To Market, To Market: Cambridge Market

I do consider Cambridge home. Home in the sense that it is very familiar and comfortable and I don't tend to get lost in the winding streets. When I first arrived in England it was one if the first places I stayed for an extended period. (After Glasgow and before Woking, I have such great friends!). It was at a time when I had no job, but all my savings, and when I still calculated how long I could afford stay in England with remaining said funds. I was on the edge of everything, where every opportunity was still within my grasp. I was still determined to get a museum job, I was still convinced things were going to be simple and still not entirely sure I'd made the right decision in leaving Canada and all I had there.

Because of this history Cambridge and I have, it means that I've had a hard time writing about the city and all it's charms. Like London, it's close to my heart, but unlike London it's not as gritty and I just can't encapsulate it in a few strung together sentences. However, it's time I attempt it. 

First stop: Cambridge Market

I just love this market. Every time I find myself in Cambridge I make a beeline for the city centre to browse the stalls of the open air market and get into the hustle and bustle of this great city. It's centrally located on Market Hill and surrounded by shops, restaurants, the Lion Yard, and colleges. You could easily visit this market and get all your errands done in one go; from a gift for Aunt Sally, produce for the week, a cool old record, flowers to decorate the flat, and of course a little sweet treat for you after all of your weary work.

I have made a few purchases from this market over time, but I can never resist fresh made fruit juice. (Excuse the mitts, these photos are a couple months old now). Best part about this market is it's close proximity to everything else; like the River Cam, King's College, and Fitzbillies to name a few. Makes for a lovely day out wandering the teeny tiny cobbled streets making it easy for one to imagine themselves in Medieval times.

Preparing for an Adventure: Moving to Vietnam

HoiAn

I thought I'd try something different this week and let you hear from an amazing world traveler, Colleen*. She's has just recently returned from living in Vietnam for the past 5 years, and here she's telling us about what it was like to prepare for this kind of experience.
Take it away, Colleen!                                  

Advice

I was given some good advice the other day that I thought I'd share.

"Live near your friends. Everyone commutes for work, so live near your friends. If you like an area, go there on a Saturday and see what it's like. There can be a really dodgy street 30 seconds away from a really great high street."

Fun travels!

Visa...check!

I finally received my visa in the mail. It felt like it took forever but really it was only a short 11 business days from my appointment day to it being in my hands. I had worried that I hadn't filled out all the forms correctly or provided enough supporting documents and then there wouldn’t be a delay or worse yet, a rejection. In reality it wasn’t a hard process, just more tedious then anything. I probably stressed about it more than I should have, but I’d like to think that it wouldn’t have turned out the way it did if I hadn’t done the proper prep work.

                

            I applied for the ‘Youth Mobility Scheme’ which has some restrictions so doesn’t apply to everyone (ie. Limited to people in the age range, must be a Canadian Citizen etc.). I filled out the application online and made my appointment with the third party organization that takes the biometrics (not as scary as it sounds, fyi it’s fingerprints) and mails the forms to the Visa application centre.

                

           While I sat and waited for my number to be called in the very busy waiting room and watched the “Visit England, it’s great” video on repeat, I thought of  a few tips to share when applying for your visa.

       1. Take the day

It might not take the whole day for your appointment, but don’t you think it would be a lot less stressful when you don’t get seen at the exact appointment time (that won’t happen) and you have plans to drive to Montreal later that day with a group of friends who are now waiting for you at your house and you still have to pack? (This was a true story for a girl sitting behind me) If it takes less than 4 hours to complete consider yourself lucky and go enjoy a coffee or something else indulgent. You deserve it.

        2.  Have all paperwork with you and ready

Have all the paperwork they request ready to provide to them, if you don’t, they can probably find it for you, but they WILL charge you for it. $15 fee for printing the application you filled out online, what?! Save yourself money and grief by printing and bringing all paperwork you needed to fill out the application in the first place. 

          3.  Give enough turnaround time

Sometimes this can’t be helped because there is a deadline on the other end, ie school starting etc. but if you can be more flexible with when you leave this can save you some money by not having it express processed. The same girl behind me was slightly freaked about it taking too long because she already had her flight booked so had to pay the almost $200 express fee.

         4. Honey vs. vinegar

And when you finally do get up to the counter an hour and a half after your appointment time and after watching the “Visit England, it’s great” video at least a dozen times, and listened to the old woman beside you snorting back every 2 minutes, remember the old adage: Honey catches more flies than vinegar. Take a breath and smile.

When the woman behind the counter told me that the financial records I provided were too old because they should match the same date as the application (no where online does it say this!) I could have got upset, instead I asked her nicely what I could do. she figured out my plan of attack so that I could still get my application submitted that day and with not too much more trouble. Which brings me back to my first point. I’m glad I took the day and didn’t have to rush off anywhere and could take care of everything that day even with the hiccup.

These tips can be applied for any government agent visit. Getting your license renewed, updating your OHIP card, getting a passport etc. Sometimes it can be a very frustrating process, but is a necessary part of life.

Fun travels!

Plan A

I've been making my plans to move to England for some time now, but I didn't have a Visa just yet. People would ask me my plans and I would say that I was moving to England, but still waiting to see if I could stay there or if it was just going to be an extended visit a.k.a. Plan B.
Today, I heard from the issuing office that my UK Visa has been issued! Breathing a sigh of relief. I now don't have to make a Plan B.

Now comes the hard part...


Fun travels!