Just put up a map and throw a dart...

Well, I'm doing my very best to pretend that it doesn't freak me out at all that we're leaving India permanently in less than two months and we still don't really know where we're going...but I do believe in the power of imagination, and I've successfully 'faked' my way through many difficult life transitions and am comforted by the fact that eventually whatever it was I simply believed I was experiencing settled itself in nicely as reality.
There are plenty of people who will say that that just doesn't make sense. That a person can't just fake their way through the bad parts until the bad parts are as convinced as you that they just don't exist - but let me tell you I can, I do, and I will.

We may or may not be going to Iran after all, and for reasons better left undisclosed at this point so it's not really worth getting into at all except to say that it essentially leaves us drifting along in the global scheme of things with no real direction. Until recently, it was to be the next stop after Nepal, and a nice locae in relation to our needing to be in Turkey at some point (the when of which I still have no idea as we wait to hear from someone at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara) but for now at least, it's looking less like an option. A shame really; I'd quite gotten myself geared up for it by ordering loads of capri pants and wedges from the States in anticipation of making due with the dress code. I even decided to sample a pair of ballet flats...something I'd not ordinarily be caught dead in but is so insanely popular in Tehran I decided to at least attempt them. Fortunately, Coach makes a lovely version called 'Joy'.

In any case, I'll cart my stuff along to wherever...and Nepal is looking likely at this point as they allow foreigners five months (150 days in any visa year) in the country without any major hassle, and of course Miss Jess is there now; complete with hotel=bathtub and connections through her darling to help us find a house, set up WiFi and all the other things one needs to stay in business in the virtual world.

And then, there's Turkey - a certainty at some point, and allowing foreigners a three month visa at the port of entry. I'm not sure of the possibility of a visa extension there, but assuming they are reasonable I'd say we can eke out at least another thirty days beyond that. So, we're covered for approximately nine months past the end of May (and both countries will allow us to bring Mooshy in with proper papers...yet another piece of the puzzle).

If we've not been awarded Hamid's visa to the States at that point we'll be looking at another round of applications from scratch as his original forms, doctor's reports, and affidavits are only valid for 365 days after they are initially submitted.

We watch the news, understanding something of how the U.S. is working with Iranian visas these days: not issuing them in time for the President of Iran to arrive for a meeting at the U.N. I mean, if they can't get it together to issue him a visa in time for a meeting of international world leaders we're concerned that we're now facing the gloomier side of our expectations as surely we are much farther down on their list of what and who is important.

I'm now scrutinizing the paperwork that was sent to me when we were first asked to come to the Consulate here in Chennai, India as well as the way the case was handled once we arrived for the interview and realizing that we kind of got played.
First they made a big deal about my income, but according to their little chart I make three times what is required for a family of two to return to the States with the better half on an entry visa. My 12 months worth of freshly printed PDF bank statements were of no importance though.
Then they suggested that I no longer have ties to the United States, having been in India so long - but when I offered a letter signed by both of my parents essentially imploring the Consul to issue the visa so we could come home already the girl looked at me from behind her wire rim glasses and mustache and said "Yeah, I have a mom too..." as if I had some elaborate plan to convince her that my parents love me and know exactly where I am when, as far as she was concerned, I don't have and never did have any parents at all.
Only after I returned three hours later, frustrated and confused, did they announce that we would have to go to one of five other countries to complete the application.
In response to my flustered demeanor the Consul asked me if I'd like him to 'expatriate me, right here, right now' - as if that was the solution to all my troubles. Yes, they are sensitive folks those government employees.

Sad...really...I was initially so impressed with everyone else we'd met with and talked to throughout the process.

Anyway, since my own country is in no big hurry to make it easy for me to come home with my husband (anything else is out of the question, so don't even suggest it) I'm scanning Embassy and Immigration websites for as many countries as I can dream up, calculating where we can get the most tourist visa leeway and how many days we can stay, etc. etc.

Kind of fun, really...having nowhere to go and so many amazing options in the meantime.