Moving countries with a dog: a long post about packing!

Packing up your entire life in a couple of suitcases is a challenge to say the least, especially when you're taking your full art studio and everything your dog owns with you. Here's how I packed for my move from Finland to the UK. :)

• Start planning your packing well in advance: I wrote my list two weeks before the move, and added to it almost daily since I'd forgotten everything important, as you do. You'll also need to check how much luggage you can bring - if you're flying it's generally around 20kg per suitcase, and if you're bringing your pet on board you have to make sure it weighs no more than 8kg (or 6kg for some airlines) including the weight of it's bag. The pet's bag has to fit under the seat in front of you and should be a soft one so you can slightly squash the fabric to fit if it's not the exact size, bearing in mind your pet should be able to spend the entirety of the flight in it comfortably. You're also allowed a little carry-on bag in addition to your pet, so pack all your travel essentials in that. Before packing make sure to check what you cannot bring on the plane! If you're flying to the UK you can bring your printer ink, for example, but you couldn't if you are flying to the USA as they have very strict rules in regards to ink cartridges.

Helping @liserichardsonart pack up her art studio for our big move 🎨🐾 #etsy #etsycards #etsyart #shopsmall #cutedog #crossbreed #dog #doodle #doglover #dogsofig #dogsofinstagram #dogs_of_instagram #doodlesofinstagram #freija #instadog #instapet #instacute #instamutt #ilovemydog #mutt #pet #poodlemix #terrier #terriermix #terriersofinstagram #yorkiemix #yorkiepoo #yorkiepoosofinstagram #movingwithpets #movingcountries

A photo posted by Freija (@freijatheyorkiepoo) on Jul 16, 2015 at 12:29pm PDT

• Make a list: This seems like the most obvious tip ever, and if you've ever moved house you'll know how to do this in a way that works for you. However, moving from country to country you'll have to trim the list down a little unless you're prepared to dish out for a removal company (which is dead expensive if you're going on a student budget!), and consider what you can replace once you've moved or bring along later if you're able to leave things behind in storage or with family. Here's my list: 

• Paperwork:
• travel documents (pop them in a plastic wallet so they're all in one place for you to grab when you need to.)
• passports (for people and pets alike - make sure they're up to date and that the pets have all the correct vaccination details marked in there.)
• tenancy paperwork (everything to do with your rented flat that you'll need.)
• university paperwork (you'll need it to set up a bank account if you don't have one already, among other things!)
• medical records and prescriptions (although you won't be able to use them abroad as such, you may find them useful when going to your new doctor - also if you have a national insurance card bring that along too!)
• any other identification and legal paperwork
• a map or list of important addresses in your new hometown (because you'll need to know where the bank, GP, post office supermarket, and many other places are located practically as soon as you arrive, and that means before the broadband is set up.)
• Clothes: 
• two or three weeks worth of t-shirts/tops
• plenty of underclothes and socks (these can be used to protect fragile items in your suitcase, such as ornaments if you're a hoarder like me and can't bear to part with your collection)
• three or four pairs of trousers
• warm clothes just in case (that is if you're moving in the summer, in the winter this one is obvious!)
• a pair or two of thick or woolly socks (for cold evenings and wellies if you're moving to the UK!)
• jim jams (warm and cold weather ones)
• a pair of boots, a pair of nice shoes, crocs or sandals (wear trainers when you move!)
• at least one pair of gloves, hat and scarf
• jean jacket, sports coat, raincoat, warm autumn coat (I don't know whether I'll need a full-on winter coat in the UK, I may buy one later - but I've got a winter gilet which can be chucked on top of the autumn coat for added warmth).
• Dog clothes: 
•  two warm jumpers
• two raincoats (because on rainy days you really don't want to do two to three walks with a soggy coat)
• a set of booties
• lifevest
• hi-vis jacket
• spare leash, harness and collar.
• Soft furnishings and decorations: 
•  a quilt (I'm talking about a crocheted little quilt, not a duvet, you can buy one when you arrive!)
• a couple of throw pillow cases (if you have nice ones you don't want to leave behind that is, don't even think about taking the actual pillows for goodness sake - those are easily and affordably replaceable)
• a stuffed toy (if you're sentimental like me!)
• a few SMALL ornaments (I collect dog figurines, art, and prints, I'll pick and choose the best ones to bring with me).
• Books and DVDS: 
• any dvds you want to bring, packed in storage cases (I have A LOT of videos because I've always got something on whenever I paint, but instead of bringing all those boxes with me I've grudgingly agreed to pop all the disks into those big folder things - much easier to move with)
• a few important art and reference books I'll definitely need
• a couple of fictional ones to last the initial week or two (I may eventually have my collection shipped over, but for now there's simply too much to bring along)
• recipe book (I've got a homemade one with all my favourite recipes jotted down in it)
• Dog supplies:  
• food and water bowls plus the plastic mat they go on (if your dog is anything like mine, there's NO WAY they'll agree to eat and drink in a new enviroment from brand new set of bowls)
• brush
• nail clippers
• fur scissors
• heat pants (for intact girly girls)
• paw balm (only if you've already got a tin open!)
• frisbees (or any other sports equipment your dog may use that costs a pretty penny)
• one or two balls
• a soft toy or two
• Art stuff:  
• Printer (I'm shipping mine separately since it's MASSIVE - I'm using sendmybag.com which seems to be the best and most affordable option - just be aware that you cannot ship the ink cartridges along with the printer, so either use them up or pack them in your suitcase. I managed to pack all my paper and packaging supplies as well as some other studio bits and bobs in my printer's box too, since I paid for 30kg and my printer only weighed 16kg on it's own. I'll update this post once I've moved and let you know how that's worked out!)
• portfolio (only the best work from the past year or so - if you can leave your older work with family or in storage then do that because if you're like me and have accumulated an absolute mountain of originals, it's doesn't make sense to bring it all with you.)
• laptop and charger
• external hard drive
• painting supplies (for me it's a tin of gouaches, a watercolour set, any salvageable paintbrushes since I've not replaced most of mine for ages, pencil case with the most used pens and pencils, one full pad of good paper and all remaining painting boards, one or two of these fab clay yoghurt pots I use for watercolours, and two little palettes)
• wacom board and pen
• scissors (you'll probably need them during the move too!)
• In addition to all this, I've also listed my meds and makeup, a hair dryer (I've got a REALLY nice one), a few choice pieces of jewellery, a couple of my nicer bags, maybe one set of sheets and a towel or two. Basically make sure you bring things you're sure you'll need, and store everything else with family or with a storage service, and brin
• g it over in little batches when you can or sell it at a flea market or garage sale. 

•  Time your packing well: If you're moving with pets like me, do not pack their day-to-day belongings until right before you leave. This may not apply to every pet, but my dog will work herself into a panic if she sees me packing too early - when we go for holidays I try to pack and leave as quickly as possible so the trip will go as smoothly as possible, and that same idea will apply for moving too. Obviously everything else needs to be packed earlier, so what I've done is laid everything out into a couple of washing baskets ready to dump in the suitcases quickly and easily. I started really packing this weekend before the move begins on Monday evening.

• Set aside things to be moved at a later date: If you're moving countries and you've got friends or family who'll be visiting you after you've moved, it's a good idea to have them bring over some of your non-urgent belongings with them. Make sure these things will be easy to find - bag them up ready to be packed later!

That's about it, tomorrow (Monday) we head off to Helsinki for the night before flying out on Tuesday. If my blog goes back to radio silence, I can guarantee it's due to lack of internet connection in the new flat. But I'm sure I'll have lots to talk about after the move, so I'll write to you on the other side! :)

Preparing for flat hunting: budgeting, wardobe planning, and references.

  

Just over a week from now I’ll be heading over to England to find a flat. It’s all very exciting, and I don’t quite know what to expect, so I’ll not say much till after it’s all sorted, but I thought I’d write a bit about how I’m preparing for the trip.

First up, I’ve written up a slightly vague but reasonable budget for my living costs for when I move. As I’m lucky enough to be eligible for some student benefits from Finland, and indeed the usual student loan from both countries, I’ve got a good base for my monthly budget. I can also rely on help from family if worst comes to worst. Using an online student budget calculator (there are plenty to choose from!), I quickly figured out what things like food, dog supplies, transport and other important things would roughly cost. There are bound to be surprises, but it does help to know what you can and should be spending on these things, and what you could have left over. Anyway, the point of writing up a budget like this is to figure out how much I can use on rent each month. With that done, I’ve spent quite a bit of time since Christmas perusing the websites of local estate agents in Bath, and of course rightmove, to get some sort of picture of the going rates for the type of flat I’m looking for. Bath isn’t the cheapest place to live, but since my main requirements are that it's pet-friendly and has a washing machine, it's doable – the average price per month is around the £750 mark (at the time of writing, that is!), and I can stretch to that if need be.

Second on my list has been a bit of wardrobe planning. I wont go overboard with this and plan it all meticulously, but my rule of thumb for flat hunting is to look smart and presentable, even if you’re a bit of a artsy type like me. I’m a great believer in making good first impressions, especially when something as important as where you live is at stake. So no dog-walk trainers, no scruffy old t-shirts, no just-rolled-out-of-bed hair. For me, it's essential that I look responsible and... well, like a mature student, since that's the ace up my sleeve. Lots of landlords seem to be a bit worried about accepting undergrad students, and for good reason, so I've got to show that since I'm a little bit older, I'm fit to look after the place, myself and my dog.

These are my new flat-hunting shoes. Freija approves!

Lastly, references. What I’ve done is written up one in English for my dog trainer to approve and sign for Freija, as I’m more likely to actually get it done that way than if I asked them to write it up themselves – they’re very busy people, and not too keen on writing in English themselves! I don't know how common it is for people to provide references for their pets, but having discovered Lets with Pets, I decided I needed to get one for girly girl, especially since we're moving from abroad and the potential landlord wont be able to see her in person.
 I’ve also asked a friend of mine if I could jot down a character reference for myself for them to look over and sign, and they’ve very kindly agreed to do that. So although getting that paperwork sorted can feel like a bit of a drag, I’ve managed to sort it out reasonably well. My parents will be acting as guarantors for the rent, and they’ll be writing their own little references too.

So that’s what I’ve sorted out so far! We’ll see how my flat-hunting goes soon enough… :)

Learn how to cook for university, properly! Plus a recipe for a quick pasta bake to get you started

Practically all the lists I’ve found online about how to prepare for university include the line “learn to cook”. This is probably aimed at the younger students who have literally never even turned on the oven, but there is one thing that might not occur to mature students that draws from it… Learn to cook food you like instead of ready meals or things out of the packet! There’s nothing wrong with the occasional tin of mushy peas and Smash, but you can’t live on that (something I found out when living alone at vocational art school!), plus it's cheaper to cook using simple ingredients yourself! Student food doesn't have to be nasty after all. :)

What I’m doing with my mum before the big move is compiling a recipe book full of my family’s home recipes and things I’ve tried and liked myself. That way it’s full of foods that aren’t too complicated to prepare and which I know I'll enjoy (plus if I get stuck I just need to ring up mum for help!). We started writing up recipes in February after making a long list of all the different meals, getting through a handful every few nights. There’s still lots to do, and thankfully plenty of time to try new recipes for the book too!

To make this a bit more fun, start by designing a lovely cover for your recipe book (or print out the one I designed for free). Then write up a few things you like (if you don’t know how to make them yourself but your parents do, get them to help!), and things you’d like to try. I like to categorise mine into sections: Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert work well. Now all you need to do is get writing! Spread it out so you don’t have to spend hours writing the whole lot down at once, and give yourself a chance to try out new recipes to add too. Don’t be afraid to include large batches, because leftovers are great to freeze and through the week without worrying about cooking every single day. Another fab idea is getting your hands on a slow cooker - just chuck your ingredients in and let it cook through the day, with a hot meal waiting when you get home (there are heaps of great recipes on pinterest to try out, but my favourite is to just chuck in a bunch of different kinds of beans, a bit of tomato puree, a stock cube, soy sauce and chicken - it's hearty and nice with potatoes, rice or pasta!).



To get you started, here’s a quick dinner recipe from my collection:

Pasta & broccoli bake  (Cooking time about 20mins, makes four portions)

Ingredients:

-400g pasta
-1 red onion
-1 whole fresh broccoli
-veggie stock
-a drop of mustard
-200g crème fraiche
-100g cheddar
-Fresh herbs of your choice (I go for whatever I’ve got in the house, so usually basil or rosemary)
-A couple of handfuls of breadcrumbs

Method:
Boil the pasta, chopped onion, and stalks from the broccoli in lots of water with salt for 7 or 8 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and let boil for a few more minutes. Pour about 400ml of the cooking water into a bowl, and drain the pasta and veggies. Return the water to the saucepan and mix in the stock and crème frache, adding most of the herbs and a drop of mustard to taste. Bring to a boil, and pop in all the pasta and veggies. Stir in half of the cheese until melted. Pour the lot into a baking dish, and sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs.

Heat the grill for a few minutes (most ovens have this option, if not then bake at around 175-200°). Grill the bake for 3 minutes (watch it doesn’t burn!), and lets stand for a few minutes before serving.

Choosing the right offer

As I mentioned in my previous post (Surviving UCAS), receiving an offer took a good long time. There’s nothing like the “Something has changed on your UCAS application”-email to make your heart skip several beats, and when I got the first one in mid-February, I very nearly had to go and lie down in a darkened room. That was from my second choice, and I was ecstatic! It proved my application wasn’t awful, and gave me hope for my first choice. The offer was conditional, I had to pass an IELTS test. I thought about it for a day or two, and came to the conclusion that my first choice would probably have the same condition if they sent me an offer, I promptly signed up for the test in March. I spent the next couple of weeks reading up on the town and even looking up flats near to the university (you can’t say I don’t research my options thoroughly!).
Then the second email arrived, along with one from the admissions officer of my first choice university. Hands shaking, I opened UCAS track, and caught sight of that glorious sentence: “The university or college has offered you an unconditional place”.

Now, I’d made my mind up earlier, so I clicked the “firm” button and that was that. HOWEVER I had nearly six months to mull over my choice. I’d been to Bath before, I’d read up on the course and past student experiences, gone through the virtual open day, and had compared it to my second choice prior to receiving any offers at all. This is not the case for all applicants, and I wouldn’t want to advocate making an on-the-spot choice like I did unless you had thought it through as long and hard as I had. So here’s some of the reasoning behind my choice:

• The course is Graphic Communication, offering a variety of different things to study during the first year, and with an option to specialise in illustration or a variety of other mediums in the second. The other courses I’d applied for were solely Illustration. 
• The first impression I had of the staff was helpful and genuine. Everyone I emailed seemed capable and understanding, no matter how many questions I had to ask. My second choice wasn't bad, but not in the same league. The third however was condescending and extremely unhelpful, so I binned it as soon as I had the first offer. I am a strong believer in going with one's gut feeling, and in this case that's definitely what I did.
• The facilities are modern, with appealing spaces for both studying and practical work. 
• I wanted to live and study in a highly cultural area. My other two choices were in Bristol and Brighton, both equally arty. 
• A safe place was a must. Bath is ranked as one of the safest cities for students in the UK, whereas Brighton and Bristol are lower down on the list. 
• Although marginally more expensive than Bristol, the price range for the type of flat I'm looking for, in the right area, isn't too bad. Brighton is heaps more expensive.
• As a dog owner the place needed to have good access to nice walks, and having spent a day walking around Bath, I knew there were some nice routes to take. The surrounding area is also beautiful. 
• The local dog community is very friendly and welcoming, as I discovered through their Facebook page. I’ve already joined in preparation for the move! 

Those were my priorities for the choice, but yours may be different. Take all yours into consideration before making a choice, because you'll want to go to the best possible place to study!

Surviving UCAS

So you’ve decided to apply for university in the UK. Fab! Guess what comes next… UCAS.

It’s daunting, I know. Especially if you’re applying from outside the UK. So I thought I’d list the things you’ll need to sort out, to make it a bit less of a challenge. These tips are gathered from my own experience of applying as a mature EU student.

Before applying

• If you don’t have an English version of your qualification certificate from any former education, you’ll have to get an officially recognised translation complete with a stamp and signature. This can be irritating and costly, but ultimately something you’ve just got to get done. Make sure you sort it out in good time prior to applying. Mine cost nearly 200€ for all four pages of the certificate, but it may vary between countries.
• Some universities require you to take an IELTS test, even if you speak English as your first language (mainly to make up for not having GCSEs). Prepare to take the test at the beginning of the year, as it may be the condition of your potential offer. The cost of the test may vary, in Finland there’s only one place you can take it and it costs 230€. NOTE: If you’re English but applying internationally, or speak English as your first language, the university might not require you to take the test, so don’t rush into doing it unless you really have to!

Your personal statement

• Take your time. You don’t need to write up a polished statement in one sitting, so give yourself plenty of time to think about what you want to say – remember you’ve only got 4000 characters to tell them why you’re fantastic! 
• Get somebody else to proofread it! You’re bound to miss one or two silly mistakes, whether you speak English as your first language or not, and the spellchecker on Word can’t tell if what you’re writing makes sense or not. 
• As an international student you’ll need to focus on proving that you have a good grasp on the English language (yes, even if you’re half English like yours truly!), so it might help to mention if you’ve got any links to English speaking countries, and any English language achievements from school or otherwise. 

The reference

• If you left your previous school a while ago, this might be a bit of a pain to source. It took me forever and a day, but after some persistent emailing one of my former tutors (make sure you pick one that liked you at school, it’ll make for a nicer reference!), I got them to write one up for me. 
• UCAS makes referees log onto the site themselves to post your reference, so make sure you explain the process to them thoroughly! This is especially important if your referee isn’t familiar with UCAS in the first place, or doesn’t speak much English. My tutor sent their reference to me before sending it through UCAS because they wanted me to check their spelling and grammar, so do make sure you help them as much as possible.

Your qualifications

• UCAS may not recognise your former qualifications, but don’t worry! Just go to the “other” box, and list it there. You may have to provide further details later if the university you’ve applied to requests it, so remember to keep that translated qualification certificate at hand (scan it too, so you’ve got it ready to send just in case!). 
• They’ll ask you to list your grades separately – ALL OF THEM! This is important, so take the time to write them all up properly. Some of the module names might be odd after translation, but write them up exactly as they’re listed on the certificate.

Your employment history

• It’s tempting to write down all the jobs you’ve ever done, but that summer job as a berry-picker may not add anything of value to your application. However any English-speaking jobs, as well as those relating to the subject you’re applying for, are well worth listing. For example, although I applied for an art subject, I listed my waitressing job at my granddad’s coach company, since that was in England.
• Although you can’t list voluntary jobs, I’d suggest mentioning any relevant ones in your personal statement. Charity work always makes you look good!

 

Sending portfolios  

For art related courses, you’ll have to prepare a portfolio of your previous work(or several!). There are major differences in the specifics for different universities, and most wont ask you to send one in until the final application deadline in January, even if you’ve applied earlier. I prepared three different portfolios, two of which I had to send through the university’s own student website, and the third was sent in by email as per their request. Make sure you read the instructions carefully!

• Size (one university wouldn’t allow images larger than 500px on the longest side, while the others only required the resolution to be suitable for the media)
• Amount of work (this can vary a lot, some universities only want a handful of 10 or so pieces, while others have no restriction) 
• Description (you may be asked to write a short paragraph about your work, or alternatively not be allowed to include anything apart from the title and your UCAS ID number)
• Variety (Most places want to see sketches and process shots, but if you’re restricted to a small amount of images I’d recommend keeping the amount to one or two pictures. Depending on the course, you might also want to include some photography, crafts, writing, or animation.)

Got it all sorted? Great! Now all you’ve got to do is pay the fee (£23 for multiple courses in 2014), and send it off! Not so hard, eh? Now all you've got to do is wait for an offer... A good time to take up crochet, start an especially long box-set, or start reading Les Mis, because this bit takes a while. To give you some idea of how long it can take; I sent off my application on the first of September, 2014. I received my first offer on the 12th of February, and the second on the 24th. My third choice never got around to replying as I took up my second offer (which was unconditional), but I know lots of people are still waiting for offers.

If you're starting to get anxious, need some support from your peers, or want to see how others are doing with their applications, I heartily recommend The Student Room. They have dedicated forums for all the different universities, as well as a general one all about applications and UCAS.

Ps. You don't need to make your choice as soon as you've received your offers! I had had lots of time to think through my choices, but you might get an offer very quickly after sending off your application! So give it some thought. I'll write a bit about why and how I chose my offer in my next post. :)

Should I go to university?

That’s the first question you should ask yourself. I thought I’d explain why I decided to apply, after adamantly proclaiming I would never go back into education just a year earlier.

I studied fine art and photography (long story, the two got a bit mashed together as it were) for a good three and a half years, earning a Finnish vocational degree at the end of it. There is no equivalent in the UK for it that I know of, but essentially it’s a three to five year course (depending on how long you take to complete it, some people do it in under three years while others really take their time!) which you complete after secondary school from the age of 15 or 16 upwards.

Now, at the end of my arduous studies I did repeatedly say I didn’t want to study again. Never, ever, ever, ever…

What changed?

I spent half a year job hunting. As many before me have said, it is REALLY boring. I did a bit of freelancing, some commission work, and generally spent my time being a reclusive artsy type. Some good did come of this mind you, my artwork improved in leaps and bounds thanks to all the free time I had, I saved up a bit of pocket money doing some computer game illustrations during the summer, and I even gathered up my courage and started up my own Etsy shop. 2014 was a good year in that respect, and I’m proud of what I achieved on my own. However…
As many in the art industry will know, it’s very difficult to progress without connections, or a good community to work with. Now, that’s not to say there isn’t potential here in my Finnish hometown, because there is. I joined a wonderful knitting group for foreigners, full of lovely ladies who continue to inspire me to this day with all their fabulous creations. I’ve attended as many local arts and crafts markets and fairs as were available, and even had a stall at the massive Christmas market last year (in Finland you don’t really get little markets each weekend like you do in the UK, instead there are a few really big events each year). Still, it didn’t feel like I was really getting anywhere. I’d spent half a year living with my granddad in Eastbourne in 2013, and one thing that really leapt out at me was the amazing cultural community in the area (mainly thanks to what I’d call the art capital of the south coast, Brighton!). Why was there nothing like that in Finland?

 I took some time to weigh up my options:

• One was to make my long-time dream of owning my own little shop into reality. After a lot of googling, chatting with the local unemployment office, and researching the practicalities of running a brick and mortar shop, I realised I wasn’t prepared for that. This did lead to having a go at starting up my online shop, and thus far that’s been a pleasant way to occupy myself, even if I’m not exactly raking up the cash! 

• The second was to try and get my work into books or magazines. I sent off email after email, compiled portfolios, and chatted to other artists in the hopes of learning the tricks of the trade. I got approached by a writer or two, who disappeared after hearing I expected payment for my work. Eventually this idea fizzled out, for the time being at least. I needed to make connections, and that just wasn’t happening.

• The third option was university. I thought about it long and hard, and realised it could be the solution to my problems. I wanted to meet other artists, people in the industry, and find a good community. I also wanted to spend more time learning new techniques, really focus on refining my skills, and get into the more commercial path of art and illustration, instead of sticking with my preexisting knowledge in the high brow fine art area. Oh, and going back to England was also a plus. 

So that’s how I came to my decision. Next, I’ll write about the roller-coaster that was applying through UCAS…Fun!