Nico Addai

I completed an item on bucket list: I lived (and worked) in a foreign country. However, study abroad would be too expensive for me as I probably wouldn’t have had clearance to work that particular semester. And so I did the next best thing: I applied for and went as an intern with Index on Censorship.

London was a life changing event, but getting here was difficult! Beyond planning the logistics of travel, there are some elements that are truly out of your control.

Like applying for a visa.

Applying for a visa is expensive, time-consuming and frustrating, as was living in such an . After all, you are dealing with a bureaucracy

Before London:

If you take nothing away from this, learn this:

Apply for your visa EARLY.

Like months early. The bureaucracy doesn’t care about you. If you wait too long, you’ll be forced to pay for the $309 price tag for them to go slightly more quickly with Priority.

Applicants should be aware that they may experience delays if any of the following factors apply:

• Incomplete application form: you be surprised how often this happens! You need your passport, your application form, your biometric data receipt, the GWS mailing package number, in addition to any other identifying information
• You’ve been previously denied a visa (inside or outside UK)

During London:

London is really a city. Not like Boston at all. It’s like New York City, but with sexier accents. There’s always something to do! If you are a more introverted person, you can just wonder about in London and feel blended in the anonymity of the people.

Visit the Albert and Victoria Museum! Or the British Museum. Regal in what could have been if the British didn’t colonize the whole world.

After London: 

I left London to Ghana on 100%, and enjoyed family time when when I got back. My time there has improved my writing skills and my commitment to writing in general.