As the Crow Flies…

After all the apprehensions, and strangling delays, and the nice, neat un-strayed plan I made it. I GOT MY VISA!! *screams, jumps, shouts* The US consulate deemed me fit enough to allow me entry into the United States on a student visa. So I’m gonna be off to Chicago in less than a month or so – exactly a month to my birthday, and exactly two months to the first day of classes. I’m guessing it’s going to be a three year visa, given that the duration of my course is 30 months. Due to receive my passport in a day or two. I exulted, I was happy. I still am. But now the gnawing truth dawns…I’m on my own.

My appointment was for 0745 hours last morning, and we’d driven in the previous night. This horrible cold that I’ve caught gave me no respite. It only added to the nervousness. Since I went through the whole phase of dashing out mails to friends and my counsellor and freakishly searching the internet for solutions I thought it might be helpful if I just put across what I did do.

Disclaimer – I am no expert on this matter, but I was advised by experts on this course. The documents required and asked for may vary for each person – especially the financial documents – so do not wholly bank on what I say below. It’s just a recitation of the experience I went through at the consulate and thus cannot and should not be held responsible in case it isn’t what happened for you.

While entering the consulate I was required to show my visa interview appointment letter and passport.

Once in, I held the following documents – all originals – ready to be handed over the pre-screening counter – to a very amiable officer.

-          Visa appointment letter

-          Passport (old ones + latest)

-          Visa fee receipt (blue slip is for the consulate, so tuck the pink slip away)

-          D-156 (with the 2*2 photo, and signed), D-157 and D-158(signed)

-          I-20

-          SEVIS fee receipt

-          GRE score report

-          TOEFL score report

-          Degree certificate

These were handed back to me in a easy to carry blue folder and directed to trudge with a total of three files in my hand to the next building. I was sent back to the main building, however, and asked to wait my turn. It came oh so quickly.

I was filled with such dreaded anticipation that I kind of forgot not to let the nervousness show on my face. I guess it was so obvious because the officer smiled at me as he wished me a very good morning. I returned the greeting and pushed across the blue folder I had been given at the pre-screening, and hoped to God that I wouldn’t be walking away with my passport!

The officer browsed through the files, fingerprint verified me again, and very politely asked me a few questions just for the heck of it, all the while tapping on his keyboard, looking at his computer screen and at the documents I’d given him.

Officer W (offering me a smile – which he didn’t to the five others before me): – Good morning.

Mich (a little nervous but smiling back): – Good morning.

(Even before he asked I pushed the blue folder toward him, and he nodded. Mr. W laid out all the afore mentioned documents in front of him, fingerprinted me, looked at my face and the picture in the form, nodded, smiled. I did the whole knowing who I’m talking to study and looked at his ID card and figured out his name. It’s habit that I have.)

Officer W: – Alright, so who will be paying for your school?

Mich: – My grandfather.

Officer W (in a tone of slight surprise): – Oh! And how old is he?

Mich (a little flustered at the turn of the interview): – Eh, around 70.

Officer W (nodding) : – What does he do?

Mich: – He’s the proprietor of a newspaper.

Officer W: – Sorry? What does he do?

Mich: – Proprei – Journalist. He’s a journalist.

Officer W: – Which newspaper does he write for?

Mich: – His own. He owns it. Proprietor.

Officer W: – Oh, right. What is the circulation of the paper?

Mich: – The whole state of —-

Officer W: – What is the circulation in terms of number of people?

Mich: – Ah…thinking of a figure that would be correct and satisfactory…roughly a couple…a few million in the least.

Officer: – Ok. Your passport will be sent to you by courier in a day or two. Good luck to you. And have a nice time in the United States.

Mich (nodding vigorously with a big smile): – Thank you so much. I will.

And I walked out with such relief and absolute pleasure that there can be nothing comparable to the joy I felt when I called up my mum and screamed, “I got it!” And then calls were made to my grandfather and uncle and aunt. And in all co-incidential sense my friends from work called me at that precise moment! It’s a day I will relish for the rest of my life. A confirmation of my dreams, would be what I look it this as. It’s an accomplishment for me, personally, because I set this goal and I’m closer to getting it. I’m also the first girl in my family, immediate and immediate-extended, to do her master’s degree, and the only one to be doing it in the United States of America.

Now, I’m plotting and planning and thinking of ways to break the news to my manager. Five weeks notice is not what is expected by them but I can request for a waiver, and hopefully it is accepted. My tickets have been blocked, and I only have to confirm the date of my leaving Bosch. It will be a sad farewell, because I’ve grown so used to the place. I like it. I enjoy my work. And I’ve come a long way in the past eleven months that I’ve been working with Bosch. As a person, definitely, and that’s just something you never stop growing in. But technically, yeah…I know a lot much more. I know what it really means to be ‘in the industry’. And now I’ve to leave. I’m going to be studying. Specializing in a subject of my interest. I planned it for a whole year. With all the bumps and the thumps, I had to hold on, and I did. It paid off. It’ll pay off more when I actually get to Chicago and begin the whole academic excellence pursuit part of this whole plan.

I’m still in the clouds. My shopping list is out, pre-departure checklist been mailed, important people informed, farewell parties being organized by my friends – supposed to be a surprise when I come back in two weeks for a small visit before I leave for good, but I found out when a e-mail that was meant for one of the organizers landed in my mailbox – my aunt, uncle and cousins planning the necessities and visits to Atlanta… yeah, it’s all underway. And still more.

I just got my inoculation for MMR, with a Meningitis shot scheduled for Saturday when I go back for the TB skin test results. So both my forearms hurt a little bit.

I’m happy. A bear hug to all those who let me know that ‘we knew you had it in you!‘ and a ha to those who didn’t want me to/told me I would never go – but I thank you, nevertheless, cause that spurred me on more – but don’t take credit for it, you don’t deserve it. Anyway. Love to all. I’ve things to do. I’m in a blurry moment now. Will definitely be filling in details as more things fall into line.