The Pacific is a Large Ocean

After an afternoon of discussion and deliberation with my bosses Mr. Zhang and Ms. Jin, it has been decided that Ned and I must fly back to the USA to get our working visas ok'd. This is a brand new rule issued by the Chinese government that we must follow. Mr. Zhang had no idea this would happen, and as he called the capital to verify the contents of the formal invitation, beads of sweat ran down his temples. The working visa must be issued from outside China, and in our home country. I later called the visa service I used when going to China and told them about my problem, and they told me they do not help with working visas, and that I must go in person, because 3rd parties are not allowed to deal with the consulate.
The president of the university has agreed to pay for our round trip flights. It is very generous of them to offer to pay for Ned's flight as well, seeing as how he is not a teacher. The cost of our flights (around $3,000) is teacher's salary for 1 year at the university! I feel very guilty about this, and wish that we didn't have to go back home.
We will leave in a few weeks after Ned gets his formal invitation from the government, and then we will fly to San Francisco, apply in person, and then fly to New Mexico for several days to visit friends and family. I will probably miss 2 weeks of classes with my students, and I'm sure we will all miss each other very much. I'm afraid they will think that I've left and will not be coming back. I'll take an empty suitcase and bring them back candy and celebrity magazines. Everyone, Ned, Mr. Zhang, the president, and myself are all in shock. I cannot believe I have to travel so far, and spend so much money just to get a piece of paper glued into my passport!