You cannot even imagine what happened to me at the airport last night, but the end of the story is that I’m back in the hostel.
The bad news: I have never been so upset in my life. After saying goodbye to my best friends I will never see again, leaving the hostel, going all the way to the airport, checking my luggage, and waiting in line at customs, I am informed that I do not have the proper stamp on my visa. Apparently I was supposed to register myself with the FRRO if I’m staying more than 6 months (what ind of student stays less than 6 months?!). I explained that I wan’t aware of this rule and that I had registered with the US Embassy in Delhi. This was not enough. I started crying because I had said goodbye to India and my friends and was mentally preparing to come home, and now that I had closed my bank account, had no Rupees, no way home, no hostel room to go to (warden gave my spot away already), and not even my mattress anymore, these people were telling me without even an “I’m sorry about this” that i would just have to go to the office and wait all day so I could get the stamp then pay for a new flight home in teh next few days. Pretty soon I was not onl crying but shaking, crumpled up on the airport floor in an attempt to save myself from passing out as I was feeling dizzy from hyperventilating. I didn’t want to call home and worry my family, and I didn’t have any way home or any home to go to! Finally I managed to pull out a paper with the warden’s number out of my pocket and held it out to the woman; I couldn’t even speak a sentence to her I was so upset. She guessed that I wanted to call this number than I let warden talk to the American Airlines lady. She told me to wait outside and she picked me up an hour later. By this time I had calmed down and eaten a snack so I was at least not hysterical anymore.
Good news: I came back to the hostel and slept on Gulalai and Namuun’s beds pushed together for the three of us. Warden came with me to the FRRO and helped me cut through some of the red tape by speaking Hindi to the people and pleading with them that I had to catch my flight tonight. I called American Airlines and rescheduled my flight for tonight, and I’ll be home just one day later than expected, hopefully.
So keep your fingers crossed and maybe next time I write a blog it will be from home 
