This is my first time to go abroad on business, and it is also my first time to go abroad.

The whole process can be summed up in several words: anxiety, expectation, panic, nervousness and happiness.

Speaking of this matter, there is another episode.

2065438+July 2008, the company suddenly recruited people with good oral English. I remember that when I saw the news that day, I naturally ignored it.

First of all, I am not a pushy person. I don't like going forward. I always feel like I'm patting my head I just want to live in peace and quiet. I naturally don't think this matter will have anything to do with me.

Secondly, in terms of English ability, reading and writing ability is still good. That year, I passed both the online and written exams, and also passed CET-6. I wrote three English essays and published them. However, the ability to speak is a little hard to say. Oral English is ok, but it is difficult to get words without preparation, and organizational ability needs to be cultivated. I'm really not sure whether to communicate with foreigners.

Third, at that time, the work was very tight and there was no time to take care of other things.

Fourth, I have never been abroad, which is really scary.

But, think about it, I don't know who will sign up.

When I came home from work, around 10 pm, A sent me a message saying that he recommended me to the personnel. I was a little helpless when I first received the news. But at that time, he told me that it doesn't matter if you try. After hearing what he said, think about it, it is true. It doesn't matter. Anyway, it may not be yourself in the end. There is nothing wrong with participating. It's okay to exercise. After about ten minutes, the personnel found me and said that my colleague A recommended me and asked some questions. The next morning, the department manager recommended himself in the company group.

It takes about two weeks from sending a notice to collect volunteers to going abroad. Every day in these two weeks seems like a war. Sometimes I work overtime on weekdays. In the first week, I was still struggling, thinking that there were always three people going, and I was the only woman. At night, I always think about all kinds of insecurity, want to live alone, whether it is safe, whether it is chaotic and so on. And I thought a lot. I really can't stand the pressure on weekend nights. I called a colleague B and asked if I could tell the company leader that my family didn't approve of me going out, and then I refused. After B's analysis, I gave up my plan to quit this thing and reminded me to focus on practicing oral English. In the second week, I found a friend to practice oral English, which belongs to cramming. I was flustered ~ fortunately, I finally finished the task.

About visas

First of all, check on the website of Laos Visa Service Center/whether there is an embassy in Laos and whether you can apply for a visa. At present, the cities that can be handled are: Lao Consulate General or Embassy in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanning, Kunming and Changsha.

Second, prepare your passport, ID card and money.

Third, call the consulate, and then ask what materials you need first, whether you need me to handle it, and whether you can handle it on your behalf.

We applied for a visa at the Consulate General of Changsha this time. The process is: take the photo of passport and ID card to the contact person in the embassy, then transfer the money to the contact person, and you can get it after the visa is processed.

Our trip to Laos was sent by the company, so we signed a business contract. Because time is short, it is also urgent. The signing fee is about 1500 yuan, including the expedited fee about 700 yuan.

If you are traveling, I suggest you go to landing visa directly. Visa on arrival means that the plane will apply for a visa after arriving at Vientiane Airport. Just 20 yuan (about 140 yuan), remember to prepare a photo for later use.

I didn't know I could apply for landing visa until I got to Laos. Moreover, I didn't know at that time that visa applicants didn't need to queue there. As a result, I waited in line for more than half an hour and found myself in the wrong line. We don't need to wait in line at all. With this experience, the next time someone goes to Laos, they can save these troubles.

Summary: Laos-Vientiane Airport has five entry windows, and the rightmost one is the landing visa processing window.

Reminder: 1. The currencies in circulation in Laos are kip, US dollar and Thai baht. We exchanged the money in China Bank, but China Bank in Changsha couldn't exchange the local currency, which is Kip, so we changed it into US dollars. The advantage of dollars is that they are easy to carry, but when you use them, especially the change, you have to calculate it yourself. )

? ID card is useless abroad. Remember to take care of your passport. Passport is something that needs to be taken care of when going abroad.