desi

"My understanding is that it is no longer possible for American citizens to have additional pages added to their passports."

Extra visa pages: http://bangkok.usemb...visa_pages.html


Procedure to obtain extra visa pages

• Complete an application form, DS-4085.  Complete and print your online application.
  
• Make an appointment
  
• Submit the application to the American Citizen Services section between 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  
• Pay the required fee. The fee for additional visa pages is $82.
  
• Allow one hour for this service. We can do this while you wait.

"So, what online company do you use to get your vitamins?"

iHerb.com... very reasonable prices to Thailand.

The comment about International schools in Brunei just reminded me... when I was there some Australians with kids going back into the school system at home were having problems because their unis of choice were not accepting students from Brunei. I do not know how many were affected, I only know it happened.

Jerodong was set up with expensive computers, etc, but the consensus even within Brunei was that the school's emphasis was on play and not on scholastic achievement. Some parents were ok with the lower stress aspects. Some kids were home schooled due to the lack of challenge. And other kids were sent to boarding school. If you are on a tight budget and homeschooling is not an option, all of this matters.

Several Australian families were put in bad positions due to this. To get around the problem, one of my close friends in Brunei moved her family (sans husband) back to Australia when the kids were sophomore/juniors in high school. He joined them several years later. It's typical for expat mothers to move back home with the kids at some stage but this was unexpected and screwed with their finances (reason for being there in the first place).

I'm not saying that the problem exists now, but if you are Australian and have kids in HS find out if your unis will accept kids graduating from Jeridong IS especially.

Local schools: From what I remember, local Brunei schools typically had 60 students per class so if you choose to go for the cheaper option, beware. In addition (if I remember correctly) government schooling is cut into regular classes until about 1pm, the kids have a break and then go back for religious studies for the rest of the day.

There is one school pumping out brighter sparks (St Andrews?) but the classes are huge.

As I mentioned before, all of this could have changed since I've been there but since education is of such high importance I thought I'd mentioned it.

Natalie, I still have friends there and every once in awhile I get local gossip. Things are still as wacky as ever.

Flash from the past... ask your family if they remember the Borneo Bulletin Letter to the Editor that complained about shameless women in Bandar wearing revealing clothes.

It was signed C. More Jugs

Expats were always having a lark in Brunei...

fiberman, on 2011-08-21 17:32:48, said:

By the time I'd left it was dangerous so they were closing down rides. They'd replaced the expat staff with locals and... what can I say. Maybe they've turned it around by now but the trait seemed to be build something huge and expensive, let it fall apart, and then tear it down and build something else. Maintenance was a pesky expat trait... and not as lucrative.