Well, to tell you the truth, I signed and returned it a few days ago (turns out they do accept digital signatures) but I had a funeral to attend as soon as I got back home and the last few days have been a little hectic, to say the least.

I still have to pay the $150 deposit, so I'll go in tomorrow and try to get that done. No point going now; it's 4.30pm and the bank in West Byfleet closes at four (or is that four thirty? Oh well, it's a twenty minute drive so there's no point).

Regarding the previous post, yes, I do have to organize my own laundry, but there are women around the homestay who take in washing, apparently, so that's alright.

In other news, I had something of a hiccup yesterday when I got back and found the key to my bedroom was missing. Well, I say a hiccup; it was more like a great big panic attack. Yes, I do lock my bedroom door whenever I'm in there and no, I don't consider this to be unusual or antisocial. Because of various things that have gone on, schisms within the clan and a certain family member doing his utmost to steal my life savings, I wound up having to squat with my grandparents. Actually, they've been lovely about it, but Gran has chronic Alzheimer's and so if I don't keep my bedroom door locked at all times, she comes in at three in the morning.

So anyway, I drove around various stores for two and a half hours yesterday looking for a bolt to fasten onto my door. I didn't really mind that - I love driving and my car hadn't been started for about a month since I was staying with Sue over Christmas, so it needed a good run anyway - and I picked up a reasonably priced bolt and combilock from Wickes, drove back and was met by Karen (the carer) who told me...yep, you've guessed it; while I was away, she found the key. Always the way. Still, at least I'm nice and secure in my room now, and with wireless (and mostly limitless) internet spread through the house, I can download all the TV episodes on iTunes that I want

Anyway, that's the latest on my travel plans (oh, and I also found my passport, which helps), so I'm off to (re)watch Sherlock. Goodnight everyone!

Visa checklist

£109 application and agency processing fee
Passport
Application forms
Passport sized photo
Recent bank statement
 

Yep, you read that right. Apparently this volunteer organization wants me to sign a contract. They wanted me to sign it two or three days ago but they forgot to attach it to the email, so I had to point this out to them. Not sure how usual having a formal contract is as this is my first volunteer experience, but I checked it over and it looks okay apart from one or two things. It says (among other things) that I'm responsible for my own laundry, which either means I have to put it out myself or wander around with dirty washing looking for a launderette. I'm not too bothered either way, but it'd be nice to know.

I also emailed asking whether or not they would accept a digital signature. Some agencies I know do. If not, I'll have to print it off and sign it, then scan the signed contract back in and zip it back to them, which means I'll have to beg access to a printer and a scanner off of someone. (No, I don't have any access to either of those things at home and yes, I know that's probably considered weird in this day and age).

They're also talking about a $150 deposit which I'll have to sort out once I'm back in Surrey. I'll head into West Byfleet; the bank branch there is a small one and usually empty (Woking is always insanely busy; you end up queuing for ten or fifteen minutes just to pay a check in and that's at a quiet time!). This means I can torment the cashier with my requests to send money to Tacloban City, Philippines for as long as I like without being subjected to glares or incoherent mumbles from everyone else in the queue. I'll post more once I've actually signed and returned the contract or paid the deposit, whichever comes first.
 

Well, I do. Why the hell there isn't some kind of 'flatter subject' switch on cameras is beyond me. I mean, if you look at the advances in technology and communication we've made so far, you'd think someone somewhere could invent a way of taking passport photos that make you look like a nice, normal person.

Anyway, I went into Torrington and had two sets taken. One was in the pharmacy (where she did six with a Polaroid and even cut them out for me and put them in a nice little folder, so at least I have a plentiful supply) and the other was in a photographer's, where she took one photo and stuck it on my memory stick.

So, why the two photos?

It's simple. I need one hard copy to put in an envelope and send off with the rest of my bumf to get a visa, and the volunteer organization in the Philippines has asked me for a copy of my latest resume with a recent photo. Since the scanner here is extremely temperamental and difficult to work, it was easier and cheaper to trek halfway around Torrington and find someone to do it for me than it was to try and scan it in here, which could have taken hours. I would query the 'passport size' part of the photographer's claim; when I opened the file it filled the whole damn screen and I had to shrink it. Luckily the digital one is for the resume, so it wasn't that important, and at least now I have a copy if I need it.

The organization's request for my resume left me with another small problem: namely that I don't have one. Well, I did at one point - I kept a copy on my PC at the office, so I just needed to update it every so often - but that PC's long gone, as is the office.

Anyway, I sat down and bashed one out. It would never get me a job here in England, of course, since I committed the cardinal sin of including my Hobbies and Interests, which would get my resume thrown out of any reputable company instantly.

Yeah, you read that right. The little sections entitled Hobbies and Interests, and About Me (you know the ones, where you sit down and wonder how the hell to make yourself sound dynamic and interesting when really all you do is the same as most other people) have now been strictly banned from any resume in the UK. This is because if I put down somewhere that I love to swim, and the interviewer is someone who hates swimming, he or she will naturally be prejudiced against me from the very start and refuse to even give me an interview.

At least, that's the theory. Personally I'd hope that the companies in this country have more sense than to reject a candidate just because they like rock music or something like that, but the government thinks otherwise.

Oh well, c'est la vie. If this all comes together the way I'm hoping it will, then it won't be my problem any longer. I just need to check my references (two out of my three don't actually know they're on there, so I better let them know before I do anything). Hopefully I'll get the resume sent off sometime tonight and be one step further forward.

Visa checklist

£109 application and agency processing fee
Passport (I do have one, I just need to get hold of it!)
Application forms
Passport sized photo
Recent bank statement
 

Actually, I chose a country a couple days ago, but I didn't have this blog set up then. So. It is official. I have now Chosen A Location to spend the next six months in (maybe longer, see what comes back from the coordinator). To begin with, it was going to be Cambodia, and I still have plans to go on there depending on how things pan out. We'll have to see. Same goes for Vietnam and Laos. I don't know why I have this yearning in me for Asia; it's just always been there, even when I was a little girl. You ask my mother.

Anyway, I emailed the organization (http://www.visayans.org for anyone interested) about the project I wanted and last night I heard back. I won't bore you all with the details of the email; suffice it to say that I was told I could get a tourist visa for twenty one days to the Philippines and then extend it in country. Simple, right?

Ha! Nothing about visas and government bureaucracy is ever simple. Bear in mind that I didn't need visas for the countries I've lived and worked in before, since I'm European.

So, I spent four hours checking various embassy pages, and so-called visa agencies (it didn't help that the official London embassy's website was being updated at the time). One agency looked good, but - you guessed it - they didn't cover the Philippines. Still, I'll bear them in mind if I decide to go to Vietnam. Hanoi is one of my top ten Wanna-See Destinations.

I've got the money I need for my flights and the programme coming through in the next week or so, so once that's here, I can get a bank statement - yes, you need one of those, even for volunteering where you pay up front - and send that with my passport and forms to my chosen agency and get the wheels moving.

Flying from England to Manila is going to be a pain though, since there are no direct flights, so I've decided to go via Bangkok and have a week's vacation there, which should help sort out the jet lag and make me a little fresher and more alert for when I go on to the Philippines.

I did consider looking for short-term volunteer work in Thailand while I was there, but unfortunately that would involve me getting yet another visa. According to the immigration and embassy site, you can't just turn up in Thailand and do voluntary work; you need a type-O visa. I checked it out and frankly, I've seen immigration requirements that were easier to fulfil. If I was looking for long-term and wanted to volunteer in Thailand in particular, I'd definitely do it, but it's really not worth the hassle and expense just for the sake of a few days. I'll use the time to recharge my batteries instead

Just had a quick look around for hotels near Bangkok Airport and I think I've found one. It's called the Great Residence and on the face of it, looks very good. At least they offer airport transfers, so I don't have to worry about finding my way there. Believe me, I get lost so easily that this is a good thing.

More later.