Argh!

[angharad_gam]

Okay, so I'm totally behind with PGM homework once again (partly because I thought I'd finished the assignment over Easter but some parts of it were wrong, and partly because the assignment after that was hideous and long and I spent several days pursuing completely the wrong direction). And I've only done a small amount of this week's (actually last week's on account of being behind) but I'm not sure how much of it I'll get a chance to do because I am rushing about like a loonie this week, trying to a) do something that is due at the end of the week but will not bear fruit for some months if at all (and you will only learn more if it does *secret squirrel*) b) once again organise passport info (more on this in a minute) and c) do feast organisation stuff before the Midwinter meeting on Friday.

I am seriously considering switching to the 'basic' track in PGM where you don't have to do the programming assignments, but this places more weight on the exam, and the idea of the exam really freaks me out. And I'm totally not procrastinating by writing this post...

Add to this that one of my colleagues is having a major crisis and is roping me in to help which I can't really refuse because I am the only person around with any kind of expertise in the survey which is acting up at the moment (albeit expertise which is now twelve months old).

Also, following on from the Indonesia mess I have now been asked to go to a conference in Canada in June to present two other colleagues work (this sort of thing is done all the time in the ABS - in this case because one of the guys is retiring soon and they don't want to spend any money on him - well not quite - but going to conferences and overseas trips is seen career development, and he is not exactly in need of that). Of course while I'm there I might as well drop in at the Canadian and American statistical agencies, so while June might seem like a much more reasonable run up time it's not really when you factor in passport application time and visa approval time and so on. Getting into the USA is apparently a bit of an ordeal and I shall have to fill out lengthy forms explaining how I am not a terrorist and don't plan on bringing any bombs with me.

So while May is going to be a certain amount of sitting around holding my breath and waiting for forms to be approved (or madly trying to catch up on PGM assignments), June is going to look something like this:
1 June: fly to Canberra and back again
2-3 June: find time for PGM exam
4-5 June: back to Canberra
9ish June: off to Montreal
15ish June: Ottawa
19ish June; Washington
21ish June: heading for home
28ish June: giving a seminar
7th July: Midwinter
9th-11th July: another conference, this one at least in Adelaide and presenting my own work.

*deep breath*

Now you might recall me ranting about having to get a new copy of my marriage certificate before I had to go to Indonesia. So all set for applying for a passport this time you might think. Except I can't find my birth certificate. I have carefully cherished this little scrap of paper (it is the original short extract of my English birth certificate) for thirty *cough* years and now the damn thing has vanished from our important documents folder. There is a small chance that I have for some inexplicable reason, put it in my desk at work. There is a chance my parents have the long extract, but they are away and won't be home until Wednesday night. For the minor sum of 23 pounds I can get a fast-tracked copy from the UK (but they can't fast track the post). *sigh*
How long does it take to get that US visa again?

Comments

[irreparable.livejournal.com]

I really loved Washington. While you're there, I highly recommend going to the Dumbarton Oaks museum and perusing their Byzantine and medieval collection. It's HUGE and there's so many beautiful artefacts.

Also, I don't remember having a ton of things to fill out to get into the US. Just a pink slip on the plane declaring any alcohol, cigarettes or plant based / animal based goods, and then the tedious long wait in LAX to go through Customs. And there, they just took my pink slip, took a retinal scan, got my signature, stamped my passport and off I went. Waiting in the line took much longer than the Customs itself.

[angharad-gam.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I think I will only have a couple of days in Washington and they will mostly be taken up with work. But it depends on the timing of flights. I will likely have more time in Montreal or Ottawa.

[irreparable.livejournal.com]

Damn, that's a shame. The Dumbarton Oaks museum had so many wonderful things in their huge collection. I don't know of any cool places in Montreal or Ottawa, alas.

[massaria.livejournal.com]

Going to the US is not difficult for most people - this is a myth. Even years ago it wasn't that difficult.

Firstly, you do not need a visa for the US. You are eligible for a visa wavier. You do need an ESTA - just fill it in here:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/

It should be processed electronically in a couple of days and is valid for 2 years. You will be on the US system when you arrive but will have to provide your finger prints and probably retinal scan at the border. The most painful thing about the whole process is the slow ques at the border, everything else is very easy.

[angharad-gam.livejournal.com]

Hmm, that looks like it should be perfectly valid. I wonder why the International Travel guy at work pointed me to the Business Visa application. I will ask them about this on Thursday. It would certainly make things easier.

[massaria.livejournal.com]

Well unless you plan to be paid in the US or be there longer than 90 days I can't see why you'd need the Business Visa. I suspect your international travel guy isn't really paying attention ;) Certainly for the activities you describe, I would go with the visa waiver + an ESTA. When I was in the US in July that's what I did and I was on my way to a conference.

[angharad-gam.livejournal.com]

Yeah, people in the public service doing things the same way they've been doing them for years, who would have expected that? :-)
I will be _working_ there, but only two days, and not working for or getting paid by a US company. Also passing through on my way to Canada I suspect.

[massaria.livejournal.com]

Yep, well in that case a visa waiver should be fine.