Sailing to Philadelphia

I had applied for my US visa and went for my interview today. I was more impressed than surprised at the junta that had come to apply. There was a potpourri of humanity that thronged the portals of the US Embassy to get a foothold into the land of opportunity. There were newly married women carrying their wedding photo albums(one actually insisted that her father be allowed to accompany her as she couldnt carry that much weight), there was a long line of very obvious IT professionals(they stick out like sore thumbs wherever they go-and yes, this is coming from a doctor), there were families who probably wanted to take their kids to Disneyland(I'm going to go too, if i get a chance), there was one particular elderly sardarji who seemed like he'd been coming there everyday since he was six, and last but certainly not the least, there were doctors going for their CS exams(yours truly included)

My dad had been quite amused by the way i had been "preparing" for my visa call. He, in his infinite wisdom thought its just a walk in the park, and all you need to do is go there and get a stamp on your passport. In retrospect, I agree. I had carried every conceivable document to attest to my family's wealth-property papers, every FD, passbook, stock, bond, and share that i could lay my hands on, just in order to prove to them that i could afford to sustain myself in amreeka for 10 days. In the end, I didnt really need any of these papers, but I'm a boy scout in many ways-doesnt hurt to 'be prepared'.

A lot of my friends have been going to visa counsellors, and I also met a couple of them. I liked one of them, intensely disliked the other, and hired neither. I couldnt help but feel that I was being ripped off like anything, and also my intelligence was being insulted when I was being told what to write in what column. I mean, I pretty much knew what to say when I went there, and the only reason I would have actually hired one of them would be the fear factor. The fear caused by the voice in my head saying "what if the visa is denied to me, and everyone else gets it?". The fear that then I would have to live with the regret of not having gone to one of these guys all my life. I assume that is pretty much the philosophy behind anyone going for visa counselling, and it really lowers my respect for people in this profession. I mean all they do is fill your form for you, and tell you what to say when you're asked "Why do you want to go to the US?". Any biped can do this job in my opinion. Glorified clerks, if you will.

I know, I know..most of you are thinking just because I got my visa, I am waxing eloquent on these 'counsellors' (and their limitations), and i must admit, you may just be right. Bottomline is I got it, and saved me some 5 grand.

I just got back from the Embassy a couple of hours ago, and since then I've got Mark Knopfler singing "Sailing to Philadelphia" in my head. I cant get it out, primarily because I don't want to.