What one does to stay in a country...
My, but I'm sucking at keeping this thing updated right now.
Life goes on and continues to generally be pretty good. As for news... well, most notable would be learning that my new visa/visa extension is going to cost me £395! Ack. I'm not impressed. I was similarly unimpressed by the phone maze I was sent into when I tried to get some advice about which category to apply into for extending my visa. Le sigh. Government-run services... whatcha gonna do?
I also learned that I probably don't qualify for the ancestry visa as you apparently have to belong to a commonwealth country to apply. So, the new plan is to get on IGS for the next year, then apply to do an in-school teacher training course and get a new student visa. That ought to get me two years here plus another professional qualification. Never mind the faint worry that I'm turning into my parents... just teasing Mom... ( :
Oh! The other news is that I got a letter confirming my passing of my M.A. My dissertation was sent along with and though I'm less than pleased with the final grade on it, I'm relieved to know that I passed for sure. Strange thing is that congregation (graduation) isn't until July. Not that I'm hankering after repeating the experience of sitting in a crowded hall in order to be handed a piece of paper. I'll probably still go though.
I'm generally feeling a little drifty lately. I'm terribly happy to be with Kate (I love her to bits) and I like and am challenged by my job. However, I can't help feeling like I'm missing something. I suppose that'll always be there. All I can do is try to make friends and find places to put my creative energy. I'm in a good place in my life right now, really. It's my own fault if I don't make the time to write/draw/dance/etc.
Anyway, I seem to be appreciated at my job, which is awfully nice. And with the drama volunteering and the lesson planning, I get some creative input.
I'm really just rambling now. I mostly felt bad for not updating and thought I should mention some of the mildly important things that have gone on lately. Hope everyone is well. ( :
Life goes on and continues to generally be pretty good. As for news... well, most notable would be learning that my new visa/visa extension is going to cost me £395! Ack. I'm not impressed. I was similarly unimpressed by the phone maze I was sent into when I tried to get some advice about which category to apply into for extending my visa. Le sigh. Government-run services... whatcha gonna do?
I also learned that I probably don't qualify for the ancestry visa as you apparently have to belong to a commonwealth country to apply. So, the new plan is to get on IGS for the next year, then apply to do an in-school teacher training course and get a new student visa. That ought to get me two years here plus another professional qualification. Never mind the faint worry that I'm turning into my parents... just teasing Mom... ( :
Oh! The other news is that I got a letter confirming my passing of my M.A. My dissertation was sent along with and though I'm less than pleased with the final grade on it, I'm relieved to know that I passed for sure. Strange thing is that congregation (graduation) isn't until July. Not that I'm hankering after repeating the experience of sitting in a crowded hall in order to be handed a piece of paper. I'll probably still go though.
I'm generally feeling a little drifty lately. I'm terribly happy to be with Kate (I love her to bits) and I like and am challenged by my job. However, I can't help feeling like I'm missing something. I suppose that'll always be there. All I can do is try to make friends and find places to put my creative energy. I'm in a good place in my life right now, really. It's my own fault if I don't make the time to write/draw/dance/etc.
Anyway, I seem to be appreciated at my job, which is awfully nice. And with the drama volunteering and the lesson planning, I get some creative input.
I'm really just rambling now. I mostly felt bad for not updating and thought I should mention some of the mildly important things that have gone on lately. Hope everyone is well. ( :