Made it to Chennai

I made it to Chennai. We had an overnight train ride that lasted 8 hours. I slept a little better last night for two reasons. One, I'm starting to get over the flu. And second, the train was more quiet than the hotel. Our hotel in Bangalore was on Brigade Road, which is Bangalore's big hot spot. They actually have many bars and discos there, and therefore lots of noise. This is unusal for India because single men usually live with their mothers and they aren't allowed to drink or smoke. But Bangalore is a work destination for young professionals all over India. So, they don't live with their mothers anymore, and they can go out drinking.

Today, our plan is to try to talk to some officials at the US Consulate about my sponsorship of Tamding. And tomorrow, we get to come here again for Tamding's interview. It should be fun (not!). It already took discussions with three people at the consulate to learn that I must come back in two hours. I have no idea what will happen then, but I expect it to be frustrating. Dealing with normal aspects of the US government is hardly easy. But dealing with consulates is always worse. This will be especially true when they barely speak English at the Chennai consulate. I have already made about 50 phone calls to them, and not one of them got through. My only hope is to talk to them in person.

One thing that's nice is that I will actually stay in one place for a few days. The traveling has been very hectic so far, and I already need a break. And I need a little more time to get healthy. For the next few weeks, the pace should be more relaxed.