” The gladdest moments, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.”

– Sir Richard Burton

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At the end of October I decided to sign a contract with a kindergarten company in Beijing. And thus, my journey into the world of getting my visa has begun. I’m currently in the waiting period for my work visa, which can last 3 – 4 weeks. The most troublesome part so far was getting a decent photo. First, I went to Walgreens because I thought it’d be quick and easy. It turned out that the photo was blurry, so I had to try again. I wasn’t going to trust Walgreens again so next step, I had to make shift a white background. This was harder than it sounds because we have zero white walls in my house and no white bed sheets, but I made it work and got my photo.

The process after my work visa has been approved is supposed to be even more fun filled. One of the steps involves me having to go to a Chinese embassy. The closest one is in Washington D.C. and fortunately I will be there in December. Here’s hoping the timelines match up and I can do everything in one fell swoop! I feel like everything is going fast and slow at the same time. Every time I think about what I need to prepare I feel like there should be more to prepare or that I have to be missing something. My due date in China is January 6th. Me thinks it’s time to practice my Mandarin a lot more.