Our first year was momentous…the second began in a whirlwind.
August 1, Chuck discovered our visas surprisingly expired in 19 days. When we applied in May for renewal of his 1-year employment visa, we thought a year renewal had been granted (as did the very experienced cross-cultural worker who was with us). It turned out we had been given only a 90-day extension that ended August 20th!
This set into motion a rapid sequence of events that led to an emergency trip to Nepal from August 15th to the 19th. The idea was to exit India on the employment visa and re-enter on tourist visas obtained in 2006 for our first visit to India. There was uncertainty whether this would work but the only way to really find out was to try.
Surprisingly, leaving India proved to be the most anxiety producing time in the whole visa-adventure. Our Nepal flight was booked for August 15th, but…
- August 15 is Independence Day in India.
- Delhi is the site of several traditional Independence Day observances.
- There have been a number of recent serious terrorist incidents in India.
- Just days before the 15th it was announced that all routes into and out of Delhi were to be sealed for security reasons at midnight on August 14th.
- There are a multitude of construction projects between our flat and the Airport.
- There was heavier than usual traffic the evening prior to a major holiday.
- The short notice of road closures created additional chaos with many traffic jams.
- That evening there was a major downpour of monsoon rain.
The next day we arrived in ample time at the Airport for our flight since the hotel was truly only 5 minutes away. At the Airport, though, the Immigration official asked how many times we had been in and out of India. Chuck forgot the trip to Hyderabad in October, 2006. The official sharply questioned him about this. Chuck quickly admitted he had forgotten about it since it was only for a few days in 2006. The official then claimed we overstayed our visa from the Hyderabad visit.
Chuck pointed out that we had departed, and entered again on an employment visa in July 2007. At this point he consulted his co-worker who helped him understand the sequence of comings and goings. Finally he stamped our passports and gruffly flipped them onto the counter releasing us to depart India.
After four days in Nepal, we returned. If trouble developed, this was when we expected it. Several experienced cross-cultural workers told us that others in our situation – having a tourist visa, and then obtaining an employment visa – had their tourist visas canceled. The mere fact that the visas were still in our passport and not canceled did not guarantee that they had not been administratively canceled. However, as we were processed by the Immigration officer, he looked at Chuck’s passport, tourist visa, and very intently searched until he found the employment visa, and then, without a word or even a raised eyebrow, cleared us as tourists!
We returned to Delhi on the evening of the 19th and were scheduled to meet our US leadership who were flying in on the 22nd for a week of debriefing our, and Chris & Nicole’s, first year in India, and for planning our second year. The debriefing was scheduled to take place in Jaipur, a city about 5 ½ hours south of Delhi. Interestingly enough, the members of our leadership team also encountered visa problems, delaying their arrival until the 25th.
We debriefed many of the first year’s unexpected developments and changes. After one of the sessions, one leader said she thought we had been led through our first year at “warp speed.”
Blog entries coming soon:
“Going back, to enter the next year” – a listing of changes for our second year, and
“Kathmandu, Nepal” - photos
“Going back, to enter the next year” – a listing of changes for our second year, and
“Kathmandu, Nepal” - photos
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