Like No Udder

Today in Providence, R.I. we tracked down the world's first and only all-vegan non-dairy ice cream truck! It's called Like No Udder and serves really tasty chocolate and vanilla soft-serve vegan ice cream, chocolate bars, and other tasty treats (no, really, the ice cream was really good). Most importantly she had ice cream cones for Milan's first ice cream truck and first ice cream cone experience!

I was unprepared, however, for Milan's post-ice cream sugar high! I guess there are some good things about not having easy access to dairy-free ice cream all the time.

Ahhh summer! Good to be here, stress-free and enjoying the U. S. of A.!

How to get your temporary work visa for Argentina in China

As you can imagine, there are not many US citizens applying for Argentine visas in Shanghai. Actually, we were the first. So to make it easier for the next people who try to accomplish this task, I have made a handy how-to step-by-step manual of the process. Mostly this is therapy for me to get out all my frustrations. If you don't want to read all the nitty gritty, skip down to number 9, that was yesterday and when it really gets interesting.

1. Contact the Argentine consulate in Shanghai as early as possible and obtain the list of documents that will be required for the visa. We did this in February. If possible, have your friend from Chile help in communicating with the Consulate because they only speak Spanish and Chinese. Big shout out thank you to awesome friend from Chile!!

2. Begin to gather the necessary documents from the US (birth certificates and marriage license, all must be appostilled by the Secretary of State for each state where they were issued) and China (police reports from the local police department, certification of work in China, all must be notarized and certified and triple stamped in three different Chinese offices).

3. When all documents are ready and in your possession (thanks to both Moms in the US for sending many documents back and forth to State agencies and fed-ex-ing to China), arrange to have a meeting at the consulate in Shanghai.

4. Book plane tickets to go back to the US for this summer vacation.

5. Make the three hour bus ride to Shanghai. Attend the meeting the next morning. You will be told that you have failed steps 1-3 and did not bring three of the documents that they never asked for. Did you catch that? Three new documents that they never asked for before. Note that you now have three weeks before you leave the country. (You are strongly discouraged from abandoning Shanghai and re-starting the process in New York. It is complicated. Just because).

6. Figure out how to obtain police records from the US, have them notarized and sent to China. A big asset here is Jimmy from Baker Street Associates (I am not kidding. Again huge thanks to Mom for coming up with this idea and speeding the paperwork along).

7. Try to obtain a document proving that your son is your son and has permission to travel with you (no, his appostilled original long-form birth certificate, passport, and flesh and blood is not enough) from the Chinese notary. They will deny you because all of your supporting documents are in English and they cannot guarantee their authenticity.

7a. Make appointment at US Embassy in Shanghai to get this document notarized.

8. Five days before leaving China, receive international UPS expedited police record documents from the US (thank you Mom!).

9. The following day travel to Shanghai (three hour bus ride again). It helps if you book a hostel across the street from the Argentina Consulate. Dunkin' Donuts down the street also helps.

Green tea cake donut and berry coconut glazed

10. Wake up early and got for a run in Bund park. Early morning Shanghai peace and calm.




11. Go to Starbucks for morning fuel.

12. Go to US Embassy. It is in a huge shopping mall on an unmarked floor. Obtain triple quadruple stamps on all documents. Pay fees.

13. Go directly to Argentine Consulate. Deliver all of the documents and you will be given your next challenge: provide 3 extra passport photos because they never told you that you needed 8 photos each and you only brought 5 each. Also, go to this bank on Beijing Road in Shanghai and pay the fee for the visas. Okay, ready...GO!

14. Go directly to the bank. With the combined US Dollars and Chinese RMB in your wallets, you have enough cash to pay for the visas. However, the bank will not change your US Dollars into RMB without your passport. Your passports are all at the Argentine Consulate. So you will use your US Debt card because you just closed your Chinese bank account the day before because you are leaving the country in three days. If you remember your US Debit card pin number, proceed to step 15. If not, proceed to step 14a.

14a. Try to use your US Debit card for the first time in 9 months and you will not rememeber your password under stress. After the ATM machine retains your debit card and you have to ask the bank manager to unlock the ATM and retrieve your card from the machine TWICE, walk away from the bank and proceed directly to the nearest wifi hot spot.

14b. It helps if the nearest wifi hotspot has straws and sticks to entertian the almost-4-year-old that you have been dragging all around all day. And lemonade.

14c. Use the wifi and laptop computer to retrieve your ancient unused ATM pin.

15. With the help of genuinely nice Shanghai residents, find a nearby photography studio for instant passport photos. Bribe four-year old with candy NOT to smile at the camera because the photographer won't do a passport photo with a smile.

16. Go back to the bank and pay the fee. At this time it will be lunch break and the Consulate is closed from noon - 1:00, so go find some food.

16. Noodles. Yum.


17. Walk back to the Argentine Consulate. On the way, after you pass the third shop that has an Argentine flag in the window you must go in and buy one for 8 RMB. Arrive at the Consulate at 1pm and deliver the bank receipt and passport photos.

18. Wait for an hour or so.

19. Sign 8 documents and have fingereprints taken. At least rubbing fingers in black ink is fun for the four-year-old.

20. Wait some more.

21. At this point the consulate employee in charge of all the paperpushing will ask you to take a bundle of your documents and go have photocopies made. Really? We have to go out and make the photocopies ourselves? Is there something wrong with that copy machine over there in that corner? The huge fee we just payed at the bank doesn't cover the cost of some photocopies? Can you at least tell us where there is a photocopy shop nearby? No? Okay, walk away, deep breaths.

22. It helps if you remember that the Waldorf Astoria is next door to the Argentina Consulate and you will know that because you have walked around that neighborhood so many times. Note: this is not where we are stayng, we are at the cheap backpackers hostel across the street.

23. Find the buisness center in the Waldorf Astoria and hand over the documents to be copied. While you are waiting you should wander around and enjoy the plush surroundings of the buisness center. Please notice the amazing spread of free beverages and don't make the same mistake we did and refuse any of the free beverages because getting 80 pages photocopied at the Waldorf Astoria is not cheap and you deserve some free coffee, mint-infused water, Japanese green tea, or green tea biscuit for that price. Just sayin'.


24. Return the documents to the Argentine Consulate around the corner. Wait for another two hours ...While you are waiting you can type up a draft of the blog steps 1 through 24...

25. Terminado! Finished! You are done! Grab your passports and secret sealed envelopes that must be delivered to immigration in Argentina, go outside and take celebratory photos with that Argentine flag (see step 17).


26. Go across the street to retrieve luggage from the hostel, go straight to the bus station, buy tickets for Ningbo, arrive home 9:30pm. Ahhhhhhhhh. Can't believe it is over!

Argentina here we come!