T minus 10

Days, that is.  The flight has been scheduled, and there are 10 days remaining before I leave.  No, I don't have the visa yet, but it should be just a matter of paperwork.  Also, I really couldn't wait anymore if I wanted to get an affordable airfare and still arrive in good time.

After the e-mail with the subject of "good news", informing me that the invitation letter would be sent that day, it wasn't long before Jane started asking me about my flight number.  Now, the Chinese Consulate suggests that travelers wait until the visa has been granted before booking their flights.  However, my visa should already be guaranteed, assuming I don't mess up the application.  And, waiting longer would only cost me more. So, I booked my flight.  Unfortunately, the one that I had my eye on was no longer available, and I had to choose one that had one extra stop.  Fortunately, it only cost $8 more, and it shouldn't cost me too much sleep.

Currently, I am waiting for the letter of invitation to arrive.  Hopefully, that package should have the rest of the documents that I need to apply for a Chinese Z visa.  It should arrive today or tomorrow.  I hope that it will arrive soon enough for me to get the visa this week.

Meanwhile, I've shifted my preparations into high gear.  Along with that, I'm getting a little more anxious.  So, instead of worrying, I need to pray.  Here's what I need prayer for:

Prayer Requests
First, praise God for allowing my voice to last through all six Easter services!  I had been nursing a bit of a sore throat (allergy-induced), and I wasn't sure I would make it through Good Friday and all six choir performances on Easter.  But God was faithful, and I figured out how to sing with a cough drop in my mouth.  That helped.

Also, please pray for the visa process and all the accompanying preparations.  I've done most of this before, but I haven't done the visa before, so I'm a bit nervous about it.

Finally, please pray that I would be able to wrap up everything here before I leave.  I don't want to leave any unnecessary loose ends for my parents to deal with.

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

good news

That was the subject of Jane's e-mail. The content did not disappoint:

Hi Sean,
Our HR is going to Nanjing this afternoon, right now. She will send you the invitation letter today. You may get it in 4 or 5 days, I think.
Please wait and get it next week!
I am excited to see you soon!
Jane

For the record, this is the first time I have actually been approved for a work visa in a foreign country.  My first visa was actually issued to my parents, as I was a babe in arms and my passport was merely an added page in my mother's passport.  My latest trip overseas was on a 90-day visitor's pass.  This time I'm legit.  It's not exactly a green card, but it's good enough for now.

Prayer Requests

First of all, praise God for allowing my invitation letter to be issued!  I was getting a bit worried that it was taking slightly longer than estimated.  In fact, it only took two days longer.  That may not slow me down very much.  This after her previous e-mail led me to think that it might take an extra week.

Secondly, please pray for the visa application on my end.  I know it's just supposed to be routine, but anything could happen.  I don't want to take God for granted now.

Finally, I would appreciate it if you would please pray for my packing and other preparations.  There are a thousand and one little details, and it would be so easy to forget something like, say, getting my hair cut and beard trimmed before the photo and visa interview.

That's it.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.  God bless.

Checklists

Today's post is about checklists; things to do, places to go, people to sniff, etc.  But first, some questions to answer from the comments in the last post.  Blogless A.R. very reasonably asks, "What's the reasoning for purchasing a round-trip ticket?"  Well, my reasoning was that I was sure I'd want to come home sometime, and it's cheaper to purchase a round-trip ticket at about $1000 than two one-way tickets at about $700 each.  Also, I have a three-week break between school terms, and although the school calendar is not available yet, the break coincides with the Lunar New Year (a.k.a. Chinese New Year), so the timing is fairly predictable.  My thinking was that I could save some money.

On the other hand, I'd love to see the New Year's celebration in a major Chinese city like Shanghai.  I could also use the time to check off one or two things from my bucket list, like seeing the Great Wall of China.  Also, my parents will never visit me there if I come home whenever I have the opportunity.  And, it would be more expensive than just coming home for summer vacation.  In addition, the initial expense is greater, and after some research (more on that later), I decided that I might need the extra $300 in the short term.  So, I will probably purchase a one-way ticket after all.

Murielle asks "What part of China?"  For a full answer to that question, see the entry from 09 March.  And now, if there are no more questions, we shall proceed with today's topic.

I'm pretty good at packing without a checklist.  From six years with Boy Scouts, plus several family vacations, I know that I can pack from memory alone, and only leave out one or two minor things at the worst.  But this trip is significantly more complicated than a weekend campout, a skiing trip, or even a 50-Miler.  The last time I did this, I did pretty well, but I did end up having to check an extra bag, with mostly bed linens.  This time my school will provide those, so I am determined to avoid any extra baggage charges.  For this, as well as other reasons, I have decided to make a few checklists.  And, here they are:

Yes, they're big.  They're the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I see when I go to bed.  This is what my life is all about from now until I leave.

You can see I have three lists:

• Purchases, or things I will need to buy (or want to buy), tangible and otherwise;
• Questions, or information that I need to assist in my preparations;
• Tasks, or small chores that might be forgotten or neglected.

You will note that there is no comprehensive list of things to pack.  This is deliberate.  Such a list would necessarily be very long, and include mostly things I am not likely forget, like slacks and shirts.  At one time I had a habit of forgetting pajamas or the equivalent, but I'm past that.  And a list is only as good as the person who makes it.

More to the point, the final packing list is not firm, and is not likely to be firm until the last bag is packed and weighed.  In compliance with a corollary of Parkinson's Law, it is likely that I will want to bring more of my belongings than I can fit into my free baggage allowance of space and weight.  I will have to make up the packing list as I pack, based on what will fit and how heavy the bag is.  Based on past experience, I should do pretty well.

One question that I need answered is the amount of money that I should take with me to pay for food and other expenses until my first good payday.  You can see that listed on the center list as "Initial Living Expenses".  One contact estimates that $1,000 would be a good amount.  I haven't heard from the other contact yet.  I hope it won't cost that much, but in order to reduce my initial expense, I won't be buying a round-trip ticket.

One thing that is annoying me is the list of restricted items.  I took up knitting about a year ago, and now I can't imagine sitting through an intercontinental flight without some knitting to keep me busy.  I even had a project all picked out: a helmetliner from the official Operation Helmetliner pattern, slightly modified, in 100% naturally black alpaca from Alpaca Direct, shorn from a locally raised alpaca named Sunny.  However, Korean Airlines (who appear to have the most economical fare to Shanghai) include knitting needles on their list of restricted carry-on items.  This is even more annoying because I know that knitters flying in the USA and Canada normally have no problem bringing knitting needles on a flight.  I'm thinking about bringing a couple of wooden pencils, and knitting a potholder or two, to be felted in China.

Of course, this is just a minor issue.  There are more serious concerns, like visa approval, and the question of whether I'll have enough money to live in China until my first decent payday.  Clearly, I need to keep some perspective, and trust God to take care of me.

Prayer Requests
As in my previous posts, please pray for my work visa request to be approved.  Also, I've been adding up the costs and looking at my account balance, and I might have to spread my butter pretty thin to make it to my first payday.  Please pray that the financial issues would be sorted out.  I also have another issue that's really worrying me, that is too private to mention here.  Please pray for a successful resolution to this problem.

Most importantly, please pray that God will give me peace about this whole process, and especially this private issue that's just come up.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.

Invitation

Well, my friend finally came through. This afternoon he faxed me the letter, which I promptly scanned and sent on to Jane. About two hours later, Jane sent me the following e-mail, apparently from her iPhone:

GREAT!
I will give it to the related department early this morning.
It is 6:30 am on April 14 now.
I will let you know as soon as I get any news.
Thank you!
Good day!
Jane

I replied, expressing my appreciation for her work ethic, and asking when she expected to get the foreign expert certificate.  A few minutes ago she replied that they expected to get the invitation letter and send it next Tuesday by express courier, estimated transit time 4 or 5 days, which means I can expect it on Saturday the 23rd of April at the earliest.  When I get the letter, I will take it to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco to get my Z visa.  That process is estimated to take about a week.

This means that, Lord willing, I can expect to get the visa around Friday the 29th or Tuesday, May 3rd, since May 2nd is International Labor Day, an official Chinese holiday.  Theoretically, I can leave as soon as I have my visa.  Of course, in practice, I need to book a flight.  In theory, I would feel comfortable paying for a flight as soon as Jane tells me that they have the invitation letter.  Of course, when I pay for a flight I also need to choose a date.  If I choose a departure date before I have the visa in hand, I need to allow enough slack time to make sure that I will have the visa by the time I leave, otherwise I might have to change my flight, which would be expensive.

I do want my parents to be able to see me off at the airport.  I think if I book my flight for May 5th, that should allow enough slack time.  A quick check on three leading flight search sites indicates that a round trip returning at the Lunar New Year should cost about $1057, with a connection in Seoul.  Not bad.  I'll wait to book until Jane has the letter in hand.

Yes, I'm getting a little excited.  It's finally starting to feel real.

Prayer Requests

Obviously, I have very little control over the visa process, so please pray that it will go smoothly and quickly, and that the visa will be approved.  Also, unlike last time, I have no excuse for not cleaning up before I leave. So, please pray that I would be able to make the necessary decisions about the disposition of my possessions in a timely manner.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.

Reference Letter

In my last post, I wrote about how the school wants me to come ASAP when the visa is ready.  Although I agreed, I'm not the one who's responsible for getting the visa ready at this point.  Jane is gathering those documents for submission to the Foreign Expert Bureau (FEB).  I would be happy to let her do that, but there are certain things that seem to be taking more time than they should, especially for someone who wants me ASAP.

For instance, I don't understand why, after she got my corrected résumé, it took her four days to request a reference letter from one of two previous organizations listed in my work experience.  Fortunately, I already had a letter from one of them, obtained for my previous job in Korea, which letter I promptly sent to her.  Unfortunately, it was a Word document, with no signature, and, although it was positive, it was quite brief.  Jane wanted a more detailed letter, with an authentic signature, to submit to the FEB.

So, I promptly wrote to my old business associate, who is still one of my most trusted friends, though we don't communicate very often since I moved.  I asked for a more detailed letter, with a personal signature.  After about a week, I hadn't heard from him, so I called him.  He's pretty busy, but he promised to help me.  After about four more days, I dropped him an e-mail to let him know (in case I'd forgotten to mention it) that there is some time urgency on this letter.  He then wrote back to me, expressing some confusion about what kind of additional detail was required, and asking me to put in the necessary detail, which he would then check and sign if it was acceptable.  So, I promptly edited the letter and sent it back for his approval.

The next day, he wrote back to me late, asking me to make a minor change.  The following morning, when I checked my e-mail, I made the change and sent it back.  Then I let Jane know that the letter was almost ready.  This brings us up to yesterday morning, the 11th of April.  That evening, which was morning China time, I heard from Jane, who finally let me know what the rush was all about.

Apparently, one of the math teachers is taking a two-week vacation to attend a wedding in the USA.  After asking for more info, I found out that this trip is expected to happen from the end of April to the middle of May.  It would have been nice to know this earlier!  I would definitely have been more proactive about getting the letter from Peter.  It would have been even better if she had requested the letter earlier, along with giving me this information in the original "We are looking for a maths teacher now" e-mail.

Actually, I think I know what's going on.  She had written earlier that she would give my documents to HR.  My guess is that she's my contact because of her English skills, and she's passing on the requests and information that she gets from HR.  It appears that someone underestimated the time it would take to get the reference letter, which so far is 12 days and counting.

At any rate, right after I heard from Jane about the time frame, I e-mailed Peter to let him know that there was more time urgency than I originally thought.  This morning, I was planning to call him around noon, if I hadn't heard from him.  But then, in mid-morning, he e-mailed me to let me know that he had been busy with appointments most of yesterday, but he had the letter in his briefcase and would try to get it to me today.  I trust that he will do that.

More importantly, however, I trust God to make sure that everything works out.  My primary concern with timing is the fact that it could take two or three weeks to get the visa, and I don't want to book my flight to China before I know that I will be admitted into the country.  That's just common sense.  At the same time, I want to book my flight well in advance to save money.  Last time I did this, I knew when I wanted to fly over a month in advance, and I was able to fly Singapore Airlines nonstop to Seoul for a very reasonable price.  This time, I may have to settle for a one-stop with a lesser airline, and even so it will probably be more expensive.

Update:  I just had a Google Chat with an old recruiter in Korea.  He invited me to visit.  I told him I might change planes in Incheon (인전, Korea's main airport), and said I might take a day and see Seoul (서울).  He gave me his phone number (I have it already) and said I could call him there.  He also said to send my schedule when I had it.  It's not likely I would have an extra day to do that, but it's possible, if God is willing.  I would really love some Korean barbecue.

2nd Update:  I just remembered what I wrote in my last post about containing my curiosity.  Apparently, I need to be judicious in my questions.  If I had asked about the reason for the sudden rush, maybe I could have helped better.  (Note to self:  It's not necessarily better to wait with questions.  Some questions are better asked sooner, in case the answers will affect current decisions.)

Prayer Requests
I don't know where to start.  Everything's waiting on this one letter of recommendation.  Then the visa process in China, then the visa process here, then fly to China.  Somewhere in there I've got to book flights and pack. Packing is dependent on knowing which airline(s) I'm flying to know the specific baggage limits.  Flights are dependent on knowing when the visa will be ready.  I know when I want to get there, but at this rate, I doubt the visa will be ready in time, even though I will do everything I can to expedite the process.  Please pray that God would sort out everything regarding the visa, the flight, and my packing list.  My experience will help me with some of that, but there is a lot that is outside my knowledge, my control, or both.  I expect that God does this so I will rely on Him more.  Please pray that I would be able to trust God and be at peace in the midst of uncertainty.

"We are looking for a maths teacher now."

First of all, if any of my friends or family were hurt by my last post, I apologize.  I understand that this isn't easy for all of you.  I understand that this isn't the course you would prefer for me to take.  Please forgive me if I have hurt you in any way.  This wasn't my first choice, either.

The thing is, I need to pay my bills.  No one else, no matter how strenuous their objections, is volunteering to provide an alternate way for me to pay my bills.  They are only offering suggestions based on conventional job-search strategies.  Well, that course didn't seem to be working for me.  Finding an alternative market, where my skills are in higher demand, does seem to work for me.  I have been getting pretty clear indications that it is time for me to go "out into the world to seek my fortune," as they say in the fairy tales.

Take this week for example.  Last week, I finally signed the contract and addendum, scanned them, and e-mailed them to Jane, the vice-principal at Wuxi International School who is my contact there.  I was going to e-mail her today if I hadn't heard from her by then.  Yesterday, however, I got an e-mail from her, at what must have been the start of her work week, Monday morning China time.  Here is the text of the e-mail:

Hi Sean,

We are doing the procedures of your visa these days. Is it possible that you come and teach here asap when your visa is ready? We are looking for a maths teacher now.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Jane

Now, bear in mind that the last date I heard from her was mid-August, to start the school year on September 1.  She had previously said something about summer school and early July.  This, however, could put me in China within two months IF all goes smoothly.  That seems to be a good, albeit preliminary, indication that this is the right thing to do.

Now for the 'if', and, yes, it is a big 'if'.  I don't know what prompted the unexpected change in the timeline, and I'm not going to ask now.  One thing that I've learned from my dealings with the overseas education business is that it's important to temper my curiosity.  I have many questions.  I do not need all the answers right now.  It is often easier for everyone if I hold my nonessential questions for a later time.  How big is the school?  How large are the classes?  How far is it from the school to my lodging?  These are questions that others are asking, and I could ask them by e-mail if I wanted.  However, my contacts are busy with many things, I'm sure, and I don't think it's wise to distract them with unnecessary questions.

In addition, my experience tells me that the most helpful things to know are usually not what I would think to ask about.  For example, the physical interaction style of most Korean kids would be considered very rough, even abusive by American standards.  Operating from my own cultural standards, I referred two kids for detention due to the violence I observed.  Later I was told that their detention was cancelled because this sort of interaction was, while not appropriate classroom behavior, not a big deal in Korean society.  This was an important lesson for me in Korean classroom management, and not something I would have thought to ask about.  Nor could it have been effectively explained by e-mail.

So, I didn't ask why, or what had changed.  I said yes.

There was an additional exchange about a chronological hole in my résumé, which needed to be filled.  (Apparently, this is to make the paperwork more acceptable to the Chinese Foreign Expert Bureau.  I trust that she knows what she's doing, and will do what it takes to secure my Foreign Expert Certificate.)  I told her what I had done, and she asked me to put it in the résumé.  I quickly modified my computer file and sent it to her.

While this was going on, the exchange (via Skype chat) continued.  She told me I would need to bring originals of all my certificates to China.  Diplomas, certificates from Korea, ESL certificate.  I agreed.

There are still a lot of things that are not yet clear to me.  For instance, how will she send me the Foreign Expert Certificate?  E-mail, air courier, or mail?  And what else might I need to bring to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco for my visa interview?  However, I don't think I need the answers to all of these questions right now, in order to move forward.  I will make sure that I get the answers I need when I need them.  At this point, I'm waiting for word on the progress of my Z visa application, mentioned in the first sentence of Jane's e-mail.  I'm hoping for good news within a few weeks.

Prayer Requests

At this point, I believe God is directing me to teach in China.  The position I've accepted looks like a good fit for me, the school wants me ASAP, and it would be good experience for my eventual long-term goal of teaching in the mission field.  If this doesn't work, I don't know what to try next; this was my plan B.  So, all the circumstances seem to line up on one side, and that's the best way I know to read God's will without direct revelation.  Therefore, please pray that the Foreign Expert Bureau in China would grant my Z visa application.

My family is not completely at peace with this process.  Different people have different degrees of concern.  I appreciate that there is danger involved.  However, I think it is like childbirth.  There is danger in the process for both parties.  However, there is more danger (if it were possible) in not giving birth; in fact, a successful postponement of delivery would mean certain death for the child if not for the mother.

Having gone to another country to teach before, I believe I am in a better position to understand the risks I face, both in going and in staying, than my family members, who have not.  I have weighed the risks and made my decision:  taking a job on the other side of the world is safer than staying here without good job prospects.  Having made my choice, I would ask everyone to please pray for my family to have peace about my decision, and support me in this process.

Blessings,

Sean M. Pearson

You're going where?

Well, I'm up to my old tricks again, threatening to leave my family and fly to the other side of the world, just to make a quick buck.  I've been making noise about this for some time, but today, it got serious.  Today, I just received and printed the actual contract.

Needless to say, my parents are not entirely happy about this, even though they've been bugging me to get out of their hair (and their house) for months.  In fact, I'm experiencing a little trepidation myself.  Of course, everyone agrees that I need to find some practical way of earning enough money to support myself, and move out of my parents' guest room.  It's long overdue.  At issue is how I choose to accomplish this.

About 18 years ago, I decided that I would never work with junior high kids, either professionally or in ministry.  I knew that someone had to do it, but I didn't think I was cut out for that sort of work.  About 18 months ago, however, I found myself teaching math to 5 classes of (mostly) Korean students in grades 6 to 10.  How and why I found myself doing this is documented in my earlier blog entries.  The point is, I loved it.  (Gotta love God's sense of humor.)

I loved it so much that, when there were problems with my E-2 visa application, I seriously considered marrying a Korean woman in order to get an F visa.  (That would have been wonderful, but it didn't work out.)  All I could do was try to explain to my students why I was leaving.  It was hard, and I don't know how much they understood, but I did my best.  Several of them wrote me good-bye notes, and a few even gave me gifts.  (I think those were the girls who had the most hopeless crushes on me.)  Then, it was on to a farewell ceremony, a good-bye dinner, divide up my classes, grade and return the last make-up exams, pack up my bags, sleep for a few hours, and ride to the airport.

When I found myself back in the U.S., I took some time to evaluate my experience, and what major lessons I could learn from it.  It was clear that, having matured a great deal from my own junior high days, I could handle kids in that age group.  (At least, I could handle Korean kids.)  Moreover, I could teach, and even enjoy teaching, with almost no training or preparation time.  I would probably do a lot better with some formal training in a credential program.

So, I volunteered at a local high school, took the necessary exams, and applied to the credential program at the local state university campus.  That was supposed to be a really good program, with a great reputation.  At first, it went well, after a minor hitch in the application process.  In the fall semester, however, there were problems with my student teaching placement, and the school did not (in my opinion) fulfill its obligation to find me a suitable placement.  So, I chose to withdraw from that program, and pursue other opportunities.  Having been warned that my previous visa problems would likely preclude further work in Korea, I did a little research and decided that China was the next best option.

Yes, that's right, China, as in the People's Republic of.  As in Red China.  Yes, I'm fully aware that it's a Communist country; that is, a country with a totalitarian government, limited personal and religious freedom, and state control or ownership of the means of production.  I'm also aware that it's the most populous country in the world, and its current economic prosperity is based in large part on their success in exporting manufactured goods to the U.S.

This means that those Chinese workers who can communicate in English have much better job opportunities than those who cannot.  Hence, there is a strong market in China for qualified English teachers.  And we're not just talking about a few years in high school and a few semesters in college, like the U.S.  We're talking from Kindergarten on up.  (Yes, it is possible to teach English to someone when you don't speak their language.  I've had some training.)  And at the higher levels, they want to learn correct pronunciation and expand their usable vocabulary, which is where I come in.

The point is, schools in China are actively hiring people with my qualifications.  They are even paying recruiters to find teachers for them.  It's a seller's labor market.  And, for someone who has a hard time dealing with the current labor market in California, it's a job hunter's dream.  Just post the résumé online, and choose from among the offers that fill your inbox.  (I'm simplifying slightly.)

Currently, I've chosen an offer from Wuxi International School, which is in Wuxi, a medium-sized city (about 4 million people) outside Shanghai.  I chose that school for multiple reasons.  They want me to teach Math in English, which is what I did in Korea.  They are a short train ride from Shanghai, which means a cheaper flight and no layover.  They want me to come in July or August, instead of February, which was a little too soon for my comfort.  Also, the salary offer is very reasonable.

At this point, I'm just about ready to sign the contract.  However, my parents have raised several concerns, so I'm choosing to hold off for a little while, while my mom tries to put me in touch with a friend's son who is currently teaching in China.  I also have something I want to do before I send the signed contract by e-mail.  So, I will wait while those things are dealt with.  I don't plan on waiting more than a week.  China is calling.

Prayer Requests
I've got a big decision to make.  And, as is normal with any significant decision, there are a lot of things that I don't know.  On one hand, this could be dangerous.  On the other hand, it appears to be the best option available.  Please pray that God would show me His will in this area.  If it's not God's will for me to go to China, I need Him to open a door somewhere else.  Also, please pray that my parents would not worry unduly.  There are risks in going, but I'm afraid there may be bigger risks in staying here.  Everyone needs to see things clearly.  Thank you.