The Visa Mess

I almost wanted to entitle this piece "Ordinary Miracles (3)", but after you read the story, you will see that it's really a messy situation mainly due to an oversight on my part. If there was any miracle involved, it would be that somehow I got away with it. :-)

I had a weekend trip to Shanghai about 10 days ago. It was a wonderful trip, meeting wonderful friends. It was a trip that, if somehow I missed it, I would deeply regret it. But guess what, I discovered later that I should not have been allowed to make it!

The visa - or residence permit, as it's officially called - on my passport was already expired when I made the trip!

I am going to omit most of the details because they are quite hairy. Just know that I am not yet kicked out of this country. :-) Instead of paying the RMB 500 yuan per day fine - it would be close to 10,000 by now! - there was an alternative. I am getting a temporary visa, after which I must leave the country within 10 days. I should then be able to get a travel visa in Hong Kong that allows me to re-enter China. Then I will have 30 days to apply for a new residence permit.

Messy? Yeah, it is. But I like the fact that it forces me to travel more. :-) I will make the most out of the trip to Hong Kong - stay tuned!

Meanwhile, I am truly thankful that I made the trip to Shanghai, even when I was not supposed to. :-)

Teeth Cleaning

I was due for a teeth cleaning. I was overdue for a teeth cleaning. It is recommended to have a teeth cleaning once a year, and I hadn't had one since I came to Shenzhen. One weekend - I don't remember it was a year or a year and half ago - I nearly did it, but then I got "busy."

It is, of course, much cheaper to do it in China. It cost me US $50 to do it in the Bay Area, and it costs about RMB 50 to 80 yuan in Shenzhen. Then this weekend, I got it for free.

Coming home on Saturday night, I walked by a table set up outside a dental office, which is downstairs from my apartment building. (How many times do I have to say that it's a convenient spot?) I asked them about teeth cleaning - it just so happened that I remembered it. The girls at the table replied, "Oh, it's free this weekend." I was glad that I asked, because there wasn't an ad or a sign about it. I left my name and phone number since it was already too late for Saturday.

Before noon on Sunday, I got a call, and they had a spot open in about 20 minutes. No problem. I was on time for the appointment - how can you not be on time if it's only a 1-minute walk?

They led me into the office. To my surprise, it was quite spacious inside. Clean, bright, really nice. I lied down on a dental bed, and a young lady began to work on my teeth. She, as a person, was tender and sweet, but she was not quite so to my teeth. Or maybe it was just the tool she was using. Half way through, I was thinking, why are you trying so hard to get things off my teeth? But of course, that was exactly what this was all about. I just didn't like the sensation. Maybe I should have paid for it, I even thought. So I began to think of something more pleasant, like, root canal (just kidding).

Finally, she was done. I think she did a good job, and it was amazing how much stuff was hidden behind or between my teeth. She recommended another step, which was like a final touch or "waxing" on my teeth. Indeed, my teeth felt rough after the cleaning, and I agreed to it - it cost RMB 40 yuan. It took her only one minute to do it, and it did make me feel better. So I had a teeth cleaning for 20 minutes for free then a "waxing" for 1 minute for 40 yuan. I liked the experience.

Ordinary Miracles (2)

After the summer camp at the orphanage, I was on my way to visit friends in Beijing. When the airplane landed, I tried to call a friend to tell him that that I just arrived. He had sent me a text message on my cell phone a couple of days earlier, so I brought up the text message and exercised the "return call" function, which was to make a call directly to his cell phone.

"Hello?" a familiar but totally unexpected voice answered my call.

"Uh...Amy?" I was hugely surprised. Looking at the number that my cell phone dialed out, I realized that I had called the wrong person. "Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to call you. In fact, I am in Beijing now. Just arrived at the airport." We said goodbye and hung up. "Amy" (not her real name) was actually a friend in the remote area that I just visited.

That was odd, I thought. Bringing up my friend's text message, I tried "return call" again, and it was dialing Amy's number again. Yes, my cell phone was old, and it likely had glitches. I guess I had to dial his number directly. But before I could do that, Amy called back.

"Jim, are you really in Beijing?"

"Yes, I will be here for a few days."

"Oh, wonderful! Can you do me a favor? The medical team really needs some help!"

The medical team was a group of foreign doctors who came to China - that remote area - to provide free medical help. I was on that team 2 years ago, initially was to serve as a translator, but ended up doing the crowd control. The locals were so poor that they wouldn't go to the hospital when they were sick because they couldn't afford it. Now there was this group of very good doctors who brought medical aid and medicines - all for free. One could imagine the crowd! The experience 2 years ago was truly memorable, and the medical team had wished that I could join them again this year. But I had plans already to visit friends in Beijing.

Now, Amy was telling me that this year, the medical team brought more medical equipments and medicines, so much more that they couldn't have all the luggage to come with them on the same flight. In fact, 8 pieces of the luggage had to be loaded on a flight behind them. After they had left Beijing (through the customs) and moved on to the remote area, the second batch of luggage arrived in Beijing without anyone attending them - and only 7 pieces had arrived. The customs discovered that these were some advanced medical equipments, and they wouldn't let them pass. The luggage was kept at the customs until someone could go there in person to claim it.

This caused big anxiety to the medical team because without the equipments, a major part of their work, including some much needed eye operations for the locals, could not continue, and they were only to stay in the remote area for a week. By now they had about 3-4 days left. Amy was a local secretary of the organization that brought in the medical team. She was probably the only person who could make a trip to Beijing, but she was also tied up by many other things.

Yes, she was probably the only person until someone made a "wrong" call. :-)

I spent the next day whole day at the airport. The process was tedious, which was typical in China. A couple of government agencies, including the customs, were involved. We made phone calls among us, back and forth, back and forth. I also had to push them. They had a tendency to deal with the matter "later," so I had to keep telling them how urgent the issue was. Finally, the customs agreed to release the luggage, but a government agency had to produce a "proof," and the customs would not accept a copy through fax but only the original document. I made a trip out of the airport to the government office and came back to the airport - it took me 2 hours and half for the round-trip - and finally the customs let me go inside to claim the luggage. It was about 7:00 in the evening.

We entered a room full of bags and cases - there were hundreds of them! The doctors did a good job attaching special labels to their luggage, and we quickly spotted 5 pieces. After 10 more minutes, we located 2 more. According to the customs record, those were all they received. One guy came in and began to load the luggage for the next flight - in fact, the last flight of the night to that remote area. Strangely, the girl who was in charge of the luggage room didn't stop searching. She was as if talking to herself, "There was another batch of luggage bags arriving last night..." I certainly had no problem to join her. Finally, after 10 more minutes of search, we found the last piece!

When we went outside and reported it to the customs, the officer couldn't help but scratch his head. "Are you sure you found 8 pieces? We only have 7 pieces on record..." Finally, he issued an order to load all 8 pieces to the next flight but only report it as a 7-piece shipment. :-)

Right away I called the medical team to give an update. "Eight pieces?!" they asked in astonishment, "You found all eight piece?!" They must have thought that they lost one piece. When they heard a firm "Yes" from me, I almost could hear a collective shout of joy on the other end. "Jim, you don't know how many people here want to kiss you!"

Oh, please, don't give me any of the credit. We know Who really did it!

Ordinary Miracles (1)

It's been nearly a month since I added anything to my blog; it's time for an update! What a month it has been since I returned to China. I will now share with you some of the most memorable stories, and I shall call them "ordinary miracles."

The first of such "miracles" occurred during my annual visit to an orphanage in a remote area of China. We - an international team - helped the children to put together a musical, with a story about hope and love. The children had started preparing for it for a few months, and we brought costumes and make-ups from overseas for the children to dress like little animals in a forest. Needless to say, we needed favorable weather right at the middle of the summer. Otherwise, two hours of dancing, singing, and acting would be too much for the children in costumes and make-ups. It would be hard for the town people to watch the performance too.

We pr*yed, and we pr*yed specifically. We asked that clouds would come over to cover the top of the outdoor stage. One of us suggested that, since we were at it, we could also ask a few drops of rain to cool the air and moisturize our faces. I cannot say that all of us pr*yed with complete faith, but we pr*yed nonetheless.

At first, it didn't seem that we got any answers. The first few days were extremely hot, and we had to cut short the children's rehearsals a couple of times.

Then... (I will now use a few photos to continue the storytelling.)


A day before the main event. I believe that was the only part in the whole sky that I spotted a few clouds. Even that was a great encouragement to me. I remember talking to Dad earlier that day that all I needed was a "little sign."


The next day. When I woke up in the morning, I saw this from the window of our hotel (if one chooses to call it a "hotel"). Notice the "sky needle" in the background. The town is actually developing and putting together a new town center. Maybe we will be able to check in a real hotel the next time.


As the sun rose, the sky began to clear up. In fact, by midday, it was another bright, clear day. We did not give up. At least, multitudes of clouds were crowding around the edges of the sky. We wondered which group of them would eventually "move over."


At 2:00 PM, when the musical was scheduled to start on the stage, clouds did come over! The sun was "in and out" a few times until it finally comfortably sat behind the clouds.


Roughly 10 minutes into the show, this was how the sky looked like. (While people were busy taking pictures of the performances by the children, I wonder if I was the only one "documenting" the changing of the sky.) And it began to rain a little bit! Just a few drops, and it stopped. Some kids were worried, "It's going to rain!" We assured them that everything would be okay throughout the musical. And it was!

He is faithful, and He delivered again!

Again, I must confess that we were not so sure. I was talking to David, a brother from the U.K., a day before the main event.

Me: "You know, David, we probably did all we could (pr*ying). But in case..."
David (cutting in): "In case He doesn't know what He is doing?"
Me (blushing): "Uh, well, in case I don't know what I am doing, I am going get some extra straw hats from the market." (They were sold at RMB 3 yuan per; I was thinking to get 100. At the end, of course, we didn't need any.)

Ever since, I have been pondering: Did Father answer our pr*yers, or did we answer Him by pr*ying according to His will?