Preparation, Planning and Packing

I would be lying to you if I claimed that the last month has been stress free.

It turns out that I had made two rather large underestimations.

The first was that obtaining a Visa would simply be a case of making an appointment, turning up at the Visa office in Bristol, handing over some forms while smiling sweetly and then I’d have my passport (complete with Visa) arriving in the post a few days later with a cheery wave from the postman. This should have been how the process went, however, that wasn’t the reality. The problem with a 12 month Work Visa from the Indian Embassy is that it’s valid from the date it’s granted rather than the date of your departure meaning that our years aboard could be cut short if we went through the process too early. On the other side of the coin, waiting to make an appointment close to the departure date meant a higher risk of not getting a Visa in time for our flight. In an attempt not to sacrifice too much travel time next summer while also playing it safe time-wise, I thought that an appointment on the 6^th of August would be a fair compromise. I would have been right about this had I not filled in the wrong form on my main Visa Application. Turns out, in England, every Visa office you go to requires you to fill out a ‘Birmingham Form’ UNLESS you are going to an office in London or Bristol, in which case you need a ‘London Form’. This meant that, on the 6^th, when I turned up to the Bristol office, I was sent packing within 60 seconds simply because my form and office combination weren’t incompatible. Further complications with nearly all of this year’s Project Trust India volunteers meant there was a long pause before I was able to make a new appointment. Thankfully, last week my application was submitted. Despite this my Visa-related stress levels remain high as there was a small problem with one of million forms (an incorrect digit at the end of my passport number that had been corrected with pen). This minor detail is exactly the kind of thing the Embassy could pick up on to reject an application so I have my fingers crossed that I don’t have any more trouble or my departure may have to be rescheduled. Not ideal.

My second underestimation was how hard it would be to pack a year’s worth of stuff. I honestly thought it would be simple: I’d just make a list, I’d have 90% of the items on that list, it would all fit into my backpack and weigh exactly the airport baggage allowance. Simple! But no- despite having several colour coded packing lists (Lottie had to help me), my organisation skills have temporarily failed me and my progress with packing has stalled. There is now a big red box full of stickers, flip-flops and toiletries sat in my room. At some point in the next 10 days I will have to go through it, organise it, pack it, (probably unpack some of it as I will inevitably exceeded the baggage allowance) but that’s all far too daunting at the moment.

The Big Red Box is looking very fill and I don't even have everything on my lists yet!

I think I’m starting to realise that the ‘it will all just fall into place’ philosophy I’ve adopted is probably not as sound as I thought it was.

As well as practical struggles, ‘goodbyes’ have started become very real and are beginning to play on my mind. Knowing that there are some people who have been so central to the last 7 years of my life that I won’t see again in person for a year is pretty hard to get my head around at the moment. Having grown up in an age where nearly all of my friends are only a text or facebook message away, there is also some anxiousness around the idea of not having everyone at my finger tips. I’m sure, however, that the hustle and bustle of Devnar and teaching will mean that I won’t notice this too much while overseas!

Goodbyes with Andrew

I apologise that this entry hasn’t been as upbeat as I would have liked. To counteract all this stress, worry and nervousness I would like to end by noting down some things I’m really looking forward to:

Singing songs with my classes.

My first first-hand experience of a Hindu festivals.

Riding Elephants.

Buying my first Sari.

Indian puddings.

My first ride in a tuk tuk.

Being able to have a conversation with someone in Telugu.

And lastly; spending time with and getting to know my lovely partner. 

Whenever I post next I hope that I bring good news about the Visa and my attempts to pack everything I will need over the next year into one backpack that I am physically able to pick up!  

Elena x