A back-alley tour of the city
To the editor:
Living abroad is interesting. You become good friends with the local constabulary because of all the paperwork needing to be done to prove that you are in the country legally. Such was the situation I discovered this week. Thanks to a new edict from the capital, Beijing, I needed to get a new visa. The pursuit of the visa proved to be a major event that took me into the wilds of the city in search of a police station and then back to the immigration office.
Monday evening I received a note explaining the new edict and the need to get a change made on my visa. It would require a trip to the residential police station, the immigration office and lots of time and patience on my part. All of the business had to be handled in person and needed to be done as soon as possible. Translation: immediately!
Tuesday morning, I picked up the massive stack of papers that represent my position here in China. With my intrepid student assistant, Chelsy, I set off on a mission of major importance. First stop on the list: The police station. In China, in a carry-over from the earlier days of communism I needed to get a form from the police station stating that I was a proper resident of the section of the city I lived in. Police stations in the U.S. are generally pretty easy to find and very well known to the taxi cab drivers. It was my luck to pick a taxi whose driver did not know where the specific station was I had to go to.
There are lots of police stations in the city. Each has a different job. While our departments are linked by telephone and Internet, stations in China at still on the messenger level of communication. Our taxi driver was lost. It is not a good sign when your driver stops in the middle of the street and gets out to ask for directions.
Buildings in China are neighborly affairs. Your outer wall is your neighbor’s wall. We had entered the old part of the neighborhood. What used to be workshops for fixing bicycles were now machine shops for auto repairs. Tiny narrow streets were now filled with vans and trucks carrying the business of a neighborhood. Our taxi filled up most of the street and two-way traffic impossible. Up and down blind alleys and practicing shaving techniques, our driver finally found the right station. Five minutes later we had the paper with the proper seal and went the next stop: immigration office. What fun.
My student guide was upset at the length of time it took to get a simple task done. I was thrilled to see a section of the city few will seldom see. This is the everyday moment that brings into focus the realistic aspects of life in any community. People need to work, Repair shops are a grimy lot, and simple jobs can be incredibly complex.
Thanks for the trip.
Orpheus Allison
Guang Zhou, China
orpheusallison@mac.com
