So what do you do when you lose your passort?

Imagine this, okay? You’re standing in line, at your transfer airport waiting to check-in your bag and board the plane back home after a holiday in a foreign country. When you reach for your passport, it’s not there. Trying not to panic, you search your bag. The compartment that you usually store your passport is empty. Dread floods through you. You step out of line to search your backpack. You ask your friends and they swear its not them playing a prank on you. You pull out each item, twice. You shake your things, all to no avail. It’s gone.

This happened to me on my way Singapore from , Bali.

A bunch of us went to Bali for the Diwali weekend, and it was a greattt trip till it turned into my worst nightmare. This probably is a good time to mention that I lost my International forex card a day earlier. So basically that meant I am stuck in Jakarta with no money, no transport and I was alone.  How did this happen? Well, it is a mystery of sorts. I had my passport till I boarded my flight from Depensar airport, Bali. Somewhere between traveling from Bali to Jakarta, I lost my passport.

After the initial freaking out, I calmed down enough to go to ‘lost and found’ department of my airlines and enquire about my lost passport. They unfortunately, found nothing in the airlines while they cleaned it up and they could not check again because the aircraft was already airborne to. I was literally dumbstruck!

 The officials directed me to the immigration where, after a strenuous 20 minutes of explaining what occurred to me to 4 different people, they eventually told me what needs to be done. First thing I did was look for a transfer hotel where I could spend the night, but to my dismay I found out that the hotel at the airport was shut due to renovation. So essentially, I could not even book myself a room at a hotel because of no passport. 

 

 Oh damn it!

Assuming the worst, I figured I would have to spend the night at the airport like the hippies do, sleeping on the sofa and using my bag as a pillow. 

  Waiting for my burger, and getting comfy in the restaurant.

BUT MY FRIENDS! GOOD LUCK IS A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE THING! So it happened, that I was messaging Rashmee about this whole debacle, and after she yelled at me and she was sufficiently reasonable she reminded me that Ananthu, my classmate is from Jakarta and has family there so I should probably talk to him. And ananthu, turned out to be my knight in the shining armor. He spoke to his father, who in turn messaged me enquiring about my whereabouts. He then offered me place to stay for a few days till I figured my passport situation.

I reached the given address, with apprehension evident on my face when suddenly Arya (ananthu’s sister) met me , and took me upstairs to meet Aunty who in turn, asked me one question “Are you veg or non-veg?” . My face broke into the widest smile in hours! I knew then , that this situation is going to work itself out. 

 

After I got to have a hot shower and a good meal, I set about calling my mother telling her of my whereabouts.  A lot of people have asked me , “So, what did your parents say?” Well, my dad has no clue about this misadventure (uhh, please lets keep shhushhh about this! And no, he doesn’t read my blog) and as for my mom! She reacted better than most parents. Sure, I got yelled but like my sister says “Not enough” . She was logical for most parts, but oh boy my sister , she sure did blow a fuse or two..and then proceeded to cry about the whole thing (Women! Go figure.) But I love you, didiii.

Here’s what to do next if you lose your passport :

Step 1: Go to the Police

Next morning, I went to the police station and filed a FIR reporting my lost passport. After convincing them that what happened was genuine and promising them to be super careful next time around, I was granted a FIR.

Step 2 : Gather the Things You’ll Need at the Embassy
To get your passport, you’ll need two recent ID pictures. Go click passport size pictures of yourself, and Get your FIR prior to going to the embassy, the embassy may send you to the police station to get your statement if you arrive without it. Then fill an online form reporting the loss of your passport and take a print out of it.
Step 3:  Contact the Embassy or the Consulate
 After visiting the police station, I went to the Indian Embassy. Embassies are larger and usually located in a country’s capital. Many smaller cities have consulates, figure out the directions to the nearest one. If you are unable to locate one, ask the police to help you out with the directions. Usually, the temporary passport is available within a few hours of turning in all of your documentation. You have to pay 100 USD to get issued a new, hand-written passport . You can use it for 90days, or 1 year in my case. This passport is handwritten and wont have a barcode , so basically it cannot be used as a proof of your identification .
Step 4:  Hold On to Your Passport
This is the most important step. The bottom line is you only get one replacement passport. When I was issued my temporary passport, the consulate said that although it’s relatively simple to replace a passport, needing it replaced more than once sends a red flag. Suspicions arise that you might be intentionally “losing” it to help non-residents or terrorists get into the country. If it happens a second time, the process is much more complicated and you will be watched more closely.

No matter how big and scary this sounds, fortunately, the problem can be resolved, leading to a temporary passport. All it takes is a little time and money! But I am telling you this frankly, I do not deserve this good a treatment for my carelessness. I was lucky enough to find a friend who lived there and who would help me out with the staying and the general sense of security I felt in a foreign country. I thank my good luck, each day.

And here, I am back at SP Jain sipping my coffee and writing this blog while still waiting for all the “lost passport” jokes to end. But like Aisha says, from now on whenever someone loses something it is gonna be referred to as  “oh, don’t pull a Tanu”  .

Life in singapore!

I’ve been living in Singapore now since a month and a half, and people back home often ask me what the country is like. And often, I am not too sure how is the best way to respond. Day-to-day life in Singapore can be pretty good, even if I loathe admitting it.

Before I came here, I had been told (jokingly) that people here have two top hobbies -  shopping and eating. Turns out it's not a joke afterall.  People here, love to sit down, eat, talk and do nothing; and really, it’s pretty awesome.  What can I say? Food is mega important for the Singaporeans. Every 10 meters you will find a place to eat, local food is very reasonably priced. There are alleys with lanes of food, (called hawker’s centers) where it is a hot-pot of food from all over. From chicken satays, to sea food to Korean cuisine, to shawarma’s to .. well,  lots of things. Just, probably no vegetarian food.  Well as for Indian food, It here ranges from expensive to very expensive. You can expect to pay up to 3 or 4 times what you might have paid at home. Oh well , that is one reason to love every beginnings of the month :’)

 

Next thing that really impresses here is the public transport system here. The whole island is very well connected by buses and MRT. And the best part? It is extremely efficient and very cheap. Most buses  cost around 1.5 SGD on average. Most taxi journeys cost 5 – 15 SGD.  There is one EZlink card which allows access to both, so having a topped up card it is essential.

One more thing that happens here(actually I am sure in lots of other countries too, especially UAE), the malls, the offices , the transport (buses/trains/taxis) have air conditioning in them and temperatures can be pretty cold inside, but the minute you step outside a blast of humidity hits you straight in the face is , so much that there seems to be an alternate weather system of 22 degrees indoors.  Walking through the rain or under burning sun? No need. Many places are covered or you can walk underground. How Singaporeans love convenience  and comfort :’)

One aspect of life in Singapore is the false sense of security this country convinces you of. Almost to the point of being stupid! I have seen my friends (ehrm, Me) leave their phones, wallet right on the table and walk away, convinced that it wont be stolen because ‘oh well, this is Singapore..yaha kuch nahi hoga’ attitude. And I don’t blame them,  because Singaporeans are pretty tough when it comes to rules. Due to that, I am walking alone at night, catching public transport at any time of the day without having to worry about what crazy person will get on and well, murder me. And I love how safe this country feels! It is like a warm hug.

 

I am known to be a huge sucker for pretty lights, and Singapore looooves lights as much as I do. Buildings and bridges are lit in various, alternating colors. There are daily light and pyrotechnic shows. This way, architecture and art gets an added dimension and visual effect.

 

   

 

The giant Merlion, normally a greystone colored tower, changes dramatically when colors are projected on it. It is highly enjoyable experience!

 

But I think what I love the most about Singapore is how the country is so contrasting , what with luxury meeting minimal, old-school shophouses housing secret cocktail dens to tall sky scrapers against parks and gardens. 

It is a nice heady mixture, and it is just been two short months. I cant wait to see how this city will surprise me some more and make me fall in love, some more.

So if i do get some time off my hectic schedule in college,  I plan to curate a list of places here - places, gardens, bars, restaurants, shopping etc .WHEEEE!

Till then, keep gallavanting folks! xx

p.s To people who mailed me pictures for the blog, Thank youuu! <3 nbsp="" p="">