Forms

I have always really enjoyed filling out forms. There is something satisfying to me when I take a blank form and fill up neatly with the correct information. Years ago, when we went to a shelter to find a dog, the employees weren't sure they should let us adopt one due to our children's young ages. They sent us home with a form to fill out anyway, and as I sat down at our kitchen table with my ball point pen, I jokingly remarked, "I'm going to woo them with my good penmanship." Lo and behold, when we went back the next day, the lady who received our paperwork said with a sigh, "Well, we don't usually give dogs to families with small children, but your penmanship is SO neat, the neatest I've ever seen. . .I guess we can make an exception in your case." And they gave us the dog. I'm not kidding.

So, last night I sat down with my usual enthusiasm to fill out my application for a renewed passport. All was well until I came to, "Mailing Address." At that point I had a "culture shock" moment. What should have been a simple task made me wish someone else could fill this one out for me.  I had to scratch things out several times, and still am not sure I put the correct information in the correct spots. Nor do I know if they really want my Chinese address, or if I should have put a stateside address. It says "permanent" address, but I'm not sure what that means in our case. Again, I know a few blanks on a form is no reason to get discouraged, but things like this remind me that we still don't have daily life here entirely figured out.

Anyway, it's a new day. I'm over it now, and this morning I set out on my bike to get new passport pictures taken. I walked up to the counter (should have brought a brush, 'cause it was windy out) and asked in Chinese if they could please take my passport photos. They said they could, tried to help me with my fly-aways, and got right to work. Ten minutes later they handed me the 8 copies I had asked for and told me it would be 34 kuai (about $5.50 US) . Another small, seemingly mundane task, but this time I went away smiling! Never once did I have to refer to my dictionary app to figure out what I should say or what they were saying. I communicated what I needed and then walked out with what I asked for at a fair price.

Ahhh, the ups and downs of learning to live in a new place!