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As you all know coming to US for the first time is a different experience for everyone.Bye Bye phone calls to freinds and relatives, shopping, medicines, hair cuts and many more things. I have made a list of what all things to carry (out of my own experience), when you are coming to US for the first time on a short trip.
1) Proper dresses, ie) If you are coming in a winter take more of sweaters,wollen clothes.Avoid cotton dresses. Ladies can carry mix and match dresses.This might reduce your luggage and give you variety to wear.Make your dress choice simple because in winter only your jackets or sweaters will be visible outside.
2)Belts
3)Proper Shoes,Socks and chappals (again depending on the climate)
4)Bathroom accessories
5) Visit a parlor and have a haircut, facial , what ever you want to do.Men can go for a summer cut as hair cut is costly in US.
6)Safety Pins
7)Needle and Thread
8)Empty RW DVDs and CDs
9)Take photocopies of all your important documents and give one copy to any of your close ones in India.
10)Always have the valuables like certificates, important documents, jewels, electronic items like
camera in your hand luggage.
11)Winter Accessories like Gloves, Sweaters, Jackets, Hoods,Thermals (if you are going in winter)
12)Pooja items - Small Swami pictures, Deepam(Diya),KumKum,Vibhoothi (If you are really specific about this)
13)Have all the important phone numbers of your closed ones(both US and India) in a mail and have a print out of the same in your hands also.
14) Have a copy of your passport at home and carry one also
15)Dont forget to have some Indian money in hands, because this might help when you are coming back.
16)Dont take much of jewels.Go with the minimum possible.
17)When you are carrying a laptop charge it fully before the travel
18)Always pack your bathroom accessories and 2 sets of dresses in your hand luggage, this might help you if your checked in luggage comes late.
19)If you wear a specs or contact lens, be sure to get an extra one so that it can help you in case one is broken.
20)Carry your international driving permit/Indian driving License/US license if you have one.
21)If you are a frequent visitor to US carry all your original US related documents.Give a photocopy to any of your closed ones in India.
22)Whe you are coming on a short term for 6 months, charge your Indian mobile with validity for more than 6 months so that you might not lose the number.
23)Change all your bank accounts addresses to your parents address or your closed ones in India.This might help you in having all your mails from your bank.In case your online bank account gets locked you can issue a password request, so that your parents might get it and tell you the password.
Kitchen
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1) Pressure cooker with whistle
2)Extra gaskette for the pressure cooker
3)Idiyappam Maker
4)Dosa kal
5)Frying pan(Vessels are costly here. If you are coming on a short term its better to get some minimum things )
6)Sambhar powder, Curry Masal Powder, Idli podi,Paruppu podi etc.
7)Rice,Dhal,Noodles,Ready to cook items. This might help you till you get settled/get a car/overcome your your jet lag
Medicines
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In US we dont get all medicines over the counter. So its good if we carry some medicines with us.
1)Carry medicines for Fever(Paracetamol), Cold(Vicks Action 500),Dysentry,Indigestion(Gelusil),Vommiting, Throat Infection,Head Ache.
2)Along with this carry Pain killers,Pain Balms, Cold relief Balms, Band Aids, Cough Syrup,Itch relief creams etc.
Babies
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1)If you are travelling with a baby carry all baby items like diapers, Feeding bottles, Bottle brush, few set of dresses, bibs, baby powder,Baby wipes,small toys, medicines for the baby,hair brush,socks and shoes in hand luggage. Also carry a pair of gloves, sweater and other winter accesoories you might need, in hand luggage if you are travelling in winter season.
2) When you are travelling abroad with babies, make sure to visit your peadiatrician for a normal check up and get medicines for fever,cold,dysentry,diarhhoea,rashes etc. Take a print out of babies' medical immunization records and other medical records and get it attested from your peadiatrician so that it might help you when you are going for a peadiatrician visit in US.
3)Make sure to get a hair cut for the babies also
4)Always take baby strollers with you as it might help you releived in immigration queues, transits and in airports when the baby is sleeping.You can take the stroller till the entrance of the flight , from there your stroller will be checked in and you can get the same when you are exiting from the flight.
I remember an incident here. When our son was born my husband was in US and we both (myself and my son) were in India.So he came to India to see our kid. When he was returning back we had decided that me and my son will join him in the next 3 months. He was thinking about how i will take my kid in the flight all the time. He saw a lady with a baby in stroller. He never thought that they would allow strollers in flight. He had thought that they provide strollers in airport like they give assistance for the disabled and aged people. So in order to get the information he had asked her "From where did you take this?". She replied"Its mine". He asked again " I know you have got it.But from where did you get this?".She got irritated obviously and replied again " i didn't take it from anywhere.Its mine" and she moved away from the place. ;)
Have a safe travel.....All the Best :)
US- Dream land for many Indians aspired me also. So when my hubby got a US chance we literally grabbed it. Since I was pregnant at that time i couldn't accompany my husband to US. I planned to join him later with my kid.
My husband used to warn me about immigration stuff. He actually prepared me like i was going to attend an interview. All 3- me , my
mom n dad, had a questionnaire and were preparing for about a month or so.
It was on Feb 7th 2007 me , my kid, my mom and dad travelled to US. We reached Newark early in the morning. There was a long queue for Immigration. I have heard a lot and seen more in movies about immigration problems in US, but never thought it would happen to me. When we were in the flight, the flight attendant gave us some Immigration forms to be filled up. I filled up a single form for all 4 of us.
When we were waiting in the queue my saturn transition - sani peyarchi :) happened. My son started crying. He was continuosly crying without a break.The airport authorities there tried to put me in the front of the queue. But since i had my parents with me and had filled up a single form for all 4 the immigration people did not allow me in front.I had to wait with a crying baby all through. My husband was eagerly waiting outside to see his son for the second time. -First time was when he came to India when our kid was born).
When my turn came i was standing in front of the immigration officer with the crying baby. I have heard a lot about the courtesy of Americans. But what happened was something different.The mistake was mine also.Because of the crying baby i was not paying attention to what the officer was asking me.
He was irritated.I tried offering a toy to my son which fell down with a loud sound.Suddenly I was surrounded by the immigration people and the airport authorities.They all thought i was a anti social activist.The immigration officer who was interviewing me had his hands in his gun. My God - i never imagined US would be such a nightmare.My mom had already started praying to all Gods she know and had promised them what all she will do when she comes back alive to India. My Dad who always was a great admirer of US and every sentence in his speech includes a praise to US was almost dumbstruck.You can imagine what all we would have gone through to explain what happened really.
Then i came down to the luggage lobby to only find my kids' stroller was broken. All our luggages were circulating in the lugagge belt. I had no place to put my kid and no money to take a stroller to put my luggages.I was waiting in the luggage lobby for my parents with only my passport in hands.
In the mean time my mom and dad has to fill the form again for them, which they did 3 times. My Dad who always used to remember even his 10th std hallticket number forgot his first name.My parents were able locate me by the crying sound of my son- That was the only good thing happened because of his crying. My husband who was waiting outside started asking people " Is there anyone with the baby who was sent back to India because of Immigration problems??". Atlast when we came out my Dad asked my husband "can you give me the questionaire to prepare for immigration process when we go back".
The second time when we came to US - it was me, my hubby and kid.My son was 16 months old then. He likes balls- pronounces them as Bomb. Whenever and whereever he sees anything round he says "amma bomb bomb".When we were standing in the immigration queue there was a teenager having a ball in his hands. I was almost about to faint when my son started shouting "Amma bomb bomb". NOT AGAIN.
My husband used to warn me about immigration stuff. He actually prepared me like i was going to attend an interview. All 3- me , my
mom n dad, had a questionnaire and were preparing for about a month or so.It was on Feb 7th 2007 me , my kid, my mom and dad travelled to US. We reached Newark early in the morning. There was a long queue for Immigration. I have heard a lot and seen more in movies about immigration problems in US, but never thought it would happen to me. When we were in the flight, the flight attendant gave us some Immigration forms to be filled up. I filled up a single form for all 4 of us.
When we were waiting in the queue my saturn transition - sani peyarchi :) happened. My son started crying. He was continuosly crying without a break.The airport authorities there tried to put me in the front of the queue. But since i had my parents with me and had filled up a single form for all 4 the immigration people did not allow me in front.I had to wait with a crying baby all through. My husband was eagerly waiting outside to see his son for the second time. -First time was when he came to India when our kid was born).
When my turn came i was standing in front of the immigration officer with the crying baby. I have heard a lot about the courtesy of Americans. But what happened was something different.The mistake was mine also.Because of the crying baby i was not paying attention to what the officer was asking me.
He was irritated.I tried offering a toy to my son which fell down with a loud sound.Suddenly I was surrounded by the immigration people and the airport authorities.They all thought i was a anti social activist.The immigration officer who was interviewing me had his hands in his gun. My God - i never imagined US would be such a nightmare.My mom had already started praying to all Gods she know and had promised them what all she will do when she comes back alive to India. My Dad who always was a great admirer of US and every sentence in his speech includes a praise to US was almost dumbstruck.You can imagine what all we would have gone through to explain what happened really.
Then i came down to the luggage lobby to only find my kids' stroller was broken. All our luggages were circulating in the lugagge belt. I had no place to put my kid and no money to take a stroller to put my luggages.I was waiting in the luggage lobby for my parents with only my passport in hands.
In the mean time my mom and dad has to fill the form again for them, which they did 3 times. My Dad who always used to remember even his 10th std hallticket number forgot his first name.My parents were able locate me by the crying sound of my son- That was the only good thing happened because of his crying. My husband who was waiting outside started asking people " Is there anyone with the baby who was sent back to India because of Immigration problems??". Atlast when we came out my Dad asked my husband "can you give me the questionaire to prepare for immigration process when we go back".
The second time when we came to US - it was me, my hubby and kid.My son was 16 months old then. He likes balls- pronounces them as Bomb. Whenever and whereever he sees anything round he says "amma bomb bomb".When we were standing in the immigration queue there was a teenager having a ball in his hands. I was almost about to faint when my son started shouting "Amma bomb bomb". NOT AGAIN.
2 comments:
Definitly it is a nightmare only. Good that you didnt come on TVs
Yes true..
Actually some of my friends said its enough if we prepare a single immigration form for the whole family. But when we came they asked me to write 2 separate forms, one for me and my son and one for my parents.If some one can provide more details on this it would be helpful. I am planning to actually publish the questionnaire prepared by my husband.Will do it in few days. Thank you for your comments Senthil.
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