I have been excited about steemit from the start! And my faith in this platform and has never let me power down. Ever! I feel what steemit represents is a movement in a direction which may change a lot of things in the future, as well as bringing crypto-currencies to the forefront of world finances.
I have even used my recent holiday in Nepal as an opportunity to spread the word about steemit, and organised a successful meetup in a foreign country where I only knew one steemer, who I had never met before. It was good to get people on-board, but it was even better to have met them in person. I began to wonder what it would be like to meet up with the good folks I have met on steemit and the chat rooms. And Steem fest was announced!
When I heard about it, I knew I had to go. But then life, or rather death, intervened!
My Father, who was ailing, passed away at the age of 90 on the 5th of Sept. 2016.
For those who don't know, if a Hindu loses his parents, a sort of quarantine is observed for 13 days during which prayers and other rituals are performed. So I was stuck up for 13 days, and on the 19th of Sept. I started applying for the visa and other travel documents, when I got the most unpleasant shock of my life,
My Passport had expired, and I had to apply for a fresh one!
Now applying for a fresh passport is a mess in India. I was lucky that my town has a passport office, but the sheer volume of paperwork required is mind blowing! A legacy of the British, bureaucracy in India makes the application for a new passport an exercise in itself with the amount of affidavits and certificates required. But I managed to muster up the papers in a couple of days and finally applied, and they were accepted and I would be issued a new passport. But with a twist, again!
The new passport would be mailed from Kolkatta, and would take a week! And while I wait for it to arrive,
I am checking the visa requirements for Amsterdam.
Now my plan is to reach Amsterdam, attend the fest and head on to London, to visit my brother and his family, and then head back home. So I need two visas. One for Europe and one for England. But while the visa requirements for Europe is less stringent, the English one is far detailed requiring a lot of supporting documents and proofs for everything! It sounds almost like the bureaucratic red-tape we have here in India. But unfortunately I need a passport before I start applying, so I need to wait till then.
But I have no money, and this trip is expensive!
One of life's harshest reminders, money. I have just got back from a holiday and my finances are not in the best of health! A ticket to Europe and back is a costly affair and coupled with the fest tickets, hotel bookings and visa costs I am looking at a expense of almost $1500! Added to this will be the cost for going to Delhi/Kolkata for the visa interviews, which will set me back another couple of hundreds.
Despite all this, I intend to make it!
I have all the odds against me right now, but have decided that the sheer joy of meeting people from around the world will out weigh all expenses, and so I have decided to give it a go! I have already arranged some money for the trip, and though I do not have the whole amount yet, I am optimistic for the future.
But all this will depend on first getting a passport, applying for a visa in time, and raising the money. I have seven weeks in hand which is close but can be done, especially with the efforts I am making! So I expect to see ya'll in Amsterdam this november, the bureaucratic gods willing!
And that is just how my life rolls!