Part 1 C - Stress Management

As I walked through the airport, my mind was awash with questions. What is my next step? What do I need to know? Where is there a computer I can use?

Having found one and paid for a bit of time on it, I first sent out a quick email to my prayer update list. "I don't have a visa to India! They won't let me fly to Calcutta today. I'm going to Bangkok instead, and will try to get a visa from the consulate there. Please pray that everything works out. Perhaps this is God's way of transitioning me to Calcutta, and perhaps He has some unknown purpose for me in Bangkok during the next few days."
I closed by saying, "What an adventure! Praise God that I'm not afraid!"

Then I searched for the embassy online. I went to the first site I found that said it had visa services. It was full of information, all kinds of details about what to bring with you, how much it costs, if there are special stipulations for people from certain countries. I wrote down everything pertinent, including the address and contact info. I also emailed to let them know about my situation and ask if there was anything more that I should do.

I began to formulate my plan B. As soon as I arrived in Bangkok, I would keep an eye out for a photo booth (as two recent photos were one requirement), and a copy machine (to make a copy of my passport and Japanese residency card). I would take a taxi to the Indian consulate, but as their hours are 9am to noon, and I was arriving at the airport at 3pm, I would need to stay overnight someplace nearby and go the next morning. Then I would apply for the visa and think about how to spend my time in Bangkok.

After that, I felt pretty good. I boarded the flight and thoroughly enjoyed it. God lifted my spirits when I plugged in my earphones and turned to the classical station and the first thing I heard was the 4th movement of Prokofiev's 5th symphony! That's the one my orchestra is playing this fall, which through diplomacy and preparation, I secured my position as 1st horn. It's Prokofiev's most famous symphony, but it's not really so well known. In all humble honesty, I did have to listen for a little while before I could confirm for myself that it was indeed the 4th movement, I also thought it might have been the third movement. They only ever played the 4th movement, but I was able to hear it about three times during the flight.

I gave thanks for all the food on the flight, trying not to worry about what kind of oil was in everything. Actually I was able to choose a dinner that had less oil anyway. The first movie was a bit repulsive to me, but the second movie was Star Trek, apparently a recent one that shows more like the origin of the story, the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise. I had never really liked Star Trek before because I didn't understand it and it seemed to have way too many disgusting creatures. However, I have always like science fiction, so I decided to watch it, and I was really surprised! I enjoyed it immensely. The flight to Bangkok was extremely pleasant.