Day 4: The Induction

We were able to take the bus provided by the school to the induction day.  The kids were put in a room with carers.  Love and I went to listen to the presentations.

We learned about taxes, health care, housing, banking, and way too much.  It was overwhelming to say the least.

After we returned to the hotel, I had to go to the bank to get the deposit for the flat.  The Citibank near us was closing.  I had to go to Kowloon for an open one.  I had to take buses and trains to get there.  The agent wanted me at her office with the deposit by 6PM.  That was not happening if I had to go to Kowloon.  So I made it to the bank.  I asked for the withdrawal.  I signed for it.  They rejected my signature 3 times because it didn’t match.  Now I know you don’t know about my signature, but I can assure you that it is never the same twice.  These people expected it to be exactly the same every time.  Yeah, that wasn’t happening.  As Love says, it’s basically just scribbling.

This is so different from previous experiences in the US.  I have signed for Love to open bank accounts or file taxes in his name.  No one ever cared, but here, they need to be exact matches.  I had 5 different ways to prove who I was, but I almost didn’t get the deposit because of my signature.

In the end, they finally gave it to me.  I jumped from train to train to make my way to Ma On Shan.  I made it a little before 8 PM.  The agents sorted the money and deposited it to the landlord’s account.  They took me to the apartment to check it out.  I had been working with two agents.  The agent who didn’t show me the flat walked around in awe.  She was thrilled they were able to negotiate it down.

I was given the keys and instructions to the parts of the flat.  After we were satisfied, I worked my way back to the hotel.

That was a long day, but it was worth it for that flat.