Well I got my visa. It was surprisingly easy. I decided that consulates are very good representations of countries. The Chinese consulate in New York was large and had marble and granite as the main construction material. The French consulate in Chicago was naturally smaller than New York, but it also had a whole different feel to it. Still bureaucratic, but with more opportunities to interact with the officials. And the decorations were more plush, modern and vibrant than the Chinese consulate. And there was almost nobody there. I was very surprised. Overall it was a good day. Mo [View Full Entry]

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Well here's my first entry- yay. I still haven't gotten my visa, but I refuse to worry. It's Christmas time after all. I think I'll head down to the consulate on the 28th. Which means I need to get the visa app filled out in duplicate and get some horrid pictures taken. Ah, there's nothing like preparing for a trip. There's nothing like getting ready for a journey. First there's the abstract "Hooray, I'm going somewhere!" But after awhile and the time draws closer for your departure it becomes "Holy crap, i'm going somewhere!" Most of the time you can hold [View Full Entry]

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