Aussie in summer program Nov 2007

Discussion in 'Applicants Discussion' started by Mel_c, Jun 14, 2007.

  1. porcelain779

    porcelain779 New Member

    I'm taking about the same as you Cass, assuming I can save about another $500 before I go. yet I cant see that happening.

    I'm scared when I get there that I am going to go tinkerbell nuts and buy everything I see!
     
  2. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    :eek: I don't think I will have quite that much to take with me, but my parents are gonna put some money on credit card each week to keep me going so I'm sure I will be fine. ;D
     
  3. SistaAct

    SistaAct New Member

    Lucky you!
    I wouldnt mind if people were giving me money to go!
    It is my birthday 3 weeks before we leave though, so I'm sure that will be helpful :)

    - Cass
     
  4. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    Woohoo the courier just dropped off my passport with the visa in it...
    But they didn't return the DS-2019 to me! Or is it inside this envelope stapled to my passport that says it is to be opened by an officer in the US?
    Anybody know anything about this?

    Bryce :)
     
  5. SistaAct

    SistaAct New Member

    The form in the envelope is the one Trudy sent to us (I think you're right, its the DS2019), judging by what I can see through the paper. I presented mine at the consulate and didn't get it back again, so I assume it is in there.

    - Cass
     
  6. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    I can't see anything through the envelope. :p
    Do you think I would get in trouble if I opened the envelope just to check. ::)
    The 'interview' was nothing like I was expecting - I thought you would go into an office and have a chat, not just pass the documents under a pane of bulletproof glass with a security guard looking over your shoulder! Guess I better get used to that sort of rubbish.

    Bryce
     
  7. Loz

    Loz New Member

    Hey Bryce, I too was a little disappointed by the interview process. Were your people American at least? I had one guy from the middle east somewhere yelling at me to give him my passport, and a russian cashier lady take my money. she was all: "You give money now! Ok, you go". I wanted to laugh, but didn't want her to cancel it or something.
    Make sure you don't open the envelope!! Bad things will happen. A friend of a friend opened his, and he got struck by lightning.
    While a bus ran over him
    and the customs guards shot him in the leg.

    Ps-$3000, I wish!
     
  8. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    One of the three ppl I dealt with was American (you can tell when they refer to New Zealand as "Kiwiland") but the others were New Zealanders I think (one was Asian and one was an Islander). ;D
    The whole thing was a bit of a nightmare for me because apparently my DS-156 had something done wrong so I got sent away to an Internet cafe (that I couldn't find) to re-do it and get back to the consulate within half an hour! I only just made it. :eek:
     
  9. leeroy8

    leeroy8 New Member

    Ah my god dont get me started on that *interesting* interview process. I've been in the biggest panick for almost 4 weeks now!!!!

    The first guy I saw, who I gave all the documents too, read my form and asked me if I was gonna be Mickey Mouse. I told him "Nope - I'm the person who walks around WITH Mickey Mouse" (hehehe - I got character attendant) and he practically killed himself laughing (lol) then he laughed at me again when I gave him my passport, cos it's got a Mickey cover on it. Hehehe he's like "Man... You've got it bad..."

    The next person I saw, who did the finger print scans, was a girl from America. The first thing she said to me was "You are going to my MOST FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WHOLE WORLD" and we spent 20 minutes havng a good old chat. Apparantly her husband proposed to her while they were having dinner at the Crystal Palace in Magic Kindgom :) So cute!

    Now, here's where problems start:
    The last guy was obviously bored, and he was literally like (in monotone), "When you going? When you be back? Do you have proof your studying next year?"

    I didn't bring proof... I thought it was covered by that form we had to fill out ages ago. So he tells me to get some proof and mail it in before they can process my visa. ARRRRR!
    Enrollment for my uni isn't until October 28th or something, so I had to ring them and get special permission to do it early. Ok, fine, BUT the girl in charge of it was on leave, so the girl who ended up doing it for me was new - she'd only been at the uni 2 weeks. Took 2 and half weeks. 2 AND A HALF WEEKS to get it!! I was petrified that the consulate was going to mail back my stuff without waiting that long and I'd have to make another interview time.
    PLUS, to make it more complicated, I'm chaning uni's next year, so I had to write the consulate a letter explaining why my uni name changed. Blah. I mailed it in last week, and still havn't received my visa... I'm stressing soooooooooo bad.

    *deep breath*

    I haven't booked a flight, got insurance or got any American $$, on the off-chance something goes wrong and I don't get to go. Waaaaaaaaaaahh :'(

    Arg, sorry for the rant... I've been in a panick the past few weeks and needed to get it off my chest :) :)
    I feel better hehehe.
    With a bit of luck my visa will arrive on my door this morning... Hopefully :)

    - Lee :)
     
  10. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    Haha now THAT's what I call a rant! ;D
    I hope your visa arrives soon. I only had my interview on Tuesday and the visa arrived yesterday morning - how speedy is that! (Not trying to make you jealous)

    What do you mean your passport has a Mickey cover? Like just a sticker or some sort of actual Mickey passport? :p

    Asides from wondering where my DS-2019 is I have a couple of other things I'm wondering about...
    The first leg of my flight is from Christchurch to Sydney with an 8 (YES EIGHT) hour wait in Sydney before I leave for San Francisco. Does anybody know if, when I arrive in Sydney, I will have to go through customs (I don't think I will)... Or will I just be stuck in that big shopping/food area where all the boarding gates are (that will be fine)?

    Also, I remember the travel agent telling me that my bags will make their own way through all 3 flights without me having to get them each time, but don't you have to have your bags with you when you go through customs? I think I will have to collect my bags at San Francisco then go through customs and then get them put on the domestic flight.

    Any thoughts/info appreciated... I don't want to ring the travel agent as I already went and saw her yesterday about some other things haha. ::)

    Bryce
     
  11. SistaAct

    SistaAct New Member

    Hey Bryce,

    I've been wondering the same thing about the changing bags on flights. I was told by the travel agent that it all gets done for you. I think that all of the bags go through customs and if anything weird pops up, maybe they call you over the speaker? I don't know having never been overseas, but since that's what flight centre said I guess I have to trust them. I was also wondering if we have to check in to the next flight at every stopover? I have to meet with flight centre again when they have the tickets etc organised, I'll ask them then and find out.

    Lee - we had the same thing with the proof of student status. We got a letter from the uni confirming that we are 'bona fide' students as we don't enrol til February for next year. Don't worry about your visa taking a while because we had to send this student letter by mail to the consulate and it took us just over a week to get our visas posted back. It should arrive soon.

    - Cass
     
  12. leeroy8

    leeroy8 New Member

    Thanks Cass :) I feel a little better now! Everyone was saying how their Visa's got back to them overnight (Bryce!! :) hehehe), so I was terrified there was a problem with mine. I'll wait a week :)

    And my passport is in a passport holder - like a protective plastic thing - I bought in Hong Kong last year. It's like a cover, and it's got Mickey on it :) So cute! You can get 'em on ebay.

    As for the customs thing, I did a LOT of travel last year (Japan, Hong Kong, Florida) and you don't need to keep getting your bags - they go straight through automatically. They just keep scanning your carry on bag. Oh, and when you get to the USA they make you take off your shoes and jacket when walking through the check point. Lol.
    8 hours, wow... That sucks... I've never been to Sydney airport, so I dunno if there's much to do there. The longest I've been stuck at an airport is 6 hours, and I slept :)

    - Lee :)
     
  13. nuttybuddy

    nuttybuddy New Member

    hey...

    i have just been reading lately not posting at all due to the amount of wrk pressure i have...but i had to say this atleast....

    for all aussies...i guess your visa process is really long and stressfull....when i went to the US consulate office...it took me about 15 mins only! my visa arrived the next morning :)
    even the people there were really sw8 and the interview was hardly an interview..the only thing she asked me was that whether i was planning to come back to NZ or not...and when i replied and said "yes".. she smiled and said you should get your passport with the visa within the next 2 days....

    i wonder why there are more stringent in AUS..maybe cuz more people are likely to go to the US and never come back lol ???
     
  14. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    Have you guys done anything with the forms that came in the welcome packs about the housing complex rules and stuff? :-\
     
  15. Loz

    Loz New Member

    Bryce, what stuff do you mean for the housing forms?
    Ps-I went to America 10 years ago, and had an 8 hour wait in Sydney. All I can say is, luggage trolley races are fun, until someone falls off.
     
  16. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    There is one form with the housing complex rules (ie no alcohol in the under 21 apartments and no more than 16 ppl in an apartment at once), and another one with general Disney employee rules.
    You're supposed to sign and date them but I don't know if I'm supposed to be emailing or posting them somewhere, or just keeping them to take with me? ::)
    They were in the pack with the DS-2019 and 'Disney look' booklet - did you not get them?

    Anybody done anything with theirs if they got them?

    Bryce ;)

    PS. Trolley races sound fun (more fun than an episode of 'Sea Patrol' *cough*) but I don't think a random stranger is gonna be up for it. :p
     
  17. SistaAct

    SistaAct New Member

    Yeah, we got the forms. We figure to just bring them with you and I assume they'll take them soon after we arrive.

    - Cass
     
  18. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    Ok, I'll just keep them in my ever-growing folder of Disney documents.

    I think I'm finally all-sorted now (just in time for exams). I've got the visa, paid the pre-arrival fee for housing, emailed the acknowledgement form, got my flights and insurance sorted... Anything I'm missing?

    I'll probably be online less frequently from now on cause my exam load is pretty huge. :eek:
    Good luck with your study everyone!

    Bryce
     
  19. Bryce

    Bryce New Member

    WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPP!!!
    Had my last exam today - freedom at last, and only 2 weeks until we leave now!
    Everybody getting excited?
     
  20. SistaAct

    SistaAct New Member

    Us Adelaideans just started our exams this week and the schedule doesn't end until the Saturday before we leave! Wait til we've finished, and then we'll let you know ;)

    - Cass
     

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