I understand that I am no Vasco da Gama or Gandhiji to write about my "Travels"or "Experiments", but then I have always felt that the mistakes I make and the good things I do, help others in planning their future. And I feel that the experience I had in this time is worth writing a post.
When I was starting from Bangalore on the 26th, I was pretty dejected as I had no set target or even options in mind. Also, I didn't believe that the Love Story I had been writing (I Found Her) had any chance of becoming real. So, I was almost dejected and expected my next few days to be really bad what with being jobless.
It wasn't long before I got warned by my parents that I shouldn't waste time and should get a job as soon as possible. The night I reached Hyderabad, my future felt so bleak and almost hopeless that I cried myself to sleep. The next day morning my happiness knew no bounds as I received an admit mail from San Jose State University (SJSU) for Software Engineering. I was sure then that I was going for my Masters in a University whose name I had already told most of my colleagues at IBM.
I ordered for the I-20 to be delivered by courier and happily went to celebrate my cousin sisters marriage. Three days of fun and frolic later I came back to reality and started searching for loans. Though I had started off with complete confidence of getting the loan, after searching around for two days and talking to nearly 15 bank representatives, I came to know that I lacked two things very important for the loan. One was a government approved property (mine didn't have an LRS) and the second was job guarantee (my dad had recently retired from Indian Navy).
One week after receiving with I20, I had submitted one file in SBI and was contemplating submitting another in Credila Financials Pvt Ltd. Though I had expected SBI to take its time they called for Legal Verification pretty soon. As everything started working out, my tensions started mounting and receding as per the circumstances. I had to complete forms like DS-160 and pay my SEVIS Fee but everything depended on the bank loan. I thought that I couldn't book the Visa Interview date without the sanction letter.
It was my eldest paternal uncle who told me that a few consultancies can get us all the required documents for the Visa Interview without any link to the Bank Loan. So, as I entered the New Year, I booked my Visa Interview on a date which could not be delayed any further at any cost. Though I had done everything till then by myself without any help from any consultancy, I had to got to Sparx Foreign Travel Consultancy to get my Visa Papers right. 3 days later, I was ready for the Visa Interview and boarded the train to Bombay. The miracle was that I received the Loan Sanction Letter from SBI just before boarding the train.
Bombay! It is a city which has played a humongous roll in my life both directly and indirectly. It was the city where my father had enrolled into the memory and thus had played a vital part in shaping my life in this way. It is also the city where my dad retired from the Indian Navy too!!
Though my Dad had been transferred to Delhi even before I was born, I had visited the city only once before this trip. And that too, with my mom and younger brother for simple sight seeing.
So, on 10th of January, I get down at CST, Bombay with my father and go directly to the Visa Facilitation Center for the bio metric signatures and photograph for the visa. I had the whole afternoon off as the interview was scheduled the next day so we booked into a lodge and crashed down. (Oh! And I really can't stop myself from mentioning, that hotel actually gave Tandoori Rotis for jus Rs. 5 each!!! Rs. 5 in Bombay!!! Seriously, awesome!! And do remember my father is a connoisseur of Tandoori Rotis and he simply loved them...)
The next, we reached the Embassy by 6 AM and there was a really long line already. As I was let into the building, I was made to sit aside with a few others so that the ones who had an earlier appointment could go through. Three long lines and another bio metric sign in later I was standing in front of the counter facing the Visa Officer.
I had been warned by everyone that it might be tricky to clear the Visa Interview, I was terrified. Believe me when I say that I was chanting the Mruthyunjai Manthra all the while till I stepped in front of the Visa Officer. Once there, I kept my mind blank and simply answered the questions with whatever popped into my mouth. And he okayed it. It didn't take long after that to arrange everything else like the loan disbursement, travel reservations, etc.
I should really commend JNTU that they sent me my original degree certificate within a fortnight though everyone (including JNTU officials) said that it wouldn't be before 1 month!!!
The day before I started off for the US, I had everything packed and was expecting friends and relatives to show up. Many relatives did come and we also had a 12 hour all night Hare Krishna kirthan followed by Geetha Parayana and Satyanarayana Vratham by my parents.
All in all, I started off for the airport with religious thoughts in mind and a clean and happy heart. Though the journey was not the way I had described in "I Found Her - Ep. 7", I still was happy to have five car loads of relatives coming to bless me and see me off at the airport.
After completing a final round of good byes I entered the airport and sauntered around till my flight was announced. As I left Hyderabad, I was not sure whether I was feeling happy or sad or excited. I felt - normal.
I had already boarded three different planes till then (one to Hyderabad and two to Andaman) but still I knew that this experience was going to be different. But though I meant it on the psychological level the reason became altogether physical and mundane.
My flight from Bombay to Newark got delayed a bit too much. Nearly, 4 hours. And all the time I was sitting their in Bombay doing nothing. Luckily, I did find a lady from Hyderabad who was also going to Tampa and time passed us by (excruciatingly slowly).
On reaching Newark, I came to know of two very important things. One: to keep a photocopy of the I20 with us and to leave the original in the luggage is a very foolish thing to do. Two: My connecting flight would be gone within the hour!!!!
Jet Airways did make some alternate arrangements for me, but I still had to spend the whole night in the airport. I couldn't sleep because every chair here had armrests attached to it and also because I had a terrible terrible pain in my ear due to cabin pressure.
When I did reach San Jose though, I was really really glad that Hindu Yuva Organisation had made arrangements for my pick up and temporary accommodations. Searching for them in that state of mind would be pure torture.
To conclude, my journey from IBM to San Jose was a dream come true... I say dream in both aspects of the word - 'something I wanted to do' and 'a nightmare'!!!
The day before I started off for the US, I had everything packed and was expecting friends and relatives to show up. Many relatives did come and we also had a 12 hour all night Hare Krishna kirthan followed by Geetha Parayana and Satyanarayana Vratham by my parents.
All in all, I started off for the airport with religious thoughts in mind and a clean and happy heart. Though the journey was not the way I had described in "I Found Her - Ep. 7", I still was happy to have five car loads of relatives coming to bless me and see me off at the airport.
After completing a final round of good byes I entered the airport and sauntered around till my flight was announced. As I left Hyderabad, I was not sure whether I was feeling happy or sad or excited. I felt - normal.
I had already boarded three different planes till then (one to Hyderabad and two to Andaman) but still I knew that this experience was going to be different. But though I meant it on the psychological level the reason became altogether physical and mundane.
My flight from Bombay to Newark got delayed a bit too much. Nearly, 4 hours. And all the time I was sitting their in Bombay doing nothing. Luckily, I did find a lady from Hyderabad who was also going to Tampa and time passed us by (excruciatingly slowly).
On reaching Newark, I came to know of two very important things. One: to keep a photocopy of the I20 with us and to leave the original in the luggage is a very foolish thing to do. Two: My connecting flight would be gone within the hour!!!!
Jet Airways did make some alternate arrangements for me, but I still had to spend the whole night in the airport. I couldn't sleep because every chair here had armrests attached to it and also because I had a terrible terrible pain in my ear due to cabin pressure.
When I did reach San Jose though, I was really really glad that Hindu Yuva Organisation had made arrangements for my pick up and temporary accommodations. Searching for them in that state of mind would be pure torture.
To conclude, my journey from IBM to San Jose was a dream come true... I say dream in both aspects of the word - 'something I wanted to do' and 'a nightmare'!!!
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