When I originally applied for my Visa to come over here I applied for a 12 month multi-entry Visa (since I am staying until the end of May and hoping to go home for Christmas). What I received was a 6 month one entry Visa. While I was thankful to get my Visa so quickly I was quite disappointed with the one entry part...basically it means that once I leave China...I can't come back. This effectively ruled out any grand plans for adventures to Thailand, South Korea, Japan, India, Hong Kong, etc. A major bummer to not be able to travel once you are already on the other side of the world.
So with that in mind I inquired about potentially getting a multi-entry Visa at our first faculty/administrative meeting here in Beijing (which literally translates to Northern Capital...hence the word for north in Mandarin is Bei...see I am learning!!). They said it might be possible and that I needed to talk to Stone. Stone! Remember Stone? He was the man who met me at the apartments here on my arrival...he for lack of better words is hard to understand and hard to communicate with...so I was a little worried about this. At any rate, I called Stone and I think I understood that he needed passport photos (ugh...I didn't have passport photos at the time...but Enoch helped me remedy that) and copies of my passport and Visa. I got him the necessary information about a week ago and then on Thursday passed him in the hall. He mentioned that I should bring 956 RMB to his office on Friday a little before noon. O.k. I can do that.
So Friday comes and I prepare my money and head to Stone's office. On my way there I run into Enoch and Rodney (another faculty member here) who are headed there as well...maybe we aren't just dropping off money? So we get to Stone's office and he is talking about something in Changlish (half Chinese, 1/16 English)...I catch that he has ordered a car...o.k.??? Next thing I know we are outside and loading ourselves into a car that he has arranged for us...where are we going...I don't know.
The driver takes us out of the campus...and then on quite a long journey across the city...hmm...o.k...I'll go with it...strange thing about China is you just learn to go with the flow on things like this. Don't ask questions, just trust that you are doing what needs to be done. Finally, the driver stops alongside the road...Stone says 'otecbh' which I envision meant to get out...so we all get out. We are supposed to go to some passport place...but Stone is not really leading the way...it is clear from his actions that he wants us to lead...Stone, we have no idea where we are going...please lead the way. 'Americans first' he says. Umm...Stone, please...we don't know what the heck is going on. "o.k. o.k." he finally takes the lead and leads us on a winding path to a building that is marked in Chinese from the outside.
Once inside Stone grabs numbers for us all and notes that I am first. He then digs into a manilla envelope and grabs huge stacks of paperwork for each of us. I take my paperwork and my Passport and my money and my number is called and I go sit down. The lady starts rattling something off that she wants an answer for...umm Stone...quit joking with everyone else...we need you here...please. He finally comes over...apparently there are dates that don't match on the paperwork...they just erase one date and replace it with a different one. O.k. now they want my passport. They take it. Now they want money. They take it. Stamp, stamp, stamp. Type, type, type. Then they are motioning to leave. O.k. Where did Stone go? I don't have my passport? What just happened? Is that right? The other two go through the same process and Stone says 'back to the car'.
We ask Stone, "What just happened?" No clear response. "Were we supposed to give up our passports?" No understandable response. "When will we get our passports back?" He says, "When I get them." O.k. Next question. "Stone, is this going to give us a full year's Visa." 'No'. "Well, multi-entry then?" 'Maybe'. So in other words...we have no idea if what we did is going to change the status of our passports at all. Hmm...o.k.
After getting home I talked to someone who has been through the process. He mentioned that we would almost certainly get multi-entry through the process that we did and something about that if we left the country for Christmas and came back it would extend the Visa for another 6 months. So this could end up being exactly what we needed. I guess today was an example of why the Chinese are always saying...'just relax'. I'll admit perhaps I should just relax a little bit more and go with the flow. But it is days like today when I have no idea what is going on and am giving over important documents and lots of money with no idea what is happening to them that kind of makes me miss speaking the language and having a clear system for how things work.
But overall, I consider today a success. Not only could I end up with the correct Visa...but on my way back from the Passport place I was with Rodney and Enoch and we ran into two of my students (and their students too). Apparently they are planning a big trip to the Great Wall tomorrow along with a few other attractions...and invited us along! We decided to go...I can't wait, this should be a great adventure!
Zaijian
Gary
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