VISA FOR INDIA

I finally have my Indian visa. Trying to get a visa to go to India was no small matter. Gary got his immediately but I had to complete similar paperwork three times. I originally intented to go to conduct research at the University of Pune and to see family. My purpose is having to change. You can not "just" go to India to conduct research. I have a tourist visa and that's pretty much all I can do.

With my first application I wrote that I would be visiting family and conducting research. It was denied. I called the "middle man" that I have to work with who works with the Indian Embassy. She told me they had a problem with my purpose. After a long conversation I told her I would not conduct research so she allowed me to reapply.

I completed the paperwork the same day and Fed Ex'd it. When I checked online with Fed Ex I saw where the paperwork had been delivered but I never received a confirmation from the "middle man." I called and she told me she never received it. So...I called Fed Ex and they gave me the day, time and who signed for it. Again, I called the "middle man" back and was told no we never received it. Then, I was told, oh, we received it but it was your first application. I asked how that could be possible since my husband and I both applied and mailed in our passports and application in the very same envelope several weeks before. Gary already had his visa while I was talking to the lady. We argued back and forth and I just said "Okay, you don't have it. What do I do now?"

She told me to reapply. This makes my third time to reapply! You can't just copy and paste information. It is an interactive form and I had to retype every single word that I did on the previous application. Then, I had to print the application and Fed Ex it again.

They do not want me conducting research over there and I won't. At this point I don't want to be deported or put in jail! Which, I really think either could happen.

I will meet with the Dean of the College of Education at the University of Pune but we will not conduct the study that we originally had written and obtained approval from both of our universities. Instead, I will do most of the leg work here and he will complete it there and email it to me. Now, when I go to the university in Pune the Dean and I will visit and talk about the statistics we will use.

I have learned a lot about working with people in a country that is totally different from the United States. I gave up trying to make sense of anything.

When I started having all the problems several weeks ago I quit reading about Pune, studying my Lonely Plant book, and stopped trying to get excited about going. There was a week it really looked doubtful. Now, I'm EXCITED.