Who knew one piece of paper--a white coloured background with a picture and a number--could be so important. It's all in context, I guess: my passport in my drawer at home means almost nothing; but suddenly having it looked at by the Chinese consulate, it quickly has value. I had to send my passport by courier to Toronto in order for someone there to receive it as well as bring it to the Chinese consulate for my visa application. I had a sickening feeling as it departed from hands and slipped into some generic envelope.
The good news is that the party at the other end received my passport and visa application. There was a delay in downtown Toronto due to the G20 summit; however, it went through today. I will need to have my passport couriered back to me before next Monday. This is a tad worrisome since we lose one day due to Canada Day being a stat day without mail.
Another glitch in the matter is that my visa is valid for only 30 days. I need to leave the country and come back to China for another 30 days since my time of teaching is about 42 days. I may have to go to Hong Kong for a weekend and come back. Apparently, due to the Shanghai Expo, the government is tightening up its reigns on foreigners entering the country for the first time. I guess to those who deal with this type of thing on a regular basis, this is nothing to worry about; however, since this is my first time dealing with this--I am worried. I just ask that you think about these logistics and that everything will fall into place.
Panic over passport--a possibility, but I hope to use this as an opportunity to evidence peace in my life because of Someone else looking over these matters.
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