Worst Kept Secrets

Ok, today was alright. I got done with class and didn’t feel like strangling anybody, which is an improvement over the last couple of days. I went into the monster class armed with a new strategy - I brought a book of short stories by Lu Xun that they had recommended to me last term, and told them I’d read them and enjoyed them (not a lie). We talked about that for a little bit, and the classroom stopped feeling like a battlefield. Then I asked them to help me with some Chinese words so that I could get passport pictures taken, and they were very happy to coach me on the pronunciation, and even wrote the sentence down for me in Chinese in case I forgot. Wo yao jiao hu zhao zhao pian. Class went much more smoothly after that, so I’m willing to chalk up the rocky past few days to my own attitude problems and failure to connect with them (one of my ongoing resolutions is to be better at admitting when I’m in the wrong).

Then, after class, we headed over to the photo shop, and I was all pumped about using my Chinese phrase. Of course, I walked in the door, and the man immediately said hu zhao [something something something?], and I said, um, yeah, and then he said something incomprehensible and I had to turn around and have Chris handle the rest of the conversation. But by god I was ready to ask for a passport picture. And what a professional! He took my picture and then photoshopped the hell out of it - smoothed my hair, removed blemishes, whole deal, leaving me with about the best ID photo I’ve ever had. I’m never dealing with sulky walgreen’s people ever again. Although I have to admit that I don’t understand why he didn’t just sit me in front of a white background to begin with instead of taking the picture and carefully editing it out while I hung around and perused the little sweaters and handbags inexplicably for sale in the photo store.

Tomorrow I get to go to the police station! There’s been a little bit of a visa mixup (hence the passport pictures), but I’m not about to get deported or imprisoned or anything, I promise. I just need to sign some things and get my L visa extended while waiting on the actual work visa to come through. My liaison’s on top of it, and I work for a school with strong government ties, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. If you hadn’t noticed, I’m really scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to write about.