Since I'm a scholarship recipient, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan is supposed to transfer funds to my university, who then transfers the funds to me (and students like me) every month. Doing this, however, requires that I open a Taiwanese bank account.
When I initially applied for a visa at my nearest embassy (San Francisco), I wanted to get a resident visa. This is typically the kind of visa given to students studying in Taiwan for 6 months or more. However, the people working at the embassy said that they could not grant me a resident visa until I had studied in Taiwan for at least 4 months and then provided them with a doctor's note after a check-up. (This contradicted what I had read online, but whatever.) So I ended up with a multiple-entry visitor's visa, which is only good for staying in the country 90 days (can be extended up to 180 days for students) and allows me to make multiple trips outside of Taiwan and still be able to come back into the country.
To open up a bank account, I needed an ARC (Alien Registration Certificate), which is only given to foreign nationals with resident visas. However, I could apply for an ID number in the interim (until I can switch my visitor's visa to a resident's visa), so that's what my school suggested I do. In order to do that, however, I needed to make my way to the local immigration office.
In Taipei, there are two immigration offices: one for those living in Taipei City and one for those living in Taipei County (such as New Taipei City). The one for those living in Taipei City is relatively easy to get to; you pretty much go out the specific exit of an MRT station and you're there. The one for those living in Taipei County is much more complicated, and even though my apartment is only five minutes away from my university by bus (which is considered within the confines of Taipei City), my residence dictated that I needed to go to the second immigration office to get my ID number. Weird, but I couldn't do anything but find my way there.
To get there, I took the MRT (changed lines once) and a local bus. At the bus stop, I had to make my way up a hill and navigate some windy roads until I found the immigration office. Happily, I made it there without any unnecessary detours, thanks to the helpful map the school gave me before my departure. Once inside the immigration office, you pick up a number and wait until it shows on the announcement board, which dictates which station attendant you should head to. I couldn't find the number dispenser and ended up asking another American for help. She was really sweet and pointed me to the form I was supposed to fill out (or so I thought). I filled out the form and sat down to wait.
While reading the back of the form, I noticed that it said that there was a $1000NT charge for the document. I only had $500NT with me and since I didn't have a bank account in Taiwan yet, had no way to come up with the extra cash without going all the way back to my apartment. However, I remembered there being an ATM in the lobby and thought that maybe, just maybe, it took foreign debit cards as well. Tried it, no luck. I cursed myself for not bringing more cash since I didn't want to make my way out to the immigration office again (it took maybe 40 minutes total, to get from school to there). Went back to the waiting area and asked the nice lady if she knew of any ATMs nearby that took American cards. She told me to walk back down the hill and there would be a Family Mart. I hurried down and tried my card there. Hurray, it worked! Walked back up the hill and sat down to wait once more.
I was number 150, and the number being called was 90. I wondered how long I would have to wait...in the meantime, I read my Kindle, twiddled my thumbs. The pregnant lady next to me said something to me in Mandarin and held out a number ticket. I thought she was asking me if I had dropped it and I told her it wasn't mine. Then I realized that she was trying to give me her number ticket because she was leaving and didn't want to wait anymore. Thanking her, I took it. Now I was number 137.
Finally, after another hour of waiting, number 137 is finally called. The immigration officer takes a look at my passport and then at my application. He appears puzzled. I twitch nervously in the chair. He asks me in Chinese, "Are you trying to get a resident visa?" I tell him my school wants me to get an ID number. A light-bulb seems to go off in his head, and he tells me that the form I filled out is incorrect, I'm supposed to fill out a different form if I want an ID number (and I probably didn't have to wait that long because it's a simple process that involves him printing out a piece of paper from the computer). The nice lady must have thought I was trying to get an ARC when she pointed me to the forms. So I fill out the new form and hand it to him. While he's looking at it, a giant red bug crawls out from underneath some papers on his desk. He freaks out and starts removing everything on his desk and tries to shoo the bug away. I wonder why he doesn't just kill it. The bug disappears. I wait in my chair and try not to burst out laughing.
The nice lady walks by and asks me if I need a ride anywhere, she has a car and she's worried because it's so hot outside. I tell her thank you but I'm not sure how long I'll be and I don't mind taking public transportation. She smiles, wishes me luck with my studies, and leaves.
Five minutes later, I have my ID number (which didn't cost anything, after all), and I find my way back to the MRT Station. More than five hours have passed since I set out for school that morning. I make my way to the bank (a different bus stop), hopefully in time to open a new account with my new ID number. I find out the bank closed at 3:30. (Really?) It is now 5 p.m. I buy some dinner and take the bus home.
No comments:
Post a Comment