Fish out of water

Throughout this process, living in India, I have felt like a fish out of water. Sitting with non-Indian expats today, it reminds me of just how much of a culture shock it is to come and live in India. There are soo many wonderful things here. But the shock to the system is massive and often debilitating. Although of Indian origin, I am totally foreign to all people here and I feel very frustrated very often. I am Indian in some ways, but I suppose that being an NRI, being born and raised throughout in the west, has shaped me and made me who I am today. So I am more familiar and comfortable with the western systems and culture. I miss being in a country where I speak the language properly, I miss having friends calling just to say "hi", I miss being in a place where I can get around without feeling lost. I have so much admiration now for people that just up and move to India without even being Indian; they are really brave and adventurous. I am really really ready to go home. It's coming close and funnily enough, the closer I get to going, the more I am climbing the walls to go. I want Sofi to be surrounded by people who know me from before and she can feel that love and warmth. It is hard work having only new friends around.

As we are getting on with Sofi's Indian passport, we are now being told by the British High Commission that she might be prohibited from entering the UK. Apparently, as I used my US citizenship to adopt Sofi, the British government will condescend to acknowledge Sofi as my legal daughter, probably for taxes and anything negative, but they will not confer British citizenship on her automatically. I will have to research this, but it is my understanding that an adopted child must be regognized just like a biological child. Rude awkening to find out the British government has an exception for adopted children to deprive them of what is their legal right in all civilized countries. Yet another obstacle to overcome. The US government and process has just been so wonderful about adoption and embraces it at every turn, that it is a disappointing shock to see that once again the British rules are anti-adoption. They are already one of the most difficult countries for adoption, whether domestic or international, and this is yet another way they are against people trying to build their families by adoption.