Apparently, my husband and I need to get a non-criminal record from the police department to bring with us to our int'l school post. The school administration says they will need it to convert our work visa. Has anyone else had to do this? I need to figure out how to get the record. I guess I'll contact the city police department. Noone at the Chinese Consulate mentioned this. I'm trying to piece it together in the next week. Thanks for any tips!

I love the rewards they're offering for donations:

$10+A thanks from Dorje on his blog (Dorje's Dooing)
3 of 100,000
$25+A post card signed by one of the kids from the school you are helping + everything above
9 of 100,000
$51+A Doma (a ceremonial reading of the scriptures/ritual chanting) conducted by Nawang Palten (Dorje's younger brother and a Tibetan Buddhist monk). We'll send you an audio recording of the ceremony + everything above
2 of 100,000
$75+Your name on a plaque of supporters that built the school + everything above
7 of 1,000
$101+A drawing with private message by one of the kids from the school you are helping + everything above
22 of 500
$250+ Skype in with a class & teachers from the school + everything above
2 of 50
$275+Photo series detailing the construction of the fishery, the school and playground, complete with happy faces + everything above
3 of 1,001
$500+A video of a special puja conducted by Nawang Palten (Dorje's brother and a Tibetian Buddhist monk) for you personally, the type of puja will be determined in consultation with Nawang
2 of 50
$501+Tasty Treats from Mustang Dorje's ancestral home. You get a pack with Dried Apples, Timbur (Szechwan pepper), and yak chhurpi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhurpi)
1 of 100
$1,000+A one-hour Skype chat with Dorje to talk about freedom through education + anything else.
0 of 10
$2,105+This amount will cover the total cost of building a playground. We'll name the playground after you + send you a video of kids playing in the playground.
0 of 1
$2,500+ VISTING NEPAL: A tour, guided by Dorje personally, for 2 days & 1 night to Sindhupalchowk to visit the school you are helping + everything above
0 of 50
$10,000+Name a classroom after someone that inspired you to freedom through education + everything above
0 of 5

I finally got in touch with the Chinese Consulate for my region of the US and they said that we do NOT need a medical exam before getting the visa. So, clearly the process varies from consulate/embassy to consulate/embassy. Breathing a sigh of relief for now...

Thanks for the links, happygolucky. I'm still not sure it applies, though. Two of the links you provided are for people going to China as students and the other is from an embassy in Finland. I am wondering if requirements are different since I am coming from the U.S.

My school says I do not need a medical exam until arriving in China and I cannot get in touch with anyone at the Chinese Consulate here to ask. It is not stated on any website that a medical exam needs to be submitted to the Chinese Consulate in order for them to issue a visa. We have been to the Consulate once and did not have all of the proper paperwork needed for processing. They said nothing about needing a medical exam. However, I am worried that I will get all of my paperwork together, travel to the Chinese Consulate again, and they will inform me that I do, indeed, need a medical exam before they can issue a visa.

Any insight?

Can someone point me to a website (legitimate) where it is written that the medical exam is required in order to get a z visa in the U.S? I can't seem to get a straight answer. My school says they don't know but they don't think so. An American teacher at the school said her family did not need an exam 2 years ago.

mamava, Do you run more than one air filter in your house per day? I'm trying to figure out how effective it would be to have one air filter/purifier for a 2BR apartment or if I should definitely plan on getting one per room.

Please do name the school so that anyone headed there might have a preview of possible problems!

wntriscoming, Can you buy the Sprite shower head and filters in China or on taobao or is that something I should bring with?

Doha Academy is not the school in question, as you stated in the previous email. Did you mean Qatar Academy?

We are beginning our international teaching career in August and I am trying to figure out what to do with U.S. mail. We are getting ready to sell our house. Should I set up a p.o. box? Does anyone use Outbox or Firefly?

Mr. Cake, Is ACS American Community School? If so, which one?

Thanks so much for the feedback.

Oops- that should have read Beijing, not Bangkok.

I'm getting a lot out of reading the current threads on airfare, baggage, credit cards, etc. I was wondering if any of you could weigh in about favorite airlines going to Shanghai or Beijing. We would be coming from Texas and could go either east or west. Our main priority would be low fees on excess baggage. We will be traveling with young kids, so an airline with a kid-friendly reputation would be immensely helpful. Thanks!