Getting a Passport: Not for the Faint at Heart

Time for a passport! I was (finally) able to get an appointment. Yay! The only place I could get an appointment in a reasonable amount of time was almost an hour away at the passport agency in San Diego.  Not yay! But it all worked out. My mom is great and drove me to San Diego for my appointment at 10:30. We parked in a minuscule parking lot that charged a (ridicules) amount. $11 dollars for two hours of parking? I guess that's what it's like in a city, and considering I'm moving to China, I'm going to have to get used to it. After a little adventure of fitting a mini van into a spot that looked like it was designed for a smart car, we proceed to the huge shiny building.

After taking the gut dropping elevator to the tenth floor, we got in line for security.  So, you know those little kid's scissors that are about 4 inches long? Did you know that you can't bring them into secure government buildings? Whoops. I keep an emergency kit in my purse and I completely forgot about the scissors. After the X-ray machine went off and the security guy started digging through my purse, I remembered the scissors, 'fessed up, and found them myself. My purse is far from clean, and I wanted him to spend minimal time digging through it. The security guard then instructed my mom to throw the scissors away, "just not on the tenth floor." Because as we all know,  little safety scissors like to jump out of trash cans and and poke people, but they of course can not use elevators. Anyway, we made it successfully through the first stage of applying for the passport, then sat down to wait. The passport system is very similar to the DMV, but as previously mentioned their appointment system is even worse. Wouldn't it be fun if healthcare worked with such efficiency? 

After waiting for an hour, I raised my right hand to give the little oath they give, signed a paper, and was out of there! It was perfect because we made it back to the car just before our expensive two hours ran out. I'll have my passport very soon because we expedited it, then I can get my visa!

Moving to China is starting to become more and more real!

Passport Pictures

This week I discovered it is much easier to get passport pictures taken than to get an actual passport.  I can now recommend Walgreens as a place to get passport pictures taken, they did a great job and made sure to do the job right.  After attending a delicious garden party, my mom, siblings, and I trekked off to get my picture taken.  I had carefully done my makeup and picked out a cute top to make sure I looked nice in my picture- I'll have this passport for ten years, after all. We got to Walgreens and a nice worker there took my picture, then disappeared to print it. My family stood around waiting for him and entertaining ourselves by looking at old DVDs, he was taking a long time.  About ten minutes later he came back and told me he would have to retake the picture.  Why?  Because the cute shirt I was wearing was so light colored it was blending into the backdrop. He showed me the picture and I had to laugh. He had tried to darken it and change the contrast so I didn't blend in so much, but the editing turned my skin orange and made me look slightly martian. Even if passport pictures are never hott, I'm pretty sure you're at least supposed to look human.  The guy told me he would go find a sweater to put on for a retake. I was okay with that, but so much for my cute outfit!  He came back and said "here, I got you some options to choose from." These options were an XL neon pink hoodie, and an XL black hoodie. They were pretty cute, but more of "cold windy day on the beach" cute, opposed to "this picture will be on a legal document until I'm 28" cute. I picked the black sweatshirt and he retook the picture. Considering how fair my skin is I'm surprised *I* didn't blend into the backdrop!
 So, one silly story later I have my passport and visa photos and I'm ready to go to the passport agency tomorrow!

Speed bump number one

Speed bump number one! It has come! Unfortunately, this first speed bump is one that's a pretty big pain. To sum it up: I was unaware it takes so long to set up an appointment for a passport. That's it. I didn't know. In order for ILP to get my visa so I can go to China, they need my passport. And to get my passport, I need an appointment. And to get an appointment… I need to wait two weeks. Two weeks might not sound like a lot, but when you're leaving in thirteen weeks, two weeks matter.

The way to a passport is weird. I think it's a little silly. First, you call the post office. The post office then tell you to call a random 1-800 number to set up an appointment. But the 1-800 people take a long time to call you back. When they do call you back, they tell you there's no appointments for two weeks, so, call the post office back! It's so silly! The DMV is not a prime example of efficiency, but at least they have a online appointment making system. Oh, and post offices close at three. What time did the 1-800 people call me back to tell me to call the post office again? Exactly three twenty one. That was frustrating. I called the passport agency in San Diego, (an hour away) but they were not super helpful on their whole system is automated on the phone. You press numbers on the key pad to make an appointment. Let's just say it's more confusing than talking to a person. 

So. How will I overcome this roadblock/speed bump/challenge? Calling the post office, weird 1-800 number, and passport as many times as I need to in order to get this passport as soon as possible. I can do it! It just might be a pain. But I know that going to China is in no way going to be easy, and it's not supposed to be. Passports, visas, weird food, rowdy kids to teach, long days, and long nights will all be part of it. But it's all part of the adventure because after all, I'm not just a tourist. 

Crazy Decision

I've made a bit of a crazy decision.  How crazy?  Well, I'm not flying to the moon, but it might seem like it.  I will be flying to the land of no Facebook, no Google, no Instagram, and no religion.

I'm moving to China! 

I will be living there for four months, and I am thrilled!  Thrilled, and really, really scared.  I have had mixed reactions from everyone I have told.  Everyone I have spoken to has said it sounds great, but many have also thought it was a little crazy.  I wonder why. . . I have received some fun reactions of shock, and disbelieving from a few.  I guess its surprising when someone casually walks up to you and announces "I'm moving to China!" 

Before you think my parents are crazy for sending me to China, don't worry. I am going with a reputable program, that I would consider a "Service Abroad".  The program is call the International Language Program (ilp).  This is a program that sends volunteers to countries across the world to teach English to children of all ages. A great aspect of the program is that when you're not teaching, you can go on trips throughout the country you are in!  That means weekends and holidays, I will be traveling China.  China is huge, but I am excited to explore.

This program was founded by BYU students who had done study abroad programs, but wanted to be more involved in the country they were visiting, immerse themselves in the culture, and to give back to the country they were visiting.  In other words, to go as a traveler, a teacher, and not just a tourist.