After a month in India

It doesn't seem like it's been a month. I guess that's a good thing, right?

The first few days were a whirlwind. And I started learning, everything is a lie.

It was a scary thing arriving here. All the scary stories you hear and not knowing which way is what; I stayed wide awake when I finally found the driver with my name card. Typical of India, we stopped to drop off a sandwich for a friend and pick up some juice before getting to the apartment. When we finally pulled into the apartment complex in the middle of the night at 5 in the morning I was so relieved, although oddly so, by the presence of a white girl in short shorts and a tank top waltzing by with grocery bags in her hands. I was relived she was there because I knew I'd must been taken to the right spot, but what in the world was a white girl in skimpy clothes doing shopping that early in the morning?! I found out later she was just dropped off from a shoot and the bags had her stuff.

The apartment is a three bedroom but only two of us are here and my roommate works away often so it's frequently just my place :) It's not a nice place though, but it works. There is a cold water clothes washer, a tv, wifi, medium size fridge, two burner portable stove and a cold water single basin sink :)  I also get a room to myself with a bathroom, minus a sink..not sure how that happened.

Outside is a Catholic church which rings bells and holds weddings and events and a lot of local village people live on the beach just opposite the cricket field so even as I type this at 11:30, I can't hear the tv over the marching band or whatever noise producing source is outside. On the bright side, at least it's not a dead neighborhood :)

I continued to learn that everything is a lie though.

I spent the first couple of days completely immersed learning Bollywood tunes for my first show just a few days after I arrived. Literally, it was only a couple days and I was put out on stage to play my first show. Unfortunately, playing with backing tracks, I only had four tunes learned by then so I had to supplement with a lot of classical. It was not a big hit, but several of the people working sound complimented me on what I had learned so fast. In about a week I had another show booked for three solid days. I had been working day and night and had about 14-16 songs by then so I was feeling good to go. When it was time to perform my manager told me to start off with some slow classical. That was apparently not the best advice since I was told to cut it after two songs and then reprimanded by the head honcho of the whole shebang about playing sad songs. When I went to go back on stage, set with more upbeat Bollywood songs, I got shut down again, although this time for the establishment not having an international performer license. Not sure what all happened, but I didn't perform more than those first two songs for the entire three days. I've since performed one event in Delhi which was received quite well because I was prepared with good Bollywood tunes :)

Getting used to India has been interesting. The food is tasty :)  That part I like. The shopping is remarkably terrible. Experienced at haggling in Mexico, I expected to be able to haggle here, but the store owners won't even bother. There are so many other white people suckers that it's not worth it to them to haggle down to a decent price with me. And by decent, I mean still overcharged, just not more than 100% over charge. I'm learning who to take with me and where to go and what to say so they'll even consider the haggle, although it doesn't always work and works less often than it does.

Did I mention that I'm still learning that absolutely every single thing is a lie?

Something I was completely unprepared for was the public groping, er, frisking, to get into large public places. It's still really awkward, disgusting and vile in every way. I'm working on trying to find a different, more positive emotion to the procedure...

It's filthy here, as everyone who's ever been or seen a tv or read a magazine article knows. It really is dirty beyond belief. It's like being at the beach with all the sand, but without all the surf :(

No, that's not a henna tattoo. That's dirt and yes, I was wearing sandals all day!!

The people are really nice and it is absolutely true...don't trust a thing anyone says. I mean it. Not one single thing. It's hard to wrap my head around how nice people are and yet how I can't trust anyone.

I am having fun figuring it all out though. Sometimes it's difficult, and sometimes it's scary, but it stretches me in every way. And as hard as it is and as much as it hurts, I like it because it's how I grow. It's how I become a stronger person, a smarter person, a more complete person. Still working on getting a working phone sim card. Still figuring out the company here. Still working out how to get things and how not to be taken advantage of because I'm a white girl. Still working on how to stay on and enjoy the roller coaster ride that is daily life here.

This picture well represents the roller coaster ride. Happy and sad. You never know which emotion is around the corner.

It's just all a big fat lie.

Getting everywhere takes forever. Not like LA forever where you creep along, but where you surge and stop, surge and stop. Besides the lack of shocks and the dust in your face, rickshaws are actually rather fun. And you get places faster than in cars, because they're smaller :) Yes, it's true. There are no traffic lanes and even when driving directions are separated by concrete you will still see bicycles and mopeds going the wrong way on the other side of the road. Transportation is quite the sport here. Speaking of which, I have taken a train. During rush hour is when you see people hanging so far off the trains I wonder how they don't crash into other buildings and trains when they pass by. I've been fortunate enough to take the train outside of rush hour, except once. That was certainly an experience. Let's just say I'm very glad to be tall and a lot stronger than I look. There were a lot of surprised and very angry Indian women who didn't get on the train because of me. I even have the scars to prove it. Btw, those women are vicious!

The mosquitoes here are just as vicious as the women. The bites are similar to Alaskan mosquito bites but they spread farther instead of raising higher. They still itch just as fiercely!!!

This picture is a week old mosquito bite. Imagine what it was like when it was new!

A downside to being in India is that my nights end far too early. Being a musician I like being out until the wee hours of the morning but here, I'm up, but definitely will be catching up on a lot of tv series. The other productive use of my time will be to continue learning Hindi. I've started just a couple days ago and I now know three Hindi vowels and can read and write them! I'm looking forward to adding another language to my arsenal. Maybe not fluently, but at least I can read and write and will know a few words.

Adventures have happened and are happening still. I'll write another entry soon depicting my day and I'll also share some small tidbits along the way if I can keep them all in my memory :)

But it's just all a lie anyway...

So check back. Now that I'm getting into the rhythm of things more, I will be able to carve out time to blog better and keep you all abreast and entertained!

On my way...to wait again.

It has been a long arduous journey to get to India. It's still not finished, but it's drawing closer.

It started this summer, applying for a job in late July, receiving an invitation to proceed further in early August and a preliminary contract the middle of August. The plan was that I would be in India by September 4th. That obviously didn't transpire.

When all the paperwork eventually made it's way from office to office to me, I received it the end of September and applied online for my visa on Labor Day.

The processing time as stated on their website is 3-5 days. That seemed remarkable but wonderful. When I applied for my Korean visa I received it in 4 days even though the processing time was 7-10 days. I eagerly waited those 3-5 days, waiting for the email requesting the remainder of the necessary paperwork and my passport photo. After 6 days I tried to call and find out what was happening because I had heard nothing. I couldn't reach anyone. I tried for weeks but got no where. Finally, I called and someone answered. They asked why I hadn't made an appointment and had I not received an email asking for any additional documents. I hadn't.

I made an appointment for the very next day. This was the middle week of September. When I got there, I was informed I'd filed the wrong visa application so I refiled at the office. Then they needed my resume. I'm fortunate that I have it online so I printed off a copy at the office. Then they looked at my passport which had over six months on it when I first applied but was now just under. They refused me.

Previously, I had gone to the Atlanta Passport Agency and been declined to have an expedited visa because I didn't have an international ticket proving travel. I explained this to them at the Indian agency but they would not take my application so I went to the Chicago passport agency. Luck was with me there and the lady took my passport renewal form even without proof of travel.

A week later, I returned to Chicago, picked up my passport, and reapplied again for my visa. This day was September 23rd. After a week I was again requested for more paperwork. The Indian company emailed it to me right away and I submitted it. Another week passed and I received a call from the consulate (which you can't call btw) stating that they had received the email with the paperwork but it was still processing. Why they couldn't say. They asked if I wanted my passport back. I declined. I didn't know if it was a trick to decline my visa since they can't process it without my passport or if someone was just trying to be nice, but I didn't want them to have any reason not to grant me my visa.

Another week passed and they asked for a future schedule. One doesn't exist because I'm in the entertainment business and gigs get booked as the are requested. And the Indian company definitely isn't going to book me if I don't have my visa yet, so there was no future schedule to provide. The Indian company provided other paperwork to prove the validity of the performances and venues, etc. The Indian consulate was not appeased however, and requested the future schedule a second time another week later.

During all this time I would spend hours on hold trying to call the agencies' call center. The people there couldn't really do much unfortunately, but they did advance my case in the system and put it on "urgency" and whatnot. It's frustrating because the Indian consulates in the United States don't deal directly with the public. You have to go through an outsourcing agency called Cox and Kings Global Services and neither the consulate nor the agency have phone numbers. Only the call center is reachable and you have to wait for hours to speak with someone, which probably won't result in actually knowing more or doing anything.

The second week of November on Friday the 14th. I received the previously forethought unattainable email stating my visa had been approved and was sent to the agency for pickup or delivery. I had already prepaid for the delivery so I started making plans to get to Chicago so I could fly out early the next week when the visa should have arrived. But the visa didn't arrive. I called every day asking where it was and why it hadn't been mailed. The call center didn't know why and could only put my file on urgent. I waited over a week and then decided it was time to take action myself. Monday the 24th, I drove to Chicago to pick up my visa in person.

I walked in at 2:30 p.m. and verified that the agency did indeed have my passport and they had not mailed it off while I was driving there. So I waited around until the 4:00 p.m. designated pick up time. At that time, no line formed, to order ensued, no numbers were given. We all just randomly sat and were randomly called as the workers dug through a pile randomly. And I do mean randomly. There was no organization to it at all.

But there is wonderful news at the end of it all...

I HAVE AN INDIAN VISA

However, now I sit in Chicago, awaiting an unknown flight. Thankfully, I have an awesome friend who's letting me crash and wear her cold weather clothes since I only have warm weather ones packed for India. It's from one waiting game to another. The process is moving though....slowly....

Now I just have to get my flight and it will finally happen. I'll finally be in India, performing Bollywood tunes and traveling again!

Traveling Korea/ Japan 2014

Long ago I promised an informative blog with travel links and tips that I spent many days of my life hunting down, translating, calling and sorting conflicting data to travel between South Korea and Japan.

The first thing that I did to really help me was make a spreadsheet with all the information from the various sources. This is a link to that and the picture below gives you a sample.

While I was traveling between Korea and Japan there were some smartphone apps that were extremely helpful. They are also all free!!! I tried lots of different apps and these were my favorite.


Currency ~ Most of the time I didn't need to use a conversion app, but this one would retain the numbers that I'd looked up even once I left an internet source. Most other apps would try to refresh and therefore lose the data I'd previously had. This app came in most handy when someone tried to rip me off and I could show them that I knew what they should be giving me.


Korean Builder ~ My favorite Korean language app. There are the general categories you can click on but you can also start typing (in English) and optional phrases and words in romanticized letters and in Hangul will appear so you can show someone the sentence or word even if you can't say it. It also has the option to use honorific, formal or polite forms. It is a free app so there aren't all the words you'll look up but there are plenty enough to get your point across and you can also update to a full version. This app also does not require internet access which in Korea isn't a huge problem, but nice to know none the less.


Korean Flashcards ~ A nice app for a few of those basics. You can choose whether you see romanticized letter or Hangul or both. And since no internet is required it's also an easy app to use when you're desperate to communicate.


Learn Korean Numbers ~ My favorite Korean numbers app. Korean numbers are tricky because there's two different sets and they use each set for different things and both for telling time, so it's important to be able to reference both quickly. Most apps only have the Sino-Korean set. This app is free and you can practice the numbers as well as practice telling time in the app. Super helpful!


Maps With Me ~ This app lets you download maps of a specific city or country to your phone so you don't have to have a wi-fi connection to see where you are. This app was really really really helpful in Japan where wi-fi is scarce and never free.


Subway ~ This is the number one app for using the subway system in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju. The system is super easy to maneuver anyway with color coded number systems posted everywhere below as well as above ground. I travel a little bit and Seoul is an easy place to get around. I did not have the opportunity to use this app outside of Seoul so I can't comment on its effective in the other cities. However, this app is a must have as you can pull up the subway map with romanticized stop names so you can figure out where you are if you don't read or speak Hangul. You do have the option to use it in Hangul as well as Japanese too. The app gives you the fastest route to and from where you'd like to go and timetables for departures. I can't say enough about how good this app is!


Talking Translator ~ One of the translator apps I liked using but it does require an internet connection. It gives you options to hear the translated word or phrase, keeps your history and will even give you daily words in a language of your choice.


Translate ~ Of course Google translate is also a go to translator option but beware to only use it for basic sentences and words because it doesn't translate larger sentences correctly at all. I'm being very serious and have had ample experience when I first moved to Korea and couldn't speak a word, nor could my neighbors speak a word of English. Hours were spent trying to communicate through translator apps and Google doesn't work with anything remotely complex. Talking Translator often did better with longer sentences than Google.


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Classical Music in North America ~ how should it be experienced?

This article  called, 10 Things That We Should Change In Classical Concerts, particularly hits home with me because at the very last concert I performed, I was reprimanded by another musician while on stage. What was I doing? Well, the concert was uncovered, outdoors and rainy so many string players brought their cases out on stage. I brought my Mary Poppins umbrella. A couple other members saw it and jokingly suggested I should start dancing and "singing in the rain". In response I took my folded umbrella and started pumping it up and down and doing the leg kick from my chair, which was on the very outside, so I was visible to absolutely everyone in attendance. The reprimand was that I should behave because I'm on stage now. I answered back, and firmly believe, that audiences should see happiness and joy on stage and not always a somber stare from its musicians. There was no discussion because soon the concert began and I respect the protocols to be quiet and attentive for the conductor and concertmaster. But to show an audience that classical music is fun; it's fun to play, it's fun to listen to; it's fun to watch; its fun to absorb, is something I try to do every time I have a chance to interact with my audience. 

What do you think? 

What parts of this article do you agree or disagree with?

Why?

This is the outdoor venue at the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock.

This is my usual self, fun, happy and full of life! The photographer took this picture as I was walking on stage.

Bruckner Symphony No.7 & a trip to Little Rock

It is funny. I went to type, or swype as it were, the word Arkansas into my phone and it didn't know the word. I wonder what people from Arkansas think...having to add their state's name into the phone dictionary.

I digress. I'm heading to Little Rock this week to play in the Arkansas Symphony! It seems like it's been forever and what a better way to return than with a concert including Bruckner Symphony No.7. I've wanted to play one for a long time so I'm finally getting to fulfill my dream. :)  Last year I checked a Mahler Symphony off my list for the first time and this year it is a Bruckner Symphony. Let's keep the awesome pieces coming!

So for any friends that are in the Little Rock area, send me a note since I'll be there for a week and will have time to visit. And for any of my friends in Chicago. I'm getting to and from Little Rock via the Windy City, so when I return I can spend a few extra days if I'm so inclined :)

Don't forget that you can keep up with me on a more daily basis (it's not quite daily, but more frequent than the blog) via Twitter. There is a feed in the right column of my blog, but you can also follow me here if you have a Twitter account.

It will be nice to escape the growing cold of the northern Indiana countryside, spend time performing and practicing instead of faucet repairing/replacing and gutter removal. And hopefully when I return, there will be an India visa waiting for me!!! Dare I hope? It's been such a long road, but I still hold onto the hope that until they reject my visa, the possibility still exists for my future tour through India and Asia performing awesome Bollywood tunes.

Dreaming*~*~*~*

India seems so far away

It has been a long haul already and unfortunately, I'm writing this update from my childhood twin bed in my childhood bedroom with the same carpet, same wallpaper, same curtains, and even the same sheets on my bed. There's just a few extra boxes and an elliptical machine to remind me I no longer live here permanently....yet.

It was in August that I agreed to a job in India and said yes, I can leave in three weeks when the company in India hiring me asked if I was available right away.

Back then I had 7 months before my passport expired.

I did Skype interviews, sent resumes, videos and pictures and was emailed a nice contract and everything seemed on track...until I tried to get my visa.

I went to the Atlanta passport agency the middle of August to renew my passport just in case and was told that I couldn't do so quickly without an exact travel date like an airline ticket.

Since my passport was not going to expire right away and I didn't want to send it off in the mail for a month and a half to renew it without an exact travel date, I decided to just wait and renew my visa overseas.

After receiving all my documents to apply online I did so on Labor Day and emailed to confirm the next day that the consulate had indeed received my application. They emailed me back the following day affirming that they had received it. Online it listed a set of steps to follow and I had completed step one and was now waiting for an email to complete steps two and three. After 5 days (the website stipulates a 3-5 day processing period) I tried emailing. All my emails were returned undeliverable. The next day I tried calling. There were three numbers on the website. Only one actually rang and I would sit and wait for a half hour plus numerous times throughout the day and on different days and no one would ever answer. This went on for a couple of weeks and finally my agent went to the embassy in the town near his location and was told I should just keep pestering them. Wish I could right?!

So I tried calling again and magically, I got through. About time it was. I was asked if I had received emails and I was like, nope. I can't even email you or call you. I was told to schedule an appointment to complete my paperwork so I scheduled one for the very next morning.

After waking at an ungodly hour to drive to Chicago to get there for my mid morning appointment, waiting in line, being told I had the wrong application, redoing my application, being told I needed additional paperwork, getting that paperwork, and then attempting to submit everything for processing, I was informed that since my passport no longer had more than six months before expiring that I could not submit my visa application. I explained that to get my passport renewed I needed an airline ticket and to get that I needed my visa, but to get my visa, I needed a renewed passport. Oh the joy of red tape circles.

Since I was nearby, I walked to the Chicago passport agency and when the lady called me up and asked if I had my travel dates I started explaining my situation. She kindly interrupted my story and said I couldn't get my passport back today but they would mail it to me in a few days. Whoopee!

I came back to Chicago in a few days instead of having them mail it, picked it up and returned to the visa application office. After another round of more paperwork and yadda yadda I finally got it submitted. The head lady there said she'd never seen a submission like mine. Guess I'm the exception. I shouldn't have been so surprised.

Anyway, I happily left the office thinking that in a week (according to their website and the email I had specifically written to confirm this, the processing time is 3-5 days) I'd have my visa in hand and be getting a ticket to India post haste!

Wrong again...

Turns out the consulate can't decide what they want to do with my visa application so they requested a detailed schedule of my upcoming performances, venues, etc. I'm not going to go into details about how that's impossible to procure, but the Indian company trying to hire me kindly supplied me with more documents to try and appease the consulate here and get my visa processed.

Then I got a phone call yesterday.

It's always scary getting a phone call from a government agency.

They told me they'd received the documents I had emailed earlier that day and still couldn't decide what to do and now the whole department is taking a five business day holiday so they won't consider it again until next week sometime. In the meantime, they asked if I'd like my passport back. The unfiltered response would have been, yes, with my Indian visa inside please.  But the filtered response was, no thanks, I'm not planning on any international travel in the next couple of weeks. I'm really hoping to travel to India the next time I use my passport!

Sooooo, I'm still waiting still waiting still waiting stilllll waitinggggg.............................

Maybe someday I'll get my Indian visa. This has certainly not been easy and not been fun and not been ideal in any way. There is still a good chance I won't even get to India after spending hundreds of dollars, completely reorganizing my schedule for the last few months, and turning down work because of the posted processing times. I still want this gig and hope I get it, but if I do, I think it will be the last time I apply for an Indian visa.

If any of my readers have any tips or hints for Indian policies or visas or for traveling in and around India, especially Mumbai, please let me know.

Quick trip to Atlanta

To complete all the necessary details to head to India, a quick trip to Atlanta was in order.

Atlanta is around a 5-6 hour drive from my adopted dad's home plus you lose an hour. I drove down on Tuesday, but forgot about the hour difference so was an hour late to the Tuesday night contra dance. I'd expected a good gathering since Atlanta has a couple big contra dance weekends, but it was a puny little group. The band far outnumbered the dancers.



Even so, I had a good time and danced my heart away.

Then it was on to meet my couch surfing host. Boy, do I get lucky with couch surfers and hosts. My host was so kind, thoughtful, and helpful. Meeting my new friend was the highlight of my trip.

The following day I drove up to Walmart for a quick turn-around passport photo since they like current ones and the last one I'd had taken was a year ago and it wasn't one I wanted to see on my passport for the next 10 years. I had called ahead and the store said the photo department opened at 9, so I walked it at 9:05 only to be told the machine had just been turned on and it would be a half hour for it to warm up before they could print my pictures. That threw off my timing, so instead of being able to park cheaply near my host's home in Midtown and walk downtown, I waited for the pictures and then hurriedly drove downtown, parked at an overrated lot and made it to my appointment only a few minutes late.

Not having made an appointment to renew my passport before I didn't know the details. Had I known, I would have not bothered rushing. After walking through security, I gave the person at the first set of windows my paperwork and then sat and waited for 45 minutes until my number was called. It was only then that I was told the agency was only for expedited passport renewal. The lady I'd spoken with on the phone hadn't mentioned that when I said I only needed a regular renewal speed. So I'd just wasted money on parking and time sitting. Arg.

Oh well, it was a nice day so I walked back outside and ate a quick lunch so I could have 20 minutes to nap in the car before walking to my next appointment. That all went smoothly and I returned to my car to drive home. Since I had extra time I was able to find FREE parking!!!  And still more time enabled me to get an Insanity workout in before my final appointment of the day.

Then it was back to my host's home where I spoke the honest truth that I'm a terrible cook and that if there was to be any edible food tonight, it would not be made by me. So I serenaded my host on my violin while supper was prepared. I think it was a good trade off :)

The next day was all about the music. I woke up and prepared to have a long day of rehearsal and recording. Unfortunately my accompanist wasn't prepared and so after a few hours of practice we discussed options and went our separate ways. After a leisurely tour through a nice store, Health Unlimited, where I found this card that I now need to print up and put in my violin case so I see it every day,



I returned home to meet my host, walk to Piedmont Park (where I played Death and the Maiden on my phone and zoned out figuring my next plan of attack), grab some tasty Mexican food, and do my Insanity workout. Wasn't the day I had planned but the Duck Pond 2012 Pinot Noir was quite tasty that night!

The next day's plans were to return to Nashville in the evening and since my morning/early afternoon was now free I hopped onto the Meetup website to see if there were any good sports groups I could join for a fun time. Turns out there was a beach volleyball meetup happening at the same park I'd walked to the night before (which is a fabulous park by the way). It was nearby and proper level of play for me. I was thrilled. After saying goodbye and thank you to my host I left for the park. When I arrived (10 minutes late because I couldn't find my contacts), no one was there. So I sat down on a park bench and checked on my phone to see if I was in the right place only to discover that the meetup had been canceled. Boy, my luck this trip wasn't so hot.

So instead of a romping and vigorous game of 2 on 2 beach volleyball, I walked around the park, headed back home to shower and return to Nashville.


A bright sunny day in the active oval at Piedmont Park.

Nibbling away but watching me none the less :)

Not a soul in sight, but some high rise buildings.

Beautiful green lawn as far as the eye can see.

Walking along 10th St. next to Piedmont Park, the streets are lined with flowers and unique houses.

I loved the artsy blue door!

This is one way to never have to mow your lawn...just use ground cover.

It was a rather frustrating trip in many ways, but I now have questions answered and curiosities assuaged. It's time to move forward and focus on what's next: hopefully India, hopefully a couple of symphony concerts, and the day to day improvements of mind, body and soul.