A few weeks ago I joined a network group on Facebook through stumbling across a few forums on a rather unattended student group website, which only had a few notes and posts about apartments, food, events and the like. And it would have been the best stroke of luck I've had thus far.
After stumbling across the Facebook group I got to see some names and faces of those who would be tagging along on the voyage to Slovenia. Mostly Europeans, as it were dubbed the Erasmus network, but the few exceptions to that rule (such as myself and a handful of others). It aroused my curiosity and re-sparked an almost worn out interest in the exchange again after spending much energy on the permit troubles.
Now, having done the dormitory lifestyle before in Sydney, I thought perhaps it would be interesting to try living outside the campus and, particularly, with other students as roommates (since having a taste of social interactivity back in the dorms, I couldn't ever picture myself living completely on my own). And low and behold, I find myself searching for roomies as my first priority.
Friday, September 9, 2011
And It's On..
Our latest post and much has happened. So, let's start from where we last left.
Well, we couldn't leave it until the last minute to book my tickets because they would get too expensive and possibly have no availabilities before class starts, so we had to strike some agreement with the Slovenian embassy. And we did..
It's expected that my permit will arrive anytime next week, to which I can simply pick it up and head straight off to Ljubljana the following weekend.
Yes, I have booked my tickets. At long last. And it feels like a relief in a way. Now I have a date to work with.
Well I had a helpful hand from Marty at the STA travel agency who helped me look for the cheapest flights to Ljubljana. It wasn't cheap, but no flight to Europe was. Just edging $AU 1,200 including the connecting flight from Frankfurt to Ljubljana. From personal experience, this wasn't bad and was as cheap as it was going to get.
Our date is Sunday the 18th of September. That's it. Locked in. The countdown begins.
And now its time to start striking off all the rest on my pre-departure 'to do' list. And it seems as though the more days pass, the longer this list gets. Mobile phone, register travel itinerary with my uni, accommodation, packing and financial arrangements to name a few off the top of my head.
The travel itinerary is done. A few simple steps to follow from the booklet handed out at the pre-departure session our uni held for us. Lucky I had kept the booklet too.
Mobile phone still needs to be sorted before I go but that can wait for now.
Packing is no problem. I have my suitcase, with special thanks from my brother who was generous enough to lend it for the trip. Only a matter of washing the clothes before taking them (another chore). More or less I do have an idea of what I will take.
As for access to my money from overseas, I've been taken great care of by some lovely staff at my local branch. Still thinking about whether to open my own account in Ljubljana or not but nonetheless is sorted and only needs to be finalised prior to flying. Easy done.
And as for accommodation, well.. probably worthy of a separate post there.
So. What now? Well. I'm 9 days away. It's very close but, life just seems to continue as normal. I was expecting a bit more excitement or anxiety by now but it's almost business as usual. I am blaming it on my focus of attention being on what needs to be done first, rather than at the thought of travelling so soon. Does this work to my favour? Most likely. Maybe it will all hit me after I have stopped stressing and finished all that needs to be done. One thing is for sure, the departure date has definetly snuck up on me..
Well, we couldn't leave it until the last minute to book my tickets because they would get too expensive and possibly have no availabilities before class starts, so we had to strike some agreement with the Slovenian embassy. And we did..
It's expected that my permit will arrive anytime next week, to which I can simply pick it up and head straight off to Ljubljana the following weekend.
Yes, I have booked my tickets. At long last. And it feels like a relief in a way. Now I have a date to work with.
Well I had a helpful hand from Marty at the STA travel agency who helped me look for the cheapest flights to Ljubljana. It wasn't cheap, but no flight to Europe was. Just edging $AU 1,200 including the connecting flight from Frankfurt to Ljubljana. From personal experience, this wasn't bad and was as cheap as it was going to get.
Our date is Sunday the 18th of September. That's it. Locked in. The countdown begins.
And now its time to start striking off all the rest on my pre-departure 'to do' list. And it seems as though the more days pass, the longer this list gets. Mobile phone, register travel itinerary with my uni, accommodation, packing and financial arrangements to name a few off the top of my head.
The travel itinerary is done. A few simple steps to follow from the booklet handed out at the pre-departure session our uni held for us. Lucky I had kept the booklet too.
Mobile phone still needs to be sorted before I go but that can wait for now.
Packing is no problem. I have my suitcase, with special thanks from my brother who was generous enough to lend it for the trip. Only a matter of washing the clothes before taking them (another chore). More or less I do have an idea of what I will take.
As for access to my money from overseas, I've been taken great care of by some lovely staff at my local branch. Still thinking about whether to open my own account in Ljubljana or not but nonetheless is sorted and only needs to be finalised prior to flying. Easy done.
And as for accommodation, well.. probably worthy of a separate post there.
So. What now? Well. I'm 9 days away. It's very close but, life just seems to continue as normal. I was expecting a bit more excitement or anxiety by now but it's almost business as usual. I am blaming it on my focus of attention being on what needs to be done first, rather than at the thought of travelling so soon. Does this work to my favour? Most likely. Maybe it will all hit me after I have stopped stressing and finished all that needs to be done. One thing is for sure, the departure date has definetly snuck up on me..
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The Long, Dreary Wait
Wow. So. Here I am. Still in good old Sydney. What a shame.
So I mailed my application to the Slovenian embassy in Canberra the same day that I had posted my last blog. Sure enough, they received it the next day (Good old express post). From here, matters were out of my own hands.
First, my documents needed to be translated. Not a problem. One week rolls by and I ask how the process is going. Well, they assured me that they had finished translating the documents and slipped me the bill. Wonderful, we have progress! Now, how much longer until I get my permit?
Soon. Another week rolls by and no answer. So I call again and ask what's the story. No need to worry, it will take a little longer but the documents have been sent. Alrighty then.
Three weeks after mailing my application I ring again asking. Oops, the woman in charge of my process is not in today! She's on holidays. Well, what can you do? Wait another week of course..
And round rolls by another week before I get a call back. Splendid. Let's hear the good news..
"Sorry it has taken so long Aleks. I've been keeping in touch with my correspondents over there. I'm going to need you to come to Canberra for me so we can get fingerprints taken and that I can sight your passport."
Of course. Whatever is needed. After this, how much sooner until my permit arrives?
"Very soon. Can we schedule you in for next week?"
Oh my. We're biding time now. And sure enough, next week I was on my way to Canberra. Thank you dad for giving me a lift down there. Until I had yet another phone call from the embassy. And what a disappointing phone call it was..
"I'm sorry Aleks but our computers are not working at the moment, so we cannot take your fingerprints at this time. We will have to call you back."
What could I do? Nothing. Might as well continue on to Canberra where we were already half-way there.
And could you believe we have now passed the six weeks mark and I've still not gotten my permit?
Yes. I'm letting off some steam right now and I'm very frustrated and impatient right now. Partly due to not having my permit at the moment but mostly because of the uncertainty about it. It's incredible how long it's taken and I'm very disappointed right now since I've wasted at least half my holiday time here in Sydney. With nothing to do.
All I can say at the moment is I'm only waiting for yet another phone call (I visited this Tuesday to have my fingerprints taken and yes, I asked when I would be getting my permit with no direct answer). This process is one of the slowest I've ever experienced. My hat goes off to those with the patience and dedication to travel. It really is a stressful process.
It's not hit me yet. I'm not excited. The thought hasn't come to me yet. I'm going to be in Europe. "Soon". It just hasn't settled in yet. Being completely on my own, separated from my support network, family and friends. And it's not that I have mixed feelings about it. I just have none for now.
I'd say its the uncertainty though. There's no countdown. There's nothing to throw it into perspective. Maybe I'm putting too much thought into the matter of getting my permit. Too much stressing. But I'm pretty sure I'll have a different take on things once the paperwork is sorted. In fact, I know I will.
All in good time..
So I mailed my application to the Slovenian embassy in Canberra the same day that I had posted my last blog. Sure enough, they received it the next day (Good old express post). From here, matters were out of my own hands.
First, my documents needed to be translated. Not a problem. One week rolls by and I ask how the process is going. Well, they assured me that they had finished translating the documents and slipped me the bill. Wonderful, we have progress! Now, how much longer until I get my permit?
Soon. Another week rolls by and no answer. So I call again and ask what's the story. No need to worry, it will take a little longer but the documents have been sent. Alrighty then.
Three weeks after mailing my application I ring again asking. Oops, the woman in charge of my process is not in today! She's on holidays. Well, what can you do? Wait another week of course..
And round rolls by another week before I get a call back. Splendid. Let's hear the good news..
"Sorry it has taken so long Aleks. I've been keeping in touch with my correspondents over there. I'm going to need you to come to Canberra for me so we can get fingerprints taken and that I can sight your passport."
Of course. Whatever is needed. After this, how much sooner until my permit arrives?
"Very soon. Can we schedule you in for next week?"
Oh my. We're biding time now. And sure enough, next week I was on my way to Canberra. Thank you dad for giving me a lift down there. Until I had yet another phone call from the embassy. And what a disappointing phone call it was..
"I'm sorry Aleks but our computers are not working at the moment, so we cannot take your fingerprints at this time. We will have to call you back."
What could I do? Nothing. Might as well continue on to Canberra where we were already half-way there.
And could you believe we have now passed the six weeks mark and I've still not gotten my permit?
Yes. I'm letting off some steam right now and I'm very frustrated and impatient right now. Partly due to not having my permit at the moment but mostly because of the uncertainty about it. It's incredible how long it's taken and I'm very disappointed right now since I've wasted at least half my holiday time here in Sydney. With nothing to do.
All I can say at the moment is I'm only waiting for yet another phone call (I visited this Tuesday to have my fingerprints taken and yes, I asked when I would be getting my permit with no direct answer). This process is one of the slowest I've ever experienced. My hat goes off to those with the patience and dedication to travel. It really is a stressful process.
It's not hit me yet. I'm not excited. The thought hasn't come to me yet. I'm going to be in Europe. "Soon". It just hasn't settled in yet. Being completely on my own, separated from my support network, family and friends. And it's not that I have mixed feelings about it. I just have none for now.
I'd say its the uncertainty though. There's no countdown. There's nothing to throw it into perspective. Maybe I'm putting too much thought into the matter of getting my permit. Too much stressing. But I'm pretty sure I'll have a different take on things once the paperwork is sorted. In fact, I know I will.
All in good time..
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Update
Now I do apologise for keeping such large gaps between my blog entries but now that the semester has passed, let us hope they are not as frequent.
What is new? Well my last post was the phone call in April. Since then, two months has passed and much has happened. So I suppose I will begin where we last left.
I was accepted to Ljubljana Uni. Since then, I've completed the application form, received my acceptance letter (6 weeks later) and applied for my resident permit for Slovenia as of today. It's been a long process. I've never felt like I've had to hold such patience for anything before in my life.
This time I now worry that everything will be processed in time before too much of the winter holidays have passed. I'm yearning to see Europe before I start my semester - I've so much free time now that uni has finished for the moment for me. In the meantime, I've been trying to learn Slovene and checking off my list to make sure I've got everything ready for the trip. So much to cover but I'm sure I'll manage.
What is new? Well my last post was the phone call in April. Since then, two months has passed and much has happened. So I suppose I will begin where we last left.
I was accepted to Ljubljana Uni. Since then, I've completed the application form, received my acceptance letter (6 weeks later) and applied for my resident permit for Slovenia as of today. It's been a long process. I've never felt like I've had to hold such patience for anything before in my life.
This time I now worry that everything will be processed in time before too much of the winter holidays have passed. I'm yearning to see Europe before I start my semester - I've so much free time now that uni has finished for the moment for me. In the meantime, I've been trying to learn Slovene and checking off my list to make sure I've got everything ready for the trip. So much to cover but I'm sure I'll manage.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
An Unexpected Call
Today was a quirky day for me. I woke up and got ready for class earlier than usual to get work done on my lab report. I skipped my 'Pie Face' coffee for it's lovely worth to make sure I had plenty of time to work on my report. Standing at the bus stop, I was waiting as the other commuters for the next bus to arrive. Surely enough it came, surprisingly punctual, oddly empty. I sat and watched as the bus crossed the bridge and passed the skyscrapers in the city centre until I got a surprising call on my phone; Blocked call.
I've never questioned the anonymity of blocked calls so I answered as per. Pleasantly enough it was Mandy, the exchange coordinator who helped me earlier put my application through. She'd called to thank me for my help in the exchange fair last week to which I'd thought surely mustn't warrant a phone call. It didn't. Mandy was calling me to let me know I had been accepted by Ljubljana despite the limited numbers available. Even further to let me know that the extent I went to in contacting the head of program in Slovenia and other staff helped along my application (The Australian secretariat was rather doubtful initially about my chances at Slovenia).
Well this definitely did make me smile but interestingly it did not appear to have kicked in for me yet. I still feel as though I am waiting for an acceptance even now that I have it.
I can't write much else on this as I am feeling tired and right now there is not much else to say on how I feel or what else has happened. I need to get the application forms filled in and submitted by the end of the week to get the 'rubber stamp' approval and begin sorting my visa, accommodation and plane tickets. I really can't think of much else to say, so I'll cut it short here.
Tschüss!
I've never questioned the anonymity of blocked calls so I answered as per. Pleasantly enough it was Mandy, the exchange coordinator who helped me earlier put my application through. She'd called to thank me for my help in the exchange fair last week to which I'd thought surely mustn't warrant a phone call. It didn't. Mandy was calling me to let me know I had been accepted by Ljubljana despite the limited numbers available. Even further to let me know that the extent I went to in contacting the head of program in Slovenia and other staff helped along my application (The Australian secretariat was rather doubtful initially about my chances at Slovenia).
Well this definitely did make me smile but interestingly it did not appear to have kicked in for me yet. I still feel as though I am waiting for an acceptance even now that I have it.
I can't write much else on this as I am feeling tired and right now there is not much else to say on how I feel or what else has happened. I need to get the application forms filled in and submitted by the end of the week to get the 'rubber stamp' approval and begin sorting my visa, accommodation and plane tickets. I really can't think of much else to say, so I'll cut it short here.
Tschüss!
Obsessions, Obsessions..
This blog is actually from the 7th April which I did on my phone on the bus but I was too lazy to upload it when I got home. :P
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Yesterday I participated in the UWS Exchange Fair.
Unfortunately the weather was very wet and windy but that didn't stop it from being a great day as I got to meet others who were just as enthusiastic about traveling abroad as I was (and I got to speak to those who came back from last semester's exchange too). We stood just out the front of "the Hub" on our Parramatta campus and spoke to other students who were interested in the exchange process.
I had many asking me what uni offered what course but of course, I couldn't help them much except to share my experience of the application process with them. Sadly, nobody asked me about Slovenia nor could I ask anyone if they'd traveled to Slovenia either. In a way it is also a good thing because I will have an even more unique experience with my exchange.
I can't believe it's so close but it still feels so far away. I have a little over 12 weeks left but it feels like yesterday I applied for it. I'm nervous about hearing back from Ljubljana and constantly have my mind set on spending Christmas in Europe. I've never obsessed about anything so much before in my life it's unbelievable.
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Yesterday I participated in the UWS Exchange Fair.
Unfortunately the weather was very wet and windy but that didn't stop it from being a great day as I got to meet others who were just as enthusiastic about traveling abroad as I was (and I got to speak to those who came back from last semester's exchange too). We stood just out the front of "the Hub" on our Parramatta campus and spoke to other students who were interested in the exchange process.
I had many asking me what uni offered what course but of course, I couldn't help them much except to share my experience of the application process with them. Sadly, nobody asked me about Slovenia nor could I ask anyone if they'd traveled to Slovenia either. In a way it is also a good thing because I will have an even more unique experience with my exchange.
I can't believe it's so close but it still feels so far away. I have a little over 12 weeks left but it feels like yesterday I applied for it. I'm nervous about hearing back from Ljubljana and constantly have my mind set on spending Christmas in Europe. I've never obsessed about anything so much before in my life it's unbelievable.
Monday, April 4, 2011
It's a Long Wait..
We are now in April and I think it's about time to check-in.
So the interview did go well and there was "no hesitation" in nominating me to Slovenia, so that is great news. I am to hear late this month or next if I have gotten in or not and the wait feels like it is taking forever.
To add to the good news, I've hit my target (and more) of saving enough for the trip. I'm now going further and saving up for any further trips I want to make around Europe (which I am hoping I will be able to do).
I've bought some language books that I may learn Slovene before I head over there. I think it wouldn't hurt at least to get some background in the language. I don't know how much I can learn before I fly but I'm hoping it will be enough to at least get me around town.
In the meantime I have been face down in my text books for uni since the semester started and this would explain why I haven't touched base in a while with my blog. :P
I'll be back with more updates!
So the interview did go well and there was "no hesitation" in nominating me to Slovenia, so that is great news. I am to hear late this month or next if I have gotten in or not and the wait feels like it is taking forever.
To add to the good news, I've hit my target (and more) of saving enough for the trip. I'm now going further and saving up for any further trips I want to make around Europe (which I am hoping I will be able to do).
I've bought some language books that I may learn Slovene before I head over there. I think it wouldn't hurt at least to get some background in the language. I don't know how much I can learn before I fly but I'm hoping it will be enough to at least get me around town.
In the meantime I have been face down in my text books for uni since the semester started and this would explain why I haven't touched base in a while with my blog. :P
I'll be back with more updates!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A Bit Nerve-Wracking
So I've finished my summer school and uni is almost back on. All I have been doing over the summer is working to save up and I've been really trying hard to make sure I get in. Here's the latest in what's happened.
Yesterday I went for an interview with a panel to assess whether I'm suitable to go. Now I think I went okay in the interview (it was a little quick and I was thinking of so many other things I could have said as soon as I left, that always happens to me!) but I am now having a little scare about my chances and here's why.
Slovenia and Australia don't send many students to one another. Naturally when you exchange students you aim for the same intake as the amount that you send out. So consequently, Slovenia is only accepting two Australian students for the semester that I am applying for.
That's not so concerning right? I'm the only one from my university that I know that wants to go to Slovenia - the availability should be there.
Well.. I'm not just competing with people from my own university. Turns out that the University of Ljubljana and my university are partners through a bigger extended network that includes numerous universities from Europe and Australia called the Australian European Network. It's a looser collaboration and not so one-on-one. This means though that I'm competing not just with other students in my university but from all across Australia to get into Slovenia. And there's a few!
It's a bit of a disappointment because now I cannot be so sure. I am starting to consider other options available but this means going all the way back to square one and hunt for another university. It would be a very big nuisance.
Here's hoping I'm in!
Yesterday I went for an interview with a panel to assess whether I'm suitable to go. Now I think I went okay in the interview (it was a little quick and I was thinking of so many other things I could have said as soon as I left, that always happens to me!) but I am now having a little scare about my chances and here's why.
Slovenia and Australia don't send many students to one another. Naturally when you exchange students you aim for the same intake as the amount that you send out. So consequently, Slovenia is only accepting two Australian students for the semester that I am applying for.
That's not so concerning right? I'm the only one from my university that I know that wants to go to Slovenia - the availability should be there.
Well.. I'm not just competing with people from my own university. Turns out that the University of Ljubljana and my university are partners through a bigger extended network that includes numerous universities from Europe and Australia called the Australian European Network. It's a looser collaboration and not so one-on-one. This means though that I'm competing not just with other students in my university but from all across Australia to get into Slovenia. And there's a few!
It's a bit of a disappointment because now I cannot be so sure. I am starting to consider other options available but this means going all the way back to square one and hunt for another university. It would be a very big nuisance.
Here's hoping I'm in!
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