I Get An Offer!

I received email from both ISEP and the institute from Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland. You just need to wait for the PPAF and IIS to come and complete the PPAF, which you need to reupload some document that you did on the ISEP page, as the ISEP is just a middle-man between you and the institute there, sometimes the institute do not get much information from ISEP. Then you will also start to process passport and visa things once your insurances is done. Person-in-charge will buy the insurances for all of us, go don't worry much about this. Just make sure whatever she asked, you respond as fast as you could. Different institute will have different type of doing stuff. As for my friends from Orenda also, Fatiha going to Univeristy of East Tennessee, US received an e-manual regarding all of the information she needed whether it is about the orientation program or the culture, expenses and everything she need to know. Chiang Kai Huei received a hard copy from University of South Indiana, US which they post it to him. a huge and heavy manual. While I received nothing, since I am the first ISEP student that will go to their institute, kind of like white rat. They are so passive, if I don't ask, they wont answer. This is quite disturbing as do they assume that I know everything without people teach me? This is not coded in gene ok? Self-learning is also not applicable here as there is no model for me to mirroring.

I explore myself and found out that I need to apply for my housing, so I went to the page and click on one of the option, then found out that i need to pay about 290 euros first. As i mention, we no need to pay for housing as it includes in ISEP benefits, so I email them and ask what happened now. 

Upper message is one of the question I asked regarding housing, and they reply me this...

Second part of the email. I can see that they are in chaos...

This is the first problem that i faced... this actually bothered me for a week and I am quite worried, if they insisted that I need to pay the rental, then every month 290 euros... no I can't imagine how would it be. It is really a huge relieve when they said it is actually their miscommunication problem.

Then the PPAF and IIS finished, my health insurances safely arrived (?) to me also, so I immediately apply my visa online via enterfinland.fi The document needed are passport pdf, evidence of acceptance letter from Finland institute, means of support, reasons, and so on. After online application, you need to go to Finland Embassy to prove your identity and have your finger print. Before that, remember to bank in to their account and bring the receipt along with the attachment. I paid RM1400.

This is the website for online visa application. You need to create an account before you apply. Choose First Residence Permit, then choose Student Residence Permit for our case. 

Apply it as early as possible since the visa normally need 6 weeks to proceed (for finland), US case is faster, but US need to interview when you apply, Finland no need. When you go to embassy there, you can contact person-in-charge and ask her to prepare a car for you, but allow her 3 days to book the car for you. The driver will send you to the embassy and wait for you, send you back too. 

After you submit it online, you still need to print all the attachment and the form of online application out, bring it to the embassy and hand in one more times. That time, the person there told me my insurances coverage not enough as they said they need 100k euros, but mine only 25k US dollar. I was like going to speak bad words as no matter how I explained that is the one and only one insurances I can buy for my ISEP, they still told me I need to buy extra one, maybe private insurances company such as APA or AIG. I quite worried as I am afraid my visa could not proceed, but you know what, my senior do not face this problem when he went to Finland. I asked my senior, Khairul Izwan about this, he has no idea, nor do Kak Asiah (person-in-charge) know. I confirmed with them, so with this problem, can my visa proceed? Luckily they told me still can proceed, just maybe later the Finland Govrn there will send me an email about this. Relieved! If like that, I will wait until they email me.

Just a few days ago, I received an email from Finland, and I though is my insurances problem, but no! It is about my means of support. They requested me to send evidence to prove that I have 1170 euros in my bank account plus evidence that I have at least 560 euros per month to cover my living expenses. God knows I send them three document about my benefits, which coverage is 650 euros per month!! I still left less than 20 days before departure, and now they ask me something like that. You know the most funny is, they said any enquiries can email them. When I email, they auto-reply me stated that they already received and in order to make sure high-efficent, they won't reply message. WT... i called embassy in Malaysia, they do not know about this (what!?), Kak Asiah also don't know, Khairul also don't know... Luckily, just now the person work there email me about this, and say it was their miscalculation. Can I curse?

I wonder why my VISA application so many problems... and most of them are either miscommunication or miscalculation. When I feel relieved, I feel I want to punch them in face too. My Visa was accepted and now just waiting for it to deliver to Malaysia's Finland embassy. 

Oh yah by the way, I joined the fb group for incoming spring term 2017 exchange student in abo akademi university. I just got to know something called Student Union card from Khairul too... they did not tell me about this. Student Union Card is something that we should apply if we want our life easier and get discount when buying things there.