Globalization... Yes, the visa topic!

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just go all over the place without thinking about barriers? Walls? Yes indeed! For me as a traveler every time I have to go somewhere new I start thinking about the logistics and with CSC was not different.

I’m from Rio de Janeiro, one of the biggest cities in Brazil and there isn’t a Consulate for India here. Which means? Travel so I can travel! OK, the month is a little chaotic with an internal audit and all the challenges in my organization, but the travel bug made me think: yay I will have to travel to apply for my visa!

I got all the documentation together and went to Sao Paulo for this adventure!

I like Sao Paulo a lot, it reminds me of New York but with its own vibe.

Entering a Consulate makes me feel like I am already at the country, and I know, legally indeed I am…

The Indian Consulate is located in the middle of the city and as soon as I entered I got excited, several books about India in this living space where you wait to talk to the attendant. I grabbed this big book on the Taj Mahal and was already picturing myself there, it felt nice…

Until “Shana we are missing a letter from IBM”. I ran to the IBM office trying to get a nice soul to assist me!

I’m a volunteer in Rio and have applied for IBM’s grant program several times. Which means, if an IBMer does volunteering work we can register our hours on the On demand community and IBM will donate an amount of money to a NGO we select. It’s just amazing to be able to help even more, not only by volunteering but monetarily. I’m a volunteer at Solar Meninos de Luz, but this is a topic for another post… But wait! Check out what IBM does to make the world a better place right here!

Long story short I contacted one of the managers from the Corporate Citizenship program in Sao Paulo and he promptly helped me with the letter.

The following day I went back to the Consulate and left my passport… 5 days later I got it back at home, but with a very special addition to it: my Indian visa!!!

Cannot wait to use it!!!!!

I ran into this cute Indian elephant on my way to the Consulate… I call it a very good sign!