US calling : Better Start Learning how to Cook ...

Hello Friends,


If you are having Visa in hand, excited to go to United states of America its time that you starting learning how to cook. Very less percentage of girls knows cooking and boys almost 0 % .  But its time you get ready. Trust me home made food will be one thing you will miss like anything. Student life is tough, you wont have $$$ to go to restaurant and have food.

Let me share some basic things that you will definitely have to learn to cook to survive:

• Tea  (Remember there is no tea stall, no tapri, no ketley).
• Chapati ( you will have options to buy ready made one for sure, as they are quite cheap).
• Maggie ( This will be only source to stay Alive).
• Rice ( Make sure you learn how much is the ratio of rice : water, otherwise you will land up making rice soup or rice block)
• Khichdi ( learn Masala khichdi, bring some masala packets as you will not always be able to make all sabjis like you are demanding today at home)
• Omelette ( Eggs are cheap here ,and if you are not vegetarian it is one of most cooked and fast one too)
• Egg Bhurji ( learn different forms of Eggs otherwise you wont be able to eat same thing everyday).
• Daal ( Soul Satisfying food, mark my words you will be feeling lucky to have home made daal and rice).
• Alu sabji ( potatoes are damn cheap here, Most important recipe).
• Moong Curry
• Chana daal
• Chole - Chana masala ( Known as garbanzo here, one of the cooked can available, just learn how to make gravy).
• Noodles  ( veggies needed are available easily).
• Chicken Curry ( if you are non vegeterian).
• Meat curry
• Egg Curry
• Sooji Halwa ( there will be days you will die to eat indian sweet, which will be around $7 per pound ( 450 gms approx)  as a student its tough)
• Pulao ( something that you can learn to treat yourself on weekends)
• Mix veggie Curry ( Frozen veggie packet is very cheap here 99 cents per packet).
• Sambhar, Idli, rasam,Dosa ( if you are southindian).
• Palak Paneer (Spinach of best quality is readily available, paneer can be procured from any Indian grocery store).
• Bhindi ( most loved food)
• Kadhi ( yogurt of best quality is easily available)
• Chutneys ( Coriander ( Cilantro) is available a lot).

This list is not complete, there must be various likings and desires depending on what part of country you live in. Yes everything is readily available in USA but being a student you wont have much choice as every little penny counts. This initial years of study will be tough days as you will be by yourself no family to support and no one will be there on whom you can spit out your stress.

You are all by yourself in your own battlefield. Most of you will be sharing apartments with the 3 to 4 or may be more unknown people. Its a challenge.

I cried first day I stepped in the apartment and there were like 6 people already in.

Good luck !

If you all like the list I can post up recipes of all the above mentioned food items.. Feel free to comment and add food items and in my next post I will share what all things to pack before leaving to US as a Student.

From Asia's pen.

US Student Visa Stamped vs Rejected

Good Morning !

Here comes the brainstorming session / Experience that i am going to write about today.

Waiting in line at US Embassy is the kick start of the Realization Phase.

As you all know I was not a candidate eager to go to United States for further studies leaving back my all settled life, rocking career and priceless buddies and most importantly my parents.  But now I was already in the trap. I went to Mumbai seemingly foreign land for a typical Gujju.  I had my Old school friends settled in Mumbai, they came to fetch me from the Railway Station and here comes THE DAY... , visa interview day..

 I got up in morning, took out my formal pants , formal shirt, ( ironed them to my best ability) and headed to Mumbai local train. Once I reached there I saw people lining up outside some office (which was told to me was US consulate). It was last week of January but Mumbai was humid and hot and I was sweating from head to toe. I was on the other side of the road and saw that the line was moving and people were gradually send in the office. I still had 2 hours left for my interview timing.

So i just went there (unaware of the process) and security asked for my passport and the I 120. I handed him and told him that still there are 2 hours left for my appointment, he still insisted me to go ahead and register. 

I didn't realized that they were letting me in with NO option for me to go out.. Yes you are right my document file was with my friends standing on the other side of road. I went inside and then realized that I am locked in, i cannot go out and if I go out my interview will be cancelled as NO SHOW.

I requested them as if I was a beggar but the staff was not at all courteous to help me. They didn’t let me go out just to pick up the folder. Similarly my friends outside realized about Folder they had and they were constantly requesting the security to please pass on the bag to me inside, but NO luck. Till Date i don't have idea why they didn't co operated me.

  I was sitting in the waiting area with all the results ready in my brain that definitely I am going to get REJECTED. How foolish of me to step in embassy without documents. 

 Tick tock, tick tock, finally the time arrived when I was called by visa officer.  I went there and here was my visa interview:

 Me: Hello Good morning Sir.

• Visa officer: Good morning .Can I have your Passport and I 120.
• Me: Here it is Sir.
• Visa Officer:  So what are you planning to study in US?
• Me: Explained about the master courser i selected with the reasoning why.
• Visa Officer: Okay. You will get your passport by mail in 3-5 days.
• Me: I was shocked and just hurriedly said thank you sir and left.

Actually i needed a Big Slap ( not a pinch) to make myself realize that I got the Visa. Something that I was so sure that I will never get it.. How stupid of me that I went inside the Embassy for interview without documents? Being a qualified person how can i do that?

 As soon as I stepped outside the embassy i saw my two best buddies Shivani and Vidula waiting for me. They were somewhere also sure that my visa will be rejected for sure. They looked at me with a Big question mark, and I gave them a shout out across the road,, hey I got it.

I was happy that I made it.

And after that we buddies had a great lunch, great time. we went to gaming station and played Bowling, games. I would say we enjoyed every moment for the reason not because I got Visa, reason was we met each other after almost 12 years.  Best time with friends. Some friendships live forever, no matter you meet each other daily, and no matter you call each other.

It was time where my life was about to enter a new phase... Stay tuned.

From Asia's pen.

Share your comments.

Dedicated to All my SVEM School Buddies.

A neophyte aspirant landing in USA on most Famous F1 (Student Visa).

LosAngeles , California, USA.

                 
          Hello to all my friends.
       
         My very first Blog where I will help all Desi interact with oneself and each other. I am sure everyone will agree and comment here , that we have definitely at some point of time experienced similar feelings. I am typical Indian Desi who had die hard love for Mother India. My Parents had a dream that if their parents were financially sound they would have studied more.  Now they want me to make their dream come true.  I was very happy with my life in India. Being a Qualified Doctor Graduate, I had keen interest in Computers and technology. I was working with a reputed firm in Ahmedabad.  Ahmedabad was my birth place, a city full of life and colors.
Ahmedabad , i would say Gujarat is the safest place in India. A girl / lady can safely move out of house at midnight.

        There starts the pain of preparation of coming to United States of America. I was getting frustrated on the demands and the hell count of documents that was required to apply for the Student Visa.  Trust me guys its a vicious circle. Its a trap once you get into this you will never want to come out of it.. some one has rightly told nothing comes FREE.  There is price for everything.

       You must be thinking why it is a trap ?

• Pull out all your Marksheets , Certificates, etc.
• Go to Govt office and wait in line for hours to get the true copies.
• Go to the banks and beg them for the Bank Statements and the Letter stating that Bank account is on your parents name and you have xyz amount in that.
• Wait on the Cybercafe (yes those days back in 2010s in India very few residential address have internet at home) to see the Date Availability for Visa interview.
• And finally the Day !!!  Yes Visa Day !

And that is the day when you have the fear of getting Rejected (WHY = Because what will parents think about you, what will friends talk about you  and what will society talk about you)?

Let me know how many of you have gone through this pain and share your experience here in Comments !!!!

From Asia's Pen.

Will come up with follow up process once you are Granted F1 USA Student Visa.