As a citizen of your own country, immigration procedures are something that you rarely have to think about; they exist for those who decide to come to your country, not those who already live in it. Studying abroad changes that assumption and introduces you to a completely foreign bureaucracy that you are often left to navigate alone. My arrival in China a month ago has certainly been a myriad of different challenges and new experiences but all have revolved around my quest to attain a residence permit.
The bureaucracy was a seemingly endless succession of forms, stamps, photos, and signatures all attained, received, and submitted to different offices, approval centres, and registration desks. This experience was certainly frustrating at first but then became comical as you realize you are...
