Marriage Certificate Apostilation

After 4 attempts by DH and I to submit our marriage certificate for apostilization at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), since the submitting hours are 11am-1pm, it was submitted Friday. We had always been just a few minutes late. DH submitted it and he was given a receipt to pick it up Tuesday between 4-5pm. We received it today. :-)

This took us 1 month and 24 days. The guys at the FRRO said it should be a 15-20 day process. Now, if all goes well we should be going to the MHA in Delhi shortly! :-)

Back door...man

Well, the other day DH got the marriage certificate attested from NRI/Home/Foreigner's office FINALLY!! So, next step is to take it to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), so off he went over to the  office. He gets there and is told he needs to bring a Rs 50 postal order ($1USD), a copy of both of our passports, 2 copies of the ATTESTED marriage certificate and our original marriage certificate (stamped and signed). So he goes to the post office near the office, they don't have the Rs 50 postal order, just Rs 100 and above. So he goes to 3 other post offices and none of them have it, so he asks where he has to go to get it. Well, they tell him the Tollygunge Head Post Office.

**NOTE** DH has dressed messily on purpose for the day...you'll know why later...

So, he goes to the Tollygunge PO and it's closed...well, DH is not to be deterred, since he planned to go back today. So, since the front door is open, he decides to go in the back door, AKA employee enterance. So, he inquires to a man standing there if they sell Rs 50 postal orders, and he says yes, and DH replies, do you have stock? I know you are closed, I am just looking to see if you have stock so I can come back tomorrow. He is told he does not know, but to go talk to the Deputy Post Master, "Didi" (elder sister, term of respect...) who is sitting at a desk a bit away.

DH goes over and approaches her and she looks at him, and she can't figure out if he is an employee or what he is. He asks her if they have stock and she says yes. Then DH inquires what time he can purchase them, to which she says, "10am-330pm..." and scratching her head a bit, she then replies "no, come at 10:30am, nobody will be here at 10am."

So we went today, and got the postal order, and head over to the MEA, and we miss the window to give the documents in today by 20 minutes. DH will have to go tomorrow.

Then we went for lunch, shopping and a movie. :D

Tomorrow, DH has a doctor appointment and hopefully will get in for surgery before the end of the week. Here's to hoping!

Tests, tests and more tests

Hello!

Sorry, for not posting much lately, just to give you an update I have been spending the last few days going back and forth between home and the hospital. DH was hospitalized for severe stomach pain Friday morning. He was diagnosed with a gall bladder stone after having many tests.

According to DH I have not had any horrible experiences with the hospital, but I still found it quite overwhelming.

First off, we went to the ER and the ER was not something I would have imagined this way (I imagined more of the US version) but it was small with a desk in the front and a few doctors just sitting there. The triage rooms were slightly bigger and only given privacy by a curtain (which was not closed). There didn't seem to be the same sense of urgency here, seeing as how the doctor was getting the symptoms and story from DH when he took a phone call in the middle. They had me fill out a form and they gave DH some medicine and then decided they would need to admit him to run some tests. I was sent to the Registration office where I filled out about 4 papers of the same information. Then I was given 2 visiting passes and was shown to where he was. Once I had seen him and visited with him until 1130. (They only allow visitors between 1030-1130am and 5-7pm) I had gone home to get the insurance papers.

I went and got the insurance papers and while I was giving them to the people at the Registration desk I was called by someone in the ward telling me I would need to come up and sign a consent form for one of DH's procedures, (being the one who admitted him I would have to sign all of these, well...the 2 that I had to sign) after signing this paper I was then informed I would have to come back between 1-130pm and be present in the hospital while they were performing the test. So I went home for an hour and ate some toast and then returned to the hospital and sat through the test and then again went home.

I returned at 5pm with my MIL and SIL for visiting hours. We stayed and while we were there he had another test.

Then again I had to sign another consent form before I went home and was to return at 830am for another procedure. I arrived and went to the front desk to ask about the test results from the previous day (since they did not have them earlier when the Dr came to visit) and was told that he had a gall bladder stone.

Then I wanted to talk to the Dr that DH was admitted under because I didn't think that this next test really needed to be performed because they already knew what was wrong. So I spoke to the Dr and he said that he had thought too that it was unnecessary but because of some of the other symptoms he still wanted to perform it.

After the procedure I was informed that the results were fine and there was nothing wrong and that DH would need surgery. DH decided he did not want the surgery at this time, as he wanted a 2nd opinion (but he didn't tell the Dr that...) and so we went back to the ward where I was allowed to stay for a few minutes outside of visiting hours and then was told to wait outside for the next 20 minutes until it was time. At this point I had to alert the Dr on staff that he did not want the surgery and therefore they should be starting the discharge papers.

Really, it was not a bad experience except for the fact that I dislike hospitals that have certain visiting hours. I am hoping that whatever hospital we choose for the surgery has more relaxed visiting hours. :-)

Marriage Certificate Attestation...and all the drama

So, on the 29th of May DH took our marriage certificate to the NRI/Home/Foreigner's office at Writer's Building here in Kolkata. He had written a letter to the Officer in Charge telling him that we needed the marriage certificate to be attested so we could get it apostiled at the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs). So, he submitted the letter along with 2 copies of our marriage certificate and was told to come back in 7 days. The NRI/Home/Foreigner's (N/H/F) office was to forward our file and request to the Marriage Registration office (MRO), where they would check our certificate against their duly registered copy. So...7 days later he went back to N/H/F and he got the file number.




The guy at the front desk gave him the file number, and told him to only go to the MRO after 7 days. DH nicely asked him why, and he was told that other's are coming in and getting their file number and right away going to the MRO and they are being told that they don't have the file and then they are returning to the N/H/F office and are complaining to their super's that they aren't doing their work. What really happens is that they post it to the MRO. Yes people, they MAIL it to a office that is within walking distance. Why, I have no clue.




So, DH waits the required 7 days and then goes to the MRO, where he is told that they have not received our file. They have received file numbers before and after ours, but not ours. So, DH then goes to the N/H/F office and asks what happened. He is told that our file was sent out the 31st, and then is sent to the Dispatch part of the office to see what happened. So, he goes, and they look through all their registers but do not find our file number anywhere in their records.




So, what happened you ask? Somewhere between their front desk and their dispatch office (a space of maybe 50 feet here people) our file was LOST. Yes, Lost.




So, DH goes back to the front desk and asks what he is supposed to do now. They give him their office copy and have him make a xerox of it...so he goes, and makes 5 copies. He returns to the N/H/F office, where they attest the copy of their original letter and he goes back to the MRO. Well, DH being DH, he goes to the bank first and deposits the Rs 1000 ($20USD) fee and gets the receipt. He goes back to the MRO and they are kind of miffed at him for already paying the fee because they tell you to come back in 3 days and submit the fee in case they can't find your certificate.




So, he gives the file and they tell him to come back in 7 days. At this point he asks if it possible for him to transport the file back to the N/H/F office since they lost our file last time, he is told no.




Fast forward 14 days, to yesterday. DH is sick and intending to go nowhere, but he has a hunch and so he goes to the MRO and finds out they have JUST finished our report that day. Well, lo and behold, they have him sign for the papers and give him their report (didn't they tell him no before? I'm seeing a pattern here...) and off he goes to the N/H/F office to get the officer to sign and stamp our marriage certificate. Well, our luck fades fast, as the officer who signs it is out of the office and we are told to come back in a day or two since he has taken leave.

So, now we are just waiting to go back to the N/H/F office to get our original marriage certificate signed and stamped and then we'll take it to MEA one morning and then pick it up in the evening, and then we'll make plans to head to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Delhi to get my visa sorted out. This whole attestation is needed for the FRRO here in Kolkata, but not needed for the visa conversion, as far as I know.




*Phew* I'm so glad the waiting game is over people.




For those who need to go through it in Kolkata here is a simplified list




NEED :




- 2 copies of Marriage Certificate

- Letter to Officer in Charge at NRI/Home/Foreigner's Office stating why you need it attested

- Rs 1000 demand draft from Reserve Bank (to be given to MRO)




Steps : (as it should be done, not as we did it...)




1. Give letter and copies of Marriage Certificate at NRI/Home/Foreigner's Office

2. Go back in 7 days and get the file number

3. Go to MRO 7 days after getting the file number

4. Return 3 days later to MRO and give them the demand draft

5. Return 7 days later (I suggest maybe give them 2 weeks instead...) to see if your report has been completed (at this point they should have sent it on to N/H/F office...)

6. Return to N/H/F office to find out status (probably wait a few days before going...)

7. Return and pick up stamped and signed Marriage Certificate

8. Drop off Marriage Certificate at MEA (I'm sorry I don't know the address or where it is...) in the morning with a Rs 50 postal draft (or something, I'm not sure, DH knows...) and then return and pick it up in the evening, they will have put a stamp (or glue a paper stamp on back, I'm not entirely sure which they do...) and then COMPLETE!!!

"Speak in hindi!!"

So...I was sitting in the auto today waiting to go to South City and there were only 3 people, and we were waiting on a 4th person. The other 2 people (a guy and I think his girlfriend?) had apparently been waiting for about 15 minutes for the auto to go. I get in and then this is how the conversation went (it was in bangla so this is a translation!)

Guy : "Do we have to wait all day to go?"
Autowallah : "We are waiting for 1 more person. This is how it normally goes."
The guy muttered some comment I didn't catch.
Autowallah : "Well, if it was just you 2 on a fared auto then you would have been gone already"

HAHAHA!

So then his girlfriend said to him, "Well, if you ask stupid questions you'll get stupid answers. She's laughing."
Me: "Auto's never go anywhere unless they have 4 passengers, even the ones from Gariahat."

Girlfriend (as she's feeding him a bite of noodles) : "You are like all other men, you are always eating!"
Boy : "Speak in hindi!"
Me : "Why? I can understand Hindi. And bangla."

LOL Love the surprised look on their face.

Then we had the normal conversation of why I was here, and how long I had been here for.

Seriously, made my day!!!

Legal or Illegal? Someone tell me now...

So...sorry I've not been posting lately. We've been going through some hard times. I was told by a friend of mine that because of the change of police jurisdictions that happened last year that he had been transferred from the Bhavani Bhavan FRO (in Alipore) to the Kolkata FRRO (on AJC Bose Rd). So, like the 3rd I go to the Bhavani Bhavan FRO by myself only to find out that yes, I have been transferred and I need to bring in my original Residence Certificate / Residential Permit (RC / RP) and they would sign it.

So, I go home and report this information to DH, and he says ok, and I said I will take it tomorrow and have them sign it. Well, I'm waiting for him to figure out what he is doing, and then he ups and gets ready and tells me to get ready, and all of a sudden he says we are going to the FRRO. So, we go to the FRO to get them to sign it and then we report to the FRRO.

Here, they tell us that my RC / RP is illegal because I have been registered on a 10-year tourist visa. I get pissed and they tell us that we have to go to New Delhi and go to the Ministry of Home Affairs for them to regularize my overstay and convert my Tourist visa to an Entry visa. So, feeling all pissed because now the government has made me a criminal (I have never gotten a ticket in my life...) and I just want to go home and cry.

So...I go home, and then later that week after we had been getting all our paperwork together we go and speak to the Commissioner of Police (who is over Kolkata Immigration) who says, "This sounds like a complicated and long story. Let me send you to a patient listener, I am a very impatient listener." We go and talk to the Assistant Commissioner of Police who then verifies that even if I have been wrongly registered I am still registered, and therefore I *HAVE NOT* overstayed and am not here illegally. Thank Goodness!

So, now we have to get our marriage certificate apostiled (I have no idea really what that means, except that they will verify that it is real...) and then we will head to Delhi. :-)

I am sure we will be told a few different things there, so I'm hoping our luck holds out.

Hindi, Lunch and outing adventures :)

So, took my Hindi exam yesterday. I was freaking out and basically told DH that if I failed it I failed it...since I've hardly studied or spoke it (it's easier for me to speak bangla since that's what I'm surrounded by all day!) but I studied and tried my best. I'll get my results Wednesday, so let's see how I do.

Anyways, on to the funny stories we know you all love!

I had texted DH yesterday saying I was going home and confirming we didn't need anything other than what he had told me before I left, to which he replied "Wanna go for a drink?" So off to one of favorite joints on Park Street we went. When we got there it was full, and being regulars the waiter's shortly got us a table. Now, this is where the fun started. We had tried to go for a booth that they told us was just finishing up, when another group went for the same table, and started telling DH that they had been waiting, so we went to another table.

The group next to us was getting ready to leave, well, first they had to figure out who owed what, and that took, I swear, like 10 minutes. But before that the waiter had brought over 2 extra chairs and 2 extra cups and told DH to pour a bit of his beer into the cups to make it look like there were people sitting there so they wouldn't steal the chairs. Then once the table cleared we moved the cups over to the next table, and people were trying to take the table, when the waiter and DH had told them there were people sitting there. :-) LOL

All in all, it was a good night, even if I did have to go to a different place to use their bathroom like 3 times, because the one there is horrible. And go out every little bit because their AC was like pumping the crap out of the cold air. Nice celebration.

Oh, and apparently DH was mad at me because he wanted to do lunch with me before my exam, but I had gone out for some errands the day before and asked him if he wanted to join me for lunch but he declined. I told him that I'm not a freaking mind reader and that he should tell me these things, because I'm not going to ask a 2nd time and get refused 2 days in a row. So I hope DH learned his lesson. :-)