No England for me!!

Ever since the immigration process started with my family, we try what every foreign families do. We try learning the language, the custom, the culture (though in Los Angeles, that's a broad word). And for us kids, it's alot of learning how to dress, how to utilize our already developed language skills, and of course, reading and translating for our dear folks on all those groovy insurance and tax documents.

I'm not exactly what most people call a "twinkie". I'm kind of a hybrid, crossed between a fob, and an actual twinkie. I'm not exactly a fob, I'd like to think I have enough command of the current pop culture and speak with enough ease. Yet I can't honestly say I qualify for a twinkie. I make random grammatical mistakes during conversations, and am absolutely clueless with "Scene-It TV Edition" being the fact that most shows included in the game was before I had arrived in this country. My friends exchanges looks and says "Before his time" when something that had been mentioned in the conversation pops up and I look clueless, all in good humor though. But you get the point.

In the office, on the e-mail. With more than sufficient time to think, re-think, write, re-write, revise...I am more than capable to construct a professionally structured e-mail. With just the correct tone, enough sophistication in my choice of words, sometimes even just a hint of sarcasm mixed with a touch of humor. This has carried me long and far in my stay with my current company and in some cases, have made me an extremely likeable person (at least on e-mails) or even gotten me in a bit of trouble at times. Nevertheless, the office looks at me, treats me, and I think, trully believes that I was born and raised here.

Through high school, as my brother has stated perhaps more than once in his respective blog(s), that most of us as an identity issue. I've had it, he's had it, the kids I mentor at church has it. Very few people are lucky enough to escape this grasp of nature that just seems to grab hold of you as your puberty comes rushing in one morning during your morning piss. One day, somehow, I just woke up though.

"I'm a Taiwanese boy"

I am. And that took a lot of burden off my shoulder. I didn't have any problems admitting the fact that I speak 3 other languages fluently besides English. I didn't have any problems admitting that I in fact, love chinese food. I love ground pork marinated in soy sauce on rice. Yes, rice. I don't get what the deal is making fun of Chinese people eating rice. Brazillians eat rice, so does Spanish, Mexicans, and Indians. We don't make fun of Americans eating Potatoes, or Europeans eating bread, so why the Asians VS. Rice?

Anyway, that's off topic. So, self realization brutally yet mercifully ripped me from my juvenile identity crisis. And I've been blessed with my new found pride with my own race, my own culture, even my own stereotypes.

So today, the boss woman calls me in:

Boss Woman:  So we have a client in the UK

Me:  Yeah?  (seemingly unaware what that fact has anything to do with me)

Boss Woman:  They'll be going through meetings and will need an interpreter

Me:  Yeah?  (I'm busy as hell and what does that have anything to do with me)

Boss Woman:  Can you go?  Or recommend someone to go?

Me:  Oh..when is it (fighting hard to supress my rising excitement)

Boss Woman:  This Sunday

Me:  Oh yeah, I think I have enough time to get things done, I can make it

Anyway, that's the jist of it.  The fact is, the company doesn't even know if they want to send me, or find some clueless poor soul locally in the UK to do the job.  Either way, I was excited that I "might" go.

Then it hit me.....visa issues.

I came home, got on the UK embassy, found the list of the countries that are required to get a Visa when entering the UK.  And what the f* do you know, Taiwan's on that list.

On the other list, which lists all the nationalities not having to obtain a Visa to enter the UK, US is number 1 on the list (well of course, everywhere but the Middle East takes US Citizens).  Then a few other huge countries like Australia and such.  Then at the very bottom...Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was lent to the UK for 100 years since 1897 by the dumb ass China who loses a war and lends out different parts of countries as compensation to kiss ass (Taiwan to Japan in 1897 but Taiwan had since fought their own land back on 1911 during World War I).  

Taiwanese people needs a Visa, but our cousins over in Hong Kong is free to enter and leave.  This is the first time I ever hated holding a Taiwanese passport.

Rant over.