Dear Kitty,
           It's summer, and nice and warm here. It's also half past one in the morning, and I should probably be in bed. Anyway, let me map out the rest of my holiday for you, just for something to write:
               Today - 10th: sleep, write, not bite fingers
               10th - 23rd: Munich - work, drink coffee, speak German, work, pick up theatre-speak, learn 'La Traviata' by heart, not bite fingers
               23rd - 24th: recover from Munich - sleep, sleep, give up coffee, not bite fingers
               24th - 1st of August: ECC - sing, sing, maybe swim, sing, socialise, sing, sing, sing with a swing, not bite fingers
               1st - ?th of September: prepare for U6, sleep, see friends, go shopping, learn ukulele, write, not bite fingers
Tadaa. What a busy holiday. For the last few days, I've been unpacking, and am sorting out a whole year's worth of sheets - there are too many for one folder. It's ridiculous. I do, however, have insanely cool folders because I've been sticking stuff on them for the last two days now. I'm considering scrapbooking as a future career choice - that, or I'm going to be a sofa.
               The idea of being an U6 is very scary. I mean, I'm sixteen! I don't want to be planning my university or thinking about careers! This time next year, I'm going to be heading for China for a half a year or so, and be almost eighteen! It's a very scary thought. Seriously, U6 is terrifying enough - I don't want to leave school! How on earth am I going to buy my own clothes? Nor can I cook anything that isn't pasta or rice. I have a feeling that I will be living on cereal and salad for the first year of Uni.
               Mum and Dad are quite worried about this for me. I don't think they think that I can look after myself. I don't think I can either, but they're not going to know that. In the meantime, Mum is sort-of teaching me how to cook, and Dad is talking about careers etc. with me, and also trying to persuade me to do Chinese and not Japanese. We're also trying to plan my gap year - so far, we're thinking that I'm going to work in China for 3-6 months, and then work as an au pair in America for half a year or so. They're the two places I'd really like to go to - I miss China so much, and America seems so magical! It's a scary thought, this future business, but I'm quite excited to be able to do things that I love for myself - not to mention having a year without exams at the end.
               The only thing that's driving my mad at the moment is my onychophagia. It's actually been getting significantly worse recently, no matter what I've tried; Tangles, nail files, chilli powder - none of it's worked! Mum has bought me some bright nail varnish because I find that I don't bite my nails if they look pretty. Unfortunately, they're all so small that I just can't paint the nail - the varnish goes all over my fingers too, and now it looks like I've dipped my hands into a tin of paint. It's one of the main three things about my appearance that really upsets me, which is a bit silly, but I can't seem to stop. For now, I've got bright turquoise varnish all over my fingertips, so lets see if it has any effect.
       I'll write to you relatively soon, Kitty - I think.
Yours,
           Francesca