This morning, I sprung out of bed and made my way to the Chinese visa office. I was hoping to be first in line, and I figured arriving at 7 would be good enough.

Alas, I was 31st in line. Maybe the lineup would have been shorter if it hadn't been a Chinese holiday yesterday. Get this -- it was International Labour Day. What could that possibly be? Whatever it is, it sounds way too ironic to be a Chinese holiday. It was just recently reported that like a hundred child labourers were "saved" by the (Chinese) government. The Chinese are admitting that they let a lot of labour laws slide because there isn't enough supply of labour for their demands...and if kids have to work, then so be it!

Anyway, the Chinese visa office is extremely disorganised. If you ever need a visa, make sure to send an agent to get it for you. Too bad, I wasn't there to get a visa. I needed a few documents authenticated. According to the notary public in China, I needed to get my parents' divorce certificate, my passport, and my birth certificate authenticated in Canada. More on my needs in a moment.

The Chinese embassy's Web site is a little out of date and they don't give clear instructions on what you need to do exactly to get your visa. The form is not easy to find on the Web site. It would help if their Web site was updated and if they had some extra people to help people with their forms in the office. Last month, they changed the rules that if you need a visa, you also need to bring your round-trip plane ticket and proof of where you will be staying. I think some people had paid multiple visits to get their visa.

I waited 3 hours for my turn AFTER the 2 hours I spent waiting for the office to open. It sort of helps that they have a numbering system but one person can bring as many applications as they want. They had two people processing visa applications, and one other guy who was dealing with people who had to come back. And the lineup for pickup was huge. They had one person dealing with that -- first come first served. It was a slow lineup. I will have to go into that lineup next week. I think I will arrive at the office at 7 again so I can wait those two hours AGAIN. If I go even earlier and be one of the first 15 people in line, I would be able to wait indoors, too!

I hope everything I need gets authenticated. The woman did not take my birth certificate. I brought in all my originals and when I got to the window, she told me she needed photocopies. The information I got about how to get a document authenticated was incomplete. Luckily, I was able to quickly get photocopies and did not have to wait in line. I felt like I budged back in though.

Anyway, to use Canadian documents in China, this what you have do:

1. Get your documents notarized by a notary public or lawyer.
2. Get your documents legalized (to say that the person who signed your documents is real) by the Governor General of your province.
3. Get your documents authenticated by the Chinese embassy.

Step 2 took over 2 weeks because the documents had to be sent away and come back.

Once I pick up my documents on Tuesday, I can courier them back to Hong Kong. Then the agent will take them to Beijing, and THEN they will issue my dad's death certificate. I seriously hope they don't tell me that I am missing something...especially because of the Chinese embassy here. We have to pay for the agent's travel expenses and if he has to go to Beijing more than once, I will be very MAD! MAAAAD!