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suraj

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suraj

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Bhayya evarana parents single ga first time US vastunnapudu vaalaki India lo check in dagagara nundi US lo digim bayataki vache varaku unde process ni document chesara?...if so please share here

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rapchik LEGEND

rapchik

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I’ve often seen that when your parents first decide to vist you in the USA – a lot of time and energy goes into preparing for the visa, but once that is done, you don’t prepare as much for what they are going to do when they reach the country.

As a result, parents get terribly bored during their stay, and what should be a great holiday is reduced to weeks of boredom. There are several things that you can do to prepare for your parents who are visiting the US from India, and this is definitely a situation where a little planning can go a long way.

Flight

The first thing of course is the long flight. Non stop flights can be 15 hours, and other flights can make your journey extend up to a day or more. That alone is enough to discourage most people from flying. This is a long flight, and it’s not going to be comfortable for most people, but in reality it isn’t as much an ordeal as most people think it is either.

I’ve found that drinking a lot of water, having your own entertainment like loading a movie or two on your laptop, wearing comfortable slip on footwear and having ear muffs make the journey less arduous. It will never be a cakewalk, but these are simple things that you can do to make it a little easy to travel.

 Jet Lag

Jet lag can easily ruin the first week of your vacation, and you should try to beat the lag to whatever extent possible. The thing I’ve seen work for me best is to go to sleep only during the night no matter how tired you are when you reach your destination.

You can go out during the day and get some sunlight, meet people and do things that don’t strain you physically, and also keep you going throughout the day. Keep reminding yourself that you are trading a few tough sleepless hours for several jetlag free happy days. Here are some tips to beat jet lag.

Television

These days you have great options to get Indian TV channels in the US, and if your parents are visiting, then you should definitely have the TV set up so they can see the same shows they were seeing in India. Find out the channels that they are used to watching, and then get a package that has all these channels. You may not get everything, but you can cover a lot of channels by researching thoroughly.

Phone

Even if you think your parents won’t move about much without you, it is better to get them a cellphone or if they have a cellphone then you can get a prepaid SIM card so they can keep the phone with them when they go out without you. You don’t want them in a situation where they are outside and don’t have an easy way to contact you. Prepaid cards are really cheap and all major carriers offer them.

You also need an easy and cheap way for them to call India so they can spend time on the phone without worrying about the bill. Things like Vonage, Google Hangouts, Skype etc. work great for these, and  you can choose an option that is most convenient for them.

Health Insurance

Buying health insurance is quite necessary for parents because if they fall sick then the doctor bills in the US can be really substantial and you don’t want to go through that.

You can buy a plan very easily in the US and I feel that’s better than buying health insurance from India. It’s not that the health insurance bought in India doesn’t work or there is a lot more deductible but from the few examples I know, you will have to pay money up front, and then claim the insurance money later on. While an American insurance from something like Seven Corners gets cashless facility, which is preferable.

Transportation

The lack of public transport in most places in the US can become a big problem as parents can’t move about on their own, taxis are often too expensive to be used as a regular option, and that leaves very limited choices.

Some cities have van-pools or para-transits that can become a viable option, I think of these as a slightly better version of shared ricks.

How these work is they have a set area that they service, and you can call them up to come and pick you up from your house and then drop you at a certain location say the gym or the mall, and then call them back up and ask them to drop you back home. They are really cheap, and usually safe as well. You can read about one such service called the Pace Bus Paratransit service here to get a better idea of what I’m talking about. 

Weekend Getaways

It will most likely not be possible to spend a lot of time with your parents during the week when you have to go to work, but you can plan the weekends so you see something new every weekend. Most big cities have several places you can visit on a 3 hour drive, and that means a day trip or just staying a night, and returning next day. You don’t need a leave for such trips, and if you can find a handful of these then you will have the weekends to look up to.

Weekday Activities

If your parents did something regularly in India then try to find the equivalent in the US. The gym is an easy one, swimming is another one. If they were engaged in something that can also be done in the US then you should definitely explore it and see how practical it is to get them to do that in the US.

The other side of this is to try out new things which they never did in India, but are easily accessible in the US. You can look up golf lessons as one example, it isn’t very physically demanding, and not very expensive either. If you find three or four of these type of activities, that might be enough to fill up the day for the most part.

Visiting Friends and Relatives

I think social interaction is what parents miss the most when they are in the US, and if you have friends or relatives near your place that you can arrange lunch and dinners with that’s another good option to spend time pleasantly.

Conclusion

I always feel that you can make any situation better by being prepared and this is certainly one of them. Prepare well in advance, talk to your parents, talk to your friends, get ideas and don’t let a potentially great idea get ruined by boredom! You’re only there because of them, do all that you can to make them feel that way!

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rapchik LEGEND

rapchik

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JOURNEY TO THE UNITED STATES.

 

PACKING & PREPARING

§  Pack both suitcases securely.  Make sure that the weight is evenly distributed between both the suitcases.  They should not weight more than 22kgs. each.

§  Secure suitcases with nylon rope if necessary.

§  Stick the sheet with our address and phone number, on both the suitcases for easy identification.

§  Also, place one sheet inside the suitcases.  If incase, your baggage is lost in transit, the officials will then know where to direct these lost baggage.

§  Remember, once you check in your large suitcases at the airport in Chennai, you will not see these until you reach America.  Once you arrive here, you will have to identify your suitcases by their appearance and the name tag!

§  Keep your passport, flight tickets and a copy of this document in your purse/handbag.  You will need to use/refer them often.

§  On [DATE], you have to reach the airport at least 3 hours prior to departure of your plane.  Make sure you are at the airport no later than [TIME].

§  Check once again that you have all your items including, suitcases, passport, flight tickets and your purse/handbag.

 

 

AT THE AIRPORT IN CHENNAI

§  You will receive TWO BOARDING CARDS. 

a)       One BOARDING CARD is for your journey from Chennai to [Transit City] for [Airline] Flight Number [Flight Number], and

B)       The other BOARDING CARD is for your journey from [Transit City] to [City of arrival] for [Airline] Flight Number [Flight Number]

§  Keep the PASSPORT and the first BOARDING CARD separately and the rest of the tickets and other documents inside your handbag/purse.

§  At this point, you will have only your CABIN-BAGGAGE (purse/handbag) with you.  Keep these with you safely at all times.

§  You will also be given a form – the EMBARKATION CARD.  Fill in the required information on this card and keep it along with your passport and boarding card. 

§  The immigration officer will stamp the date of departure on a blank page on your passport and retain the Embarkation card and give you back your passport.

§  You may follow the other passengers towards the departure lounge and wait for the boarding call for your flight.

§  Once inside the aircraft, find your seat, place your purse/handbags under the seat in front of you and make yourself comfortable.  Depending on the time of departure, you may be served dinner or breakfast on board.

§  Enjoy your flight!

 

AT [TRANSIT CITY AIRPORT NAME]

§  In approximately 9 hours, the plane will arrive at the [Transit City Airport/country name].

§  Please identify the gate of departure from [Transit City] to [City of arrival], USA.  You can seek the assistance of uniformed airport officials. 

§  Try to find out from co-passengers (Indians) in the area if any of them will assist you in case the officials ask questions.

§  Keep your purse/handbag with you at all times. 

§  Don’t worry about the big suitcases, they will be automatically transferred to the next plane by the airline staff.

§  Check on the second BOARDING-CARD to verify the correct gate and time of departure.  Your outbound flight from [transit city] will leave approximately at [Departure Time] local time.  Look around for a clock or ask any of the uniformed airport staff to verify the time. 

§  You may request the help of any airport staff in uniform or uniformed policemen in case of difficulty.  Follow what the other passengers are doing and proceed towards the gate. 

§  You may also be required to go through security check again where your hand-baggage will be screened. You will then proceed to the waiting area near the gate of departure.

§  Boarding of the plane departing from [transit city] will be similar to the boarding process in Chennai. 

§  Once inside the aircraft, find your seat, place your purse/handbags under the seat in front of you and make yourself comfortable for the last part of your journey before arriving in the US. 

§  You will be served lunch on board  and just before reaching the US, you will also be served snacks.

§  After your snacks, the flight attendants will circulate I-94 cards.  These are long-sized white color cards, which are used to track your arrival and departure in the US.  They will also give you another thinner sheet of paper, which is the Declarations page of the US Department of Customs.

§  Fill in these cards legible and clearly.  Fill in the name, address and other details exactly as it appears on your passport.

o    LASTNAME = [Lastname]

o    FIRSTNAME = [Firstname]

§  Fill in the Customs Declaration page also with appropriate information.  For the section that asks you if you are bringing in any restricted material such as fruits, vegetables or bacteria, make sure you answer “NO” to all these questions. 

§  Once you fill in these forms, keep the form (without folding) inside your passport.

§  Enjoy your flight!

 

 

AT YOUR DESTINATION

[PORT OF ENTRY – AIRPORT and CITY NAME], USA.

§  In approximately 8 hours, the plane will arrive at [Port of entry – airport and city/state name].  This will be your final destination.

§  Collect ALL your purse and cabin-baggage from the overhead compartment and follow the remaining passengers out of the plane.

§  Once you step out of the plane, follow the other passengers, who will all be heading towards the IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS section.  There is no way for you to miss your way because you will be following ALL the other passengers who traveled with you.

§  Watch your step while coming down the escalators.  KEEP your clothing away from the moving steps.  If you are uncomfortable using escalators, look for elevators (LIFTS) nearby.

§  Once you reach the Immigration section, there will be several rows of counters with queues already formed in each of these counters.

§  There will be separate queues for US Citizens and for VISITORS.  Wait in line in the queue for VISITORS.

§  Keep your passport and your I-94 card in your hand.

§  When it is your turn, go to the counter and hand over the passport and the I-94 card to the person across the counter (Immigration Officer)

§  Usually, the officer behind the counter will not speak with you.  But occasionally, he/she might choose to ask you the purpose of your visit.  Tell him/her that you are here on a social visit to see your [son/daughter] and [his/her] family.

§  The officer might also ask you how long you plan on staying in the US, you can tell him “for 6 months”.

§  The Immigration Officer will stamp your passport with the date of arrival and hand over your passport back to you.

§  Proceed towards the conveyer belt that will bring out your suitcases (LARGE SUITCASES THAT YOU CHECKED IN AT CHENNAI).

§  The conveyer belt will bring the suitcases of all the passengers.  Look at each suitcase to identify if it is yours.  When you see your suitcases coming on the conveyer belt, excuse yourself if there are persons in front of you and lift the suitcase when it comes near you.  Be very careful here.  The suitcase will be heavy and the belt will be moving.  If you have difficulty, request any able-bodied person near you to help get the suitcase off the belt.

§  You can ask for the help of skycaps (porters) who will be there to help you take the luggage and bring it outside.  Be careful with your handbag/purse.  Keep them safely with you at all times.

§  Once you have collected your luggage, follow the other passengers and proceed towards the exit.  Make sure you go through the GREEN CHANNEL near customs to indicate that you are not bringing in anything that needs to be declared to customs.  If you pass through the RED CHANNEL, you will be asked several questions and made to unpack all your suitcases.  So, ALWAYS PROCEED TOWARDS THE GREEN CHANNEL.

§  Hand over the Customs Declarations Sheet to the Customs Officer.  He/she may also request to see your passport.  He/she might also ask you a couple of questions.  Answer appropriately.

§  Sometimes, they might decide to inspect your baggage and they would ask you to open the suitcases and show to them.  You don’t have a choice but to oblige.  Open the suitcase and let them inspect the contents. 

§  Once you are done with this inspection, you MAY have to go through the baggage screening for one last time.  Otherwise, you will be asked to proceed towards the exit.

§  After this, you will proceed to the exit where we will be waiting for you. 

 

 

Keep the following information and phone numbers handy with you at all times.

 

Son/Son-in-law’s name                          : [Your Name]

 

Son/Son-in-law’s employer                   : [Your Employer]

                                                                      [ City, State]

                                                                      [ Phone Number]         

 

Address                                                      : [Your address]

 

Contact phone numbers                        : (HOME Phone #)

                                                                      (MOBILE Phone #)

 

Email ID                                                    : [Your email address]

 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT:

 

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR PASSPORT AT ALL TIMES, WHENEVER YOUR PASSPORT IS HANDED OVER TO AN OFFICER OR AIRPORT STAFF AND AFTER YOU GET IT BACK FROM THEM, CHECK TO SEE IF ALL PAGES ARE INTACT – INCLUDING THE STAMPED US VISA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NAME OF PASSENGER]

C/O.  [YOUR NAME]

[YOUR ADDRESS]

US

 

 

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