Z Visa

Today, as planned, I returned to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco to pick up my visa.  I arrived at about 09:30 or so, and the wait was significantly longer than before.  In fact, there were so many people in the office that they held up the security line outside until the lines inside thinned out.  When I finally got in, I got in another line that snaked back and forth a few times like a Chinese dragon.  That took a while.

When I finally got to the front of the pickup line, I gave my claim ticket to the woman behind the window.  She found my passport, took a pair of laminated tickets, gave me one, and paired the other with the passport, which she passed to a woman at a cashier window.  I then took my ticket to the appropriate cashier window, where I exchanged the ticket and my $140 cashier's check for my passport.  When I opened it, this is what I saw (personal information obscured):

The tag says:

IMPORTANT

The holder of this visa is kindly reminded to go through the procedures for obtaining the residence permit for aliens in local public security bureau within 30 days of entry, to avoid illegal stay.

I doubt my employer would let me forget this, so I didn't see any reason to leave the tag stapled to my passport.  When I got the tag off, this is what the visa looked like:

The permitted length of stay is unclear.  I'm not sure whether I can stay until my contract expires without renewing, or if I have to renew a year from my actual entry date, and if so, what I would have to do to renew.  I know it should be good for at least a year.  What is crystal clear is the number of entries:  one (1).  That seems to restrict my vacation plans to travel within China, not that I was planning on going any farther.

Whew!  That's pretty much all the paperwork I have to do before I go to China.  I still have to bring all my original diplomas, certificates, letter of reference, etc. to China, probably for the residence permit procedure mentioned above.  I will also get a physical exam in China to make sure I'm not bringing in the bubonic plague or anything.  (Hopefully my allergies won't be too bad by then.  I hope I'm not allergic to Chinese grass the way I am to California grass.)

So, now the packing really begins.  Well, laundry first, then packing.  I just took my five best dress shirts to the cleaners.  Not that they really needed cleaning, but I wanted them pressed and folded so that I can pack them easily without worrying about wrinkles.  I'll be able to pick them up on Tuesday.  The claim ticket is taped to my Purchases list next to the entry "Dry Clean Shirts".  Otherwise, I'll start the laundry tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I'll be going over my mental packing list before I go to sleep, making preliminary decisions about what I need to take.  Of course, this is all subject to change if the bags are too heavy.  Tomorrow should see me breaking out the luggage and beginning to put things in.  (No, I'm not likely to forget my toothbrush.)

Prayer Requests
Firstly, praise God for the orderly issue of my visa!  This is a very good sign.  If God didn't want me to go, then He could have stopped me from getting the visa by any number of impediments.  The fact that He didn't is a good indication to me that I am following His will in going to China.

Next, please pray for my preparations, especially finances.  I must leave money in my bank account to cover some bills while I'm gone, until I can start transferring money from China.  I must also take some cash to cover my living expenses until my first substantial paycheck.  There definitely won't be much to spare.

That's about it.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying!