Maybe I should explain...

So, I am trying to update my blog and to get back in the habit of writing.
So, in case you were wondering why I was applying for a visa to the UK...
drum roll please...

I have been awarded a Fulbright Teacher Exchange grant.  For the school year 2012-2013, I will be teaching at Cults Academy in Aberdeen, Scotland. 

I began the application process in September of last year (2011) and was accepted into the program in December, then matched with an international colleague in April of this year.  Since April, I have been working toward the exchange:  readying our efficiency apartment for my exchange partner, Marguerite, to stay; looking for a suitable vehicle for Marguerite to purchase and drive for the year; closing up accounts; changing insurance billing options; registering to vote absentee ballot; packing for the year AND packing up my classroom; and applying for a visa (to name only a few of the myriad tasks this adventure has laid before me).  Conversely, Marguerite is doing the same for me and for herself over in Scotland.
 
The final ratification was awarded in the last two weeks and it is starting to feel SO real.  I am both excited and nervous for this grand adventure.  More on the whatfors to follow in a later blog. 

Here is the information from my press release with all the basics:

Niki Holmes Receives Fulbright Award

                                      

Niki Holmes of Annandale High School has been awarded a Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program grant to the United Kingdom the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.

Holmes is one of 76 U.S. and international teachers who will travel abroad for the 2012-2013 academic year through the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

 

Visa application

I have begun my application for a UK visa.  The process is both confusioning and time consuming. 
Tomorrow I have an appointment to have my biometrics taken (all ten fingers printed, another photo of my face--but fortunately not a pint of blood nor a pound of flesh--so it should be easy).
Then I must send away my passport and hope that they are able to process the visa request and return my passport to me before my flight to Peru.  Keep your fingers crossed. 
Wish me luck.