Wednesday, November 23, 2005

The train to Beijing West Station

The train ride here was amazingly comfortable. The following is an entry from my Moleskin travel log last Friday.

Yesterday, spent the first two or so hours starring out the window in front of my cabin. When I first stepped on the train, I had trouble opening the door. I thought I may have been doing something wrong. I struggled for more than five minutes until I jerked it opened. I sat down and made myself comfortable with the pillows. Soon afterwards, an old Chinese man entered. He must have been in his 60's. Damn, there goes the idea that I'd have a room all to myself, though, he turned out to be very gentlemanly. We waited until the train departed before we proceded to ask if we could change our rooms for the rest of the coach was empty.

I went out to ask one of the train attendants, "Duibuqi, women ke bu keyi huan fangzi."
She looked at me coldly and in Chinese she said, "You can't just jump around to where ever you please!" and walked off.
I went back to my room disappointed. My cabin mate got up and said, "Wait here, I'll talk to her."
He came back a few minutes later. "Go ahead, you wanna change your room?"
This, I came to realize later, is how most things are accomplished in China. It really depends on who does the talking.

So anyway, I got my stuff together and headed for the room next door. The first few hours of the trip was spent looking out the window in front of my room. I was so completely fixated to the scenery change from urban highrise apartments to undeveloped country side. I finally retreated to my room and lay down. We pulled into a train station and suddenly everything went dark. I tried the lights, all four of them. None worked. I thought I should see what was up so I went for the door. It wouldn't budge. "What the hell! How do you open this thing?!" I could hear people passing by. Chinese announcements were going on outside. I pulled on that lever with everything I had but to no avail. I clinked with every part of the door, even resorted to pulling a credit card out to try to break my way out of my own room, all the while getting more and more terrified by the minute. It was dark, cold, quiet, and the f$%#n door wouldn't open. There was no way to open the window. I was trapped. Thoughts started running through my head. "What if we have to change trains? They won't find me because I've changed rooms. I can't call for help because my cell phone doesn't work in this country. What am I going to do? I'm going to end up in Inner Mongolia before someone gets to me." I started furiously racking on the door and the wall that I shared with my former roommate. I was just about to lose it when an attendant came by and opened the door in a quick click. I must have looked like a mad woman when he found me. I explained that couldn't get out so he showed me. I simply had to push this nail like button while pulling on the handle. Oooooh. Why do they not have directions on these things? A few minutes later, the lights went on and the train started to move.

The food was edible but really expensive and salty as ocean water. All I ate were lunch boxes and bananas the whole trip.

The train attendants smoked. I realized this as I was reading on my bed and noticed that my sinuses were beginning to get congested. I thought I detected a faint scent of smoke so I went out to check if it was the old guy next door. I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and as I walk by the attendant's cabin I saw a woman and a man taking a drag. I went back to my cabin, picked up the "No Smoking" sign from my table and showed it to them. They were very apologetic but as I also later found out, China, especially Beijing, is one big ashtray.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Just coasting

I signed a contract with a school last week but there's still no guarantee that I'll be working any time soon because I still have to wait for my working visa to be processed which takes at least a month. In addition to all the stuff that I have to submit there is triple the amount of paperwork that the sponsoring company has to supply. The immigration office needs records of audited financial records and proof that the school tried to hire local residents by providing copies of ads in the newspaper and information about the different people who applied for the job. They need to know whether a new position is opening or if I'm to replace someone else and then if so where this person I'm replacing will go. The list just goes on and on.

I shouldn't really be complaining though. I had only been looking for a job for a week and then I got several offers.

I was telling this to Brenda, Uncle Nai's servant, and she replied, "So, it's not so difficult for you." "Really, but I had to cross the island to do interviews every day."
"Yes, but Filipinos can only stay in Hong Kong for 14 days and then you go to the agency every day and wait for some work."
"And what happens if no one chooses you?"
"Then, you go back home."
"Oh."

Right now I'm just sitting back and waiting for everything to be cleared. Besides, I've already prepared myself in the case that I have to head back to the States. I won't be too disappointed for I've been terribly homesick since the day that I arrived in Asia.

Lately, I've been hiking around the island looking for a place to rent. Living with Uncle Nai isn't as bad as it used to be. When I told him how much I would be making, he was instantly nicer to me. Hmmm... I found this amazing apartment on a small peak with every window overlooking the wide open sea. The rent isn't completely out of my price range and I'd love to live there, but I think I should save a bit more in the beginning.

I should be meeting Shelley anytime now. She's coming to Cheung Chau with her sister. Tomorrow, I'm going to pick up my Chinese visa and by the end of the week I should be heading to Beijing on a 28 hour train ride to visit Jenn. She said she'll give me food and shelter while I'm there so I hope I don't spend too much money.

Thursday, November 03, 2005

The job search

#1 misconception - many people think that it's really difficult to find a teaching job in Hong Kong because most people in Hong Kong already know English.

It's true that many people especially those under 40 can speak English in a semi-fluent manner but it is because most people go through special language training in their formal school or attend a private language institute to learn English. However, the main reason why it is difficult to find a job here, for I've been struggling for the past week, is because there are already so many expats here whose native tongue is English. Hong Kong is such a cosmopolitan city as well as one of the major financial cities of the world, many foreigners living here already have residency or a Hong Kong identification card. This card is the key to doing just about anything in Hong Kong from opening up a bank account to setting up a telephone line with internet to signing a lease with a landlord. The major problem is that it's really hard to get that little card.

First you need to find a company to sponsor you for a working visa. Well, all companies or schools would rather hire someone who would save them the time to file all the paperwork and this is what I heard, it's a lot of paper work. It's just a lot less hassle to get a native English speaker who already lives here because again, there are so many. Not to mention, the company has to wait four to six weeks for the working visa to get processed before the applicant can even start working.

The ins and outs of getting a work visa

The requirements for getting a work visa here in Hong Kong are quite different from those in Taiwan. I think in Taiwan the only things that need to be submitted to the government are the company contract, a physical exam report, a photocopy of the applicant's passport and one of his or her degree. From what I heard, the following are the things that need to be submitted to the Hong Kong Immigration Department.

- copy of passport
- copy of degree which should match the subject you are going to teach (if in a public school)
- copy of any teaching certificates like TEFLs, TEASLs, CELTAs, etc. (required to teach in many schools)
- resume with dates of previous working experience
- cover letter
- signed reference letters from former employers that have the dates in which you worked matching the dates you put on your resume. If you are missing a signed reference letter with working dates from a company listed on your resume, they ask you to take it off.
- a copy of your birth certificate
- a transcript from your university (helps)

I may be missing some other vital piece of personal information and even if you've got all these things, there's still no guarantee that you'll get that permit. I've heard of some people having trouble because they are Chinese American. Those guys at the immigration department look at your Chinese last name and they think that you're Chinese so they'd rather give the job to a Hong Kong citizen instead. I'm I little worried but there is a chance I can get residency through relation if I can prove that my parents stayed in Hong Kong for at least seven consecutive years. If I can get a resident Hong Kong ID. My work related troubles will be over. It's easy to find teaching work if you're a citizen here. Meanwhile, I'm waiting for some schools to get back to me.