First Impressions

So here we are in India! We flew out of Hartford, CN on Monday evening. Everything went smoothly with the flight. It was about 7 hours to Amsterdam, where we had a three hour layover. Didn’t have the time to go outside at all, but we did enjoy a very tasty breakfast, including some chocolate milk, which tasted exactly like the stuff in the US, but at least it has dutch writing on it.

Our flight from Amsterdam to Mumbai was about 8 hours long, and was just as uneventful as the first (which I consider a very good thing when flying).

We arrived at the Mumbai airport around 11:00 pm local time (1:30 pm EST). What I first noticed when entering the terminal was the heat and the smell. Even though it was late it was still very hot, and the humidity made it feel as if you were covered with a warm wet blanket. They do not have central air in the airport, but every once in awhile we would pass a standing air conditioned and you would get a blast of cold air. But these machines were few and far between. On the whole the heat and humidity was very oppressive. It probably did not help that we were getting off a plane, which tends to be somewhat chilly.

The smell was not necessarily bad, it was just different. It smelled exactly like the Asian food stores at home. At first it was strange, and it took some getting used to, but now, a few days later, I do not notice it at all (I can’t say the same thing for the heat... unfortunately).

Apoorva’s parents were waiting for us when we left customs. It had been raining (as it does frequently during the monsoon season) so the ground was very wet and muddy. We took two cars to his parents place (they anticipated all of our bags), where we unloaded all of our stuff and a few of Apoorva's family members welcomed us in a small ceremony. Fortunately the ceremony was also short, because we were about ready to pass out after 24 hours of traveling.

Since then Apoorva has started his job with Johnson & Johnson, but I've been mostly getting over my jet lag and trying to get used to this new country and the people in it.

Bye Bye Happy Valley!!!

So we are off to India tomorrow evening. We are flying on Northwest to Amsterdam (8 hours) for a 3 hour layover, then on to Mumbai, India (9 hours). We arrive at 10:00 pm local time (about noon in NY/MA). We’ll be staying with Apoorva’s parents for the first week so we can get our apartment together and he can start his first week of work. His parents have already got the basics for us (couch, table, bed), but I get to do the fun stuff and decorate the place. Yay!

For the past week or so we have been getting ready. We have had to make some tough decisions when it comes to our stuff. We had three choices: pack, store (we have a storage unit here in MA), or get rid of it. We are very limited in the stuff we can take to India. We each get two bags 50lbs bags. While that sounds like a lot, things add up really quickly.

I’ve basically got my clothes, toiletries, shoes, and some books. I also read somewhere that when you move to another country, it can sometimes help if you bring a few things (blankets, decorations, etc) that remind you of home, so I have a few of those

My parents and grandparents came up this weekend to say goodbye. We walked around Northampton, went up to Mount Sugarloaf to take in the view, and then spent the night eating BBQ and bowling in Springfield. This morning we to IHop for breakfast (I had the banana walnut pancakes, yummy). Then we all (well, all us women) balled our eyes out in the parking lot while saying goodbye. I’m so happy they all came up to say goodbye.

The rest of the day Apoorva and I made sure we had everything we needed in our bags, cleaned out our apartment and then said goodbye to Northampton & Amherst. We’re staying in the Holiday Inn in Springfield for the night so we get a good nights sleep before we get on the plane.

Here’s my favorite picture of the weekend. We took my parents & grandparents to a local all natural food restaurant, Paul & Elizabeth’s. Good food and even better company. I will miss them both!! :-)

Done Waiting!

Yesterday we went to the Boston office of the USCIS to check the status of our case. We found out that Apoorva’s name has not even been cleared by the FBI yet (has to make sure he’s not a terrorist or anything of course!) and even if it was they are all booked through August with interviews. So it’s more than likely we wont even be scheduled till the end of the summer and our interview will not be until September (at least that’s what it looks like, it’s impossible to get a straight answer from them).

Since Johnson & Johnson will not wait that long for Apoorva to come to India, and our lawyer says at this point it’s easier to get the interview delayed than get it scheduled sooner, we have decided to just go to India, and then come back for the interview. Apoorva already has papers that will let him travel outside the country and then come back in (theoretically... knock on wood). So we will just suck it up and fly back here in a few months.

Now we are busy packing, selling, and storing the remainder of our possessions. My parents and grandparents will be coming out next weekend. And then we leave on the 13th!