Forgive me for I have ranted.
BAM! Wall of text.
I've been pretty inactive on the forum since I got to China. I thought I'd have more time to chill, and I did for a while. After I found a full time job teaching kids though things got hectic.
The job is great, they to pay for everything, plus they give great pay. The first week of work they warned us of doing overtime because of the spring festival right around the corner. Anyways, it was a hard week, but I'm glad it's over.
Very last minute they tell me, "You're going to Hong Kong tomorrow to get your working visa".
I thought, "Oh ok". They pay for everything. I wish I had more time to plan the trip, but hey it was free. They're helping me get a one year working visa awesome. I get to the airport and my one mistake surfaced.
"Miss, you've overstayed in China 8 days"
"Crap", I thought. In all the business of moving out of my friend's house to my own apartment and dealing with the new job I spaced on the visa and now this. No excuse. I'm an adult. I should be on top of these things. All over, like mud on a pig that's rolled happily in a fresh mud puddle. But I wasn't...
I knew it was all too good to be true. Oh, hey! They're just letting me go with a warning cause it's my first time. Sweet.
Plane ride was great. First time I don't get crazy sick on a plane. I actually enjoyed it. Mostly cause it wasn't an 8 hour trip. The last few trips I've taken had been rather long. I manage to get in a taxi to the hotel and enjoy the ride and the view. I'm happy with my small super cramped room, and get ready for the next day where I have to go deal with the visa.
Next day. Long lines. No one likes to wait, but I was lucky I had brought a book to read. I over heard some people talking about how hard it is to get a visa here. "They're really strict. They'll deny you over little things", the guy told the other. "I have all the papers I need. I have everything in order. It'll be smooth sailing", I ignorantly thought.
I finally get to the counter where a lady sits on the other side of a wall of glass. I just wait while she looks through all my papers. I'm already planning in my head what I will do the rest of the day.
"It says here you've overstayed in China 8 days. Where's your warning note?"
"Warning note?"
"We can't accept this without your warning note"
"They didn't give me one"
"You need to get it"
"How?"
"Not my problem"
If my phone worked in Hong Kong I would have called my job. Sadly the sim card I had only worked in China. That means I had to either buy a new sim card or return to the hotel. I figured it would be easier to buy a sim card than go back and forth. After walking around for a while I find a seven eleven and get a sim card for about $50.00 hk dollars. I must be doing something wrong cause it's not working. They try to hep me, but even if they did manage to make the call it wouldn't matter. This was a replacement phone I had bought until I fixed my original one. This current phone was horrible. If I didn't plug my headset no one could hear me. I still had to go back to the hotel to get the headset.
Another taxi ride later I'm back. After and hour of trying to get the sim card to work I remembered I still had money in my skype account. I could call from there. I finally get a hold one of my co-workers. I had to stay in my room until they were sure of how to deal with the situation. Our only lines of communication was e-mail. I recommended to install skype on the machines so we could talk for free, but they never did.
My co-worker had even rushed to the airport to get that dang paper. Apparently I never needed it because they only give you one after 10 days of overstaying. They tell me this two hours before closing time. I rush out the door to try and get this done today. My flight was supposed to leave tomorrow, and the only way I was getting my visa on time was if I turned this in today.
I have a horrible time trying to get a taxi here in Hong Kong. I don't know why. I'm just used to Chengdu I guess. I get to the visa 30 minutes before closing, but I'm stopped at the door by a man that works there. "We're closed for today". I explain my situation. He was nice enough to let me pass.
As I waited for my turn again I felt a sense of peace once more. Again, I thought "Smooth sailing from here on out". My co-workers hd told me what to say. Had even given me a phone number they could call to confirm that I didn't need the paper.
The words "We will not be calling anyone", resonated in head. It was like being thrown a brick to the face. She had this tone, as if scolding a child, that tasted like sour milk in my mouth. I know she just had a long day at work, and was about to leave, and she's just doing her job, but I honestly wanted to throw that brick right back at her. I didn't. I just walked away with my tail between my legs. Back to the hotel to report to my co-workers that I had failed. What now?
"No choice" they said. You have to stay an extra night. I freaked cause I was worried about the money. Thankfully I could withdraw cash from an atm from my bak account. Glad I had saved some money there. It was for the loan, but this was an emergency. I booked the room for another night and just went to bed. Stressed with what was going to happen.
The next day was me just waiting. E-mails back and forth, but mostly a lot of uncertainty and waiting. I hated having my fate relied upon strangers that were so far away. I had no idea what was going on. By the end of the day they had managed to pull some strings. Someone in the company knew someone, who knew the manager of the visa place. I was to go the next day and try again. This time stating that the manager had OK'd the call to confirm.
I knew how it all worked in the visa department this time. I made the second to be attended that day. I had gotten the ticket for picking up my visa. I was set. What a sense of release. A huge weight off my shoulders.
"Pick up your visa on Tuesday"
I doubled back at her. It was currently Friday morning.
"Can't get this rush for next day?" There's an option, you pay extra and get the very next day.
"No. Since you overstayed you pick it up on Tuesday"
Fantastic... "Thank you", my fake smile stank the room.
During that day of waiting I had managed to get the sim card to work. I call my co-worker to report my dilemma. I'm the one that has to pick it up. It can't be sent anywhere, and it has to be me.
"No choice. You have to stay. We'll do our best to change your flight and book another hotel. This one i expensive."
Ok. I went and asked how much it would be to stay in the current hotel I was in. I had already gotten familiar with the staff and area, I wouldn't have minded paying extra myself to stay. They were booked full because of spring festival. The lady at the counter warns me that many places are going to be like that. And it was. As I checked online, they were all really full.
I finally find a place, but I leave my credit card back home. That card is linked to my old account back home. I never could use it anywhere else, and the money I had there was for the loan. Transferring money from my Chinese account to my old account was a horrible and long process, which is why I try not to use it. Big mistake. This time I needed it to book the hotel. I tried e-mailing my co-worker to see if they could help but they never replied. I'm freakin out cause not many rooms are left. I got lucky again. My friend on skype had my credit card number cause I had helped her once getting some stuff. If I had relied on my rommate to e-mail me my card info I would have never gotten the room. That girl is way to slow...
All this was yesterday. It's Friday morning here in Hong Kong as write this. I need to be packing my stuff soon to move to the other hotel. Check out time here is at around 11am. This has all been an insane ride. One that I rigged myself cause I wasn't paying attention. I don't think I'll ever stop being absent minded, it's just who I am, but the visa thing? Never letting that one slide ever again.
I'll post some updates once I get to the other hotel. Maybe even pictures.
BAM! Wall of text.
I've been pretty inactive on the forum since I got to China. I thought I'd have more time to chill, and I did for a while. After I found a full time job teaching kids though things got hectic.
The job is great, they to pay for everything, plus they give great pay. The first week of work they warned us of doing overtime because of the spring festival right around the corner. Anyways, it was a hard week, but I'm glad it's over.
Very last minute they tell me, "You're going to Hong Kong tomorrow to get your working visa".
I thought, "Oh ok". They pay for everything. I wish I had more time to plan the trip, but hey it was free. They're helping me get a one year working visa awesome. I get to the airport and my one mistake surfaced.
"Miss, you've overstayed in China 8 days"
"Crap", I thought. In all the business of moving out of my friend's house to my own apartment and dealing with the new job I spaced on the visa and now this. No excuse. I'm an adult. I should be on top of these things. All over, like mud on a pig that's rolled happily in a fresh mud puddle. But I wasn't...
I knew it was all too good to be true. Oh, hey! They're just letting me go with a warning cause it's my first time. Sweet.
Plane ride was great. First time I don't get crazy sick on a plane. I actually enjoyed it. Mostly cause it wasn't an 8 hour trip. The last few trips I've taken had been rather long. I manage to get in a taxi to the hotel and enjoy the ride and the view. I'm happy with my small super cramped room, and get ready for the next day where I have to go deal with the visa.
Next day. Long lines. No one likes to wait, but I was lucky I had brought a book to read. I over heard some people talking about how hard it is to get a visa here. "They're really strict. They'll deny you over little things", the guy told the other. "I have all the papers I need. I have everything in order. It'll be smooth sailing", I ignorantly thought.
I finally get to the counter where a lady sits on the other side of a wall of glass. I just wait while she looks through all my papers. I'm already planning in my head what I will do the rest of the day.
"It says here you've overstayed in China 8 days. Where's your warning note?"
"Warning note?"
"We can't accept this without your warning note"
"They didn't give me one"
"You need to get it"
"How?"
"Not my problem"
If my phone worked in Hong Kong I would have called my job. Sadly the sim card I had only worked in China. That means I had to either buy a new sim card or return to the hotel. I figured it would be easier to buy a sim card than go back and forth. After walking around for a while I find a seven eleven and get a sim card for about $50.00 hk dollars. I must be doing something wrong cause it's not working. They try to hep me, but even if they did manage to make the call it wouldn't matter. This was a replacement phone I had bought until I fixed my original one. This current phone was horrible. If I didn't plug my headset no one could hear me. I still had to go back to the hotel to get the headset.
Another taxi ride later I'm back. After and hour of trying to get the sim card to work I remembered I still had money in my skype account. I could call from there. I finally get a hold one of my co-workers. I had to stay in my room until they were sure of how to deal with the situation. Our only lines of communication was e-mail. I recommended to install skype on the machines so we could talk for free, but they never did.
My co-worker had even rushed to the airport to get that dang paper. Apparently I never needed it because they only give you one after 10 days of overstaying. They tell me this two hours before closing time. I rush out the door to try and get this done today. My flight was supposed to leave tomorrow, and the only way I was getting my visa on time was if I turned this in today.
I have a horrible time trying to get a taxi here in Hong Kong. I don't know why. I'm just used to Chengdu I guess. I get to the visa 30 minutes before closing, but I'm stopped at the door by a man that works there. "We're closed for today". I explain my situation. He was nice enough to let me pass.
As I waited for my turn again I felt a sense of peace once more. Again, I thought "Smooth sailing from here on out". My co-workers hd told me what to say. Had even given me a phone number they could call to confirm that I didn't need the paper.
The words "We will not be calling anyone", resonated in head. It was like being thrown a brick to the face. She had this tone, as if scolding a child, that tasted like sour milk in my mouth. I know she just had a long day at work, and was about to leave, and she's just doing her job, but I honestly wanted to throw that brick right back at her. I didn't. I just walked away with my tail between my legs. Back to the hotel to report to my co-workers that I had failed. What now?
"No choice" they said. You have to stay an extra night. I freaked cause I was worried about the money. Thankfully I could withdraw cash from an atm from my bak account. Glad I had saved some money there. It was for the loan, but this was an emergency. I booked the room for another night and just went to bed. Stressed with what was going to happen.
The next day was me just waiting. E-mails back and forth, but mostly a lot of uncertainty and waiting. I hated having my fate relied upon strangers that were so far away. I had no idea what was going on. By the end of the day they had managed to pull some strings. Someone in the company knew someone, who knew the manager of the visa place. I was to go the next day and try again. This time stating that the manager had OK'd the call to confirm.
I knew how it all worked in the visa department this time. I made the second to be attended that day. I had gotten the ticket for picking up my visa. I was set. What a sense of release. A huge weight off my shoulders.
"Pick up your visa on Tuesday"
I doubled back at her. It was currently Friday morning.
"Can't get this rush for next day?" There's an option, you pay extra and get the very next day.
"No. Since you overstayed you pick it up on Tuesday"
Fantastic... "Thank you", my fake smile stank the room.
During that day of waiting I had managed to get the sim card to work. I call my co-worker to report my dilemma. I'm the one that has to pick it up. It can't be sent anywhere, and it has to be me.
"No choice. You have to stay. We'll do our best to change your flight and book another hotel. This one i expensive."
Ok. I went and asked how much it would be to stay in the current hotel I was in. I had already gotten familiar with the staff and area, I wouldn't have minded paying extra myself to stay. They were booked full because of spring festival. The lady at the counter warns me that many places are going to be like that. And it was. As I checked online, they were all really full.
I finally find a place, but I leave my credit card back home. That card is linked to my old account back home. I never could use it anywhere else, and the money I had there was for the loan. Transferring money from my Chinese account to my old account was a horrible and long process, which is why I try not to use it. Big mistake. This time I needed it to book the hotel. I tried e-mailing my co-worker to see if they could help but they never replied. I'm freakin out cause not many rooms are left. I got lucky again. My friend on skype had my credit card number cause I had helped her once getting some stuff. If I had relied on my rommate to e-mail me my card info I would have never gotten the room. That girl is way to slow...
All this was yesterday. It's Friday morning here in Hong Kong as write this. I need to be packing my stuff soon to move to the other hotel. Check out time here is at around 11am. This has all been an insane ride. One that I rigged myself cause I wasn't paying attention. I don't think I'll ever stop being absent minded, it's just who I am, but the visa thing? Never letting that one slide ever again.
I'll post some updates once I get to the other hotel. Maybe even pictures.
)