"Had it been any other problem, I would understand, but this is very annoying", Mom said. I started losing hopes regarding our family trip to Dubai. Though, I balanced it with a lot of shopping. Dad found himself lucky as he was busy with work during that month of mess and uncertainty.
It was 2013. I was about to turn 18 in a few months. I was not going to be a minor anymore. My passport had to be renewed. No, this was not a problem. I filled the application form, collected all the necessary documents and kept everything ready as per the passport agent's advice. I went to the passport office for the final round of procedures. They said that my passport will be delivered in 15 days. Mom and I peeped through the keyhole whenever the doorbell rang. 20 days went by and finally I could see a postman standing at the door. I was happy to see an envelope in his hand. To me, he was a Santa Claus in guise of a postman. Mom gave him some water and a sweet. We closed the door and I opened the envelope. My concern was to see whether I am looking good in the photo on it. Well, I never like how I look in passport sized photos. Maybe passport sized photos were made to embarrass us. While going through all the general information, I realized there was a 'M' printed before the gender section. "Oh lord, why did they change my gender", I kept whining over it, the whole day.
Mom called the passport agent. What he said was a very unsatisfactory answer. He said, " Her name is 'Sai' which is confusing for anyone to understand, because in India, most of the men have that name". Yes, my name is Sai but it is pronounced as Saiee, putting less stress on 'a' and more on 'iee'. Moreover, I filled my form and I had mentioned my gender as female, of course. Mom was annoyed by his answer and she kept the phone. Now we had to do something to solve this error. We again went to the passport office and told them to change my gender (only on papers). They said it will be delivered in 15 days. As soon as it came, I was hunting to see whether i got my female identity back.
We packed our bags and we were all set to go. Currency was to be arranged by the respective tour company. Therefore we were relaxed about that topic. We reached Dubai and had a wonderful time. Yes we were relaxed about the currency until we learnt we had been cheated, which is a story for some other day. Not to worry; My smart mom had kept dollars with her for being on safe side, which is why we could survive through Dubai. It was not just a journey to Dubai. It was a journey from 'minor to major' , 'male to female' followed by a journey from 'rupees to dirhams'. Our Dubai trip has set a landmark in my memory. Maybe travel stories are incomplete without such gaffes.
It was 2013. I was about to turn 18 in a few months. I was not going to be a minor anymore. My passport had to be renewed. No, this was not a problem. I filled the application form, collected all the necessary documents and kept everything ready as per the passport agent's advice. I went to the passport office for the final round of procedures. They said that my passport will be delivered in 15 days. Mom and I peeped through the keyhole whenever the doorbell rang. 20 days went by and finally I could see a postman standing at the door. I was happy to see an envelope in his hand. To me, he was a Santa Claus in guise of a postman. Mom gave him some water and a sweet. We closed the door and I opened the envelope. My concern was to see whether I am looking good in the photo on it. Well, I never like how I look in passport sized photos. Maybe passport sized photos were made to embarrass us. While going through all the general information, I realized there was a 'M' printed before the gender section. "Oh lord, why did they change my gender", I kept whining over it, the whole day.
Mom called the passport agent. What he said was a very unsatisfactory answer. He said, " Her name is 'Sai' which is confusing for anyone to understand, because in India, most of the men have that name". Yes, my name is Sai but it is pronounced as Saiee, putting less stress on 'a' and more on 'iee'. Moreover, I filled my form and I had mentioned my gender as female, of course. Mom was annoyed by his answer and she kept the phone. Now we had to do something to solve this error. We again went to the passport office and told them to change my gender (only on papers). They said it will be delivered in 15 days. As soon as it came, I was hunting to see whether i got my female identity back.
We packed our bags and we were all set to go. Currency was to be arranged by the respective tour company. Therefore we were relaxed about that topic. We reached Dubai and had a wonderful time. Yes we were relaxed about the currency until we learnt we had been cheated, which is a story for some other day. Not to worry; My smart mom had kept dollars with her for being on safe side, which is why we could survive through Dubai. It was not just a journey to Dubai. It was a journey from 'minor to major' , 'male to female' followed by a journey from 'rupees to dirhams'. Our Dubai trip has set a landmark in my memory. Maybe travel stories are incomplete without such gaffes.
Beautifully written. Great job Sai!
ReplyDeleteThanks Amey!
Delete