Street Life


Yesterday I was exiting a small restaurant where I had a lunch of eggplant and noodles, a couple came up to me and shoved a piece of paper in front of me and asked me to translate it for them from English to Chinese. We were in the middle of the street (the one on which I live) and I asked them to come to the side of the road with me. They could have been trying to scam me, steal my wallet or something, but my gut told me it wasn't so. Besides, there was a giant emblem with the words "Canada" and the Canadian flag logo on the top of the paper. I recognized it instantly since I frequently walk/drive by the Canadian Embassy here. I read the paper and it was a letter to the woman saying that she had been rejected for a work permit in Canada based upon the fact that the consular officer did not have significant evidence that she wouldn't return to China once the permit expired. I told the couple this and their faces grew long and grim. They asked me to read it again and to explain to them why the Canadians would feel this way about them. I said that it didn't say why, but that probably there where other people who stayed past their permits and the Embassy was drawing a connection between the woman and other foreigners. I said that its tough to be a foreigner no matter where you are, and even in China. They thanked me for my time and walked away but I couldn't help feeling remorse for them. Here we were, 2 different people trying to exchange places in a world shaken up by globalization and rapid economic development. I want their right to work in China and they want my right to work in the "west." But for all the promises that globalization and the interconnectedness of the 21st century provide, the first steps for many of us in realizing and pursuing these promises are so treacherous and decapitating. I hope she gets what she wants, unfortunately she's standing in a long line that seems to never stop growing.