The Day I Almost Got Deported

Today I thought I was going to have to leave the country. But even worse, I thought I'd have to spend some time locked up before I left. I haven't got my passport, and I can't get it because it's in a police station at Tsingdao (a city 600km away). I'm having my visa renewed, as my original 90day travel visa was up. You'd think they'd be pretty understanding of that situation, but man! did it take a lot of maneuvering and chatting. It was a bit of a harrowing experience, but luckily things seem to be alright now.

It began in the afternoon. I woke up around noon, and my roommates mentioned they wanted to go to the nearby pet market (until recently the largest in Beijing). I was intrigued, so got ready to go. The market is cool enough to deserve its own blog, which it will get soon. So we spent a couple of hours there, and around 3:30 I got a call from a local friend asking me where I was. I had forgotten that we had arranged to meet at my place at 3:00... I felt really bad and rushed home. Upon arriving at home, I met with Casper (bit of a funny name, but this guy is rock solid), and within not even five minutes I get a phone call. This time, from a friend of Brian, the guy whose room I'm renting out. Brian had asked this friend to help us whenever if we're ever in need. One of my roommates speaks mandarin, but he's Korean and doesn't always know the protocol of things in Beijing. Brian's friend began telling me that the police were talking to him and saying I have to move out or renew my temporary residence status. While I'm on the phone with him, I hear a firm knock at the door. Sure enough, it's the community watch (the people the police send to do smaller tasks... pesky people). Luckily for me, Casper is local and savvy, and knows how to deal with these people. The end result is that we have to head to the police station.

A bit of background: In Beijing, you need to have approval to live outside of certain (very limited) designated areas. The approval is easy to get, you just go to the police station with your passport and they give you a "temporary residence status" certificate. It expires on the day your visa does. I didn't even go to get mine, Brian took my passport and went with Casper. Convenient for me... at the time. From that point, I mistakenly thought that they were pretty lenient. I know better now.

When Casper and I arrived at the police station, the officer in charge of our area was near-infuriated. Though I couldn't understand him, I was told he threatened jail-time and deportation numerous times. He kept saying I should've come to the police station first, and that people were dispatched to my place to tell me that. I never received such a dispatch. Anyhow, though I didn't understand his words, his tones expressed enough to let me know to shut-up and look innocent and humble. After half an hour of discussion (ie. being preached to), he told us to follow him. We walked outside of the first building and were going around to the back. I couldn't help but think he was leading us to the jailhouse. But, luckily it was only the residential department. They have records for all people living in this vicinity, and foreigners get a special (mostly empty) shelf zone.

Further complications arose when they went into their system to verify whether or not my visa was being processed. I used an agency to extend my visa (since I was changing visa types, which you technically have to do from the chinese embassy in your home-country... or pay an agent). The agency has ties in Tsingdao, a coastal city 600km away from here. So, that's where my passport is. However, when processing it there, it doesn't show on the Beijing system. So, they couldn't verify whether or not it was being processed. On top of that, using an agency to extend visa's is illegal, and so I didn't want to admit to it for a while. Eventually the truth came out, and I was forgiven since I didn't know. The same officer who had threatened me then gave me his card and had the pesky community watch dispatched to my place to post a note of the police station phone numbers where I can reach him in case of any trouble. Casper was of immense help throughout all of this. I didn't speak a word of chinese the entire time... thinking it was better to play as ignorant a role as possible. I think my humble, innocent expression helped too, but there's no way to verify that.

All police signs here are adorned with a cartoon police officer. Ironic?