Helpful Hints

I recently lost my cell phone. It has been a nightmare trying to get a new one. Buying the phone was easy, but getting a new number has been very difficult. To make a long story short, you need to submit a crazy amount of documentation when you get a cell phone in India. Passport photos, visa’s, proof of residency, marriage certificates, I.D., family lineage, application forms… in double and triplicate.

After signing up for the new phone my service was shut off after a few days… I went to the Airtel office and was told my address was not viable because it is impossible for a foreigner to have a permanent Indian address. So I gave them my old American address. After one week they shut my phone off again. I went back and they said I can’t put a foreign address down because they have no way of verifying it. To make a long story short… my phone has been stopped and started now five times. I don’t know why something that should be so easy is made so difficult for foreigners.

If I could put a positive spin on things… I guess I would say I’m learning patience the old fashion way. I also have a better understanding on what it feels like to be a minority, and appreciate the anti racism laws in the U.S. more than ever.

I’ve also learned it’s a smart thing to keep a list of your phone numbers that are stored in your phone. I had about 150 numbers and still have not recovered them all. So I now keep a list of numbers on my computer so if I ever loose (my useless) phone again I can easily call my friends to let them know my new (useless) number. Of course I would have to borrow an Indian friends phone to call them.

While making the phone list I decided to do something I should have done a long time ago. I made a list of everything in my wallet (credit cards, drivers license, passport and visa numbers, library cards etc…). If I every lose my wallet/passport/checkbook I can access this list and call the customer service numbers to stop any use on the credit cards (or whatever) immediately. I wrote down account numbers, phone numbers, the numbers on the back of the cards, expiration dates… I feel so organized now. It has really helped counter the helpless feeling I have about losing my phone.

My friend Padmaja told me a really good helpful hint… she suggested when you travel, send yourself the list of things in your wallet to your e-mail address and just keep it in your ‘in‘ box. If you loose your wallet while traveling you can easily look up the information.
I’ve also been told to keep a photo copy of your passport in a separate place from your passport when traveling.

Speaking of travel… My friend Greta told me about a really cool travel web-site. It http://www.indiamike.com/. I’m probably the last one to know about this. It’s one of my new favorites.

Let me know if you have suggestions or helpful hints on getting organized, or traveling.

Robyn