Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Visa Nightmare

Mom and I went and got my visa yesterday. Talk about CRAZY. We left around 7:30 and because I am new at the whole travelling/ foreign country thing, I forgot to bring my passport - or actually, didn't really know I had to bring it - So it took an extra hour to get to the visa place. We had to come all the way back home, get my passport, and then head all the way back. Boo on that.

We had another hour and a half wait in the world's longest line, and that line was just to even get up to the room where you can apply for the visa. Before we got up to the desk we talked to this line control guy who said that we needed to have an actual ticket to China to get a visa, but we're only going to Shenzhen so we didn't know how that would work. When you go to Shenzhen you go by MTR (which is like the subway) and pay for it via octopus card when you get on. An octopus card is like a debit card and a subway pass combined. You use it to get onto busses and the MTR and at different stores etc. Then we asked the consulate representative about the ticket thing and he said that since mom is a resident of Hong Kong and has her Hong Kong ID card then I could get my visa. So we waited for another hour to get called to the desk.

Once we got to the desk the lady told us it was necessary to have a ticket for me to get a visa. She was very nice and told us how to get one. It was just annoying that we had to get a ticket anyway. Just because you have a ticket doesn't mean that you're actually going to go to that place...but hey, it's all good.

After lunch and some shopping at the Wan Chai market (details to come) we went to get the ticket and got sent on a wild goose chase for the ticket. "You can't get that here, go to this place" was told to us over and over again. Boo on that. We seriously had to get on the MTR go to one stop to change tracks to go to another stop to go to the Customer Service booth there who said to go to the next booth who said we had to go to the east rail stop who said a ticket like that can't be purchased. If that was confusing, well...IT WAS! But we ended up getting some type of ticket and prayed that that would work.

We went back to the visa place and got in another line for another half an hour. The lady at the desk almost didn't let me get a visa because she couldn't tell that it was for Lo Lu (the ticket that we needed), but she gave me a visa! It only let's me into Shenzhen for two days only - which is great because it's all i'll need. I need to get to Shenzhen to get fitted for my sister's bridesmaid dress (trip one) and then go back and make sure it's what I want (trip two).

So after a long day of lines we finally got a two day visa for over 1000 HKD. I'm glad that's over. My dad will go pick up the visa on Friday and my mom, sisters and I will go into Shenzhen on Friday. It should be pretty interesting.

Yesterday I was thankful for understanding visa workers and the fact that there were no lines at all to get home from the visa place, because by the end of the day mom and I were SICK of lines.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

My First Day in Hong Kong

Jet lag woke me up at about 6:30. I knew my family wouldn't be awake so I waited until 7a. I woke mom up and she made me pancakes - she loves me. My sisters had dentist appointments that morning so I tagged along for the adventure. Abby went to Jenni Perkins' soccer game and met us at the dentist. It was pretty funny because she couldn't find a lift that would take her to the floor she was on. It was great.

We came home for just a few hours after that and then Abby, Mom and I headed off to Stanley to get me glasses, you know, because half of mine got lost on the plane and all.... Abby got out early and went to her school to get ready for her musical that night and Mom and I went to the glasses place. They were busy so we had to wait an hour and a half. There was a youth activity that night and since Mom is in the YW presidency she had to be there so we went to the activity until my appointment. The appointment was interesting. In the states they have a big Mickey Mouse looking machine that the Doc changes the lensesin. Here they just have a set of glasses that the Doc holds different lenses up to. That was a different experience.

We went to Abby's play after that. It was funny. Abby told me that I was going to fall asleep in the middle of it because I was so jet lagged. I fought to prove her wrong. And I did! I didn't fall aslep in her play at all! I was super tired though. It was killing me. The play was good and Abby, of course, was amazing in it. It was a wee bit scandolous, so that was dissapointing.

I don't really remember the ride back home from Abby's play... or pretty much anything else from that night. I just went to bed. It was an interesting and event filled day. Full of fun and overwhelming cityness. (And yes, I just made up that word. If you would like to use it...well I have it copy righted and you'll owe me $200/use. Thanks!)

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Plane, Church and Jet lag

Things here are so fast paced. Today we took a shuttle and a taxi to church. It was crazy. All public transportation here. way weird. I'm still not sure where everything is...I don't know if I'll ever be sure. there are so many places here; so many people! It really is insane. But so far it's been fun.

Church was good today. It was branch conference today so the stake presidency was here. It was a good meeting. There are quite a few singles in the branch. There's a fun girl here from Scotland that my mom introduced me to. Her name is Heather and she's way fun. all of the buildings are so COLD here? outside the weather hasn't been to bad- like 70s... but the buildings are pretty much below freezing. Okay,i could be exaggerating, but not by much. I have to bring a sweater with me everywhere I go.

I went to my sister's play last night. That was fun. I struggled with staying awake, jet lag was getting to me and yesterday was a day full of crazy activities. We left around nine for dentist appointments for my mom and sisters. Dad was supposed to have one too, but dad is sick- sad I know. Then we went out to eat at the California Pizza Kitchen,yummy. We came back for a little bit and I went on the computer,unpacked and hung out with my sisters. Then we left a few hours later and went to Stanley market for an eye appointment for me.

Pause for a story... So I didn't sleep the Wednesday night before I left...there was just too much to do and I had to try and get all of the things mom and dad wanted me to bring into my suitcases, it was way hard. anyway, i slept most of the flight because i was so tired and I didn't sleep the night before. I wore my glasses on the planes and that was fine, until i fell asleep with them in my hand and woke up with only half of them in my hand, the other half never to be seen again. Yes, I have not only broken my glasses in half, but I have lost one of those halves. And I'm a junior in college...debatable i know.

So I needed an eye appointment to get me some new glasses. I picked out some black ones like Danielle's - you guys said they looked good,and I didn't want a bright blue...plus, they didn't have the brown that i wanted...like the glasses I had before.

We got the eye appointment but had a few hours to waste until they could actually fit us in. It was crazy busy. So we went to the stores around and bought a few essentials, like mouse and dried mangoes, yum.

After the play I was so tired that I went straight to bed. I slept amazingly. I woke up at 5:45 as my dad was getting ready to leave for church this morning. I couldn't go back to bed so I woke up my mom and we had breakfast together and just talked. It was a lot of fun.

I love being with my family. It's been a lot of fun so far. Dad came home early from church today because he's sick and was home when i got home from the young single adult activity and we just talked for like two hours. It's amazing how wonderful and how great of listeners can be.

Today I am so thankful to be home, to be with my family, and to have such a wonderful family. I am also thankful for inspired church leaders that you don't know, but know what you need to hear. It's amazing how the tender mercies from the Lord come in small in simple ways.