My Journey to India, final.

This is the last installment to the, ‘my journey to India‘ series.

After a rigorous check up which involved having the self declaration certificate for a negative PCR test by the Indian Office of immigration, without which, nobody could board the plane, we were able to proceed to the next step for immigration clearing and then we were off to the boarding waiting lounge. A few minutes of waiting and we were told it was time to get onto the plane😋

My sisters had finally arrived with my nieces to bid me farewell but I couldn’t meet with them. I had already gone through check-in. And even when I tried looking for them from the platform to wave bye at least, I couldn’t see them. Maybe I just didn’t know where to look😞 I only figured out where they were after I had entered the plane and we just did a video call. That was very heart breaking😞 after all their efforts to get to the airport, anyway, at least we managed a video call.

My disappointment aside, Qatar airways is one hella gorgeous aeroplane! It is simply a vision to behold, damnnnn❤️❤️❤️ the air hostesses and host were very polite, attentive and very Elegant! If I remember correctly, one of the ladies at the entrance while welcoming me told me that she would be our pilot🥺 if that was correct, then that was especially kind of them🤝🏿 more like the family head personally welcoming you into their home. I certainly felt at home☺️ And since it was the pandemic error, we were sitting individually in a 3 seater space👯💃🏿 I felt like a VIP. With my covid kit in place, my blanket and headsets and music, I certainly felt like a princess🤗😍

Everyone deserves to experience these things😚 I was seated next to a window and I could catch the whole action outside. It was simply amazing seeing us drift further and further away from the earth and into an endless sea of white big bubbles of clouds. It felt like we were pleasantly lost into our own little world of wonder and mystery. I just curled myself into a warm ball of jumpers and blankets and just savoured the vision outside. Soon it was snacks time and then shortly after, our lunch. Everything was just amazing. I asked for the only thing I could read on the menu and it was chicken😄 I had no intentions of ruining my trip with an upset stomach. The little desserts on the side were very sweet. Everything was nice😁 just perfect.

Outside my window ☺️

Our flight to Hamad International Airport was pretty long. From almost midday to around 5:30pm but it had been an experience to remember. At Doha, I reunited with my travel companions who had been seated very far away from me. We went all out and took pictures to our fill as our next flight wouldn’t be until around 8pm. I actually learnt later on that a friend from home had seen me at the airport but had been attending to something and couldn’t come up to me for a chat. Eventually, it was time to check in. This time round it wasn’t as lengthy as before. And shortly after 8pm, we set off for Mumbai💃🏿😍

L-R; Jermena, Linda and Arthur
At Hamad international airport, Doha.

Since it was night time, I didn’t do much except listen to music and eat and simply live in the moment. It was beautiful☺️ We arrived in Mumbai at around 2am at Chhatrapati S Maharaj Airport. Had to undergo another covid test and then clear at immigration. I must say, that the airport really is very big and that the architectural designs of pillars with a web of complex lines that join and tie neatly in the high ceilings were a wonder to behold. That was beautiful❤️

After that, we had to clear for boarding. We got lost a couple of times but eventually figured it out. That was the joy of traveling with friends, you got lost together and found things together as well😁 It’s less scary that way. There seemed so many places to go for clearance and checking in was pretty intense as well. We underwent so many checkups just before our domestic flight. But finally, it was over and by day break, we were seated in the waiting lounge for our flight to Hyderabad.

I was very exhausted and I pretty much just went by the flow following my friends’ lead. On the plane, I was just dosing. I didn’t see much. Even when we reached Hyderabad, I just wanted to get onto the adjoining plane and just reach school and rest😤 we did check-in and underwent another thorough checking before we could board the next flight to Vijayawada, our end of the long journey! I slept through it all. By midday, we were in my School’s town. We were picked up by the international Students’ coordinator along side the students’ travel coordinator; Nicholas and off we were to School.

We were very Happy to see them but very tired as well. Our journey was chit-chatty a bit about how we hoped to spend our stay here. On our way, we dropped off Arthur to his hostel which is outside the school premises. And we proceeded to school. A few minutes later, we were finally at Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation! The Lord had done it! May he be Praised forever🙏🏿😁 After everything, we were finally here! We were cleared onto the campus premises and into our hostel, shown our rooms and all I wanted to do was just rest.

Will tell you about my first impression of my school, my first time in class and my first encounter with my classmates, all my firsts that I haven’t yet shared. Otherwise, thank you for being with me through all this experience, it’s been quite the journey, isn’t it😁 Thank you and God Bless you🙏🏿😘