The packing has begun.
01 May 2011
30 April 2011
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:
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!
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:
IMPORTANTThe 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!
28 April 2011
Kindle!
Today, I answered the doorbell to find a package on the doorstep. I wasn't expecting anything, but since it had my name on it, I opened it. Guess what I found inside?
That's right, a brand new Amazon Kindle! Apparently, my sister and brother-in-law, in characteristically generous and thoughtful fashion, decided to combine their birthday and Christmas presents for me into the one thing that I really wanted (but did not absolutely need) for my trip to China. Of course, they sent it to me in plenty of time for me to charge and load it before I leave. Thank you!
That's right, a brand new Amazon Kindle! Apparently, my sister and brother-in-law, in characteristically generous and thoughtful fashion, decided to combine their birthday and Christmas presents for me into the one thing that I really wanted (but did not absolutely need) for my trip to China. Of course, they sent it to me in plenty of time for me to charge and load it before I leave. Thank you!
27 April 2011
Chinese Consulate
Or, to use the full title, the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China. (Sorry, no pictures this time. I left my camera behind, which was good, because they are not allowed inside.)
Today I returned to the big house on Geary & Laguna, and this time I actually made it inside the visa office. Appropriately enough, as I approached my destination the second time around, the first visible sign of the Consulate's location was not, as before, the flag of the P.R.C., but a long line of people extending from mid-block (where the door of the visa office is located) almost to the corner. I had walked from the BART station to save on bus fare. It's about 1.5 miles, slightly uphill, not a difficult walk for someone like me.
I arrived at about 12:45, and lined up behind a gentleman who was clearly not Chinese, and we chatted for a little bit. The line wasn't moving, because the office was closed for lunch. At 13:00 we were allowed in, after a security screening. The number system wasn't working, which actually didn't surprise me too much, so I got in the visa line, which was clearly labeled in English (and, I presume, in Chinese as well). I had a pleasant conversation with the woman behind me, and just as I was about to run out of yarn on my knitting project, I got to the front of the line.
The woman behind the window checked over my papers, taking my passport and a color copy thereof, taking the application with pasted passport photo, and the copies of the working permit and letter of invitation. (She looked at the originals and let me keep them.) She showed me that I needed to sign the application, which I did, and gave me a ticket to pick up my visa on the 29th (Friday). She did not take payment at that time. I was told I would have to pay when I picked it up. She kept my passport, as expected.
Having read some negative reviews online, I was mentally prepared for a huge hassle and runaround. I must say, I got out with rather less trouble than I expected, thank God.
Prayer Requests
First of all, praise God for helping me resolve that personal issue that I mentioned several posts back. I just had to ask for help, as it says: "Ask, and you will receive." (Thanks also for the help that I received, you know who you are.)
Also, praise God for a relatively painless trip to the Consulate and the successful submission of my visa paperwork.
At the same time, please pray for my return trip on Friday and the timely issue of my visa at that time. In addition, please continue to pray for the rest of my preparations, which are numerous and sometimes complex. You'd think I'd never done this before!
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.
Today I returned to the big house on Geary & Laguna, and this time I actually made it inside the visa office. Appropriately enough, as I approached my destination the second time around, the first visible sign of the Consulate's location was not, as before, the flag of the P.R.C., but a long line of people extending from mid-block (where the door of the visa office is located) almost to the corner. I had walked from the BART station to save on bus fare. It's about 1.5 miles, slightly uphill, not a difficult walk for someone like me.
I arrived at about 12:45, and lined up behind a gentleman who was clearly not Chinese, and we chatted for a little bit. The line wasn't moving, because the office was closed for lunch. At 13:00 we were allowed in, after a security screening. The number system wasn't working, which actually didn't surprise me too much, so I got in the visa line, which was clearly labeled in English (and, I presume, in Chinese as well). I had a pleasant conversation with the woman behind me, and just as I was about to run out of yarn on my knitting project, I got to the front of the line.
The woman behind the window checked over my papers, taking my passport and a color copy thereof, taking the application with pasted passport photo, and the copies of the working permit and letter of invitation. (She looked at the originals and let me keep them.) She showed me that I needed to sign the application, which I did, and gave me a ticket to pick up my visa on the 29th (Friday). She did not take payment at that time. I was told I would have to pay when I picked it up. She kept my passport, as expected.
Having read some negative reviews online, I was mentally prepared for a huge hassle and runaround. I must say, I got out with rather less trouble than I expected, thank God.
Prayer Requests
First of all, praise God for helping me resolve that personal issue that I mentioned several posts back. I just had to ask for help, as it says: "Ask, and you will receive." (Thanks also for the help that I received, you know who you are.)
Also, praise God for a relatively painless trip to the Consulate and the successful submission of my visa paperwork.
At the same time, please pray for my return trip on Friday and the timely issue of my visa at that time. In addition, please continue to pray for the rest of my preparations, which are numerous and sometimes complex. You'd think I'd never done this before!
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.
26 April 2011
Working Permit
This is what I've been waiting for.
A letter of invitation and a working permit from the People's Republic of China. (I've blurred out the private information that's legible to English-readers.) This is what I took, along with my passport, visa application, photo, etc., to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. When I got there, I was glad, for the first time in my life, to see a flag of the P.R.C. However, there were a few things I didn't expect. Apparently, my naïveté knows no bounds.
For one thing, I didn't expect to see a group of Free Tibet protesters. If you're familiar with the cause of that group, you know about what it was like. I don't know how often they hold this protest, and neither did the person in front of me (or else she didn't speak English).
Secondly, I didn't expect a long line of apparently all ethnic Chinese. Yes, I probably should have. However, once I got in line it seemed to be moving right along. This heartened me until I got close to the front door, where I learned the reason for this particular line.
Thirdly (and this is the kicker), for some reason I didn't expect a security screening and metal detector. In the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China! That was really silly (of me). Since I was carrying at least four knives which would have been banned, and I was not willing to part with them, I simply left the line and walked to the bus stop.
Perhaps that was a good thing, because since then, in re-planning my return for tomorrow, I stumbled across some consumer reviews of the consulate service, detailing the problems that others have had, including one person who applied for a Z visa very recently. Now, the consulate staff is not likely to improve their service in response to these reviews. However, reading them should help me prepare for my return visit. For example, one person said that they didn't take credit cards in spite of the information on the website. So, I'd better get a cashier's check. That will delay me until the bank opens tomorrow. I also learned that the fee had increased, something I hadn't checked. I really can't afford to have this delayed, so I'm going to try to be extra careful tomorrow, to be prepared to do the drop-off in one stop.
Apparently, I really need God's help, because there seem to be ample opportunities for snags in what is supposed to be a relatively straightforward process.
Prayer Requests
Clearly, someone's been praying for the visa process, because I clearly needed a dry run and a look at the consumer reviews, and I got both, and it only cost me eighteen bucks. Tomorrow I'm planning to walk from the BART station, which will save me four bucks. Please pray that I will be able to complete the visa application process tomorrow.
Also, please continue to pray for the packing process, especially the choices about which items to bring and how to prepare them for the trip. I'm making some changes from last time, based on my experience and what I have available now.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.
A letter of invitation and a working permit from the People's Republic of China. (I've blurred out the private information that's legible to English-readers.) This is what I took, along with my passport, visa application, photo, etc., to the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. When I got there, I was glad, for the first time in my life, to see a flag of the P.R.C. However, there were a few things I didn't expect. Apparently, my naïveté knows no bounds.
For one thing, I didn't expect to see a group of Free Tibet protesters. If you're familiar with the cause of that group, you know about what it was like. I don't know how often they hold this protest, and neither did the person in front of me (or else she didn't speak English).
Secondly, I didn't expect a long line of apparently all ethnic Chinese. Yes, I probably should have. However, once I got in line it seemed to be moving right along. This heartened me until I got close to the front door, where I learned the reason for this particular line.
Thirdly (and this is the kicker), for some reason I didn't expect a security screening and metal detector. In the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China! That was really silly (of me). Since I was carrying at least four knives which would have been banned, and I was not willing to part with them, I simply left the line and walked to the bus stop.
Perhaps that was a good thing, because since then, in re-planning my return for tomorrow, I stumbled across some consumer reviews of the consulate service, detailing the problems that others have had, including one person who applied for a Z visa very recently. Now, the consulate staff is not likely to improve their service in response to these reviews. However, reading them should help me prepare for my return visit. For example, one person said that they didn't take credit cards in spite of the information on the website. So, I'd better get a cashier's check. That will delay me until the bank opens tomorrow. I also learned that the fee had increased, something I hadn't checked. I really can't afford to have this delayed, so I'm going to try to be extra careful tomorrow, to be prepared to do the drop-off in one stop.
Apparently, I really need God's help, because there seem to be ample opportunities for snags in what is supposed to be a relatively straightforward process.
Prayer Requests
Clearly, someone's been praying for the visa process, because I clearly needed a dry run and a look at the consumer reviews, and I got both, and it only cost me eighteen bucks. Tomorrow I'm planning to walk from the BART station, which will save me four bucks. Please pray that I will be able to complete the visa application process tomorrow.
Also, please continue to pray for the packing process, especially the choices about which items to bring and how to prepare them for the trip. I'm making some changes from last time, based on my experience and what I have available now.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.
25 April 2011
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.
21 April 2011
good news
That was the subject of Jane's e-mail. The content did not disappoint:
Prayer Requests
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.
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.
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