didn’t apply to ATMs. So after my mom called Wachovia, and then they called me, we got it all sorted out with the fraud department. £1000 later, I was set to go. Everything got deposited in the Barclay’s account and, although I’m still waiting on my debit card (which would make things easier), I do have checks, so at least I can pay my rent. While waiting for my appointment, I did have a chance to check out more of the campus. I finally found my school, which was exciting. Though, since it appears to still be under renovation, I wasn’t able to actually go in and check things out. From the outside, it looks pretty normal, though. The campus is rather interesting. There is a real mix of early 20th century brick buildings and some newer, more modernist architecture. A few of the buildings remind me of the Lloyds of London building, but they’re all significantly bigger than those on AU’s campus. Luckily, the campus is relatively compact, so it should be pretty easy to navigate once I get a feel for everything.