Thursday - October 25, 2007
I woke up at around 10:30 and as part of my daily routine, checked the status of my OPT* application only to be shocked that Homeland Security needed extra evidence to process my application. That is not the kind of news you want to hear in the morning. Instantly, I knew its going to be a few weeks before I can start working. I had to wait for a few days before I knew what documents they needed because the website would not give any information about it. In a world were everything from love letters to offer letters are sent through emails, Homeland Security decided sending information via snail mail was THE most secure.
I was eagerly waiting to join work and then this happened. I had looked for an apartment on Lake Shore Drive(LSD) only half a block away from Lake Michigan and that too it came at a very modest price of $900 including parking, gas, water and cable. With my joining date pushed to mid or later November, I could not have moved into this apartment and so I had to give it up. I was all groggy, frustrated and complaining and to further rub salt into the wound, I was alone. My friends were all busy with work and courses.
So to spend a lonely afternoon, I decided to do what I had been doing frequently these last few weeks - Watch a movie!!!! that too one of my all time favorites 'Panchathanthram'. Half an hour or so into the movie, a familiar irritating buzzing noise in my ears got me out of the bed. It was my mobile phone and it was my cousin calling. He asked what I was doing for Diwali.
"Uma, deepavali'ku enna panra?". I said "Naana?? veetla dhaan irupen da...". "Seri OPT enna aachu?" After I explained the whole thing to him, Vijay said "India poittu vaayen.. deepavali'kum angha irukalaam. Both Kartik (his elder brother) and I have not been able to do that in all these years. This is your chance".
Even as Vijay was completing is sentence, I drifted into a dreamy world. As I looked up, I could see a cloud and there they were.. decoction coffee, amma's sambhar sadham and urulaikazhanghu curry, malli poo idli's with spicy mulaghai podi and venghaya sambhar, masala bread (actually it is a masala veg. sandwich) from Iyengar's bakery and other mouth watering dishes going round and round on a conveyor belt. Its not all about the dishes though. The late night vetti pechu with friends that went really late into the night, Ramya's constant screaming when she gets ready to go to college, the cool breeze at the Marina and Besant nagar beaches and for sure Kapaleeshwarar temple are some of the things that I had been missing these last few years.
In a distant voice, my cousin said "bye" and hung up. I was trying to put things together and comprehend what he was telling me.
I woke up at around 10:30 and as part of my daily routine, checked the status of my OPT* application only to be shocked that Homeland Security needed extra evidence to process my application. That is not the kind of news you want to hear in the morning. Instantly, I knew its going to be a few weeks before I can start working. I had to wait for a few days before I knew what documents they needed because the website would not give any information about it. In a world were everything from love letters to offer letters are sent through emails, Homeland Security decided sending information via snail mail was THE most secure.
I was eagerly waiting to join work and then this happened. I had looked for an apartment on Lake Shore Drive(LSD) only half a block away from Lake Michigan and that too it came at a very modest price of $900 including parking, gas, water and cable. With my joining date pushed to mid or later November, I could not have moved into this apartment and so I had to give it up. I was all groggy, frustrated and complaining and to further rub salt into the wound, I was alone. My friends were all busy with work and courses.
So to spend a lonely afternoon, I decided to do what I had been doing frequently these last few weeks - Watch a movie!!!! that too one of my all time favorites 'Panchathanthram'. Half an hour or so into the movie, a familiar irritating buzzing noise in my ears got me out of the bed. It was my mobile phone and it was my cousin calling. He asked what I was doing for Diwali.
"Uma, deepavali'ku enna panra?". I said "Naana?? veetla dhaan irupen da...". "Seri OPT enna aachu?" After I explained the whole thing to him, Vijay said "India poittu vaayen.. deepavali'kum angha irukalaam. Both Kartik (his elder brother) and I have not been able to do that in all these years. This is your chance".
Even as Vijay was completing is sentence, I drifted into a dreamy world. As I looked up, I could see a cloud and there they were.. decoction coffee, amma's sambhar sadham and urulaikazhanghu curry, malli poo idli's with spicy mulaghai podi and venghaya sambhar, masala bread (actually it is a masala veg. sandwich) from Iyengar's bakery and other mouth watering dishes going round and round on a conveyor belt. Its not all about the dishes though. The late night vetti pechu with friends that went really late into the night, Ramya's constant screaming when she gets ready to go to college, the cool breeze at the Marina and Besant nagar beaches and for sure Kapaleeshwarar temple are some of the things that I had been missing these last few years.
In a distant voice, my cousin said "bye" and hung up. I was trying to put things together and comprehend what he was telling me.
- My OPT would get delayed.
- Hence my joining date (cause-effect or causal relationship).
- I had a valid F1 visa. So technically re-entry into the US should not be a problem
- and I had time to buy my tickets.
After thinking through, I decided to put to rest, thoughts of going to India for the time being and wait for the mail from Homeland Security. Then I continued watching the movie.
Monday - October 29, 2007
Over the weekend, I spoke to my cousins and friends about going to India while waiting for my OPT. Most of them felt it should be fine. But also threw a word of caution that there is a very slight chance that the immigration officer might not let me back into the US though I had an offer letter. On Monday, I received the mail from Homeland Security. Apparently the old I-20's are also required as part of the OPT application package and I had not included it. I sent them the I-20's right away and then went and spoke to the international students' adviser, Ms. Braulia Espinosa, at the 'Office of International Services'. She felt there should not be any problem and asked me to carry all the legal documents including all my I-20's, offer letter, evidence of me submitting my OPT application and a printout of the current OPT status.
Tuesday - October 30, 2007
I also spoke to the technical lead at Simplex Investments, Mr. Doug and told him I might use this opportunity to visit my family and friends in India. I also requested him to give me a new offer letter that stated December 1st as the starting date to which he gratefully accepted.
Wednesday - October 31, 2007
After going through numerous websites, I finally purchased my tickets at a moderate $1200 for a round-trip between Chicago and Mumbai and then asked my dad to buy tickets from Mumbai to Chennai and back. I happily envisioned all the goodies I would get to eat and more importantly all the people I would get to meet in Chennai and Mumbai and the things I would get to do.
Monday - November 5, 2007
The rest of the week flew by in a jiffy and I did a bit of shopping over the weekend. My shopping power was limited due to financial reasons and rightly so because I had not worked in the last 2 and a half months. I still managed to fill both my boxes with stuff and off I went to the airport to go to India.
The next 3 weeks
Deepavali fell on November 8th, the day after I landed. Easily the most awaited festival among the Hindus, Jains and Sikhs - Deepavali or Diwali is celebrated on a grand scale. As usual, after the oil bath, customary bursting of crackers (bursting crackers has gone out of practice and has considerably reduced in the last 5-6 years at least in South India, the reason being child labor that goes into manufacturing these crackers and pollution among others) and a heavy breakfast at home, I went around visiting my friends and ate sweets and savories where ever offered.
I gained 4 kgs in 5 days though I am sure I have lost that again now. Watched a couple of movies - 'Vel' and 'polladhavan'. On a couple of occasions, I stayed out late till around 3 am in the morning and then sneaked into my house without disturbing anyone. What I did then need not be discussed here. Met an old friend almost after 7 years. There were rumors about a year back that he died in an accident. So made sure he wasn't a ghost. Almost on all days, had late night vetti sessions (nila sessions as some call it) with a bunch of friends. Did naastha (meaning "had breakfast" in colloquial tamil) at Sangeetha that's close to my house. This is a practice we developed during our school days. Well I dint miss Saravana Bhavan and the kapaleeshwarar temple either.
And at Mumbai, I bit into vada pav, bhel puri and pani puri so much that the guy selling it (Ramji's) near my place decided to gift part of the shares he held on the restaurant... And then there was the almost maniacal, excessively phrenetic dancing at my Uncles 60th birthday celebration party. Anyone that had taken a few dancing lessons would have instantly known that dancing was not my cup of tea. But the ones that were there, were as bad as I was or were so drunk that they complimented my dancing skills and a couple of them even asked me if I took dancing lessons. God save the world!!!!
Present and Future
I'm back in the US and fighting jet lag. Odd sleeping hours and loss of appetite are some of the symptoms. When you have traveled to your home country, you would also have to fight home sickness and boredom. Three weeks has made a world of difference. Chicago has already seen its first snow showers, the weather is a lot colder and the sun sets so much earlier these days.
My OPT has been approved and I have gotten my EAD card. I am joining work on Monday, December 3rd. So all the fun, food and celebrations have to wait until next time I go to India. Till then, life would revolve around settling into my new job, moving into a new apartment and buying a car. I'm planning to visit my aunt and cousin at Phoenix, AZ sometime in the next 1 or 2 months and also invite some of my friends over to my place (but that's only after I move into a new apartment).
Cheers
Uma
OPT* - Optional Practical Training. It's like the temporary work permit and it is valid for a year. People normally apply for H-1B visa status during this time.
Monday - October 29, 2007
Over the weekend, I spoke to my cousins and friends about going to India while waiting for my OPT. Most of them felt it should be fine. But also threw a word of caution that there is a very slight chance that the immigration officer might not let me back into the US though I had an offer letter. On Monday, I received the mail from Homeland Security. Apparently the old I-20's are also required as part of the OPT application package and I had not included it. I sent them the I-20's right away and then went and spoke to the international students' adviser, Ms. Braulia Espinosa, at the 'Office of International Services'. She felt there should not be any problem and asked me to carry all the legal documents including all my I-20's, offer letter, evidence of me submitting my OPT application and a printout of the current OPT status.
Tuesday - October 30, 2007
I also spoke to the technical lead at Simplex Investments, Mr. Doug and told him I might use this opportunity to visit my family and friends in India. I also requested him to give me a new offer letter that stated December 1st as the starting date to which he gratefully accepted.
Wednesday - October 31, 2007
After going through numerous websites, I finally purchased my tickets at a moderate $1200 for a round-trip between Chicago and Mumbai and then asked my dad to buy tickets from Mumbai to Chennai and back. I happily envisioned all the goodies I would get to eat and more importantly all the people I would get to meet in Chennai and Mumbai and the things I would get to do.
Monday - November 5, 2007
The rest of the week flew by in a jiffy and I did a bit of shopping over the weekend. My shopping power was limited due to financial reasons and rightly so because I had not worked in the last 2 and a half months. I still managed to fill both my boxes with stuff and off I went to the airport to go to India.
The next 3 weeks
Deepavali fell on November 8th, the day after I landed. Easily the most awaited festival among the Hindus, Jains and Sikhs - Deepavali or Diwali is celebrated on a grand scale. As usual, after the oil bath, customary bursting of crackers (bursting crackers has gone out of practice and has considerably reduced in the last 5-6 years at least in South India, the reason being child labor that goes into manufacturing these crackers and pollution among others) and a heavy breakfast at home, I went around visiting my friends and ate sweets and savories where ever offered.
I gained 4 kgs in 5 days though I am sure I have lost that again now. Watched a couple of movies - 'Vel' and 'polladhavan'. On a couple of occasions, I stayed out late till around 3 am in the morning and then sneaked into my house without disturbing anyone. What I did then need not be discussed here. Met an old friend almost after 7 years. There were rumors about a year back that he died in an accident. So made sure he wasn't a ghost. Almost on all days, had late night vetti sessions (nila sessions as some call it) with a bunch of friends. Did naastha (meaning "had breakfast" in colloquial tamil) at Sangeetha that's close to my house. This is a practice we developed during our school days. Well I dint miss Saravana Bhavan and the kapaleeshwarar temple either.
And at Mumbai, I bit into vada pav, bhel puri and pani puri so much that the guy selling it (Ramji's) near my place decided to gift part of the shares he held on the restaurant... And then there was the almost maniacal, excessively phrenetic dancing at my Uncles 60th birthday celebration party. Anyone that had taken a few dancing lessons would have instantly known that dancing was not my cup of tea. But the ones that were there, were as bad as I was or were so drunk that they complimented my dancing skills and a couple of them even asked me if I took dancing lessons. God save the world!!!!
Present and Future
I'm back in the US and fighting jet lag. Odd sleeping hours and loss of appetite are some of the symptoms. When you have traveled to your home country, you would also have to fight home sickness and boredom. Three weeks has made a world of difference. Chicago has already seen its first snow showers, the weather is a lot colder and the sun sets so much earlier these days.
My OPT has been approved and I have gotten my EAD card. I am joining work on Monday, December 3rd. So all the fun, food and celebrations have to wait until next time I go to India. Till then, life would revolve around settling into my new job, moving into a new apartment and buying a car. I'm planning to visit my aunt and cousin at Phoenix, AZ sometime in the next 1 or 2 months and also invite some of my friends over to my place (but that's only after I move into a new apartment).
Cheers
Uma
OPT* - Optional Practical Training. It's like the temporary work permit and it is valid for a year. People normally apply for H-1B visa status during this time.
