The Costs They Forgot to Tell You About

I'm super excited to study abroad in East Sussex, England but there are a lot more costs that cropped up after I decided to go officially. It comes in that 80 page book they expect you to read...okay okay I may have read most of it!

Some of them may be pretty simple and you may think"well, duh..." but here is what I found going through the process.

1) Passport

As you may have guessed, I didn't have a passport before November and I needed to go and get one (can't fly to England with an enhanced driver's license!). I had to get the works. First you pay for the passport, $140.  Then the execution fee, another $25.  The picture, $10. And finally, the money order to be able to send the money to the government, I think this was about $5. This brings the grand total to $180.00. Wow.

Renewing it alone is $140!

2) Luggage

A good set of 3 piece luggage for a new traveler is around $90 from JCPenny (which is rebranded itself! I'm loving their new logo). Be careful about your allowed size for your flight too! I have a piece of luggage that came in the set that is too large!

3) Cell Phone

Don't EVER bring your own cell phone over. I thought I would just add the international plan and be done with it. NOPE. It was about $30 per month ON TOP of my regular bill and then add 99 cents per minute. How about just getting data? THINK AGAIN! That was an additional $20 to the data plan you are currently paying for and you only have access to about a megabyte.  Go for a disposable phone when you get overseas for emergency purposes only . Much cheaper, $20 - $50.

4) How much your University will actually pay for the program / Deposit
My study abroad program is through Queens University, RIT didn't offer a program that allowed me to stay in England for the amount of time I desired or at the right time.  I thought cool, going through a Canadian University will be a bit cheaper because of the conversion. I also looked at what my University gave me in scholarships and the scholarships themselves could pay for it.  When I was going through the whole business with Financial Aid however, they told me they could only pay for a percentage of my scholarships. Even if I went on co-op during the Spring.  (The Financial Aid is different than the academic year, beginning in the summer and ending in the Spring).  I had to pay the $1000 deposit by myself and then they added another kicker to the equation... they would only pay for tuition, not room and board.  So it was an uphill battle to get the money.  I ended up taking out my government loan for the Spring so I could pay my room and board and the remainder of my tuition for England. Total cost out of pocket: $1000 and applying to as many scholarships as I possibly can.

5) ATM fees. Obviously, overseas will not have the same banks as we do, so there will be withdrawal fees. Take out large amounts of money if you are taking out of the ATM to avoid paying the fee each time. HSBC is in England but they just sold all of their banks in NY and CT off (just my luck) to First Niagara...Yes, HSBC they defiantly have the same services, thanks for screwing over your customers. Watch out for foreign transaction fees on credit cards too!

This is just to name a few. There are a ton more.

My advice?  Always plan to spend more than you do and look for little money savers.  Though it may be stressful now, get as many jobs or work as many hours as you can to help pay for the extra costs.

Remember to pack lightly!

19 more days and I am so terrified and excited!

Rapunzel

Since I began with the oldest Disney Princess, it is only suiting that I ended the week with the youngest and my favorite, Rapunzel.

Rapunzel is another Brothers Grimm fairy tale from Germany. There was once a couple who desperately wanted a child that lived next to an enchantress, Dame Gothel, who had a large garden . When the couple finally was with child, the wife suddenly had cravings for the plants in the garden and wanted them to the point where she was near death. The husband, who loved his wife, crept into the garden for three nights to bring her some of the plants. On the third night he was caught by the enchantress and demands that the couple give them the child upon birth and he agrees to do so. The enchantress raises Rapunzel until she is 14 and then locks her in a tower because she is so beautiful.

The enchantress visits Rapunzel by saying "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so I may climb the golden stair"and Rapunzel lets down her hair.

One day, a prince is riding by and hears Rapunzel singing. He searches for her, memorized by her voice until he sees how Dame Gothel enters the tower. The prince then enters the tower the same way Dame Gothel does and asks Rapunzel to marry him, she agrees.  The couple plans their escape where the prince will bring Rapunzel silk every night to weave into a ladder. The way the enchantress discovers the two has many different variations including that Rapunzel foolishly let's information slip about the prince and others where she says that her dress is getting tight around her stomach (pregnancy). The enchantress is furious and cuts off Rapunzel's hair.

When the Prince returns later that night, the enchantress fools him by letting down Rapunzel's hair and screams he will never see Rapunzel again, blinds him and throws him out of the tower. After months of wandering the desert, he hears Rapunzel singing. They are reunited at last and her tears heal his eyes and he discovers she has given birth to twins. They soon get married and live happily ever after.

The Disney version is obviously kid friendly with no blinding or teen pregnancies. Rapunzel is also a stronger character in Tangled  than she is in the original story. Go girl power!

Fun Facts:
Tangled (Disney's version or Rapunzel) is Walt Disney Pictures 50th full length animated feature.

Mandy Moore, who played Jamie in Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember is the voice of Rapunzel.

There is a short titled Tangled Ever After that is about the Royal Wedding of Princess Rapunzel and Flynn Rider that was featured during the 3D theatrical performance of Beauty and the Beast.

Belle

One of my favorite princesses: Princess Belle!

Belle's story begins as a traditional French fairy tale. There was a rich merchant with three daughters, the youngest being Beauty (Belle) who was lovely and kind while her sisters were selfish and wicked. The merchant then lost all of his money and had to move himself and his daughters to a small town. While on a business trip the merchant asked his daughters if they wanted anything.  The two older sisters were selfish and wanted jewels and fancy dresses while Belle only wanted a single rose.

The merchant, on his way back, became lost and stumbled upon a castle where he was allowed to stay. He was given some riches yet when he went to pick the most beautiful rose for Belle, the mysterious Prince (who was actually a Beast) appeared and demanded either his life or one of his daughters to come of their own accord.  The merchant reluctantly agreed and returned home where Belle was the one to volunteer to go.

Upon arrival Belle was given anything she wanted, she was no prisoner yet he asked her every night to marry him.  After a few months, Belle grew homesick and wished to return home. The beast agreed only if she took a magic mirror and ring and if she returned in one week. When Belle returned home, she was dressed in such fine clothes, her sisters became jealous and forced Belle to stay home by crying, wishing that Belle would stay with them in hopes that the beast would become angry and eat her. Because of Belle's kind heart, she stayed. The beast became heartbroken and when Belle looked into her mirror to check on the beast, she found that he was dying and returned to him, crying over him stating she loved him. The beast then turned into a handsome prince and they got married and lived happily ever after.

Fun Facts:

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to win Best Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.

The dance between Belle and the prince in the final scene is actually reused animation from Sleeping Beauty's  last dance between Aurora and the Prince because the animators were running out of time.

According to the Official Encyclopedia of Disney the Beast's real name is Adam, but it is never mentioned in the film.