After almost two weeks of dizzying busywork, I finally have some time to share some notes about how we are settling in Delhi. Angela has given a great summary of some of our intial challenges and victories getting things set up, but I need to record some of the business side of how our inprocessing has progressed. Not the most exciting news, but very important lessons to make note of.
Upon arrival we were very grateful to have the support of the DAO office and an embassy-assigned social sponsor. Despite the burden of helping us sort through the unusually complex logistics of being the first Air Force Olmsted scholar to India, DAO provided what I feel is the appropriate level of support needed for Scholars coming to Northern India. They assisted us on our first night getting from airport customs to our new home (at 3 AM local time), making sure we had some loaner furniture, linens, and dishes ready. They also take care of our basic personnel and accountability functions, so I try to be sensitive and not burden them in any way. Our social sponsor made sure we had some food at home initially (no 24-hour Walmarts here!), and helped us navigate our local neighborhood and markets the first day. Without them we would have had a much rougher start, looking down on Delhi from a hotel instead of moving right into it. We feel very fortunate for the support we received at first, but there may be differences of opinion on what level of support Olmsted scholars should receive here. I will discuss some of these briefly.
Diplomatic Passports and IDs: The DoD (as spelled out by the FCG) requires all active duty members and dependents PCSing to India go on Diplomatic Passports. In the past, scholars have gone to India on Official Passports (perhaps the policy is new?), but their experiences support the wisdom of utilizing the Diplomatic version. Considering the staggering bureaucracy that must be grappled upon arriving here, it is the best path to take. The DAO Ops officer (CW2 Chris Guillory) wisely took the initiative to get us set up with Diplomatic IDs that, with our Dip Passports, help smooth the PCS process...somewhat. I know the current scholar in Delhi has also received a Dip ID, and (in theory) future scholars should follow this path to smooth out hard-to-get-approved processes (in the Indian Govt) like visa approvals and shipment of household goods. Even with a Dip Passport and ID I have had (and continue to have) plenty of great "character-building" experiences trying to get our life in India up and running.
Housing: We are part of the embassy housing pool, first and foremost because the mission required it. But even if it was optional, the dismal infrastructure, totally unreliable utilites, squalid public hygene, sweltering heat, titanic bureaucracy, and stratospheric real estate costs would make an attempt to set up your own safe, sanitary, and affordable living accomodations quite overwhelming if not impossible. Maj Dave Sutton (OSC of '01 Helsinki, currently in Delhi with ODC), who has unique insight as a former scholar and current Delhi resident, helped convince us early of the wisdom of judiciously utilizing the embassy's services so we can focus on the more meaningful and productive aspects of the Olmsted experience. It should be noted that we do not partake of all the conveniences that the State department normally offers. We trimmed back the list of items provided in the home to those that were needed for safety, security, and good sanitation. We took whatever home was offered based on our rank and family size. And after we stayed cool and dry through three power outages in the first day with 110+ degree heat and 89% humidity, I am supremely grateful (also that Angela didn't turn right around and fly home with my kids)! It may be possible to go it alone, but at this time, especially for scholars with families, I recommend the path we have followed.
Health Clinic access: This is another must-have for any scholar, married or single. Although there is the ever-present threat of crime or even terrorist activity, by far the single biggest threat to anyone living in India is disease. I know for a fact Angela and I would never have come if we did not have confidence in the quality of health care needed to prepare and sustain us in such unsanitary conditions. We have been very impressed and pleased with the embassy clinic, as much for their information as their actual care. Top-knotch health care can be found in India, and we will get dental care and see specialists as referred by the clinic. But a lot of incompetent, fraudulent, and downright dangerous products and services also exist.
Other services like security, commissary, mail, pool and gym access, etc: With the exception of security, one might see these as gray-area items. We received a good security brief when we arrived and feel comfortable we will be safeguarded in the event of any natural or man-made incident. I think mail delivery is also an important service, as is commissary access - at least early on. The wives association runs a domestic helpers registry which has been key to finding the employees (screened with police background checks) necessary to run a home in India. We have used the commissary in the transistion period when we had no household goods, but we are already transitioning to getting our foods on the local economy. We've appreciated access to the pool in this (hot) transistion period for the kids, but not used the gym or other rec facilites yet. Although we intend to be out in India much more that we are on the compound, the basic-package of services currently offered makes the intial culture shock bearable and the logistical workload achieveable.
Future India scholars should contact the embassy or consulate early in their planning to discuss what the health and housing conditions are for their area. India is very diverse and some cities in southern India may offer better living conditions or more reliable utilities, etc. than what is found in some of the big cities of the north.
As an Air Force Scholar in India, here are a few unique items to remember:
- You will be managed under AFIT/CI programs (AFIT/ENEL). They have no budget for Olmsted scholars but are responsible to coordinate with Airstaff for the the funding needed to pay the DoS for your housing (through ICASS system). This has been painful for me as the first to go to India (and AF-wide $$ is tight), but as alluded to above, trying to use OHA in India (as conditions are now) would prove to be futile. They are on your side so give them whatever info they need for your support. Stay in contact with your AFIT PM, both personally and via their web portal. Don't forget they are the ones who will fill out your training report and handle you for promotion boards, etc.
- You'll probably be assigned to the 15 MSS at Hickam for personnel support. Don't bother to go TDY enroute to inprocess. Email the Personnel office, Finance, and Flight medicine (if on fly status) - they all were very responsive and inprocessed me "remotely"(see my registration report for contact info). They concurred that I should keep my personnel and flying records with me, and my med/dent recs of course followed me to the local clinic. Annual flight physicals are supposed to be funded and accomplished by Yokota - we'll see how well that works.
- Ask Hickam Finance for their "PCS packet" before you leave CONUS. Print, pre-fill-out a copy, scan it, and email it to yourself on a webmail account with all their forwarding addresses in the body of the message. Then all you need is access to the web to file your travel voucher and get your pay updated. Who knows how long you will be without a web connection. (Keep a blank or partially filled version of the packet with you in case of unplanned changes, then all you have to do is find a scanner also.)
Overall, I feel our adjustment period is going very well. Much of this is thanks to fellow scholars and other expats who knew we were coming and helped us get started. Already we are starting to meet our Indian neighbors and make friends outside the expat community. My somewhat feeble attempts to use Hindi are welcomed by all with whom I attempt to talk. It makes us feel like we have hope of being part of this community, not just visitors or outsiders. We are just now making more time to explore Delhi more widely (see Ange's 1 July post).
Perhaps most exciting is our new plan to venture into Himachal Pradesh on a 10 day driving tour into the Himalayas. If our household goods get here this week we will make this first big trip within India before school starts for me and the kids. Hopefully we'll have some great pictures and experiences to share soon!
Today we visited Akshardham Temple in East Delhi on the banks of the Yamuna river, and it was quite impressive! Built and inaugurated only a few years ago (started in 2000, done by 2005), it is a remarkable modern Hindu Temple and visitors center that showcases traditional Indian architecture and explains Hindu beliefs. It was constructed by the BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan, a major organization within the Swaminarayan faith (a version of Hinduism; see BAPS). It sharply contrasts the traditional, historical sites in Delhi as a modern, clean, and crisply managed attraction, and it must have cost a fortune.
For the American visitor it was a sort of Hindu-hybrid of Disneyworld and Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. For instance, we arrived in a large parking lot with neatly marked rows, queued through security lines, checked our bags, cameras, and cell phones (none of those allowed!), and were given a neat brochure outlining the attractions offered. By Indian standards, this place was immaculately clean, complete with restrooms, food stands, and the occasional gift shop.
First and foremost I was impressed with the amazing architectural work, all hand carved entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian marble, erected without steel or concrete. It is and awesome monument to the traditional beliefs, history, and architecture of Hindu India. But I also got the impression that it represented the new optimism that can be felt in parts of India. I spoke to several people (both visitors and employees) in Hindi as we waited in line or wandered the complex (I am still getting used to the instant openness and surprising sincerity they show when they hear me try to speak to them in their language). While they are committed to their faith and traditions, they seem equally committed to the modern, looking to the future. That is not to say "all is rosy" here, but the fact that such a vibrant display exists in a place so often associated with the ancient, the backward, or the hopelessly quagmired was thought provoking and eye opening!
