Once the VISA approved, everything happened immediately and
within 2 weeks I got ready to travel to US. The day before travelling I gave
treat to my colleagues and my tickets have been booked just before the treat.
So after the party is over I went to office again at 12 AM midnight to take the
print outs of tickets, important documents and I was still searching a place to
stay temporarily for initial days. Then I got all the documents I needed, found
a place to stay temporarily with TCS colleagues and I was trying to book a cab
for next day to reach the airport. The time was 5 AM. I couldn’t book any cab
at that time and I felt very sleepy. So I asked my teammate who was doing night
shift to book the cab, and came to room at around 6 AM. Then I slept for 3
hours, woke up at 9 AM.
Tonight 8 PM flight, I
have to reach the airport by 5PM, I have to leave from room by around 3 PM. I
have to start packing, and finish it; pick up clothes given for alteration and
I don’t have a cab booked yet. Will I catch my flight tonight?
I didn’t believe I could finish the packing before
afternoon, normally my Dad used to do the packing for me wherever I had to go
like while 1st time going to Hostel, 1st time college, 1st
time Chennai for job, 1st time Mumbai. While doing the packing he
used to give advices, warnings such as “don’t use this often; use this like
this; use this every week” for each thing he keeps in my bag. So for me packing
means ‘Listening to advices/warnings and watching him doing that’. But somehow
I finished my packing around 12 PM. This time my Dad is replaced by my
roommate.
My teammate booked the cab successfully for me; I picked up
the clothes and was ready at around 2 PM. Cab came at 2:30 to my room. And my Journey starts here.
Travel Plan: Mumbai(8PM)->Delhi(10 PM),Delhi (1
AM)->Chicago(7:15 AM),Chicago(11:30 AM)->Philadelphia(1:30 PM). From
Philadelphia I had to take a cab to Pennsylvania.
Once I got in the cab, I called my Dad to inform that I
started.
He asked “who are all
coming with you till airport?”
I said “No one, I’m
going alone only”.
“Alone? What da? No one is coming to send off?”
“Dad, everybody has office, anyway they can’t come inside
airport, and I’m going in cab so no need to worry about carrying luggage”.
“Still…, you’re going to US and no one is there to send off.
Here for going to Dubai many people are creating scene and celebrate like
festivals. My son is going to US and going to airport alone like an orphan. I
feel very bad” said very unhappily.
“Dad, stop worrying for silly things. I will call you after
I reach there, bye”.
On the way to airport I almost called all of my friends and
informed. I reached airport very early at 3:45 PM itself. I went to get the
boarding pass and gave my ticket printout to the lady in the counter. She looked
at the timing and said “Sir, what’s the urgent now? You still have time, wait
for one more hour”.Woww..probably this is
the first time I’m reaching the airport this early. Then I waited in
the airport thinking what my colleagues at the office told me the previous day.
-- “Update us once
you reach Delhi Airport, then update us once you reached Chicago airport, then
update once again after you reached Pennsylvania, I’m really worried about you.
Go safely”.
--“Hmm..i don’t think you would reach there without making
any comedies”.
--“They can still send you back to India if you answer
anything wrong in the Immigrations, so be careful; don’t blabber there”.
--“We would rather want you to reach there safely instead of
doing some misadventures and writing that in your blog later”.
Everyone in office had that much belief on me. So I told
myself I have to be extra careful through the whole journey. So I wrapped by
two luggages fully and wrote the name and US address in the outside. I kept my
passport, US contact details printout, US dollars, Travelers’ cheque everything
in my Passport holder and kept the holder and the files with all the documents
in my hand baggage. Every 5 mins I was opening my passport holder, checking
passport, money, cheque etc. And it reached 5 PM. So I decided to go to the
counter and get the boarding pass. I stood up, again opening passport holder,
checking passport, money, cheque etc.(you might get irritated if I say this
again and again, so hereafter I will refer this sentence simply as
**CHECKING**). I went to the counter.
**CHECKING**
I gave my ticket printout to the lady in the counter. She
asked for passport and id proof. I gave that too. Then she tried to print the
boarding pass, she swiped my passport in some machine, then she swiped again,
then again, again………after few minutes she called her colleague and he tried the
same again for few minutes. They were discussing something among themselves and
I heard only words such as “issues”, ”record”, ”fail” etc. Then they called
their supervisor who looked like my Account manager. Then he told them to try
in few other ways and no use in that too. Time is 5:30 PM. For every second it was getting late, my mind
was thinking every possible way that I could’ve messed it up. “Did I missed some documents? Did I forget to
do any formalities? Did I not follow all the steps? My VISA really not
approved? Will they send me back? Will they detain me? Will they arrest me?”.
Then I asked them “was anything wrong from my side? Any
mistake in my passport?”. They replied “No sir, nothing, it is just the system
issue, you don’t need to worry, we’ll take care”. I remembered saying those
exact same words to my customers in my job. I used to say that whenever I don’t
know how to fix any issue, which means now they don’t know how to fix this one.
Then at 5:45 PM finally they gave my Passport back and the boarding pass. I
again asked “Is everything fine? No problem right?”. They again replied “No
problem at all sir, now everything is fine”. I put my2 big bags in luggage
which I wrapped fully. They registered it to auto transfer from Delhi to
Chicago so I don’t need to check out and check in again. Then they gave the
immigration form to fill. I heard that Immigration is very important process to
clear, so I kept that form safely in my file and I went back and sat in the
same place as before.
**CHECKING**
Time was 6 PM now. “Got
the boarding pass, luggage checked in, why I’m waiting here? What I need to do
next? What is that form they gave? Do I need to fill that now or in flight or
in US?”.
I went to the counter where I got the boarding pass and
asked that Old man who looked like my Account Manager, “What I need to do with
this form?”. He replied, “fill it and go to Immigrations check, once that is
cleared, complete the security check and go to gate for boarding”. “Oh!! That form is to fill now…”
I went near Immigration check where many people were filing
the same form.
**CHECKING**
After filling two fields I didn’t know what to write in the
next field, I asked someone who was standing nearby me, but he said he also
don’t know. “What to do? Let’s go back to
Account Manager”. I went to the same old person and asked the doubt and he
explained and this happened couple more times. Coming back to Immigration check
and going to that person and back and forth. Then somehow filled everything,
cleared the Immigrations, security and reached the Gate. It was 6:30 PM.
**CHECKING**
My dad called me.
Dad: Did you reach airport safely? Is everything fine?
Me: yes Dad, everything is fine, I got boarding Pass, now in
the Gate.
Dad: You took all the documents right? Check once again.
Me: Yeah I got everything, all are clear.
Then I heard someone calling me as “Rajan………”.
I looked up, still keeping phone in my ear. The lady who
gave me the Boarding pass was standing before me. She said “Rajan, you need to
come with me for few minutes”. It was like a scene we used to see in many
movies. Customs or Airport officials get the information in the last minute and
asking the terrorist/smugglers in the same way before arresting. “Could you
come with me for a minute?”.
I froze. I’m looking at her, with the phone in my ear and in
the same position for few seconds.
Dad: Hello…Hello..
No answer from me.
Dad: Hello, you there? Everything is fine?
Me: Everything…………….hmm…..I’ll call you later.
******I'll Update the remaining later*********
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