House full.

Do you know any of those annoying people who just hate to miss the beginning of a movie, by even 5 minutes and won't watch it if they do? Well, I am one of those.. But, something similar to missing the beginning of a good movie is happening in my life right now and there is nothing I can do but watch helplessly. This is day 24 following my visa interview and still, no visa in sight.. Meanwhile, I have missed my orientation week, which ends tomorrow and the possibility of making it to the beginning of my classes starting on the 18th of January looks pretty bleak. The Prof. who teaches the course I'll be taking this spring has graciously agreed to postpone the beginning of classes by one week if necessary, but not more. So essentially, if I do not make it there by the 24th of January, I will be shown a 'House full' sign and told to come back for the next show i.e the next semester.

No one can even begin to appreciate all the effort that has gone into gaining acceptance into this University I want to attend. One and a half years of sweat, struggle, blood, tears, sleepless nights, anxiety, endless research, money spent, studying, praying, wondering, agonizing, begging for recommendation letters, making drafts of SOPs, humiliation endured, hopes, disappointments.. All suffered for what? To spend another 24 days walking on pins and needles in the hopes of seeing that single stamp that could change my life.. A stamp that if delayed some more will again change my life, but for the worse..

What makes the waiting worse is that I don't even know why I am being made to wait. 'Administrative processing' is the name given to all that that has to be done (and God only knows what that is) before a visa can be issued to me. But whatever that process maybe, does it really require 24 days to be completed in today's digital age? 

While the visa gods take their sweet time to decide whether or not to grant me a visa, my dreams, not all that ambitious to begin with, are dying a slow yet painful death..