JLPT here I come, baby! If I can pay the 350 kuai within the 72 hours before my registration expires, I am going to HEILONGJIANG University. And with all this, I have learned an important life lesson: never again will I ask my Chinese coworkers ANYTHING.
First yesterday I was trying to fax a copy of my passport to make sure I get into the test without any issues. I don't know how to dial long distance in China. I've always used a special IP discount code for my cell phone. But I sure as shit can tell you how to dial normal numbers in the country I grew up in, and I sure as shit wouldn't pretend I knew if I didn't. So I ask the Ayi if I just dial as it's written, and she says yes. It's not working. She gets some random guy to help me. The whole thing about helping people is that you shouldn't even try if there is a better than 50% chance you will just make things worse. He had no idea how to dial from SHANGHAI to BEIJING, but just kept trying all sorts of random shit. Finally he conclusively tells me "oh, it's a wrong number". In the process he managed to use the fax machine to make 3 copies of my passport. Thanks again.
Second today I'm trying to pay the JLPT testing fee which can only be paid online. No sweat -- I have a card with one of the banks through which payment can be done. Oh no! Looks like I first must ask the bank to activate the online payment feature on my account. I make a phone call ... I spend my ENTIRE LUNCH BREAK on the phone. Okay, there is something wrong with the DTMF's my cell produces when trying to enter my PIN. The girl wants a land line -- I make the mistake of asking the guy next to me. In all my time here I have not needed to make a single phone call from the office phone. Never mind that I don't think I can be blamed when I have no one to ask because no one knows jack. The guy next to me is on the phone everyday like 20 times. I thought it was a safe bet. I didn't want to make the poor lady at the bank's life even harder -- so I said to him, "okay, you are SURE that this is exactly how I'd dial this number, like from my cell phone, right?" He responds, "Yes." Okay. I tell the lady at the bank the wrong phone number and she promises to call me in a few seconds. Ten minutes elapse and my cell rings, oh? Wrong number?
