Well, if I learned anything from the first time I made this blog, it is to make sure that whatever site you are using is easily accessed and edited while in China. While VPNs are easy enough to come by to "jump the Great Firewall", it makes things a whole lot easier if you don't have to... plus, your VPN is always guaranteed to work.
So, because blogspot.com is powered by Google, and Google is not permitted within Mainland China -- you are redirected to Google Hong Kong and even then still have limited access -- I have decided to create a more China-friendly blog.
I have made a blog account on Sina (新浪). Here is the link to my new blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/2752459823 [Here is an easier link to remember: http://blog.sina.com.cn/feffelli ] As I get more familiar with this blogging platform, I may try to post some helpful tips here (or on there) to help Chinese illiterate readers better navigate.
Also, I leave for China in eight days and am incredibly anxious to finally return.
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Also, some updated about the Chinese Consulate in Chicago:
1) Payment/ Pick Up Options:
As of July 2013, they have discontinued the same day rush service. So, you (American citizens) either can pay $140 and pick up their visa 4 business days later or you can pay $160 and pick up the visa in 2 business days. Again, you can pay by credit card or cashier's check. Cash and personal checks are not accepted.
2) Visa Application Form:
As of September 1, 2013, there is a new form for visa applications. It should say V.2013. I would check the website for the Chinese Embassy (in Washington D.C.) for questions about visas. They have more detailed descriptions of the different types of visas and what paperwork you need.
3) Supplemental Paperwork:
If you are submtting your visa and some of your paperwork is missing or incorrect and needs to be fixed, they may still take your application and begin processing. If they give you a pink receipt, that means they will process the visa and actually accepte the missing paperwork when you return to pay! So a silver lining to everything.
9.07.2013
8.10.2013
海归了！
The adventure continues! I will be returning to China later this fall...
But first a short recap since my last post nearly two years ago:
After my semester in Xi'an, I returned to China during the summer of 2012 for a U.S. State Department sponsored Critical Language Scholarship. I spent two months with roughly 30 other Chinese language scholars (some had only taken a few semesters, while others had taken a few years) in Beijing, China. Two of the most important aspects of our study were living with host families and adhering to a Chinese-only language pledge. Long storty short, I loved my host family, made a bunch of good friends, improved my Chinese way beyond my belief (only to forget it again once I returned to the United States, naturally), got to see Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) and Qingdao (青岛), and was a co-winner for best adherent to the language pledge.
After my CLS summer, I returned to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and completed my undergraduate degree. I managed to graduate in four years with two majors, studying abroad three times, and being very involved-- yay for me! After graduation, I taught short-term courses for middle school children about Chinese Language and Culture and Asian Cooking.
And now to the present: my partner recently was offered a job in Beijing, China to work as a Chemsitry teacher for a joint-venture high school. So he packed up his bags and left for Beijing earlier today. I am still in the United States, looking after the dog and the house until we figure out what to do with it (the dog, luckily, will be making the trip to China) and looking for my own job in Beijing.
I didn't blog during my CLS-summer in Beijing for two main reasons: 1) I didn't want to bother with a VPN to post on my Google-hosted blog (trying to upload photos while I was in Xi'an was one of the most frustrating experiences!) and 2) I was literally exhausted every day when I came home, I don't think I would've had enough energy to be a good blogger. But, I want to make sure I remember my third time in China -- and I hope that this blog serves as some good inspiration, motivation, travelogue, whatever to any who happens to stumble upon it.
**About the title:
海归 hǎi guī refers to someone returning from overseas, most notably for Chinese students returning from studying abroad. The term, however, is also a homophone for 海龟 hǎi guī, which means "sea turtle." This term, "sea turtle," is used within the popular media to refer to those Chinese who return home and are successful back in China. This term is contrasted with the term "seaweed" 海带
Taken from http://fm.m4.cn/2013-07/1210055.shtml, a Chinese edition of an article from The Economist.
The picture illustrates one of many potential problems "sea turtles" face (and why they may become "seaweed") -- having spent time abroad, they have lost out on the opportunities to make valuable connections and sufficient networking within mainland China to land a (good) job.
But first a short recap since my last post nearly two years ago:
After my semester in Xi'an, I returned to China during the summer of 2012 for a U.S. State Department sponsored Critical Language Scholarship. I spent two months with roughly 30 other Chinese language scholars (some had only taken a few semesters, while others had taken a few years) in Beijing, China. Two of the most important aspects of our study were living with host families and adhering to a Chinese-only language pledge. Long storty short, I loved my host family, made a bunch of good friends, improved my Chinese way beyond my belief (only to forget it again once I returned to the United States, naturally), got to see Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) and Qingdao (青岛), and was a co-winner for best adherent to the language pledge.
After my CLS summer, I returned to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and completed my undergraduate degree. I managed to graduate in four years with two majors, studying abroad three times, and being very involved-- yay for me! After graduation, I taught short-term courses for middle school children about Chinese Language and Culture and Asian Cooking.
And now to the present: my partner recently was offered a job in Beijing, China to work as a Chemsitry teacher for a joint-venture high school. So he packed up his bags and left for Beijing earlier today. I am still in the United States, looking after the dog and the house until we figure out what to do with it (the dog, luckily, will be making the trip to China) and looking for my own job in Beijing.
I didn't blog during my CLS-summer in Beijing for two main reasons: 1) I didn't want to bother with a VPN to post on my Google-hosted blog (trying to upload photos while I was in Xi'an was one of the most frustrating experiences!) and 2) I was literally exhausted every day when I came home, I don't think I would've had enough energy to be a good blogger. But, I want to make sure I remember my third time in China -- and I hope that this blog serves as some good inspiration, motivation, travelogue, whatever to any who happens to stumble upon it.
**About the title:
海归 hǎi guī refers to someone returning from overseas, most notably for Chinese students returning from studying abroad. The term, however, is also a homophone for 海龟 hǎi guī, which means "sea turtle." This term, "sea turtle," is used within the popular media to refer to those Chinese who return home and are successful back in China. This term is contrasted with the term "seaweed" 海带
The picture illustrates one of many potential problems "sea turtles" face (and why they may become "seaweed") -- having spent time abroad, they have lost out on the opportunities to make valuable connections and sufficient networking within mainland China to land a (good) job.
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