It’s a mini vacation of mine
I am having a jolly good time
From the house one can see beautiful scenes
It stands in the midst of greens
It’s the home of the dreams
It’s surreal by all means
I have to spot a famous deer yet
The deer can then talk about a girl it once met
Abu is the cutest boy
All day we play with many a toy
I have learnt his language
I am almost becoming his age
We have lots of fun
All day long
I will miss him I know
Once I move out of this abode
Abu and Sunil, popularly known as Shingu
The loads of masti that they do
I will remember always
Their naughty ways
Shingu loves cars and is crazy about Don (Amitabh obv!)
From Shingu to Abu, the obsession is being passed on
Sunil loves the little munchkin from his heart
The munchkin thinks he is a big star
The weather here is nice
To top it all Sanju’s food is lovely to dine
Sanju and I go out shopping
Other times I learn some cooking
We talk all day long
And watch movies and sing along
Pretty and tall is she
I wish I were like her-yes me
Vikas and Shingu work from dawn to dusk
The value of hard work I learn must
Shingu and Vikas discuss office all the time
Like it was some precious gold mine
Here it’s relaxing and fun
Sometimes I wish time would stop to run
It’s a mini vacation of mine
I am having a jolly good time!
Monday, 24 August 2009
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Bombay to New York - Journey Unfolded
I was to reach the airport 3 hours before my flight. I was late already. I reached about 2 hours before. I hardly got any time to say goodbyes at the airport. I just rushed into the airport. I looked around and there was hardly anybody checking in. I was thinking to myself, ‘I must be really late for me to be seeing such a scene!’ The authorities had changed some procedures. I had to directly check in. I was praying that I wouldn’t have to pay extra for any extra luggage when my luggage was being weighed...Thankfully it was only about 1 kg more than the allowed weight. Then I went through the security and reached the gate from which my aircraft was going to depart. It was all over very quickly since I was the only one left to check in this late! What I saw at the waiting area shook me a little. The passengers were all men and not a single female passenger was to be found. I guess this is what happens when you book a flight at the last minute. You are left with little or no choice at all. But what could be done now – I was to just wait and board. After a while 2 girls one after the other, looking my age, walked in. That was a relief! An hour later, when we were standing in the queue for boarding the aircraft, another girl – A, got chatty. Both of us were going to New York. But we were going to be together only till Bahrain (first halt), because after that she was going to London and I was going to go to Paris (second halt). But both of us felt happy that at least for the long halt at Bahrain we had each other's company. Once we got inside the aircraft we even requested for seats beside each other. And the kind air hostess obliged!
We reached Bahrain before time, which only implied that we had to spend some more time at Bahrain. While we were walking out the other 2 girls whom I had seen earlier joined us. One of them was going to New York and the other was going to London. So now I was a part of 4-girl-gang going to be spending 6 hours at Bahrain! We looked around a bit and then we settled at a nice waiting lounge. There were wireless internet booths all over, at which we took turns to chat and send emails. Then we were just chit chatting. After a while we went to a lovely coffee shop, ordered some flavored coffee drinks and opened 2 big packets of theplas – an Indian delicacy! We clicked some photos of the new Jaguar XJ 2009 – o boy what a car that one is! Some more window shopping at the duty free shops and the time flied…That’s all, then I went to my departure gate to board a flight to Paris and the other three girls went to another gate to board a flight to London.Bahrain was unexpected fun :)
At the departure lounge I met a young Iranian girl who lived in Paris. She was going back home from a vacation to Iran. It was nice…for quite some time we were talking …and talking in which language but French. It was a well needed brush up on my French skills! Boarded the aircraft – it was 1 am – went off to sleep – I got 2 seats to myself :) – the guy beside me went to sit elsewhere because his TV screen was not working. I woke up to find myself witnessing a lovely Paris morning. Paris was fun. Did some shopping. Boarded the flight. The aircraft was almost full and yet no one had occupied the seat beside me. Finally someone came. As it turns out he too was going to be living in NY…! The flight was delayed because the authorities had to remove the luggage of a passenger who did not board the aircraft. That took quite some time. When that was done and the aircraft was ready to leave, the pilot announced that there was some another technical glitch that they had to sort before they took off. So that took some time. But finally the plane took off. The journey was long and boring and tiresome. I was really bored till we got talking about France, India and the US. I kept drinking orange juice throughout. The ride was a little bumpy due to some weather conditions. Rest was okay. Reached NY half an hour late. That’s all!
We reached Bahrain before time, which only implied that we had to spend some more time at Bahrain. While we were walking out the other 2 girls whom I had seen earlier joined us. One of them was going to New York and the other was going to London. So now I was a part of 4-girl-gang going to be spending 6 hours at Bahrain! We looked around a bit and then we settled at a nice waiting lounge. There were wireless internet booths all over, at which we took turns to chat and send emails. Then we were just chit chatting. After a while we went to a lovely coffee shop, ordered some flavored coffee drinks and opened 2 big packets of theplas – an Indian delicacy! We clicked some photos of the new Jaguar XJ 2009 – o boy what a car that one is! Some more window shopping at the duty free shops and the time flied…That’s all, then I went to my departure gate to board a flight to Paris and the other three girls went to another gate to board a flight to London.Bahrain was unexpected fun :)
At the departure lounge I met a young Iranian girl who lived in Paris. She was going back home from a vacation to Iran. It was nice…for quite some time we were talking …and talking in which language but French. It was a well needed brush up on my French skills! Boarded the aircraft – it was 1 am – went off to sleep – I got 2 seats to myself :) – the guy beside me went to sit elsewhere because his TV screen was not working. I woke up to find myself witnessing a lovely Paris morning. Paris was fun. Did some shopping. Boarded the flight. The aircraft was almost full and yet no one had occupied the seat beside me. Finally someone came. As it turns out he too was going to be living in NY…! The flight was delayed because the authorities had to remove the luggage of a passenger who did not board the aircraft. That took quite some time. When that was done and the aircraft was ready to leave, the pilot announced that there was some another technical glitch that they had to sort before they took off. So that took some time. But finally the plane took off. The journey was long and boring and tiresome. I was really bored till we got talking about France, India and the US. I kept drinking orange juice throughout. The ride was a little bumpy due to some weather conditions. Rest was okay. Reached NY half an hour late. That’s all!
Friday, 21 August 2009
The D Day
Yes the day I have been dreading has arrived; finally. I am getting ready. I am just unable to decide to wear Indian or to wear something Western. What if I wear an Indian dress and they think that she is too Indian and might not be able to adjust to ‘their way of living’; What if I wear a western outfit and they think that she is already quite westernized and might not want to return to her country once she lands there...Some more what ifs…now I am going to stop thinking and just wear something I like. And voila, my dress for the damn interview is ready – a black formal skirt and a stripe shirt.
I am on my way to the consulate. I have stacks of print outs and a big fat book that I plan to read on my way. I read and then I read some more. And whilst I read I am thinking to myself that I am quite sure that the more I read the lesser questions they shall ask me. So I read some more! I arrive and the clumsy girl I am I stand in the incorrect queue for the first 10 minutes. Then someone comes and tells me the correct queue to stand in. There are 2 young girls standing ahead of me. After about 5 minutes of just waiting and not having anything to do, we three girls get chatty. As it turns out all three of us are students and we go on yapping about this and that and then about that and this!
The time seems to pass by quite well and the long queue doesn’t seem so long anymore. (So I guess it turns out that all is well that ends well because if I wouldn’t have stood in the wrong queue earlier I would not have been standing with these girls now and instead would have been getting super bored!)
After a while we move into the consulate and get certain procedures done with. And we wait for our respective turns. The wait seems quite a torture. It seems the walls are moving closer into the centre of the room and are going to squeeze us soon. We three are sitting together; silence engulfs us. I can hardly hear anything. I get the feeling that I am sitting in some kind of vacuum. We are waiting. We can see interview cabin door number 8. The interview of each visa applicant who enters this cabin lasts about 12 to 17 minutes (now this is considered a long interview!) Everyone who is going into this cabin is coming out with a ‘visa rejected’ expression and her/his passport in hand. This applies for everyone who goes into this door. We three do not want to say anything, but we are all hoping and wishing that our token number doesn’t come for this cabin. After about 25 minutes the third girl’s token number is called and her interview cabin is number 8. We three look each at other – both of us wish her luck and she goes in. I have never skipped as many heart beats in my life as I might have in those several minutes. We could see her partially; and every time the interviewer spoke and she showed her documents we almost thought the unthinkable. It’s been long and the interview is still going on. We are getting restless; the second girl is even sweating a little! We are worried because it so seems that they never really need any real reason to reject a visa application – they could just do it...- they have the power! The next minute she comes out and she smiles a big smile and shows us a thumb up…! And we are relieved – o boy! At least the jinx is broken! After a while the second girl’s token number is called out and what else but it is the cabin number 8…it is a long interview but I am confident she will come back with a ‘visa granted’ smile. And guess what - she does come out with that big smile. Now I am all alone. All I got to do now is wait and wait some more. It’s been about 40 minutes that I have been waiting and my token number has not been called out yet. I start to get a feeling that I was day dreaming and that I might have missed my number. I am almost pondering if I should go to the official desk and ask…And I hear my token number being called out and to the cabin door 3. I enter. She is a pretty looking young lady. She asks me why I want to go there. I speak for about 15 seconds. She is busy looking at the screen in front of her. She asks me which state I am going to. I answer. She smiles. She says you are going to have fun. Then she says, ‘your visa has been granted.’ That’s all. It’s over. My visa interview lasted for a minute. It was a breeze.
I walk out of the cabin and the feeling is nice. I seem to not notice anything. I do not see any tensed faces, any what-will-happen expressions, nothing at all…the room seems pretty empty to me…I walk out of the consulate; happy.
I am on my way to the consulate. I have stacks of print outs and a big fat book that I plan to read on my way. I read and then I read some more. And whilst I read I am thinking to myself that I am quite sure that the more I read the lesser questions they shall ask me. So I read some more! I arrive and the clumsy girl I am I stand in the incorrect queue for the first 10 minutes. Then someone comes and tells me the correct queue to stand in. There are 2 young girls standing ahead of me. After about 5 minutes of just waiting and not having anything to do, we three girls get chatty. As it turns out all three of us are students and we go on yapping about this and that and then about that and this!
The time seems to pass by quite well and the long queue doesn’t seem so long anymore. (So I guess it turns out that all is well that ends well because if I wouldn’t have stood in the wrong queue earlier I would not have been standing with these girls now and instead would have been getting super bored!)
After a while we move into the consulate and get certain procedures done with. And we wait for our respective turns. The wait seems quite a torture. It seems the walls are moving closer into the centre of the room and are going to squeeze us soon. We three are sitting together; silence engulfs us. I can hardly hear anything. I get the feeling that I am sitting in some kind of vacuum. We are waiting. We can see interview cabin door number 8. The interview of each visa applicant who enters this cabin lasts about 12 to 17 minutes (now this is considered a long interview!) Everyone who is going into this cabin is coming out with a ‘visa rejected’ expression and her/his passport in hand. This applies for everyone who goes into this door. We three do not want to say anything, but we are all hoping and wishing that our token number doesn’t come for this cabin. After about 25 minutes the third girl’s token number is called and her interview cabin is number 8. We three look each at other – both of us wish her luck and she goes in. I have never skipped as many heart beats in my life as I might have in those several minutes. We could see her partially; and every time the interviewer spoke and she showed her documents we almost thought the unthinkable. It’s been long and the interview is still going on. We are getting restless; the second girl is even sweating a little! We are worried because it so seems that they never really need any real reason to reject a visa application – they could just do it...- they have the power! The next minute she comes out and she smiles a big smile and shows us a thumb up…! And we are relieved – o boy! At least the jinx is broken! After a while the second girl’s token number is called out and what else but it is the cabin number 8…it is a long interview but I am confident she will come back with a ‘visa granted’ smile. And guess what - she does come out with that big smile. Now I am all alone. All I got to do now is wait and wait some more. It’s been about 40 minutes that I have been waiting and my token number has not been called out yet. I start to get a feeling that I was day dreaming and that I might have missed my number. I am almost pondering if I should go to the official desk and ask…And I hear my token number being called out and to the cabin door 3. I enter. She is a pretty looking young lady. She asks me why I want to go there. I speak for about 15 seconds. She is busy looking at the screen in front of her. She asks me which state I am going to. I answer. She smiles. She says you are going to have fun. Then she says, ‘your visa has been granted.’ That’s all. It’s over. My visa interview lasted for a minute. It was a breeze.
I walk out of the cabin and the feeling is nice. I seem to not notice anything. I do not see any tensed faces, any what-will-happen expressions, nothing at all…the room seems pretty empty to me…I walk out of the consulate; happy.
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