Penang -- Week 24 -- Identity and Immigration

MONDAY - THURSDAY, August 25th - 28th
Slow, dull week.  Not much to talk about, even for me.  We did receive a package from the States, which is always SUPER exciting.  Other than that, nothing.  Well, actually, there is one thing.  We went to Immigration this week.

It's recently become law that all foreign residents must have an identity card.  So George took the morning (day) off to go to the mainland so he, Regin, and I could get fingerprinted, etc.. 

When we arrived at the building, we looked lost and people who worked there offered to help.  When we told them we were here to get the I-card, they told us we were in the wrong building.  We said we were told to go upstairs to the fourth floor, they said, no, other building.  George whipped out his iPhone and pulled up the email as evidence.  It had the address and room number, fourth floor.  "Oh, yes, that's on the fourth floor, you need to go there."  OK.

When we arrived on the fourth floor, we were surrounded by official-looking doors, the kind you don't open without permission, and a bunch of signs only in Malay.  After several minutes of cluelessness, we asked some employees for help. 
"I-card." 
"Downstairs."
Showed the iPhone email.
"Oh yes, that's through there."

You'd think that with this being a new law and all those expats living in Penang, there would be a steady stream of foreigners going through here and there would be signs taped up in English with arrows pointing us to the office.  Or maybe there would be people stationed around the place ready for this huge influx.

Where is this huge influx anyway?  Why is this place not crowded as heck?  Do we really have to get the card at all?  Is there somewhere on the island that other people are getting theirs?  Or maybe we don't actually have to go in person?

We arrived at the correct office.  No one was in the waiting room; no one was at the counter.  We peeked around an open door, and a women gave us the local "all-gone" hand gesture (hands up and twisting), telling us everyone was out for lunch until 2pm.  It was 1:30, we waited.  About 10 minutes till 2pm some other foreigners started showing up.  FIrst it was another anglo-looking, older couple. They sat down behind us.  Then a young Asian woman came in.  She marched right up to the counter.  Waited a few seconds.  Nothing.  She walked around behind the counter until she found someone.

Meanwhile, the peanut gallery was piping up behind us.  Mrs. Elder-Anglo was saying, "Oh no.  No..."  her voice raising slightly; she had an unmistakeable American accent.  Her husband tried to shush her. 
"No, no... this is not ok.  They were here first.  No way is she going to go ahead of us and them."  Her agitation grew as her husband mumbled and quietly placated.

After a while she came, sat next to us, and introduced herself.  "Hi, I've been here a year, how long have you been here?"  She's American, living here for three years, not sure if she wants to stay as long as planned.  She's the one of those brassy, speak-my-mind, I-will-be-accomodated types who doesn't buy this cultural sensitivity BS.  Who cares that they're not all that into "first come first serve" here?  Fair's fair, and she will assert herself any way she needs to to make the situation right.  She aptly calls herself the tall, angry, white woman, and recounts, as evidence, a recent incident at the post office where she really had to let them see how angry she could be.  She squints her eyes and tenses her voice for emphasis as she speaks, all the while, smiling the American smile.  She's funny and kind of cracks me up a little.  I feel her offer her camaraderie with me right away, but she is also making me nervous and embarrassed.  Nervous that I might somehow piss her off myself, and embarrassed that she is speaking fairly loud about local stereotypes in a room now filled with even more asian people.

By now we were waved up to the counter.  Us and Mr. and Mrs. Elder-Anglo.  Were we here together from the same company?  No.  We're with Agilent, and they are with.... Agilent.  Ha!  Everyone in the room (except maybe the girl who tried to cut in front) is from Agilent.  Are we the only ones complying with the new law?  Did Agilent make this up?  Now there is even more bonding/commiserating; They're also from Colorado, Mr. Elder-Anglo and George are talking about which buildings they work in here, and Mrs. Elder-Anglo is whipping out her IWA (International Women's Association) business card and trying to talk me into coming to a function later this week.  A selling point for everyone seems to be that I can join a play group.    Apparently they don't think there is any other way I can do this.  And they expect me to be a shut-in without the IWA. 

I guess maybe I am a little bit of a shut-in these days.  And the play group I'm in seems to have been dissolved.  Did I tell you I that after Rachel left, one of the other ladies called me to tell me she wasn't going to be able to do come anymore?  When I suggested we get together for coffee or something sometime, she said, "Oh! Um... Ok," her voice wavering as if to tell me that she had no intention of ever seeing me again.  Ah well!