Robs' Blog: incoherencies from an american ex-pat in exotic beijing,
  or: how i learned to stop worrying and love bureaucracy

umh, where do i start...

okay, well, on tuesday evening, i noticed that my passport was missing. thinking back, it probably dropped out of my jacket pocket in a taxicab on the way back to the hotel from signing my lease agreement.

on wednesday, accompanied by sunny, i started the process of reporting my loss. first thing was to goto the local police station and fill-out the appropriate paperwork. then, we went to the district station and filled out more paperwork. at that time, it was also pointed out that i had gone past my limit of thirty consecutive days inside china. (even though i've got a one-year visa, it is multi-entry, with an emphasis on the multi part.)

the hotel had copies of my passport and visa, and oliver helped me find a good place to have my photos taken.

on thursday morning, i headed off to the american embassy at seven am, arriving shortly before opening time at 8:30 am. i explained to them the gravity of my situation, and they rushed my passport process. i was on my way with passport in hand by about 9:10 am. yes, folks, this place was running on all cylinders.

sunny and i met at my hotel and went back to the district police station. with her help, i signed the appropriate paperwork, and we were given a ride (along with another american in the same situation) to the visa office. the really cool thing is that we were given a ride in a police car. i asked sunny to see if the police-officer would turn on the lights and sirens, but she laughed and said she wouldn't.

sunny and the police officer were chatting away in mandarin. i asked her what they were talking about; sunny started to answer, and he joined in using very good english. (note to self: don't assume that folks don't understand english just because they don't talk to me in it.) we all then had a really, really interesting conversation about a variety of subjects.

once we got to the visa office, he walked us up to the front of the line and helped us get started. sunny helped me negotiate for a lower fine, we went to another window, paid it, and then came back to learn that we didn't have the right paperwork. we left, and sunny is working on a different type of visa.

all in all, besides my initial "oh s**t, i'm totally screwed" reaction, it was a pretty educational and fun experience.

here are some important lessons:

• keep a few hundred US dollars in the safe... the us embassy wants those benjamins!!
• even if one speaks fluent mandarin (which, of course, i don't) it is best to have a native beijinger around
• know the limitations on your visa, and plan accordingly
• keep copies of both your passport and your visa
• keep four passport-sized pictures in the safe (for us and chinese forms)
• a driver's license is an important form of id at the embassy