Jawaan

How much liquid cash is required in the beginning?

$1500 plus incidental expenses

This contains a more precise description of the things to be taken to the Promised Land:

Clothes:

Full sleeve shirts (not too many in vogues except in formal occasions)

T-shirts and shorts (very common in the warmer areas and even in the cold areas in spring and summer).

Buy shorts that are slightly on the longer side or jeans that look as if they were cut 3-4 inches above the knees.

½ sleeve shirts (get 4-5 and a few fashion street type cotton shirts for casual wear. Make sure that most of the shirts are of type that does not require ironing.)

2 sweaters (one full and one half, do no buy a winter jacket or overcoat, it is better bought there!)

Tracksuit (if you are the sports-enthusiast kind)

Suits and ties (suit not absolutely necessary, you can do without one)

2-3 jeans (most common wear)

2-3 formal trousers (students repent having bought so many of them)

2-3 belts (one formal leather belt and the others as you please)

Blanket (a woolen blanket, we guess they are cheaper in India)

Kurta-Pyjamas (if you have fancy for them, then don’t forget to carry them)

15 pairs of underwear (not kidding, they wash their laundry once in 2 weeks)

2 Turkish towels and two napkins

2 thin single bed sheets

6 pairs of socks

Footwear:

Chappal (the Bata kind, buy a large size it shrinks in winter)

Slippers (two pairs, you don’t get the India type slippers there)

Shoes (get good leather shoes and any decent sneakers, you don’t have to buy ‘addidas’ and ‘Nike’ they are much cheap during the sales there.

Kolhapuris (get a pair for yourself and a ladies size as well) if you plan to gift one to someone someday.

Toiletries:

Shaving blades (get a good stock, they are very-very costly there)

Brush and toothpaste’s (————-do————–)

Soap (get a couple of bars of bathing soap till you go for your first groceries there)

Combs and hair oil (if you use hair-oil get a years supply of your favorite)

Small mirror (just in case)

Nail cutter, small scissors, safety pin bunch, and mini sewing kit with some buttons

Medicines:

Vicks, iodex, vitamin tablets, crocin, disprin, nebasulf powder, crepe bandage

1″ and 2″ size, Band-Aid assorted box.

Utensils:

2-3 patella’s that fit into each other and that preferably have handles.

1 pressure pan (prestige)

Utensil holders (called sandshi in Marathi)

Plates (2-3 steel plates, breaker size and 2-3 plastic plates of both breaker and normal dish size)

2-3 plastic bowls (katories)

6 spoons and a couple of steel glasses)

Ladles and rice spoons.

Cutting board (wooden or hard plastic) and a Serrated Knife.

Masalas:

Get tea / coffee if you are a regular drinker

Get a couple of bags each of haldi, red chilly powder, garam masala, and dhania powder

Pickle bottles (if you have enthu… but preferably get sealed ones)

Rice, moong dal and some salt (a rare chance that you’ll need it.)

Text Books and Stationary:

Get whatever textbooks you can for future courses you plan to take. Get in touch with your department faculty or guys and ask what books you will be using. Apart from those get along:

Kreyszio ($78 there!)
a good dictionary
your calculator
All your fundamental course texts and notes.
Standard mathematical table and formulae handbook
Micro tip pencils + refill’s, good pens, eraser, stapler and staples,
Indian calendar, drawing accessories( if required), most of the stationary is optional, you can also buy it there,
BUT books are very expensive there.

Bags:

2 large size suitcases (do not go for very costly ones, Rs.1200-1400 OK)

(In fact you can replace one of those with a soft one which will be much cheaper)

1 handbag to carry in-flight stuff with you. (Buy a good quality, spacious one because you might have to use it for carrying clothes to the laundry later)

1 back-pack (get a good one, you’ll use it almost all the time there)

Miscellaneous:

Get a driving license and an IDP (international driving permit)

Get at least $750 if you get paid within one month of arriving and at least $1500 if you get paid after a month and a half of arrival. If you have a very good friend well settled at the place you are going to you may take things like:

Less cash with you as you can borrow some from him and return later.

You will have to pay several deposits in the first month of stay like Gas, Telephone and Electricity.

You will have to pay a months rent as deposit and a months rent in advance (around $250 per person/month)

Get your application material if you wish to reactivate your application at a better place for the following quarter/ year.

Get a set of transcripts in case you apply all over again for a Ph.D.

B.Tech degree certificate (laminate it in thin plastic if possible)

Get 2-3 passport size snaps.

Get an address and phone number diary.

Have a set of copies of visa, passport and I-20 in each piece of luggage

Depending on the weather of your area get a folding umbrella.

Carry Rs. 500-700 for airport tax and Rs. 1000 for the $20 you’ll get inside the airport.

If you are carrying a camera get it endorsed on your passport.

Have your RBI permit ready for the dollars you are carrying on you.

Take all your Hindi song cassettes.

Get a good leather purse that has several sections of ‘visiting card’ size (you’ll need those for the bunch of credit cards/ key cards/ ID’s etc. you’ll accumulate in no time there).

Carry medical prescriptions for all medicines you bring.

If you have glasses get a thorough eye-check-up and get 2 extra pairs of glasses.

Keep passport, visa and I-20 and other admission documents in the handbag you’ll carry on your shoulders all the time.

Confirm your ticket a couple of days prior to the flight directly through the airlines you are flying no matter how reputed your travel agent are.

Are $750 sufficient to survive till the first school cheque? The university recommends that we bring $750 with us.

Well, you can survive on $750 if you scrape a bit, but it would be much better if you could get approx. $500 to $700 extra.

Roti Kapda aur Makaan:

“ROTI”—–Buy a BIG pressure cooker from India, around 6 (six) litres capacity. Do not take Rice; bring cooker containers and spares (rings and valves).

No other utensils are necessary, if you must bring stuff, do not bring metal plates or spoons, people use ceramic/ glass there. We think it is a better idea to buy utensils there, everybody does that.

You might want to take knives, eggbeater, and any other utensils that you plan to use and which are “Indian”

Bring approx. 1-month supply of Masalas.

Learn some cooking, this is not terribly important.

Learn how to cook rice, large quantities of rice: i.e. six-liter cooker full of rice. Don’t waste your time learning to make rotis, chappattis, you will never make them.

“KAPDA”—-a suit will be required for interviews, so if you plan to do an MBA/MS or take up a job or to take a summer job you will need a suit.

Get your suit from India, even a inexpensive suit costs $100 there, a decent suit will cost you $150-$200 and ONE suit will be enough.

Buy 3-4 T-shirts (decent, not the MI variety)

Buy 3-4 Sweatshirts.

Buy 5-6 pairs of Jeans.

Buy just 1-2 normal plain (formal) shirts.

Buy just 1-2 normal (formal) pants

The last two are really not important.

Buy couple of ties.

Thermal underclothes (slacks and vests) 2 pairs- you get full and half sleeves so choose according to the clothes that you will wear over there.

Buy 4-5 handkerchiefs and a nail cutter.

Buy 2-3 good sweaters from India, may be you can get a leather jacket from India, It is very expensive there and has suede value, but it is not required.

Don’t try to buy any stud winter clothing from India, Indian stuff is useless in that climate.

Get shoes from India, the cheapest shoes there will cost $20.

Get decent Indian shoes (two pairs if possible) try to get shoes, which have \/\/\/\/\/\/, this kind of a sole, we mean something which has a good grip. Flat-soled shoes will slip on the snow; you will not be able to walk easily.

You will need 10-12 pairs of socks, white, thick, cotton/woolen, not nylon; you can buy them in India or there, doesn’t really matter.

Leather boots: buy them from India, these will be required for interviews, etc. Get a nice pair of Chhappals (e.g. Kolhapuris), it is useful in the summer and has Suede value.

You might also want to take a pair of bathroom slippers.

*Blankets and Bed sheets: No Need. The houses are heated and these things are not required. You can buy a blanket there if required.

Bed sheets should be bought there because the Indian sizes will not fit.

2 pillow covers, bath and hand towels.

Get a folding black umbrella, get a muffler, a monkey cap, woolen gloves and a wind cheater.

You might also want to buy an alarm clock.

GET AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVING PERMIT.

LEARN GOOD DRIVING, this is very important.

You cannot live in America unless you can drive and you have a driving license.

Get lot of Indian stamps and Inland letters and postcards, you will need them to write letters which you can send with anyone who is going to India.

Remember it is 110 volts ac there, so electric appliances will not work there.

Visa:

You will need to have some reasonable amount of documentation with you when you go for your VISA.

Academic documentation like mark sheets, GRE/TOEFL score sheets, etc.

All financial documentation that you need.

Admission letters, I-20, etc.

Carry copies of your publications etc.- it helps to impress them.

Two passport sized photographs, your passport

Don’t give them a chance to ask you the question if you will come back, simply impress them with technical reasons for your going there- like advancing the research that you have already done here under some hi-fi professor, etc.

Dress formally and decently- sober tie, shirt and trousers leather shoes.

Appear confident even though you may want to piss in your trousers.

Carry the visa fees with you. Get your visa photo taken- there are specific places where you can get the best photos clicked.

Suggested ideal timings for getting the visa:

To apply 9:45 to 10:00 a.m.

To collect 4:45 to 5:00 p.m.

Do not go at 5:00 a.m. in the morning and wait.

Avoid Mondays and Fridays, Wednesdays are more preferable.

Go sometime before and get the form for this (you can take the filled form)

Survival Guide:

Tickets: Make reservations now, pay later (10 days before departure is cool)

Try and book a direct flight to your place, even if you have to take a local airline, it is better and safer than greyhound, which usually has its stops in the shadiest areas of towns. Buy a single ticket all the way through add-ons are very expensive. TYPICAL EXPENSES: Rs. 40000 to Rs.45000

Indicate whether you want Asian vegetarian meal (AVM), non-smoking section, etc.

Cross check everything that the travel agent says.

Settling Allowance:

You have to buy $1000 from Thomas Cook/ American Express after you buy your ticket. Buy it in Travelers cheques etc.- it will cost you approx. Rs. 4000.

You may buy additional dollars if your I-20 specifies so.

This money is necessary to survive for the first two weeks before you get your first pay check- to pay the security deposit for the house, rent for the first month, registration fees at the university, insurance, etc.

Give Power Of Attorney to your father, make all bank accounts joint.

IMPORTANT: Complete the health documentation that you may have to submit when you arrive there.