Going to China was always going to be an adventure, but I had no idea how much of the adventure was going to be actually getting there! I want this blog to encompass most aspects of my time in China, and a true representation will include the ugly reality of pre-trip logistics. Chinese bureaucracy is famously complex (they practically invented it, after all) and the Ameson Year in China program is brand new, and thus is facing a steep learning curve. Communication between the different Ameson offices, the host schools and the teachers is spotty at best and completely non-existent at worst. With their powers combined, these two entities joined forces to create a logistical maze enough to drive your schedule-besotted author batty.
The background check, TEFL, and SAFEA certifications weren't too bad. TEFL, the teaching certification, was pretty easy and SAFEA, the foreign expert certification with the government, was a joke (apparently it doesn't even matter if you pass), but I suppose I should have been put on my guard by the program's requirement for a doctor's note instead of a full physical. I was in a better situation than most because in my scantily-insured state, I was able to get the lovely people at the clinic at my university's Counseling, Health, and Wellness Services to complete a full physical (practically for free) that later came in handy. I turned in all my paperwork just as my final weeks of college ended and prepared to relax. Silly me. As it turns out, the Chinese government made a radical about-face on health requirements a few weeks into the summer which essentially made the physicals of every single AYC participant invalid. We needed another physical, this time on a specific form with very specific information and with an official stamp to seal the deal. By this time, I was home for the summer and since I graduated, CHWS no longer had my records. I called my mother's doctor and begged for an appointment with anybody, even the janitor would do. Fortunately, I get my healthcare at a teaching hospital, so they were able to set me up with probably the newest resident on staff. Fine by me.
*Note my oh-so-official stamp, and my doctor's note that the nurse should use the practice's return address as the "official" seal. I am ever so official.
Now, this new form was no joke. It was mostly in Chinese, accompanied by highly approximated translations, with requirements far beyond the standard American physical. I'm talking HIV test, ECG and chest X-Ray. Oh, and don't forget the full pelvic screening for the ladies. Ugh. To be fair, everyone was blindsided by the new requirement, it wasn't just Ameson. And they really did their best to communicate to everyone that the more extreme requirements would be satisfied at a later date, under the supervision of our host schools.
But those big, scary boxes still caused a virtual panic on the program's Facebook page.
The next logistical nightmare many people are still facing is whether or not they are actually going. I was fortunate to get placed right on time. My school seems to be pretty great, and I think it will work out well for everyone involved. Some people, however, have yet to be placed, and are still clinging to hope, even though we're due to arrive in Shanghai in about two weeks. Ameson has not been very transparent about the placement process or very firm about its deadlines. This is probably entirely due to the fact that this is AYC's first year in existence. I am sure that by next year all of these kinks will be worked out. But until then, there are a lot of people who were led to believe that if they passed their TEFL exam, they were guaranteed placement. This is what I was told as well. Understandably, there are those who are now extremely angry at AYC, some going so far as to call the program a hoax.
I feel for their frustration. As many of you probably remember, it was not all that long ago I was in a similar situation with Princeton in Asia, waiting and waiting and hoping to God everything would work out, only to be crushed at the last minute. Y'all were really understanding of my short temper and distracted behavior during that period, and I love you for it. The difference was that PiA was really good about informing the applicants about their prospects in a realistic manner. I was crushed because I was in denial, not because I was stuck with a ticket to China without a job waiting for me. I suppose the only lesson that I could take from the experience of others is that nothing is certain until you're there, and maybe not even then. It could have so easily been me that I really don't like to think about it.
Ameson is really going to have to create a solid, working handbook on how to handle the placement process for next year. It also should create a consolidated encyclopedia of all things logistics for the teachers. We have questions about everything from flight reimbursements, to healthcare, to banks, to where we're going to live, and our poor coordinators are overwhelmed by emails. I honestly don't know how they have any time in the day once all the emails are taken care of. Maybe this is something I should volunteer to compile, once I have it all figured out, of course. Can you say resume?
The last big thing I am waiting for is my paperwork certifying I am a foreign expert in teaching English (HA) and the letter of invitation from the Chinese government. Once I have these documents, I will be able to get my work visa from the embassy in LA. Once I have that visa my friends, nothing can stand in my way!! But I can't go get the visa yet, because my paperwork is languishing on the desk of some mid-level official in Shenzhen, just waiting for the right person to come along and give it a big 'ol stamp. No stamp, no go. It's really coming down to the wire now, and I'm starting to worry (which is one of the things I do best). While I wait, I'm trying to distract myself with the five billion other things I have to do, like selling my car, packing up my stuff, saying goodbye to everyone I possibly can, and cramming as much Mandarin as possible into my free time. If anybody has a recommendation for a good plane read, I could use a few. I still need a suitcase and travel vaccinations. A Chinese-English dictionary is probably a good idea. I should probably do something about my bank. The list and expense goes on and on. But even so, it's hard to ignore that tiny voice in my head yelling that you can't actually enter China legally yet, so what the heck are you doing?
My AYC coordinator and my liaison with my school have assured me that if my paperwork doesn't arrive in time, I can get a tourist visa just to get me in the country and change it at a later date. I sincerely hope they're right. Without a visa, I can't go, and Xandra will be a sad panda.
Like this guy. That is one sad panda.
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