The Tale of Two Passports

I have two passports now! Here's why...

I got mu last passport (on the left) in early 2014 and now I have a new passport, which I got almost exactly three years later. This is because I filled the other one up, which was one of only two items on my bucket list. So at age 20, I'm already halfway through my bucket list!

My old passport is now invalid and I have a crisp, new one. 

To get a new passport while I am in China, I had to go to Shanghai and apply in person for a new passport. The whole process was rather painless and it was a good excuse to go to Shanghai for a few days and do some sightseeing. We were staying near the Bund, so we passed it every day going to and from our hostel. We also went to the Propaganda Museum, which was really well curated and had information in Chinese and English. I highly recommend it!

When I got an email from the consulate, I made arrangements to go back and pick up my passport. I went to pick mine up in person because it takes two weeks or so for them to mail it back to you and I don't have a secure postbox. I wasn't so excited to go back to Shanghai this time, but I did get to meet a friend for coffee, which made the trip more worth it than the 20 minutes spent in the consulate.

Like I said, having filled up a passport before it expires was one of two bucket list items. It made me feel really emotional and grateful that I've gotten the opportunity to travel so much in the past three years. Hopefully this new passport will last more than three years, because it's got double the pages!