Getting your legal situation sorted out in China is not an easy task or at least it envolves a lot of patience, especially if you are a journalist.
After a general medical check up ("You look very fresh", were the doctors exact words), blood test (if you have AIDS, you can´t stay in the country), an ECG and a chest Xray, I had to get my press card done (which includes my chinese name "Sang de la"). Three days after, with the medical results, my press card and my apartment contract, I had to go hand in all the papers at the Entry and Exit Management Section of Beijing.
I stood in line for about 40 minutes and, when I was next, I was told that before handing all in, I had to go to another queue, where my foreign press visa needed to be inspected. A line only for foreign journalists, of course... how could I think that it was gonna be easy?
At first I just stood there, since nobody came to inspect my visa. I felt like a fool, standing under the "Foreign press visa inspections" sign as if I had the word "Journalist" written accross my forehead. So after another 30 minutes, a woman took my passport, wrote down my information on a sheet of paper she found on the table (not even on the computer or an official form) and asked me a couple of questions. She wanted to know how old I was (she thought I looked too young to be a journalist), if I spoke chinese, if I had anyone tell help me out with the things I "didn´t understand" at the office, how long I was staying, etc...
After a long while, she could tell I was running out of patience and just wanted to get it all done. She asked for my phone number and then smiled as she said: "Welcome to China". The situation was a bit surreal for me. Questions, inspections, long waiting and then... a big smile and a warm welcome to her country. The best sentence came at the very end of our interesting conversation: "I am the foreing press police. We should be friends!". I forced a smile back, totally skeptical: "Yeah, sure".
As I left for the first line again, my new friend called me on my mobile. Apparently she had forgotten to get my passport number... Anyways, I managed to get my legal situation sorted out and after a week I picked up my residency permit valid until the end of December. Let´s hope I don´t have go to through any of this anytime I want to travel!
After a general medical check up ("You look very fresh", were the doctors exact words), blood test (if you have AIDS, you can´t stay in the country), an ECG and a chest Xray, I had to get my press card done (which includes my chinese name "Sang de la"). Three days after, with the medical results, my press card and my apartment contract, I had to go hand in all the papers at the Entry and Exit Management Section of Beijing.
I stood in line for about 40 minutes and, when I was next, I was told that before handing all in, I had to go to another queue, where my foreign press visa needed to be inspected. A line only for foreign journalists, of course... how could I think that it was gonna be easy?
At first I just stood there, since nobody came to inspect my visa. I felt like a fool, standing under the "Foreign press visa inspections" sign as if I had the word "Journalist" written accross my forehead. So after another 30 minutes, a woman took my passport, wrote down my information on a sheet of paper she found on the table (not even on the computer or an official form) and asked me a couple of questions. She wanted to know how old I was (she thought I looked too young to be a journalist), if I spoke chinese, if I had anyone tell help me out with the things I "didn´t understand" at the office, how long I was staying, etc...
After a long while, she could tell I was running out of patience and just wanted to get it all done. She asked for my phone number and then smiled as she said: "Welcome to China". The situation was a bit surreal for me. Questions, inspections, long waiting and then... a big smile and a warm welcome to her country. The best sentence came at the very end of our interesting conversation: "I am the foreing press police. We should be friends!". I forced a smile back, totally skeptical: "Yeah, sure".
As I left for the first line again, my new friend called me on my mobile. Apparently she had forgotten to get my passport number... Anyways, I managed to get my legal situation sorted out and after a week I picked up my residency permit valid until the end of December. Let´s hope I don´t have go to through any of this anytime I want to travel!
4 comentarios:
Sang de La (creo recordar que es así), has sido víctima de la brucocracia, que en cualquier país del mundo es una enorme molestia, a veces insuperable. Parece que en China los trámites son más liantes. Si me hiciste comprobar que la Luna no está tan lejos, hoy entendí que si la globalización empieza por algo, es por los sentimientos. Y yo tengo UN sentimiento muy grande, que no me cabe. Hasta la próxima, Sang de La.
I like your blog a lot. It´s been a great idea and you write really well. It´s a way, for those who don´t have the chance of going to China (it´s my case),to know very amazing things about Chinesse people; they look so weird! I think it must have been very hard for you to get used to this country and the people...but time goes by very quickly so,have a good time and learn! ah! please, don´t get stuck on pigs!!!
(we miss you a lot. Take care!Loads of kisses.Pilar(Angel´s mother)
Are you sure the lunar year isn't 1984? Sounds eerily Orwellian. But interesting. Navigating the networks of red tape will only sharpen your investigative instincts. As for your writing, well that seems as sharp as a pincho with fried scorpions on the end! Keep up the good work, and I will keep up the so-so feedback.
Guau!!!!vaya pedazo de Blog!!es la primera vez que entro porque echando un vistazo he visto que tenias puesta la dirección. Me ha encantado, esta fenomenal escrito, los textos enganchan mucho y lo de los escupitajos de los chinos,es genial, me ha encantado!!!(me estaba imaginando a los chinos en plena hazaña...grrrrr)
Espero que estes disfrutando al máximo de esta experiencia y que sigas con esta aventura de transmitirnos lo que esta viviendo a través de la red!!!
muxss bss
Marina
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