I decided to document my experience in India in a series of posts as my "4 year anniversary" hit this year. Here goes the first one.
First off, those who know me already know, those who don't..well here you go. Karen Fact 1: I went to India when I was 16. Yep, this country right here..
Karen Fact 3: I will go back.
It all started with a conversation with my Uncle Jack. He and my Aunt Valerie started their own church years ago called Elijah's Fire International Church. You can read about their church here. I can honestly remember it like it was yesterday. We were eating dinner at a local restaurant in my home town called La Palma. A few other member of my family were there too, but that detail seems a little fuzzy. But, he started talking about his most recent trip to India. He goes with my aunt and a few other member of their church every year. The year I went was their 13th year going. How amazing is that!? I was 15 at the time. I decided right then and there that I was going to go with his church to India the following year. Then the fun stuff began...
There were a lot of details that went into preparing for my trip. I had to : raise the money, get my shots, a visa, get a passport and deal with my school about taking a few weeks of absence. That was the hardest part. It was a three week trip, but even after many discussions between my Aunt Val, my mother, and the school...they only let me have two weeks of absence. Bummer right? We were determined to make it work though.
My process to get my passport was a lot easier than what I anticipated. I got a picture taken at Walgreens, filled out the forms by myself, had my parents sign the forms, took it to the court house and they notarized it and mailed it out...along with a nice check of course. Less than a month later, I got it in the mail.
July 2008; Just received my passport in the mail
After I got my passport back, I had to mail it off in order to get my visa so I'd have permission to travel into India. The paperwork for my visa was a little more complicated but my Aunt Val helped me fill out what I had questions on. I filled out the forms, had my mother sign them, set them up to mail priority along with my passport and yet another check. Then, the Indian Consulate sent me back a page to fill my passport up!
Saving and earning the money for India was a challenge. Thankfully, I was blessed in that area. I received an overwhelming amount of donations and support. At least 1/3 of my trip was paid for entirely out of donations. It was an amazing feeling. Teachers, friends, family, customers at my work, and even total strangers donated to my trip. Roughly, my trip ended up being around $2500. For a 16 year old working a minimum wage job, which I might add was before federal minimum was $7.25, it might as well have been a million dollars. I literally saved every single pay check from May 2008 until January 2009. Well, besides the month of July. I took a paycheck with my on a family vacation to New York.
The next part of the journey was getting my shots. At the time, I cursed my mom for not keeping me up to date on my shots. On top of the shots I actually needed for India's requirements, I needed to be up to date on all of my other shots as well. I had to get a pretty good amount of shots. I remember cursing my mom for not keeping them up to date. From what I remember, I had to get the following shots; typhoid, yellow fever, hep b, meningococcal conjugate, tdap, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Plus, I had to get a few of those in a series. I also had take malaria pills a few weeks before I left, while I was in India, and a few weeks after I returned. Needless to say, I was determined not to get sick.
I hate shots, and pardon my ugly hair at the time
My family was extremely supportive. That Christmas was amazing. My family bought me loads of stuff for my trip. My sister and brother-in-law bought me the cutest luggage set and passport holder. It was perfect. My parents bought me things like an outlet converter and digital camera. Both were extremely useful during my trip. Even my grandma and other sister bought me a sketchbook and new drawing pencils. I was really into drawing back then. I sketched in my sketch book a lot. I was amazing, everyone came together to help me. Eventually, it was time to head out. First leg of the journey, Chicago.
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