Visa saga

Last week, if you had asked me whether I'd actually be on this trip, my answer would have been "probably not."  Why?  Visas.  The process of obtaining my Chinese Visa is akin to that of walking up an escalator - continually moving but going nowhere.  What follows are the lessons I learned about Chinese culture, bureaucracy, and hospitality.

To submit a Visa for China, many formalities must be followed, including receiving a letter of invitation from the institution, business, or family you'll be staying with.  As I and my colleagues are staying at Wuhan University, we awaited letters from Wuhan staff or admissions.  When we had not received our paperwork three weeks before our departure, we started to get antsy and ask questions.  However we were assured that the papers would come and that we would send the applications to the Chinese Embassy in time for processing.

Okay.  Two weeks before our departure, we finally received our papers and sent them off to the travel agency that was recommended for us by the university - they had aided the Visa process for university students many times in the past, and we were assured that they would help us.  So off our paperwork and passports went to apply for our Visas.

Fast forward to Monday, April 29 (one week before I was to depart), we received word from the travel company that there was an error in sending our passports; they had gone from Columbus to New York and back two times without being dropped off at the Embassy, and they were currently somewhere in route, though we weren't sure where.

Thursday, May 2 – 4 days before I was set to depart for India – the picture was bleak.  Not only did the Embassy not have our Visa applications and passports, the post office was not providing any information on the location or status of our package.  Although I called multiple postal agencies to speak with their customer service, none provided help.  And this clearly translated to me that the package was lost in the mail – doomed.  No more India, no more China.

Later that morning (remember, this is still Thursday), I received a call from the Travel Agent that the Post Office had located our package and would send it to the agent that day.  What wonderful news!  HOWEVER (and this was a GIANT however), it takes a minimum of 2 days to process a Chinese Visa… and as Friday morning was the earliest the package could get to New York, my passport would not be processed until Monday.

My flight left at Noon on Monday from Columbus.

Not taking ‘no’ for an answer, I tried to figure out how I could still board my flight without changing the date of departure, spending extra money, etc.  For Plan A, the Travel Agent suggested that he had a buddy in the Embassy he could try and call for a 1-day processing favor.  This would mean that the Visa would be processed on Friday and sent back to my welcoming arms on Saturday in time for my flight.

Our Plan B was to utilize my 6-hour layover in Newark, New Jersey.  As the Columbus flight was a domestic flight, we thought I might be able to get on the airplane, land in Newark, exit the airport, pick up my passport, and reenter in time for the flight.  This was risky, as the processing timing had to be just right – but it was our only other option.  I called both the Columbus Airport and United Airlines two times that day to ask the same question: “If I’m flying an internationally-bound flight with the first leg in the states, do I need to show my passport to board the first flight?”  The answer to this question (multiple times, mind you), was “No – you will be able to board with a valid photo ID as it is only a domestic flight.”  Great.

Friday rolls around, and it becomes clear that Plan B is the option we’re working.  The Travel Agency said they could not get the 1-day Visa and that they would have someone drop off the passport to me between 3-3:30p.m. to the Newark Airport.  This would be in time for my 8p.m. departure to Mumbai, and it would allow time for check-in, security, and boarding.  Although risky, we went with this plan.

I arrive to the Columbus airport on Monday, May 6 at 10a.m. to begin this journey.  I was nervous, praying that things work out.  As I stepped up to the counter to check-in, the clerk asked for my passport.  I began to explain to her that I did not have it at the moment and that it would be dropped off to me in Newark.  She didn’t care.  She told me that she could not process my flight until I showed a passport.  I shared that I had called United on Thursday and Friday when this was becoming my last hope and that they had assured me it would be okay.  Still, no budging.  She called her supervisor to ask if she could override the passport requirement – and nothing.  Almost in tears, I said “What can we do to make this right?  I must get on this flight today.”  She replied that I must call customer service and have them split my flights, rebook them, and confirm them again.

Great – so glimmer of hope.  I called customer service at 10:10a.m.  I spent a grueling 53 minutes on the phone with them trying to figure this out.  At first, the woman questioned whether or not I understood that I needed to have a passport to fly internationally, and that I needed a Visa as well; this conversation comprised the first 10 minutes of our conversation.  The next minutes were spent trying to communicate who directed me to her and why I thought she could help.  She appeared resistant to the notion that she could do anything; though after another 10 minutes, she understood that I needed her to split my flights.  Splitting my flights was no cake walk either, as she had to drop my seats, rebook them, and finagle me off the waiting list for day-of flights.

On two phones with United at CMH trying to get on a flight…

Once this was all said and done, I was $550 in the hole, as I was forced to pay the day-of fee for a one-way ticket to New Jersey.  She was kind enough to waive my fees for reinstating flights, but jeez – $550 is a lot of money.  As I tried to pay, I realized that I had cancelled my credit card for service in the US and had to call my loving and wonderful (see what I did there? ) husband, Mark, for his card number.  The picture below is of this interaction – United Airlines on one phone and Mark on the other.  Let’s just say that Mark wasn’t too happy about this phone call…

After paying for the flight, I was able to check-in – finally!  Though I was patted down in security and lectured by TSA for using gallon-sized plastic bags to carry non-liquid items, I was thankfully into the terminal and on my way.  I arrived at the gate 5 minutes before we were set to board.  Just in time.

Once we arrived in Newark and were still taxing the runway, I placed a call to the Travel Agent.  This started the chain of communication to let the person know to drop off the passport to me.  A few phone calls and text messages later, I was up outside the terminals and awaiting the delivery… and waiting, and waiting…  Two hours rolled by and I finally received a call from “Jason.”  After struggling to distinguish the difference between a “C” and a “B” – traffic, background noise, and the similarity of those consonant sounds makes communication quite difficult – we realized we were in the same place.

Placing my eyes on this man was one of the happiest moments of the previous two weeks.  I ran over to him, holding my beautiful passport and just smiled.  He asked if I was Sarah Mangia, and I asked if he was Jason.  Yes and yes.  He handed me my passport.  The moment of truth was next: verification that it was mine.  It was – phew.  I signed a paper stating it was delivered, gave him a big thank you, and went skipping off to check-in.

Our BLF Crew at the Mumbai International Airport, fresh off the plane

The rest of the day flew by – literally and figuratively.  I went through check-in, security, and arrived at the terminal with only 2.5 hours before boarding, from the initial 6 hour layover.  My fellow travelers clapped when they saw me, and I gleamed.  I was overjoyed and incredibly thankful to be able to board the flight and begin my 27 day journey to the East.

Circling back to the beginning of this entry, I mentioned that I learned about Chinese culture during this ordeal.  Indeed I did, about pace/time and hospitality/care.  On pace and the timing of the culture, it has become apparent that the mentality of “it will all work out” prevails and helps to maintain a sense of calm in perhaps chaotic or undesirable situations.  Throughout the chaos of the Visa process chronicled above, the general sentiment was that it would work out - it just would.  On hospitality and care, there was not a time throughout this experience that I was not assured that others were doing their very best to help this situation.  In fact, at one point our travel agent offered to get in his car and drive to New York overnight to ensure delivery of the package.  I understand that this can be viewed from a business perspective, that as the customer I deserve a certain degree of service, but I cannot fathom others going to such lengths to help right problems they did not create – i.e. the postal service.

What a beginning to this journey it has been.  I will continue to write and provide pictures as time passes!