The patience to deal with the Visa Application Process… Priceless!

We have visited numerous websites, called various info-lines, and spoke to different representatives from the Taiwanese Consulate in Toronto and Vancouver. The only uniform information all of these sources agreed upon is that we had to send money. The amount, of course, varied every time.
In the end we received a little help from a friend who just went through this process himself, and hopefully, things haven’t changed that drastically in the short amount of time that has passed between our respective applications.
We have packed up our passports, application form, two 2 x 2 pictures taken within the last 6 months and still bare a resemblance to the sender, One self addressed stamped envelope, a photocopy of our flight itinerary, and a money order for $220.00.
Now we play the waiting game and hope the information we pieced together from the various locations is accurate enough to get the little visa page affixed to our passports. Ahhh. That’s some fine bureaucracy boys! The best part is, we get to do it all over again in 60 days if we don’t have ARC cards procured by our new employers. Oh well, Hey….do you want to buy a car?
-E

Quittin Time

So it is decided. We are quitting our jobs on June 30th. This will only be the 2nd job Karen has quit, but for me that number is much higher. I have quit or been fired from no less than fourteen jobs in the last five years. Some of these jobs had spectacular exits, I have roasted marshmallows on the red hot embers of the burning bridges. Others I have slipped out quietly, like a cat burglar. They didn't even know I was gone until the fourth or fifth day went by without me showing up for work or calling to explain. Anyway, whether it be loud and confrontational or subdued and simple, the fact remains, I love to quit me some jobs. There is no better feeling than to hoist your middle finger to the company that has been paying you to pick away at your soul, like some relentless crow, day in and day out. Goodbye Minacs, you have kept me fed and drunk for lo these many months, yet I can't help but resent you for employing me.
Viva los unemployed!!!
-E

Not there yet.

We are currently and impatiently awaiting our departure. It is looking like July 18, 2005. We reserved tickets on a flight leaving that day, and it was a much better price than we had anticipated. It’s crunch time as far as saving up money as we only have two months left and 5 pays. The more we save, the more comfortable we will be when we arrive. It is a precarious balance, between saving money and wanting to party and hang out with the friends we will be leaving behind for so long. If we do nothing and save all of our money, we will regret not taking the time and money to enjoy our friends while we can. If we go out too often and spend a lot of money we will be broke when we leave and not buy all of the supplies we will need for our project. Hopefully we will make the right choices. It will be a tough two months.
-E