What's the Problem?

November 21, 2008

Without a doubt, my number one complaint about China is the logistics of traveling during peak times. My school has not really helped this issue at all. Case(s) in point:

#1: In August, before the start of school, we were required to get our Foreign Residency Permits within 30 days of being in China. So, what does our liaison do? She waits until day 30 to get the permit. It involved filling out some applications, pretty straight forward. However, with the Olympics and everything else, I did not see my passport for about 5 weeks.

#2: Our school said we would get six days off for mid-terms. Turns out that we did not get those dates off after all.

#3: We were told last week to take our Spring Festival vacation on January 1. Now, our liaison, who was ALL EXCITED to tell us that good news, and that we would get 7 weeks off, doesn't know when we will get off.

Okay, I understand that this happens in a Communist state, in a developing country, in a bureaucracy. I am not miserable about it. BUT HOW HARD IS IT TO CONFIRM?

What our school does not understand, is that, unlike most of the Chinese employees here, we have passports and can travel. We also have people that need to start getting Visas together to come over here. We need to make arrangements.

China expects everyone to just do things at the last minute. It is absurd, inefficient and ridiculous. Of all the Communist governing strategies, restriction of movement is right up there as the most insulting.