It's begun

Simon signing in: (I do this because Rein started it for some unknown reason and I am now paranoid that if I do not people will not know who is typing what!)

Yesterday Rein and I finally collected our passports with our approved 6 month VISA. Phew, what a relief that was after 7 weeks wait! The guys at the VISA centre recognised us every time we entered the room and knew what we were there for, and this time, success, they were ready.

But, the work of preparation before we head off is still an uphill battle. The thought alone of packing clothes for 10 months through three different climates is daunting and working out what we can do with or without is hard, especially when I am in-charge of packing duties (I'm good at it ;-)).

Yesterday too we had our final (almost, one more in 6 months) 'jab' against the many nasties which could come knocking at our door over the next few months so that too is something which we were able to strike off!

All in all I feel excited, confident, a little anxious but overall happy that the adventure is soon to start. Rein on the other hand, is struggling a little, especially with sleep. He had another restless and almost sleepless night last night stressing over god only knows about the journey ahead! Bless. I think, what is there to worry about? Apart from mosquitoes, theft, curry OD, 36 hour non-stop train journeys, millions of people, the daily search for fresh water (does Tesco deliver to India?) or finding our home of a few months, all looks fun! Well, challenging fun, like one of those TV game-shows.

Over and out! (never again) Simon :-)

Catch-up

Rein signing in -
"The good thing about the period between being ready to leave and actually being on your way is that it is a perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends. This evening was such an evening. Having read the Facebook announcement of our departure, Uni friend (and room mate) JH initiated a reunion with all our flat mates from our third year at Nyenrode Uni.
Within a few days' notice four of us got together in Brussels this evening to catch up since a very long time.
It was an excellent evening sharing life stories, reminiscing over fond memories and philosophising over "the meaning of life".
A special thank you to JH for initiating!"
- Rein signing out!

The waiting continues

Rein signing in -
" Still waiting for a call from the embassy; every time the phone rings, we jump up expectantly, but to no avail.
In the meantime, the preparations continue. Final meeting with Better Future in The Netherlands before our departure teaches us that the unknown is an essential ingredient to sabbatical and volunteering alike. We agree that the best approach will be to visit the three short listed NGO's personally to ascertain where and how each of us two can best add value to the communities they serve. So we won't know what we'll be doing exactly until we get to Bangalore.
We also discussed the upcoming projects of Better Future India and how we could be involved in these. Here too we decided to play it by ear, until we have our feet on the ground and our first volunteering experience under our belt. I in particular do not want to step into the trap of getting stuck into leadership development work immediately as I really want to use this sabbatical to be exposed to new challenges and gather new experiences in the unknown.
Logistic preparations are continuing as well. While we are winding down the things to do at our end to pack up and leave; in Bangalore our hosts are stepping up their support, including sourcing potential places for us to live while in Bangalore and booking tickets for our train journey from Delhi to Bangalore. This journey over land will take up to three days and will allow us to experience a quintessential aspect of India: the realm of its railroads!

Here's hoping that one of the next blog entries involves some definitive news on our visas!"

- Rein signing out

Visa troubles continue

Rein signing in -
"Tuesday pick-up came and went; we had to leave the visa agency empty handed... Disappointment due to a "misunderstanding". Our passports are still at the Indian embassy and visa have yet to be approved. We are taking this in our stride and decide it is one of the valuable lessons to be had from a sabbatical; i.e. the one in patience....
In the meantime our tickets are booked: leaving for Delhi on Feb 6th.
Final briefing meeting with the folks at Better Future Netherlands in Austerlitz, NL, tomorrow morning to discuss the volunteer projects that Simon and I will be working on. Exciting!"
- Rein signing out.

Some Success

Rein and I have finally had some positive news on our Visa front last Friday. After waiting anxiously for any answer from the Indian Embassy we finally received one Thursday evening. Long story short, we are due to collect our passports with visa on Tuesday afternoon. :-)

With this Rein and I were able to decide on a date for a bon voyage party for our Brussels' friends.

More news soon.