VISA Application

OK, today I spent my morning calling multiple travel agencies to get quotes on tickets... here are the prices I've received.

$1597 Depart Pensacola -IACE travel agency

$1639 Depart Pensacola -IACE travel agency

$1531 Depart New Orleans - STA travel

$1513 Depart Pensacola -IACE travel agency

The amount in my bank account currently?

$1253

I would say I'm a little short of the price... future updates on the air line situation to come.


VISA application. OK, for those that will be studying abroad let me say one thing. DO NOT WORRY... trust me... after receiving my acceptance I was told that I would receive a "Certificate of Eligibility" from Japan. This lovely little certificate took about two months to arrive, after receiving notice of my acceptance into the program. Oh, did I get worried... I'm the type that likes to get things done right then and there, and this completely prevented that, so I was calling, e-mailing, and calling some more to get an idea as to when it'd arrive. Eventually I just gave into having to just sit and wait. Well, I literally just received my certificate yesterday. It doesn't end there. You must call your closest Japanese Consulate and ask how to apply for a visa. They will tell you to download a visa application, fill it out, and send your passport, Certificate of Eligibility, and the application to your consulate. THEN you can get your student visa. How long will that take? I think the man on the phone I spoke to said about 6 days... I'm not sure. Oh, don't freak out if you call any of the travel agencies I've spoken of and the first thing you hear is a nice japanese lady speaking to you in Japanese. The same goes with the Japanese Consulate. No worries they can speak english fairly well.

Until next time.