Hi!
I've decided to move my blog over to a different place.
I just got a little sick of this interface.
So from now on you can find my blog at
https://ulriketravels.wordpress.com/
See you there!!
♥
Ulrike
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Thursday, October 13, 2016
My new address!
Oh, hey there!
I realize I totally forgot to write about the address of the new appartment in my last post so...
If you'd like to know our address, please message me and I'll be glad to give it to you!
Aaand I will be showing the appartment probably near the end of the month! It is actually beginning to look like an actual lived in homey home! I'm so happy! We're just waiting on a couple last pieces to arrive.
Anyways, until then!
♥
Ulrike
I realize I totally forgot to write about the address of the new appartment in my last post so...
If you'd like to know our address, please message me and I'll be glad to give it to you!
Aaand I will be showing the appartment probably near the end of the month! It is actually beginning to look like an actual lived in homey home! I'm so happy! We're just waiting on a couple last pieces to arrive.
Anyways, until then!
♥
Ulrike
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
About visas and marriage and houses and GETTING SETTLED
Hello hello hello!
It's been a while but I've finally had the time to sit down for a proper update!
So I arrived in Japan a little over a month ago and wow, saying that really makes me realize how time has flown. It has been a crazy busy time since I've had to get married, get a job, get an appartment and most importantly get my spousal visa. I've succeeded in some, still working on some.
Number one: I got married! With the wedding celebrations of August behind us, me and Kazuki finally got the necessary paperwork done to officially get married. I suppose that makes the date of the official marriage the 9th of September, however, the both of us count the party on the 13th of August as the true date. We also got to keep our own names so I won't be called Yamamoto any time soon but who knows what will happen when we move back to Belgium?
The procedure for the international marriage was long and complicated but it was nothing compared to the ordeal I went through (and am still going through) to get my spousal visa. I've been working to get my visa non-stop since I arrived and have yet to succeed. First of all, it was unbelievably tricky to find any helpful information online about how to get a spousal visa. This really baffled me. We called many places and kept getting redirected to different places that would, in their turn, direct us back to where we started at. At some points the information I was given even got me worried I might not be able to get the visa at all! Needless to say, it's been quite stressful.
In the end it was when I went to the Osaka liaison office to pick up an appostille for our marriage document that I was properly told where to go.
So where am I now in the whole process? I have succesfully applied for my visa and am waiting to get it approved in hopefully the next couple of weeks. FINGERS CROSSED IT HAPPENS QUICKLY!! (seriously, pray for me)
One thing that me and Kazuki managed to do really quickly was get an appartment. I'd only been in the country a few days when the place was decided. It's a bright and homey little place in the country side, close to both his parents' house and the train station. We had to wait until the 22nd of September until we could move in so that meant I spent my first few weeks in Kazuki's parents' home, which was also really nice. I'm really happy I got to spend more time with his family. I spent a lot of time with his mother and brother mostly, going furniture shopping, making food, playing Pokémon Go together,... it was really nice. Right now I'm writing to you from our own appartment. I really love this place and I can't wait to properly show you it. We're still waiting on the last pieces of furniture to arrive but once we're all propperly installed in our new home, I will definitely film a tour of the whole place! For now, I have these photos of what it looked like when it was still empty.
Last but not least, got a job! Well, I'm not officially working yet, since no one can legally hire me until I get my visa, however, I am working as a volunteer (for 600 yen per hour) until that is fixed. I've been training to be a teacher at an English school for children ranging from about 2 to 13 year old. Even though I've taught children English before, it still feels quite new to me. There is so much to remember, so many new things,... and it is honestly still a bit intimidating. Seeing the children happy is so rewarding though. I think that, once I get used to the curriculum and the way things work around there, I will start to really love it a lot!
In other more personal news, I'm doing good. I've had my moments of feeling homesick at times where I was stressing out about the visa, my job, the appartment,... you know, times when I wish I had someone to tell me what to do or how to do it. I think that's normal when you're starting your own life (especially if it's so far away from your family). But I think everything is starting to fall into place now and most of the hard parts are over.
I've had a lot of fun meeting up with old friends too!
Kazuki has been great too of course. He actually quit his stressful office job and just got hired as an English teacher in a different school, which makes me so, so happy. He can finally do something he enjoys doing and have more free time. He's taking great care of me too. Last week I had a headache so he made me udon even though he'd had a whole day of work too.
So if you're wondering how the both of us are doing together, great! I'm so glad to be able to spend more time with him at last! Goodbye long-distance relationship!
So that's where I'm going to leave it at for now. I'm going to a farewell party for one of my Korean friends who used to live with me in the same dorm and is now returning to Korea for his army duty.
Even though I know army duty still exists in some countries and I've seen a few friends go through it before, there's still always a strange feeling about it, as if it's something other worldly or something.
Anyways,
Until net time (where I show you the entire appartment!!)
Bye! ♥
It's been a while but I've finally had the time to sit down for a proper update!
So I arrived in Japan a little over a month ago and wow, saying that really makes me realize how time has flown. It has been a crazy busy time since I've had to get married, get a job, get an appartment and most importantly get my spousal visa. I've succeeded in some, still working on some.
Number one: I got married! With the wedding celebrations of August behind us, me and Kazuki finally got the necessary paperwork done to officially get married. I suppose that makes the date of the official marriage the 9th of September, however, the both of us count the party on the 13th of August as the true date. We also got to keep our own names so I won't be called Yamamoto any time soon but who knows what will happen when we move back to Belgium?
The procedure for the international marriage was long and complicated but it was nothing compared to the ordeal I went through (and am still going through) to get my spousal visa. I've been working to get my visa non-stop since I arrived and have yet to succeed. First of all, it was unbelievably tricky to find any helpful information online about how to get a spousal visa. This really baffled me. We called many places and kept getting redirected to different places that would, in their turn, direct us back to where we started at. At some points the information I was given even got me worried I might not be able to get the visa at all! Needless to say, it's been quite stressful.
In the end it was when I went to the Osaka liaison office to pick up an appostille for our marriage document that I was properly told where to go.
So where am I now in the whole process? I have succesfully applied for my visa and am waiting to get it approved in hopefully the next couple of weeks. FINGERS CROSSED IT HAPPENS QUICKLY!! (seriously, pray for me)
One thing that me and Kazuki managed to do really quickly was get an appartment. I'd only been in the country a few days when the place was decided. It's a bright and homey little place in the country side, close to both his parents' house and the train station. We had to wait until the 22nd of September until we could move in so that meant I spent my first few weeks in Kazuki's parents' home, which was also really nice. I'm really happy I got to spend more time with his family. I spent a lot of time with his mother and brother mostly, going furniture shopping, making food, playing Pokémon Go together,... it was really nice. Right now I'm writing to you from our own appartment. I really love this place and I can't wait to properly show you it. We're still waiting on the last pieces of furniture to arrive but once we're all propperly installed in our new home, I will definitely film a tour of the whole place! For now, I have these photos of what it looked like when it was still empty.
Last but not least, got a job! Well, I'm not officially working yet, since no one can legally hire me until I get my visa, however, I am working as a volunteer (for 600 yen per hour) until that is fixed. I've been training to be a teacher at an English school for children ranging from about 2 to 13 year old. Even though I've taught children English before, it still feels quite new to me. There is so much to remember, so many new things,... and it is honestly still a bit intimidating. Seeing the children happy is so rewarding though. I think that, once I get used to the curriculum and the way things work around there, I will start to really love it a lot!
In other more personal news, I'm doing good. I've had my moments of feeling homesick at times where I was stressing out about the visa, my job, the appartment,... you know, times when I wish I had someone to tell me what to do or how to do it. I think that's normal when you're starting your own life (especially if it's so far away from your family). But I think everything is starting to fall into place now and most of the hard parts are over.
I've had a lot of fun meeting up with old friends too!
Kazuki has been great too of course. He actually quit his stressful office job and just got hired as an English teacher in a different school, which makes me so, so happy. He can finally do something he enjoys doing and have more free time. He's taking great care of me too. Last week I had a headache so he made me udon even though he'd had a whole day of work too.
So if you're wondering how the both of us are doing together, great! I'm so glad to be able to spend more time with him at last! Goodbye long-distance relationship!
So that's where I'm going to leave it at for now. I'm going to a farewell party for one of my Korean friends who used to live with me in the same dorm and is now returning to Korea for his army duty.
Even though I know army duty still exists in some countries and I've seen a few friends go through it before, there's still always a strange feeling about it, as if it's something other worldly or something.
Anyways,
Until net time (where I show you the entire appartment!!)
Bye! ♥
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