America

             

This is how I reached America

                Going through various experiences is not a very difficult task, but penning them down surely is! Where to begin? What are the details I must include? What should be avoided, so that I won't bore you? 

                So let me leave out the details of my job resignation, the procedures, our house shifting, packing, surrendering the gas cylinders and connection, running around from local gas dealers to the head office to again to the dealers, running around for house-shifting receipts, a to z health check up, report problems, my SLET exam which came in between this whole mess, hundred visits to my husband's office and the million tensed phone calls! 

                These are the things not closely related to my journey anyway. I am not even going to mention the struggle of applying for passport nor the three different address verification problems. Even sending a number of required records to Hyderabad for the VISA is getting avoided because the trouble was taken by my husband before he left. Therefore I will pick only the journey to Chennai for my VISA interview and the most awaited journey to the United States of America.

                It was the 24th of October 2011. I was tensed the whole day about keeping the records in order. Just in the morning I had received the courier from my husband's office with all my VISA documents. It was kept in the right order and wherever I found notes, I was supposed to replace them with the right documents or photos or my passport. Had to take several photocopies too. I had to be really careful not to leave out anything, nor to add anything extra and in case if it happens, that was it, I had to remain in India and my husband in USA! Though there were some documents missing, everyone consoled me saying that was not required for me. I had once again gone through the dates of my husband's travel, his address, his work, my passport issue date, and some other details. Finally once I was ready, my uncle and aunt both came and dropped me at Madiwala at 11 p.m for my bus to Chennai. It was a new multi axle bus, very comfortable. I thought it better be comfortable, I needed a good sleep to face the interview the next morning.

                It was 4.40 a.m on the 26th when I reached Chennai. Since bus had stopped right in front of the central railway station, it wasn't very difficult for me to find a good hotel. Hotel "Howrah" gave me a good room with required facilities after taking my details and the advance. It was still 4.55 a.m and I had time till atleast 8.30. So tried to sleep a little after calling and telling everyone that I reached safely. After I got ready, I locked the room and went downstairs and had my breakfast. I was about to leave and realized it was raining heavily, took an auto rickshaw bargained and brought the fair down to 100 Rs and went to Consulate General of the United States of America at Anna Salai. There was a little shock awaiting for me - the huge queue out in the open, drenched and dripping in the rain. In no time even I was one among them. It was fun to see the shocked faces of the people who came after me in crisp dried clothes and got drenched from head to toe within few seconds. I had totally forgotten that even I must have shown the same expression and the people before me must have enjoyed the scene just like I did looking at others.

                Once I was inside, the checking, document submission, answering their questions, everything happened one after the other very systematically. Though there were hundreds of people, it didn't look like a crowded place, everything was neatly arranged. I didn't have to wait for long and once all this was done, I had to go to the final and face to face interview. The Uncle Sam employees themselves were taking the interviews. I had to sit in the big hall which had 25 interview counters and waited till my number appeared. Mine was the 25th counter and when the person who stood before me was rejected, I knew for sure that I hardly had any chance of getting the VISA. But then, may be I had a good luck, or since it was dependent VISA, it wasn't difficult, after several questions my interviewer said that my VISA was approved and it will be sent soon via post.

                Do I even have to mention my happiness? So out of joy, I thought I wouldn't spend another hundred rupees for rickshaw (this sense has come to me ever since I started working) and walked a kilometer and took a bus. But here I was unlucky. If you think I had taken the wrong bus, you are wrong! I was unlucky because the chief minister Jayalalitha was coming to town and therefore the bus stopped 2 kilometers before the central railway station. I had to walk in the rain once again, my umbrella came to no use. Out of 5 kilometers, only 2 kilometers I had travelled by bus. Once I reached Howrah, took my second bath of the day (it rarely happens!), relaxed, had lunch and left at 2 p.m. Uncle was ready to pick me again at 10 p.m near Madiwala. And to say it once again, I had got my VISA APPROVED! 

                Let me leave out the packing part, I just can mention that my baggage limit was 23kg + 23kg + 7kg, and my baggage weighed 23kg + 23kg + 7kg! If they had allowed 999kg, my bag would have weighed 999kg without doubt! 

                Finally it was 7th November 2011. After dinner, There was still one and half hour to leave, everyone went to sleep. I refused to go to the bedroom and thought of sleeping on the sofa instead. If you think I got even a minute's sleep, that's your mistake! I wore my jeans, t-shirt, jacket and for the very first time in my life, socks and shoes! I don't have to mention shoes were brand new, though the jeans ans t-shirt were quite old. I was little too proud when I was tying my shoe lace for some unknown reason! So, finally it was time to leave, said bye to aunt, granny, grandpa, travelled to Bangalore International Airport with uncle and Nisha. Since it was late night, we had reached the airport too soon. Said bye to them too. 

                From here on, I was on my own, but I wasn't scared nor tensed. The time I was really tensed was the day before my VISA interview. I knew what I had to do now, held my ticket and passport in hand, entered the right terminal, handed over my luggage keeping the 7kg bag and a handbag with me. Check-in luggage was x-rayed and checked, and I got the boarding pass. I went to currency exchange center and got some dollars for safety. Took an immigration form, filled the form and stood in the customs line. The custom officer somehow got a doubt if I was really married! Asked me a few questions about my age and marriage, went through the marriage certificate and finally stamped the passport along with the boarding pass. From there I had to go to the security check and my hand luggage was checked and the boarding pass security stamped again. I went and sat near gate number 12, I had more than 2 and half hours before they called us to board the flight. In some time, I was in the plane!

                Like most people, even I wished to have a window seat. And I finally managed to get window seats in both my flights as well. My usage of the word 'finally' itself tells you that there is a little story behind it. I am a kind of a person who had fought on the very first day of my school for a window seat in a classroom! "I keep vomiting" - was the justification for the 'window seat fight' I had given to my new classmate - Smitha. Because that was the ready made lie I used to use in the bus journeys. As a result, Smitha and I hadn't spoken to each other for the next fifteen minutes! But don't get me wrong, please remember - I am a harmless lier. You might not want to hear again the 'n' number of times I had fought with my brother for the same reason. But don't think that I am the only fighter, my brother and I share the same blood though he is 'A'+ve and I am 'O'! Okey, let's keep the old stories aside, anyway you got the point i.e. my craze for the window seat. So, here it goes - I go online and torture my cousin Nisha in spite of she being busy with her work (that's how shameless I can be!) to help me check in and get window seats in both the flights. I send her all the details and as I was doing this, I see my brother appearing online and I bug him also to do the same. OK, so now you know how many people are involved in providing me the window seats! 

                I was content with my window seat and the candies in the first flight. Air hostess asked us to fasten our seat belts when the flight was taking off with a smile on her face. She gave instructions. The breakfast was manageable. My struggle for the window seat had yielded pretty good results because I could witness the beautiful sunrise and changing colours, flying on the sky. I could also see a nice view when we almost reached Doha. May be now I should thank Nisha. Once again had to fasten our seat belts while landing.

                After getting down, I got into the bus which was waiting just for us and as per the announcement I didn't get down when the bus stopped first. That stop was for those who were ending the journey there. I treavelled for some more time and got down with other travelers. Flight had reached early and I had to wait for few more hours there again not doing anything. The seats were not very comfortable to sleep and if I had slept, there was a worry that I might not wake up for the next flight. Though I had a story book for times like these, somehow was not in a mood for a story. 

                The checking was done once again and this time I had to even take off my shoes, watch and mobile phone from my pocket. We walked and walked and reached the next flight which was bigger than the previous one. It had 9 seats in a row. Previous one had only 6 seats in a row. I was even more happier when I got to know that the seat next to mine would remain empty. After the flight took off, had breakfast, I peeped though the window for some time and then slept off. Once I woke up, there were many games to keep me engaged. My story book remained unopened. Fast forwarded some movies, watched some video songs, had lunch. Though the food was not that good, I could manage. There were snacks too. Had some glasses of juice. Kept staring at the view through the window. What else can one do in the flight? Though people say it's very boring to fly, somehow it didn't bore me. May be I was preoccupied with the dreams of meeting my husband after a month. Yes, may be you are right, I am blushing a little! But, not preoccupied just with that, but with the new life I am going to have in the new country!

                I had filled in the immigrant form in the flight and now had to stand in the line. The Uncle Sam official asked me a few questions and took my finger print, stamped homeland security I94 and gave me with a smile. I collected my luggage and sat waiting for my husband till 5.30p.m. Once he reached, we went home by his friend's car (his parents too had sent few items with me). The straight roads were different, they were smooth and the left hand driving kept confusing me throughout. I felt that I was in a foreign country. It was already very dark at 5.30 p.m. We reached home and it was small, cozy and beautiful. 

                I might go on telling stories, but since I have reached here safe and sound, I think its time to stop. You might find the ending abrupt, but I can't conclude it since my stay in America is not over yet. So for now bye. I will be back soon with the stories of different places we visited. For now I need to go and prepare my lunch, Bye.. :)