VISA CHAOS
For those of you who have been keeping up you know that obtaining Domenic's visa was certainly a fiasco. We applied for the visas mid-June and my visa was approved almost immediately but not the case for Domenic. It was a bureaucratic train wreck that I spent 6 weeks maneuvering through. The nearest Indian consulate is in San Francisco, where communicating via email, fax, or phone gets you no place at all and to complicate matters, EVERYthing requires the signature of both parents. Domenic's dad was fishing in Alaska and not expected home until Tuesday, July 20.....5 days prior to departure....perfect. The problems and requests were many but I have high-lighted a few of the finer points:
1. Wrong visa application....must apply for a STUDENT visa, not an ENTRY visa. Now that we are here, Domenic is the ONLY student here on a STUDENT visa. All other students are here with an ENTRY visa. O-well. At least we are here!
2. A "clear" copy (whatever that means) of the court order (which was sent to them in the original application).....I faxed another copy for safe measure.
3. Another request for a "clear" copy of the court order....I sent a copy via email as a PDF file for even safer meansures. They now have 48 pages of court documents.
4. A request to Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur (really????) of the following: **copy of our Indian passports, **copy of our green cards, **copy of our naturalization papers. Good grief....at this point I felt all hope dissipate and quickly.
5. Now it's Tuesday, 5 days before departure and STILL they need a "clear" copy of the court order. WHAT court order??? Apparently they needed something stating Domenic would be leaving the country for 2 years. I explained it was clearly written in the parenting plan (all 3 copies). Hold please.....they agreed it was specified in the court order BUT they wanted a different form. WHAT form???? (hold please....).....now I'm told they aren't sure of the actual name of the document but that it's very common and to be sure and have a judge sign it. OK? In the end I wound up writing my own form. I called JJ Tuesday in Alaska and told him he needed to meet me the next day at the court house. Bless him for his support with all of this and for showing up.
6. Friday afternoon Domenic's visa was approved and sent over night to us only to have FedEx lose it (of course)! Finally, Saturday at 4:00 pm we had our visas in hand and headed to Seattle where this entire experience was topped off by staying in the most rank hotel on earth. I had to cross my legs I was laughing to so hard. How perfect.
7. We were sent off early Sunday morning by friends and family. It took over 30 hours to get to India and Domenic did fantastic!!!
OUR WELCOME
Our arrival to India was smooth. Customs was easy. People were friendly. The school had someone to pick us up and by 2:00 am we were delivered to our new home. We are staying in a 3 bedroom apartment that looks better than the pictures they sent us. There is air conditioning and a bathroom for each bedroom with an additional one off of the living area. We have a washing machine and nice size kitchen.
DAILY LIVING THUS FAR
It's safe to say we have been truly spoiled since our arrival. Expats have it great here....so great in fact that I don't feel as though I've had to adapt to anything yet. The school arranges for drivers to pick us up and take us shopping. We are greeted with smiles and appreciation. Lunch and dinner is either delivered compliments of the school or we are taken out to eat. The restaurants and meals are amazing and the company is even better. Everyone has such an interesting story. And unless you identify yourself as a teacher or administrator, it's impossible to tell the difference.
IMMIGRATION OFFICE
Our second day here we were taken to the immigration office to register as a foreigner. This experience still has me laughing. We were escorted to a room where we waited to be called out. We went to a new room and waited in line there only to be sent to a new room to wait in line for a number to take to another room where we waited in line to receive the "golden ticket"....an appointment card to come back on another day. LOVE it!!
JUST ASK
What I am most surprised with so far is how fast our requests are granted. The kitchen sink had a small leak. I notified the school and w/in an hour someone was sent over to fix it. I was having problems with the wireless Internet and made one call. 30 minutes later someone was at our place and the problem was solved. I mentioned to the secretary for the head of school that I wished our couches were a neutral color such as beige and that the curtains were white. Again... an hour later we had a knock at the door and the couches were swapped for beige and the curtains for white. SO spoiled.
DOMENIC
Domenic is truly a citizen of the world. He has a spirit like none other, a zest for adventure and the ability to adapt and transition. He loves his new home and had his bedroom set up and organized before I even unpacked my suitcase. He already knows a portion of the staff as Domenic is my date at each lunch and dinner event! Last night he made friends with the principal's boys and the school has arranged for a driver to take them to the go cart track later today.
IN SUMMATION....
There is so much to share. I will do my best to at least post pictures. The schedule here is intense but we are loving it! Thanks for all of your support and well wishes. We feel the positive energy being sent our way!
