申请签证

So I went to get my visa yesterday, and luckily everything went smoothly. I had rather absentmindedly forgot to bring my passport with me when I went down to Chicago on Monday, so needles to say, it was an unproductive trip. I did, however, learn that I needed a newer visa application form than the one I was sent in the mail with my JW202 and Admission Notice forms. Also good to know is that only if you submit your visa application before 11am can you pick it up that same day (after 2pm) with rush delivery (which, at an extra $30, is definitely worth it, since the round-trip train ticket alone cost me at least $10). Luckily we had this information and were successful in obtaining the visa in one visit. (more or less :P)

With my visa out of the way, there isn't really much to do to prepare for my trip other than review my Chinese. I want to learn as much Chinese as possible when I'm over in China, so I'm hoping to place in as high level Chinese as possible (this will also be benefitial when I try to transfer credit back, so I'm not overly reviewing material). I'm excited to get over there, and very excited to meet not only my Chinese roommate but also all the other Americans on the trip. I wonder how many of us there are...

For anyone in the process of applying for a Chinese visa, here are some helpful tips:
1. The Chinese Consulate of Chicago is open on weekdays 9:00am - 12:00pm, 1:00pm - 2:30pm.
2. You pay when you pick up the visa, not when you drop off the application. You can pay with Money Order/ Cashier's Check or by credit card (MasterCard or Visa). For US citizens, base price is $140, with a $20 or $30 additional fee for faster turn around.
3. While you need the original JW202 and Admission Notice, the consulate will take the copy. To avoid unnecessary copying fees/ hassle, have the copies already to give them.
4. If you're going as a student (even if you're applying for a F visa), you need to fill out a supplemental form (Form V.2011B). I couldn't find it online, but they have plenty at the consulate. Make sure you fill out the "X visa" section. Almost all the information is on the original visa application or the other forms, but fill it out completely anyway.
5. If you do rush (1 day) delivery, get back to the consulate around 1:30 at the latest to queue. They will not let you pick it up until 2pm, but because they close at 2:30, it would be unfortunate if you don't get your visa because you got in line too late.

介绍一下

I leave for China in about a month. Now seems like a good time as ever to make my first posting, too :P

A little information about Xian, the city where I'll be spending the majority of the semester. Here's a handy map to see where Xian is in China. Xian is the capital of Shaanxi Province (陕西) located in central China. Xian has been the capital of China the longest of all cities and houses a lot of ancient history because of it. Perhaps most famous are the Terracotta Warriors built for the tomb of Qin Shihuang (秦始皇), who died roughly 200 BC. The Great Mosque of Xian (西安大清真寺) is the oldest mosque in Xian, founded in 742, and is still used as a house of worship. Both the Large and Small Wild Goose Pagodas are in Xian and were used to house Buddhist scriptures. Below are some pictures of Xian, provided by wenxuetcity.com