Gearing and Not Gearing Up

Remember how when you were a kid and summer vacation seemed so far off? But now that you are an adult, you can’t believe how fast another school year passes? This is where I am stuck- between a kid’s impatience and an adult’s reality. We leave for India in January. That means I have 2 ½ months until I pack up my family and shift us halfway around the world. Sometimes I can’t wait to go, I want to leave right now. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night worrying about when I will have time to go through the two shoe pocket holders FULL with little girl hair bows, pencils, stickers, rocks, last year’s Halloween tattoos, take apart erasers, and so many other tiny “treasures” our renters do not want have to look at for the 8 months they reside in our house. Then there is the practical side of me. The experienced traveler part who knows that it is going to be INSANE the last few weeks before we go and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. We can’t pack our bags now. We can’t pack up our house now. We can’t say our goodbyes and get in our last minute hugs. That has to all happen just before we head out.
So what can I do?
1. Paperwork. The necessary thorn in my side. When we started the adoption process Marvel applied and received his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status. This status can be given to folks whose parents or grandparents were born in India and held Indian citizenship. It can also be given to folks who used to be Indian citizens themselves. Star is in process of becoming an OCI. We are just waiting for her passport and her OCI book to be returned to us. I, by falling head over heals in love with and marrying an OCI, am a Person of Indian Origin (PIO). All these acronyms and statuses are important because OCIs and PIOs do not need visas to enter India. And we can stay as longer than 6 months without registering as a foreigner at the police station. Very useful, as anything that involves a queue, paperwork, and government in India takes 10 times longer than humanly possible. So what about Flip? The only one of our Setty clan who was actually born in India. She has her Indian passport from when she first came home in 2009. After we received our official adoption decree from the county here, we were able to apply for her US passport. BUT… she has not received her Certificate of Citizenship. So she can not renounce her Indian citizenship and apply for OCI status. So our Maharani is the only one that must apply for an entry visa, register as a foreigner and then travel to Delhi to renew her visa after 6 months. Funny how things work out, right?
Tickets. Marvel and I are in a debate right now- to stop or not to stop. He wants to push right through to Mysore. We are going to be tired, so might as well get to our final destination and then pass out. I want to stop and recover for a couple of days- fatten up on some croissants in France or soak up some Vitamin D in Qatar, then push on to Mysore. I don’t think we have much of a choice as the Fulbright dictates the kind of flight Marvel can take. It must be an American carrier and we must pay extra for our stop over. So we wait for the head of the travel department at the Fulbright office to return from holiday and inform us of our choices. Then we will shell out the $2000 a person flights are coming in at right now. Yes, donations are welcome. J
2. Study Kannada. Star and I are trying to learn the Kannada alphabet. Although it is incredibly daunting. We are still on the vowels. I love it. I love the curves and the loops. Marvel  told me a long time ago I would love to learn it. Star mocks me in true Setty fashion every time we practice writing and I declare, “Oh I love this one!” or “This one is fun to write.” She just rolls her eyes and says, “They can’t all be your favorite.”
3. Eat. I am emptying our cabinets. I know it doesn’t make sense. We still have 2 ½ months but I refuse to buy any more ketchup! We will go to McD’s and get packets if we need to. I am now face to face with my enormous surplus of dried lentils and beans. Why did I think I needed all those? But, as God as my witness, every last bean and lentil will meet my pressure cooker before January. Be wary of dinner invitations to my house in December, you know what you will be eating- microwave popcorn and bean soup.