finally sent my schengen visa application to my agent and it has been eight calendar days since that day. let's just see what happens. lately, i have been having doubts about doing this travel thing to europe and the wyd because of the budget constraints. it seems that i have a lot of expenses through the end of the year, stuff that should precede this travel but have been unexpected nevertheless. i'm beginning to get scared that i might come back really broke and without an income for the next three months (will be taking a leave from work to finish my thesis). but i have also been thinking that if i don't do this now, i am not sure if i'll be able to do it anymore. it just seems that there are a lot of people who have already put in an effort towards this trip, like myself, my friends who gave their time to advice me, my agent and most especially God. i feel that He has been guiding me towards this trip little by little and it seems that if I don't do it, it would just disappoint Him. well, let's just see. after all, the schengen visa isn't with me yet. i'll know if i'm going when i receive it (or don't) soon.
please pray for me. thank you.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
roma accommodation
i am really grateful for my sister's boyfriend's mom for arranging a place for my stay in roma. from my current budget of E95/night, it went down to E30/night. now i've got an extra to be able to buy an Italia shirt :) what's also good about this is that the proprietor is a friend of hers so i am relatively safe, knowing that they can be trusted and can guide me, and make sure that i'll be safe on the first leg of my trip.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
one down, one to go
FINALLY got my UK visa today! whew, that was fast!
submitted my visa application and documents last friday at the vfs office at pasong tamo. later, i got a txt message saying that it has been dispatched to the British Embassy. on monday, i got an email from the UKBA that my visa will be despatched shortly. the next day, i received another txt message and email from the vfs saying that my passport had been returned and will be sent to me through aboitiz2go. this afternoon, WOW! i finally got it. not even a week and it's already here! so excited.
next step: schengen visa
submitted my visa application and documents last friday at the vfs office at pasong tamo. later, i got a txt message saying that it has been dispatched to the British Embassy. on monday, i got an email from the UKBA that my visa will be despatched shortly. the next day, i received another txt message and email from the vfs saying that my passport had been returned and will be sent to me through aboitiz2go. this afternoon, WOW! i finally got it. not even a week and it's already here! so excited.
next step: schengen visa
Friday, May 13, 2011
uk visa application appointment
had set my appointment for may 6, early morning but the rains, my lost voice and fever, made me re-schedule it for friday next week.... fast forward to may 13...
had set my appointment at 0915 hrs. from their appointment form, i was informed that i must be at the vfs office ten minutes before my appointment time and i read somewhere in their website that they will only allot around 20 mins waiting time for those who are late. so naturally, i went early to find myself being assigned a number (#xx batch 2) once i've given my name to the guard. my bag was checked before being given a tag number, and then was ushered inside with only my wallet and documents in tow.
upon entering the holding area, i was astonished to see a lot of people waiting inside. at first, i thought they were the ones without appointments then later, when 915 came, i realized that these people also made appointments! i was so frustrated because i have expected that at 915, my name will be called. unfortunately, it seems that for every batch (they were still calling numbers at around 50 for batch 1 at this time), there are 100 applicants. i was really frustrated (because i was already really, really late for work) but i couldn't do anything so i just sat there waiting for my turn. i'd get up from time to time looking for a paste because i realized that i haven't pasted my picture yet! later, i got up again when i saw that the first page of my application form was missing! i was really nervous and had to go back outside to get to my bag. fortunately, the first page was amongst the papers in my folder. so again, i waited. my name was called at around 10am. since everything was in order, i was there for less than ten minutes. i ordered for my passport to be sent through courier and had already prepared the exact amount for it (Php330) but when charged, i was asked to pay Php440. i was a bit confused at first and then the lady said that it includes the SMS tracking service of my application. i walked away feeling bewildered because i didn't really ask for the SMS thing (since there's an online tracking system which was free of charge) and i didn't even fill out the piece of paper they handed out for that kind of thing. but oh well... what's the fuss, right? it had already been paid.
next was waiting for my name to be called again for the biometrics. it was not that long a wait but still, it's a wait. when i was called, i had to "pose" for the camera and have my fingerprints scanned. after this procedure, i was done. when i left the building, it was already 1030am.
it was really no fuss at all but the waiting was really long! *sigh*
so now, i'll just have to wait for that SMS thing to work! :)
had set my appointment at 0915 hrs. from their appointment form, i was informed that i must be at the vfs office ten minutes before my appointment time and i read somewhere in their website that they will only allot around 20 mins waiting time for those who are late. so naturally, i went early to find myself being assigned a number (#xx batch 2) once i've given my name to the guard. my bag was checked before being given a tag number, and then was ushered inside with only my wallet and documents in tow.
upon entering the holding area, i was astonished to see a lot of people waiting inside. at first, i thought they were the ones without appointments then later, when 915 came, i realized that these people also made appointments! i was so frustrated because i have expected that at 915, my name will be called. unfortunately, it seems that for every batch (they were still calling numbers at around 50 for batch 1 at this time), there are 100 applicants. i was really frustrated (because i was already really, really late for work) but i couldn't do anything so i just sat there waiting for my turn. i'd get up from time to time looking for a paste because i realized that i haven't pasted my picture yet! later, i got up again when i saw that the first page of my application form was missing! i was really nervous and had to go back outside to get to my bag. fortunately, the first page was amongst the papers in my folder. so again, i waited. my name was called at around 10am. since everything was in order, i was there for less than ten minutes. i ordered for my passport to be sent through courier and had already prepared the exact amount for it (Php330) but when charged, i was asked to pay Php440. i was a bit confused at first and then the lady said that it includes the SMS tracking service of my application. i walked away feeling bewildered because i didn't really ask for the SMS thing (since there's an online tracking system which was free of charge) and i didn't even fill out the piece of paper they handed out for that kind of thing. but oh well... what's the fuss, right? it had already been paid.
next was waiting for my name to be called again for the biometrics. it was not that long a wait but still, it's a wait. when i was called, i had to "pose" for the camera and have my fingerprints scanned. after this procedure, i was done. when i left the building, it was already 1030am.
it was really no fuss at all but the waiting was really long! *sigh*
so now, i'll just have to wait for that SMS thing to work! :)
Sunday, May 1, 2011
uk online visa application
yey! so i am finally done with the uk online visa application and have already set up an appointment with the visa application center (vac) on friday. this is where visa applications for the uk are submitted and where they will take the fingerprints for the biometric data.
you might be wondering why, when i've been preparing so long for this, have i only finished my online application now. this is because, according to the website and vac, applications are only accepted three months before the scheduled date of departure. i could have submitted my forms for the schengen though, but my agent advised that it is better to apply for the uk visa first.
here's hoping for a good application this coming friday! :)
pertinent websites you might find helpful if you're also planning to go to the uk--
UK visa online application website: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/
Philippine fee for general visitor (up to 6 mos): Php5700
Philippine Visa Application Center: http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/index.aspx
on another note, my travel companion whom i had mentioned in previous blogs, will only be able to submit her application for passport renewal on may 5. makes me wonder how being, or having, a "computerized" system made the dfa's service less efficient. when they were doing passports by handwriting, one can just go directly to the dfa, submit their forms, and get it in just a week's time for only around ~Php700 (~Php1200 for expedited passports). it's just kind of weird, don't you think?
you might be wondering why, when i've been preparing so long for this, have i only finished my online application now. this is because, according to the website and vac, applications are only accepted three months before the scheduled date of departure. i could have submitted my forms for the schengen though, but my agent advised that it is better to apply for the uk visa first.
here's hoping for a good application this coming friday! :)
pertinent websites you might find helpful if you're also planning to go to the uk--
UK visa online application website: http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/
Philippine fee for general visitor (up to 6 mos): Php5700
Philippine Visa Application Center: http://www.vfs-uk-ph.com/index.aspx
*****
on another note, my travel companion whom i had mentioned in previous blogs, will only be able to submit her application for passport renewal on may 5. makes me wonder how being, or having, a "computerized" system made the dfa's service less efficient. when they were doing passports by handwriting, one can just go directly to the dfa, submit their forms, and get it in just a week's time for only around ~Php700 (~Php1200 for expedited passports). it's just kind of weird, don't you think?
Monday, March 28, 2011
just another update: passports
been very busy the past couple of weeks especially now that march is coming to an end and the classes are finally over. i have been really stressing over my penalty class where i don't think i did well in the exam and where i still have to submit all my exercises! so not much has been done to our planning except...
we are really now decided to apply as tourists and not a WYD participant in our local Spanish consulate because we want to get ahead of those official delegates in getting our visas (they can only submit their documents on may 6 onwards). also, those who are "getting" their visa through the official organizers still need to fill out forms where there is an item there that needs (again!) the parish priest's endorsement and signature. since we already had a problem getting our parish to endorse us (ministry people first according to them), we didn't want to walk that path again.
also, i only found out this weekend that my companion had to apply for a passport renewal. this is because the said passport is already within the last six months of its validity. unfortunately for us, the DFA's service wasn't as it was before where you can get your new passport within a week. now, my companion had to apply at a provincial office, wait until may 5 to have the passport taken back in and another two weeks to get the new one. as it is, we are now pressed for time. this made me decide to apply for my Schengen visa first because I will still need my passport as soon as possible for the visa application to the UK. hopefully, these visas will be granted at the same time that my companion's passport is in and the visa application granted. after that, we need to purchase our Eurail tickets by the first week of June so that it gets delivered here before we leave for the WYD and Europe tour on August.
here's keeping our fingers crossed and may the Lord guide us always :)
we are really now decided to apply as tourists and not a WYD participant in our local Spanish consulate because we want to get ahead of those official delegates in getting our visas (they can only submit their documents on may 6 onwards). also, those who are "getting" their visa through the official organizers still need to fill out forms where there is an item there that needs (again!) the parish priest's endorsement and signature. since we already had a problem getting our parish to endorse us (ministry people first according to them), we didn't want to walk that path again.
also, i only found out this weekend that my companion had to apply for a passport renewal. this is because the said passport is already within the last six months of its validity. unfortunately for us, the DFA's service wasn't as it was before where you can get your new passport within a week. now, my companion had to apply at a provincial office, wait until may 5 to have the passport taken back in and another two weeks to get the new one. as it is, we are now pressed for time. this made me decide to apply for my Schengen visa first because I will still need my passport as soon as possible for the visa application to the UK. hopefully, these visas will be granted at the same time that my companion's passport is in and the visa application granted. after that, we need to purchase our Eurail tickets by the first week of June so that it gets delivered here before we leave for the WYD and Europe tour on August.
here's keeping our fingers crossed and may the Lord guide us always :)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
keeping you posted
so much has happened since my last post. basically, the person i was to go with backed out on me at early december. the second friend i asked backed out early in january. but through all the holiday madness last december, during a quiet lunch with a friend, i suddenly found someone who was as excited as me to go to the wyd and do a european tour! thank God for her! He answered my prayer.
beginning of january saw me contacting all people i can talk to regarding application to the official delegation of the country to the WYD. i contacted four parishes, but only one (not my parish) was willing to take us in for an interview provided that we pay our own way. i also contacted the youth conference and my diocese, all of which were kind of not too helpful after finding out that i am not a member of any ministry of my church. second, they were asking me for an endorsement from my parish priest. unfortunately, my parish priest doesn't know me and i couldn't find the time to leave work for an interview with him. so sorry, no endorsement there. there was also this all women group that would like to take us in but they had a fixed itinerary so we guessed we are already out because my friend and i are planning something else before the event. going back to the parish that was willing to interview us, we didn't hear from them again (because we didn't have a priest's endorsement).
so, because of this, my friend and i decided to go on our own. so this march, we finally registered ourselves at the official website of the WYD and had successfully paid our dues! :)
but while i was doing all those things i mentioned above, i realized that sometimes, it sucks to have countrymen who doesn't think of others, only themselves. people have told me that there's all these interviews for the delegation because in the previous years, others do not come back home anymore! this just makes it harder for those who have pure intentions, being railroaded because of what they did. i hope they grow up!
second, i realized that sometimes, it's unfair that just because you're not a member of any ministry, you would just be delegated at the bottom of a list and do not get noticed by the people trying to run the show. i thought there was equality in the Church because we are all children of God? well, just a thought.
nevertheless, my heart is set on going so i wouldn't let anybody get in the way. so here we are now, registered and paid! :D
regarding our european tour, i finally started working on an "official" itinerary. this is the one we are going to submit to the Spanish Embassy for our visa application. and speaking of visas, i was reminded today that i really do need to prepare all necessary documents. i know of some people going for pope john paul's beatification in italy being denied visas. hopefully, we can submit all our documents by the end of march or first week of april. necessary papers will include: certificate of employment, proof of financial capability, approved leave forms, and itinerary.
the first leg of my trip will be in the uk. i have just finished arranging all my accommodations at my friends' both in london and belfast. yipeee!!!!
beginning of january saw me contacting all people i can talk to regarding application to the official delegation of the country to the WYD. i contacted four parishes, but only one (not my parish) was willing to take us in for an interview provided that we pay our own way. i also contacted the youth conference and my diocese, all of which were kind of not too helpful after finding out that i am not a member of any ministry of my church. second, they were asking me for an endorsement from my parish priest. unfortunately, my parish priest doesn't know me and i couldn't find the time to leave work for an interview with him. so sorry, no endorsement there. there was also this all women group that would like to take us in but they had a fixed itinerary so we guessed we are already out because my friend and i are planning something else before the event. going back to the parish that was willing to interview us, we didn't hear from them again (because we didn't have a priest's endorsement).
so, because of this, my friend and i decided to go on our own. so this march, we finally registered ourselves at the official website of the WYD and had successfully paid our dues! :)
but while i was doing all those things i mentioned above, i realized that sometimes, it sucks to have countrymen who doesn't think of others, only themselves. people have told me that there's all these interviews for the delegation because in the previous years, others do not come back home anymore! this just makes it harder for those who have pure intentions, being railroaded because of what they did. i hope they grow up!
second, i realized that sometimes, it's unfair that just because you're not a member of any ministry, you would just be delegated at the bottom of a list and do not get noticed by the people trying to run the show. i thought there was equality in the Church because we are all children of God? well, just a thought.
nevertheless, my heart is set on going so i wouldn't let anybody get in the way. so here we are now, registered and paid! :D
******
regarding our european tour, i finally started working on an "official" itinerary. this is the one we are going to submit to the Spanish Embassy for our visa application. and speaking of visas, i was reminded today that i really do need to prepare all necessary documents. i know of some people going for pope john paul's beatification in italy being denied visas. hopefully, we can submit all our documents by the end of march or first week of april. necessary papers will include: certificate of employment, proof of financial capability, approved leave forms, and itinerary.
the first leg of my trip will be in the uk. i have just finished arranging all my accommodations at my friends' both in london and belfast. yipeee!!!!
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