New quotas?

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2013/september/08-rules

This article for October posted in September by the UK Border Agency states that they will be " setting new youth mobility scheme quotas for 2014."

As currently Canada has 5,500 places for the visa. I hope that the number does not shrink and that I am one of those numbers.

Book: Live & Work in Britain

So I took this book out from the library in my quest for more information.

Live & Work in Britain by Nicola Taylor

The parts on the working holidaymaker (what the Youth Mobility Scheme was called ) is very small and I am not sure of its accuracy now. The book was published in 2008 so there can be a lot of changes made to the system since it was published.

The first part mentioned about the scheme is this:

"The working holidaymakers scheme allows young Commonwealth citizens the opportunity to come to the UK for an extended holiday which they may help fund by working in the UK up to a maximum of two years. To qualify you must be a Commonwealth citizen, be aged 17 to 30 inclusive and either be unmarried, or married to a working holidaymaker who is taking the holiday with you.

During the period of stay, you may take employment incidental to a holiday but not set yourself up in or run a business. You can choose when to work and when to take your holiday breaks, but you are not allowed to work for more than a total of 12 months out of the 24. You must also be able to prove you have enough money for your accommodation and living expenses for the first two months after you arrive, or for at least one month if you can show that you have arranged a job in advance."

So I am not sure about the whole working only 12 months of the 24 because I have not read that anywhere else. I think this might just be old information.

The website for the UK Border Agency states that "You will be able to live and work in the UK for 24 months under the youth mobility scheme."

October and what is left of it.

Wow, this year seems to be coming to an end so very very quickly.

I am still saving towards getting the Youth Mobility Scheme visa. I still have a lot of questions.

Like should I get an HSBC account because they have the option of the Passport which can link your accounts. This would save me hopefully from the struggle of opening a bank account in the UK.

Do I need to purchase my plane ticket before the interview?

Where should I go?

Ha ha, lots to think about.

October has been a lot of fun. For Thanksgiving six of my friends and I decided that we would make the trek from Vancouver to Edmonton to have Thanksgiving with our friend Tayla.

I drove as my passengers were unable to drive, two not knowing how and one had an expired license and on top of that did not know how to drive standard.

We drove through Kamloops and through Jasper National Park in the Rocky Mountains to reach Edmonton. The drive there was beautiful.

Rocky Mountains. Photo by Jon McRae.

We had left on Friday morning at 4 am and drove all the way to Edmonton only stopping a few times so we made really good time and arrived in Edmonton around 5 pm. We had a really relaxed dinner on the Friday night by ordering in Boston Pizza. I was exhausted so I had an early night.

The next day we had a good breakfast before heading to go grocery shopping for our fixings. That night we went to the West Edmonton Mall to Tony Roma's for dinner. We met up with my mother, uncle and aunt for dinner. It was very nice to see my mom. I always miss her so much.  After the delicious dinner of ribs we enjoyed London Fogs at Second Cup before heading back out to Beaumont where we were staying at Tayla's parents place.

My Sweet Potato. Photo by Jon McRae

I was in charge of making Mashed Sweet Potatoes. We went to No Frills the other day and this was the monster I found. I have never seen them so large before. I chose this one as well as two smaller ones. My dish turned out very good. The whole Thanksgiving dinner was amazing. We had a bacon blanketed turkey, stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes, soup, buns. I am sure I am forgetting something but all of it was so good. Everyone was stuffed afterwards but we managed to fit in ice cream and pumpkin pie.

The next day a few of my friends had to head back early to Vancouver so we had our goodbyes the night before and on the Monday we drove Scott to the bus station downtown Edmonton before going back and having a relaxing time outside enjoying the entertainment of Tayla's dog Frank.

We drove back to Vancouver leaving Tuesday morning at 6 am and arriving in Vancouver around 5 pm. The drive back seemed a lot longer than the first ride. I think we were all just tired of being cooped up in the car for so long so we made it as fast as possible. On the way back from Edmonton we saw three Elk in Jasper National Park and were able to stop and take a few photos of them.

Elk. Photo by Jon McRae.

The trip was a lot of fun and I was very happy to see Tayla and everyone back together again. I look forward to more adventures but I think they will be solo ones to Wales, to Greece...the places are endless.

I must get back on track with finding where my path leads me.

The Wedding and more.

I am terrible at this whole thing. I really do want to keep this blog active so that I can share my experience in life and also in obtaining my Youth Mobility Scheme visa.

My sister got married on August 10th to Jordan and became Mrs. Shawn Minamimaye. I am so happy for her. They had a lovely wedding at the Stanley Park Pavilion in Vancouver. I was the maid of honour and loved every minute of it.

I loved the purple dresses we wore and the flowers were very stunning. The reception was at the Scottish Cultural Centre in South West Vancouver and we danced all night.

We went to Queen Elizabeth Park and enjoyed the flowers and a nice walk with our dad.

He lives in Calgary, Alberta so we dont get to see him often. It was great to see him at the wedding and hang out with him in the time leading up to the wedding.

This is a shot of me at this yummy restaurant located in South Burnaby called the Fraser Park Restaurant. I had really good chicken quesadillas. The place is a little out of the way but great if you have a car. I recommend checking the business hours as they vary.

We spent some time up at my Uncle's in Furry Creek which is right near Squamish. We were able to go swimming in the ocean. It was so beautiful there and I was very happy to get my swimming in.

This is a little peak at my new bedroom. The photos are by Camilla d'Erico. I love her artwork and have 8 pieces by her. I have a queen sized bed and a love seat with a coffee table in my room. I really love that I have a little living room of my own.

Well a lot has happened since my last post. My sister got married and I moved into a new apartment.
Things are shaping up and I am quite happy with the changes happening in my life. Work is hard and busy but it pushes me to keep my cool and be in control of the situation. I try to stay as positive as possible at work because I know that I need to put on a brave face for my team. I need to be in charge.

My sisters wedding was wonderful. It was so beautiful and I loved every second of being the maid of honour. I love my sister so much and all her hard work planning that wedding was all worth it.

I want to post more but I'm tired. <33

A small adventure of my own

I felt very sad at the beginning of today. Jon and Sondra were off on the Island with their friends, one in from Ontario to visit them. They were having an adventure in some of my favorite places and I was jealous but also sad that I had not been invited. I know it was a trip for just them but I wished that I could have been a part of it.

Still feeling down about not having a slice of this adventure I turned to Earlin but he was busy going to a wedding for his boss. My sister was picking up her wedding bands and then attended a BBQ so she was unable to provide me with entertainment. I hummed and hawed about what to do so I decided to go to the zoo!

 

Zebra

 Oryx

 Roosevelt Elk

 

Giraffe

 

I walked around the zoo at a leisurely pace. Stopping to admire the animals and enjoyed the sunshine. Most of the animals were in the shade but I did enjoy seeing the Grizzley Bear having a treat of berries stuck in an ice block. It was a nice day out as I love the zoo and would go a lot more often if it was closer to Burnaby.

After the zoo I was stuck for what to do so I turned south and headed across the border into Washington State and drove down to Bellisfair. I picked up a cute Totoro hoodie and swimming goggles. I enjoyed a stromboli in the food court before entering Target. I got a really great deal on cat litter. 31 pounds or something for 11.79 which would cost probably about 16.00 in Canada. I also got some Ocean Spray Cran-Lemonaid which has not hit the shelves in Canada despite it being so yummy so I stocked up with three of them. I also got a single Chobani Strawberry Greey yoghurt as we do not have Chobani in Canada and I really wanted to try some so I got one and ate it after putting everything into my car. It was really tasty.

My tasty Chobani.

I headed north again, getting gas at 3.959 a gallon and pumped half a tank or 6.181 galons and it cost me $24.24. Right now in Burnaby gas was 1.47 a litre and I got it for 1.04 litre.So I got 23.39 litres so if I got it in Canada it would have cost me $34.38 so I basically saved $10 so yay to that. After the gas it was a straight shot home and now I am home and happy as can be with my little adventure. Time for bed? I think so.

Different Times

Reading my old journal a little. On Saturday July 17th, 2004 all I wanted in the world was
-a pomeranian
-a computer and internet
-a video camera
-happiness to the fullest

The pomeranian wish was due to having lived near one and I always saw this dog as being so cute and wonderful. I no longer want one but have not stopped thinking they are adorable.

A computer and internet are still very important things to me. Glad I have them.

A video camera. I have one. A Sony. I don't use it enough to warrant having one.

Happiness to the fullest...thats a hard one. I am happy. I enjoy my life and am looking forward to the paths I will tread.

On July 18th I wrote that I wanted to go to New Zealand.
Why: I just love it
How: Plane
When: The future seems dim but somebody might turn the light switch on.