today was a stressful day with regard to my agent. all the while, i thought that i was the one supposed to harass my agent regarding my travel plans but in this case, it's the other way around. my agent is stressing me! i don't know if it's just because he's an old man or just because he cares deeply for my trip. either way today, i feel stressed.
he'd been bugging me to finalize the booking of my tickets and i wasn't ready to do that yet since i haven't received my passport yet. also, i told him that i didn't want to leave on the fourth since i wanted to maximize the time i had with my sister. the other reason is because i don't want to ruin my schedule. i called him and told him that he should look for a flight that leaves on the 5th. okay, he said. when asked how much will it cost me additional, he replied, "additional 30USD". what?! he was bugging me just because my ticket will cost me 30USD more?! argh! i was imagining the worst case scenario -- a few hundred dollars more!
so anyway, we came to an agreement that i'd wait for a new booking the next day, one that will still be relatively cheap. that same night, i also looked online and saw that etihad and kuwait may be able to give me a cheaper fare. i even had a friend of mine who works at etihad to look into it for me. when i mentioned it to my agent the next day (which was yesterday), he said that it was more expensive, and via Switzerland. i said "no, the one going through Munich is cheaper," and he replied, "no, it's expensive!" when asked how expensive, he just answered me back, "expensive." well, i guess my agent is really old. :P
later that day, i was told that he had confirmed me in one of my previous choices, a qatar flight that will have me stay in doha for 9 hours before my connecting flight. i really don't like this flight but i'm just not up to arguing with him. i'll just take a nap at the airport, anyway. also, it is way within my budget so i guess i'll take it.
so next week, i'm going to pay him, just in time for the delivery of my passport and visa.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
consulate interview
today is my schengen visa application interview at the spanish consulate.
i was met by my agent's person and after a thirty minute wait after my interview schedule, i was ushered to the small consulate office. here, the only things we were allowed to bring were our documents and ID. upon entering their office, those who are applying for a visa were made to sit on a separate set of chairs from those who carry spanish passports and other business. it was just really a small receiving area with a couple of chairs, a tv and several windows for the interviewees. before me were a family, a couple of individuals, two brothers (who were accompanied by parents), a very old couple (who by the way are so makulit), and two seamen. i realized then that for all embassies, the appointment time is not necessarily the time at which they are going to interview you but it is the time that you need to be there. it will be very unfortunate for you if the person ahead of you takes a long time at the interview and there's only a few consuls available to get your application.
on the other corner, there was this old spanish woman who really looks like our floor mother at my freshman dorm, ms. luna, and she was talking to the consul in spanish. i didn't mean to listen but i cannot help it. the old lady was asking for the consul to speak louder because she couldn't hear in one ear after getting into an accident. they were talking for a long time because she needed to have a new passport. there was also this other middle-aged spanish lady who didn't realize that there was a queue and proceeded to the counter. when she was told by the consul that there was a queue, she looked behind her, saw us, looked back and said, 'but i'm a spanish citizen.' okay, no arguments there. it was just nice because the guy whose turn it was was cool and just said "es pasa nada."
when my turn came, i was asked a lot (?) of questions. sure enough, i was asked the question that, although expected, i didn't prepare for: why aren't you going with a group? so i told her the short version of the long story -- that i couldn't join my parish because they prioritized the ministry members. then i was asked if i called the ecy and i said that yes, i did call ecy and the diocese but they all told me to talk to my parish. since that wasn't going anywhere, i decided to go on my own. i think that answer appeased the interviewer but i guess the interviewer at the other window was also listening (while waiting for the old couple in front of her to produce their documents) and asked in spanish why i wasn't in a group and my interviewer told her that my parish didn't take me in.
"aah... es muy complicado!" -- but these words weren't for me but for the old couple at the other window. the guy had been presenting for a long time documents that he had amassed to prove that this person was so and so, and his wife confirming it. it was a very long story but the consul was so experienced that she got right to the heart of the matter -- the couple just wants to visit spain! "aah, es muy complicado!" and what i'm impressed about is this lady speaks spanish, english and tagalog! :)
so back to my story. i was also asked how much i am earning, how long i've been on the job, whom do i live with, do i support anyone, do i know anyone in spain. standard questions, i guess. after that, i was asked to pay the Php3760 fee and that was it. i only had to wait for 12 days for them to release my passport.
yipee!!!
i was met by my agent's person and after a thirty minute wait after my interview schedule, i was ushered to the small consulate office. here, the only things we were allowed to bring were our documents and ID. upon entering their office, those who are applying for a visa were made to sit on a separate set of chairs from those who carry spanish passports and other business. it was just really a small receiving area with a couple of chairs, a tv and several windows for the interviewees. before me were a family, a couple of individuals, two brothers (who were accompanied by parents), a very old couple (who by the way are so makulit), and two seamen. i realized then that for all embassies, the appointment time is not necessarily the time at which they are going to interview you but it is the time that you need to be there. it will be very unfortunate for you if the person ahead of you takes a long time at the interview and there's only a few consuls available to get your application.
on the other corner, there was this old spanish woman who really looks like our floor mother at my freshman dorm, ms. luna, and she was talking to the consul in spanish. i didn't mean to listen but i cannot help it. the old lady was asking for the consul to speak louder because she couldn't hear in one ear after getting into an accident. they were talking for a long time because she needed to have a new passport. there was also this other middle-aged spanish lady who didn't realize that there was a queue and proceeded to the counter. when she was told by the consul that there was a queue, she looked behind her, saw us, looked back and said, 'but i'm a spanish citizen.' okay, no arguments there. it was just nice because the guy whose turn it was was cool and just said "es pasa nada."
when my turn came, i was asked a lot (?) of questions. sure enough, i was asked the question that, although expected, i didn't prepare for: why aren't you going with a group? so i told her the short version of the long story -- that i couldn't join my parish because they prioritized the ministry members. then i was asked if i called the ecy and i said that yes, i did call ecy and the diocese but they all told me to talk to my parish. since that wasn't going anywhere, i decided to go on my own. i think that answer appeased the interviewer but i guess the interviewer at the other window was also listening (while waiting for the old couple in front of her to produce their documents) and asked in spanish why i wasn't in a group and my interviewer told her that my parish didn't take me in.
"aah... es muy complicado!" -- but these words weren't for me but for the old couple at the other window. the guy had been presenting for a long time documents that he had amassed to prove that this person was so and so, and his wife confirming it. it was a very long story but the consul was so experienced that she got right to the heart of the matter -- the couple just wants to visit spain! "aah, es muy complicado!" and what i'm impressed about is this lady speaks spanish, english and tagalog! :)
so back to my story. i was also asked how much i am earning, how long i've been on the job, whom do i live with, do i support anyone, do i know anyone in spain. standard questions, i guess. after that, i was asked to pay the Php3760 fee and that was it. i only had to wait for 12 days for them to release my passport.
yipee!!!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
waiting
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.
please pray for me. thank you.
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?
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