Friday, November 20, 2009

Embassy Day!

Gotta tell you, it didn't start out well again, and I was just about at the end of my rope. Our embassy appointment was at 10am, so we had arranged for a hotel car at 9am. For those that know me well, you know how I HATE to be late. At 9 we headed downstairs, and there was no car. At ten past we mentioned it to the concierge who told us that we should have gotten our driver's number. Dan said, "you didn't give me his number, you said you'd have a car waiting at 9!" He did not remember that he was supposed to make the arrangements, but assured us there was "no problem." It's a line we hear often over here, and offers no comfort to me. At 9:35 we were still waiting! Finally our car pulls up, but has to stop for directions to the embassy. It was after 10 when we drove up and then we had to wait in line to turn Dan's cell phone in.

When we walked into the embassy, we saw familiar faces of two other families, one of which we spent time with in Kolkata, and one whose blog I have followed, and we have been emailing. It was so comforting to see those familiar faces, and get to chat with them while we waited.

And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the embassy was a breeze! The staff was delightful and easy to deal with. Downright friendly! They asked for only his visa pictures, the fee, legals, and NOC. They told us we could come back later, or wait in the American Citizen's lounge and it would be about an hour! From start to finish we were there less than 2 hours, and we were comfortable and happy the whole time!

We are very relieved to have ALL of our paperwork taken care of. Dan immediately felt better with that behind us. We were hoping to get to Agra today (Saturday), but yesterday I felt worse than I had felt the whole trip, so we just didn't dare. Of course, this morning I feel much better, and I'm kicking myself for not taking the chance! We are going to try to see some of Old Delhi, which we missed last time because of a Sikh festival that was going on. It will be wonderful to get out of this hotel room, and then perhaps I'll have a few pics to post. What a boring blog it's been this trip!

We still cannot wait to get home to our babies. I miss them terribly, and cannot wait to see Mason Probal interact with them. He's been a trooper, but has to be bored in this room with only two adults! As he gets used to us, he is eating better, becoming more demanding, and sitting up a little better. I'm sure we'll see very fast progress once we get home!

9 comments:

Tara said...

I can't wait to meet him!! Hope the rest of your trip goes smoothly!

Anonymous said...

The kids are missing you but are being very good.

Can't wait to meet Mason Probal! Love you all. Everything in "back in the states" is fine.

ColleenC said...

Yay for easy embassy day!!

glad to hear you're feeling better, still praying for your trip to be safe and hassle free from here on out and for all things you have going on at home to resolve!

Emily said...

Glad to hear the big paperwork is behind you!

Karen said...

I'm so glad the embassy process was so smooth! Ya-hoo! Enjoy Old Delhi and some of the wonderful sights. Note: the gift shops/vendors under the archways at the Red Fort actually sell decent stuff for decent prices. Shop away! :)
xoxo Karen

Anonymous said...

So Glad all is going well, I can't wait to meet him. He looks like he is going to fit right in the family. If there is anything I can do here to help, let me know. I am free anytime.

Wendy

Cindy said...

Yay, sounds like you are almost headed home!

Once you get home, you will be shocked at how fast he will blend in.Luke sure did and he was 3!

What happy children you are gonna have (all 4).

Safe travels,
Cindy

Shad and Maggie Alsworth said...

I'm so sorry that you've had a rough go at it. It's never fun to have a terrible time in a place where you can't communicate very well with anyone. We'll see you tonight... hopefully they got our reservation right. I'm going to call them in a little bit to make sure. :)

Lynda said...

Sorry you missed the Taj. We also missed it because of a driver who didn't show up for hours made us miss a whole day of sightseeing.
Guess we'll have to go back!

So, glad you did blog and let us in on your beautiful family time getting Probal.

You are all truly blessed to have one another.

Hope your trip home is better.