The Barkers in Scotland

15 August 2014

one down, four to go

We dropped Dallin off at the airport yesterday and he got on a plane bound for Edinburgh, Scotland. This was the last picture we took before he left. The twins were very sad that he was leaving and were worried that he wouldn't be their daddy anymore. We assured them that he would always be their daddy. And we promised them that it would only be 11 days until we saw him again, and that helped calm their tears. (Well, that and the Chick-Fil-A we drown our sorrows with after we left the airport.)

Dallin arrived safely in Scotland today. He is exhausted, but after a short nap, he went out to the store for a bath towel and some dinner. He came back with dish soap and dinner instead. Ha. Poor guy. Now that he's there and it's too late to change anything, we are both wondering what on earth we were thinking when we sent him there 11 days ahead of us! He is worried about me having to watch the girls without him, and I'm worried that he will just be bored and lonely without us there. But we will manage and we will see him soon!

He says the apartment is small but nice and that Edinburgh is cold but beautiful. He says we will love it here and I believe him. I am anxious to get out there and see it for myself.

But I'm nervous too. Here are a few things that I worry about:
1- Laundry. I've heard from other expats that the clothes drying situation is awful. It sounds like we will be hang drying everything, although how that works indoors, I'm not yet sure...
2- All the rain! And where is the sun hiding? And my glasses! I'll either need to wear a hat or wear my contacts more often if I don't want to be looking through a rain spattered windshield constantly. And will I just walk around soaking wet everytime it rains? I will just have to adjust and teach myself that rain doesn't kill and it's okay to let the kids play outside even when it's wet.
3- What if I can't understand anyone?! What if no one can understand me?!

4- The food. What if I can't find any Mexican food? What if I can, but it's awful? I'm not sure which would be worse. Will they have a good selection of produce? Why does the food have to be so expensive over there?!

5- Friends. I'm pretty introverted until I really get to know people. And talking to strangers is difficult for me, so I worry about the girls and I making new friends. I guess I just need to put on my big girl panties and go talk to that person that I don't know, okay?

Despite these worries, I am SO excited for a lot of things too:

1- The scenery! Castles, rolling hills, lochs, buildings that are hundreds of years old, all that green! I don't know if my eyes will even know what to look at first.

2- We get to experience and learn about a totally new culture. We get to give our children an international experience! (Sure, they probably won't remember it, but I say it still counts.)

3- We have always lived really close to both of our families, and that has been a huge blessing. But now we get to have this experience where we have to really rely on each other for everything and become closer as a family.

4- We have always had great church congregations where we have lived, but I think it will be a new experience living in a country where all our neighbors don't share our beliefs or go to our church. I am excited to experience the LDS church in another place and come to be friends with a new ward family.

5- We are going to be living SO close to so many other countries. The travel options are endless. I don't know how we will ever narrow our travels down to a reasonable amount of places to visit.

The next few weeks have a lot in store for us as I pack up the rest of our belongings to either bring with us or store for the next year, and as the girls and I hop on a plane to "cross the pond!" Wish us luck!

07 August 2014

Roundup

I thought today it would be fun to round up some my favorite past blog posts. A "Throwback Thursday" if you will.
It makes me think about how Dal and I used to be so funny. And now we mostly just feel tired... Haha

Here are my top 5:

1) We should have our own cooking show

2) A note on the fridge

3) Backyard gossip

4) Why I don't always volunteer that I have twins

5) Fat

Enjoy. And maybe laugh a little.

Have a good Thursday!

05 July 2014

4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! We hope your holiday was as enjoyable as ours. We had fun at the Murray City parade, flying kites, BBQ'ing, balloon launching, water fighting, and watching fireworks.

In the evening, we were able to share some stories with each other of parents and grandparents who fought in wars to protect our liberties. We are so grateful for all that they did to make our current freedoms possible.

Deaun is an old soul. She really seemed to get the significance of the day:

Fiona (aka Aunt Jemima):

Sabrina- very happy with the candy loot she collected at the parade:

Fiona:

Fiona launching water bombs:

Sabrina launching water bombs:

Sabrina:

The sparklers made them a little nervous...

Our front yard firework show:

Watching the firework shows around the valley. We could see fireworks from Orem all the way to Thanksgiving point from where we watched. It was amazing!

We had a really wonderful day spending time with both sets of grandparents and enjoying good food and fun. Happy Birthday America!

04 July 2014

Visa Application Process- Scotland

I'm sure that anyone who has ever applied for entry into a foreign country knows how long and tedious the visa application process can be. Applying for visas for five people (2 adults, 3 children) was certainly no picnic, but we did it, and so you probably can too.

A few people have asked what the process was, and what types of visas we applied for, so I will do my best to explain.

What type of visa did we apply for? There are probably one million and one different kinds of visas to apply for depending on the country you are entering and the reason you are going. Because Dallin will be a student in a 1 year graduate program, we applied for Tier 4 Student visas. Dallin was the main applicant, and the rest of us applied as dependents under his visa. We still had to fill out 5 different applications though, and pay 5 different application fees.

How did we apply for visas?
1) We did the majority of it online. First, we filled out applications online (visa4uk.fco.gov.uk) and paid the fee online.
2) Then we set up appointments for Dallin and I to have biometrics done (aka- fingerprinting) at our local immigration office. Because all of our children are under 6 years old, they did not have to do this part.
3) Then we sent off our passports, pictures, proof of biometrics, copies of our applications, proof of student loans, and a postage paid return envelope off in the mail to the British consulate in New York City. One for each person. (Items that we didn't send in the mail because we weren't told to, but were later asked for were our marriage license, and birth certificates for the kids.)
4) Then we waited. We were told that the visas would take about 3 weeks to issue. A few days after sending off our applications, we received an email that they had been received. Then a week later, we received and email saying that 3 of our visas had been issued. The next day, we got one more confirmation. We are still waiting on one more visa confirmation (which we think will come tomorrow).
Overall, the visas issued a lot sooner than we were expecting. It was a very pleasant surprise.
5) After a visa has been issued, the Consulate will put your documents along with your visa into your return envelope and mail it back to you. We are still waiting to receive these, but expect them next Wednesday or Thursday.
6) Then you can book your flight!

Can I buy my plane ticket before I get my visa? I would not recommend it. Just in case something goes wrong, it wouldn't be good to have a plane ticket if you aren't allowed in the country. If you must buy your ticket before you have a visa, make sure that it is refundable or transferable. We are waiting for our last visa to be issued before we buy our flights.

Do I have to have a visa to come visit for a short period? We would love to have friends and family come visit us! As far as I am aware, you do not have to have a visa to come visit if you are in the UK for less than 6 months, and you have a return ticket, and funds to support yourself while you are there. So come hop across the pond!

If you have any other questions about visa applications, ask in the comments. I will do my best to answer them, although, I am by no means an expert.