Mass Immigration: Switzerland vs Canada

To those who await my next post, I promise I have a couple coming this evening.  But to hold you over until then, I'll treat you to some Swiss propaganda seen around Geneva.

And then there's Canada...

Huh.

Travel Cuts is My Saviour!

Well yesterday's finger crossing paid off.  Travel Cuts came through with the cheapest insurance by far and signed my form! Not only were the prices great, but the customer service was fantastic.  They were quick and efficient, and honestly made me feel like they appreciated my business.  Such a great experience.  If you are under 50 and looking for travel insurance, flights, or packages, I highly recommend using Travel Cuts.  You will not regret it.

So now I'm putting together all of my visa forms, crossing my fingers that Canada Post doesn't go on strike.

A Week of Ups and Downs

After meeting with the F.E., I've been trying to figure out all the details for my Swiss visa.  Despite how simple it seemed, it has not been the easiest task.  Overall, the application is very straight forward, but one form has thrown me through the wringer.  The 'Check for Equivalent of Swiss Health Insurance' form has not been the easiest to complete.  To give you an idea, this is what I have been running around doing this week.

First of all, I need travel insurance.  Sounds simple right?  Not so much.  In order to get this, I need proof that OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) will still insure me since I will be gone longer than their alotted 212 days.  So I had to go to Service Ontario…

 Not so simple...

Service Ontario required a letter from my employer  stating why I will be out of the country and when I will be returning.  The F.E very quickly supplied me with the letter, so I went to the offices yesterday.  Since the the F.E is in Switzerland, I obviously did not have her signature on the letter.  Service Ontario was not impressed.  They also had an issue with the letter not being on a letterhead.  Seriously?!  I'm working for a family, and other than the royal family, who has their own letterhead?  After talking them out of needing a letterhead, they requested another letter with an actual signature and the telephone number of the F.E (thankfully it could be a faxed or scanned copy).  I quickly shot off an email to her, and within the hour had my new letter.  I went back to the Service Ontario office and this time they approved the letter and extended my OHIP.  Yay!  But that didn't solve all my problems…

OHIP won't sign my visa form.  Since they don't cover ambulance costs and a few other costs, they won't sign the form that stipulates they will be covering it.  Ugh.  They did however, give me a form that states what they do cover.  Cross your fingers this will be enough.  So I started to contact travel insurance companies to see if they will sign my form.  And guess what?  They all said no.  "We don't sign anything.  We only send you a copy of your policy."  Great.  But thanks to another one of my amazing aunts and her connections, I may have found a company that will sign the form: Manulife Financial.  If all my other options fall through, it sounds like I'll be going with them.  CAA (aka, Manulife prices on steroids) also said they'd sign if I could prove that the copy of the policy was not enough documentation.  This would be all fine and dandy, but my bank account is crying at my quoted prices.  So I've found another option:  Travel Cuts.  With a target audience of mostly students, this company offers RBC insurance at a seriously discounted price.  I plan on going to the office at York University tomorrow to see if they will sign my form.  Cross your fingers!

After all that, I'm hoping that I'll have all my completed forms in hand along with all the other required documentation (passport photo, CV, request letter to the Swiss Government, copy of passport) and mail it to the F.E on the weekend.  I just hope all goes to plan…

In other news, today is my 23^rd birthday!  I had a wonderful brunch with a few of my friends this morning, and tonight we are hitting the town.  It'll be nice to see all my friends, because with school and work, I haven't had much 'friends time'.  Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post after tonight.

And thank to my parents, I will be starting manual transmission driving lessons very shortly.  Thanks!

Now on to you.  Have you had to apply for a visa to move to another country?  Have you had to apply for a Swiss visa?  What sort of issues (if any) did you have?

Have a great Victoria Day weekend (if you're from a Commonwealth country)! 

A New Adventure - UPDATED - AGAIN!

Today marks a new today.  I have officially booked my flight to Geneva!  But I guess some background information is in order.

A few weeks ago, my uncle let me know about an opportunity to spend a year in Geneva au pairing for a family of five.  The mother is actually a friend of my uncle's, and moved to Switzerland roughly twenty years ago.  She has hosted au pairs from Canada for 18 years (I will be the 19th) for her three children.  Since one is already off to University, I will be responsible for their 9 year old and 17 year old sons.   Earlier this week I accepted the position for the year, starting in August.

I'm planning on using this blog to document my travels in Europe for friends and family back home, and also to look back to once my adventure is over.  It's also a great way to keep track of all the things I need to do before I leave (see below), create a list of goals for while I'm there, and hopefully get some feedback from other people about what to see/do while I'm there.

Until I leave, I'll be venting my frustrations over pre-travel planning as I go through the following items on my list:

TO DO:

• Buy plane ticket
• Apply for a visa
• Take manual transmission driving lessons - 
• Apply for an international driver's license - Don't need to :)
• Put OHIP card on extension for while I'm gone 
• Put car insurance on hold
• Put cell phone plan on hold
• Find coverage for work shifts - Not finalized, but found some people that have offered
• Have enough money in back account to make car payments while gone
• Figure out what I need to bring!!!!!
• Get a new copy of my birth certificate (seems to have disappeared...)
• Make copies of all ID
• Re-certify my Standard First Aid
• Re-certify my NLS
• Re-certify my Lifesaving Swim Instructor awards
• Brush up on my French - I've been working on this while at work.  Anyone willing to practice with me?
• Find good gluten free recipes 

I'm sure this list will continue to grow as a thing of more things I need to do, but hopefully I get through it all before I leave.

As well, I'm always looking for suggestions of places to travel, things to bring, and general travel advice, so please do not hesitate to comment and help a girl out!

T-minus 4 months!