No apostille this time

Well it seems we cannot bypass the Indian consulate so I have sent our docs to the Internal Affairs today and once they have issued their authentication certificate we can send it into the Indian consulate. The New Zealand side seem to think we can bypass the process but the Indian side seems to think otherwise. I would rather go through the red tape now than be back at square one and repeating the process if the Indian side rejected our docs. All up, it is costing about $500 just to get our papers signed and authorised to get our company incorporated, it's not worth having to pay again.

Next step in the Business world

We now have some documents that have been signed by a Notary of the public yesterday towards our business being incorporated in India. He seems to think we have a treaty with India that should bypass needing to send the documents from Internal affairs to the Indian consulate for consularization. It's something called an apostille certificate that can be issued by Internal affairs. It would be one less time factor and less expense if we could bypass it. I am just waiting to hear back from our Chartered accountant in India to double check on it. I am hoping to hear from him today so we can get them sent off tomorrow. If we don't hear from him soon I think we shall take the consulate route to be sure.

In New Zealand we have heard back from all but one school who want to carry on contracts next year. Some schools also want to extend their hours with the option of hiring Doug at a lower rate. It is all looking quite good so far.

Zo Zo has gone :(

The weekend was full of joy and sadness. The sad part was that Zoe went back to India. Although we will see her in a few months it was sad to see everyone else so sad. She is such a special friend to our family and I know it will last a life time. She also left behind Sean her most special friend so it was sad to see them parting even though it wont be forever.

I think our kids were extra upset because their emotions of leaving are just under the surface. Watching Zoe leave and seeing all the farewell hugs and tears scratched that surface so I think their emotions were heightened. I just need to keep a close watch on them all and give them permission to let the tears flow if they need to.

The happy thing was that Daya received an amazing prophetic on Sunday that again confirmed what we are doing. It was so encouraging for her and the rest of us. Have a listen if you want:

Baring it all

Things are really looking on the bare side now. Pictures are off the wall, beds are all gone bar one. All furniture sold or have found a home. Just a few more deliveries of stuff to various people and then we will almost be a shell we are living in. I like it!!

Today I have wrapped and boxed the few treasures we are taking over, they fit into one box so that was a good score. We had sold our couch to a friend of the lady who bought our house (does that even make sense?)but he rang to say he can't take it any more. It turned out to be a good thing for us because we sold it for double the amount he was going to pay.

Bye bye puss

Yesterday was a bit of a sad day but also happy. It was happy in the fact that we found a home for our cat Budster and sad because there were many tears as we said goodbye. It was Danielle's cat so she felt it the hardest and Daya was trying to keep tough but I could tell it was hard. I was not overly fond of our cat but I must admit that I did have a cry because I felt for the kids and I think I might miss him a bit. Even my Mum couldn't hold the tears in and she definitely didn't like our cat.

Levi decided to comfort Dani. He said " It's Ok Dani, we are going to give away Coffee (our dog) too." Thanks for that Levi, nothing like pouring salt into the wound.

NSKI NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED.

There it is. I just found out this morning that we have our company name approved. This is so exciting and one more step towards the incorporation of our company in India. We now have a bundle of papers to get notorised and then sent on to the Indian consulate for stamping. Once that is done we can get the last process of incorporation done. This has been estimated to take about three weeks.

News flash

I now have my DIN (directors identification number) and we both have our digital signatures. Yay! Now it is time to register the company name. This has been predicted to take about a week at the most. They are asking for a registered address in Bangalore but we do not have one yet so am waiting to hear back from the accountant we are planning to use in Bangalore to see if we can use his address at the moment. I am not sure if this will hold up the process.

The house that Ben told us about does not appear to be available to us. We sent them an e-mail and they said no. They would prefer to sell rather than rent it out. We wont give up on it though as it sounds ideal, we'll just pray that God will make it available if that's where he wants us.

We had a good chat with Tony and Linda last night. They are looking into the possibility of us renting a place close to where we will be in Delhi. It sounds like a great place but we need to see if the owner would be prepared to rent it out short term.
It was nice to be able to chat as friends and have some laughs. I almost wished we were there having a coffee with them. Not long now and it will be a reality.

Getting bare

Our stuff is exiting the house at lightening speed. Our fridge, dishwasher, TV, drawers x6, boys bunks, toy box and filing cabinet were all picked up yesterday. The house is getting that hollow sound. The boys wanted to go to bed early because they are camping out in their room on some squabs from our caravan. Most of the things have gone from their room. It is going to be easier to keep it tidy now :) I can hear the squeals of joy from the room as I type, not a sound I should be hearing while they are sleeping mind you but hey, better than crying over their bunks going.

We have clothes all over the place due to drawers being sold. I have started to sort them into piles of keep handy, box ready to ship over and give away. The give away pile is definitely winning.

We still need to finish off a couple of jobs in our flat for the new owners. My Mum and I put lino tiles down in the bathroom the other day. It is not a professional job and does look better if you look from a distance. The house is all painted now so I can cross that off the list.

We are still no closer to our business formation in India since the last time I blogged. Still playing the waiting game in that area.

It is feeling very real now and David said he felt a tinge of sadness today at church. The sadness does not take away from our longing to go but it would be silly to say there were not emotions involved.

We are wondering if we may ask our friends and family if we can say I final farewells before the airport. As much as we want to see everyone to the last possible minute I think it may be too much for everyone to cope with, especially the kids. I would like the airport to be a time where we can focus on the adventure ahead of us. We'll see nearer the time.

Green lights all the way.

Right down to the finest details we seem to be getting the green light go ahead.
I decided to look on trademe for some suit cases so we can start packing our few belongings that we will take. I found one for $10 so I was really happy. The pick up was on the North Shore and I was happy to make a trip to buy it but the guy e-mailed me to see if it would be more helpful for us to pick it up from his work. His work happens to be in Mt Wellington (where we live). Yay!
My auntie also has some suit cases for us that she says we can have for free.

I also got another good deal on some packing boxes with bubble wrap and white wrapping paper. They cost about $6-8 from the moving companies but I have got them for $1.30 each item. I am so chuffed.

So proud of my kids

I was just reading over my earlier blogs on how we had been introducing curries and a bit of chilli to the children's diet. I used to only put the tiniest amount of chilli in and the kids would be taking a mouthful of food then some drink and plenty of huffing and puffing. After remembering those meal times about 6 months ago and comparing them to the dinner we had tonight, I am astounded. I am so proud at the way the kids are adapting. They are no longer bothered about the chilli that I have been slowly increasing and instead of complaining about having a curry, they get excited and go on about how good it smells as it is cooking. I think the kids are turning Indian little by little. I expect to see their hair getting darker soon.

Whirlwind

It's been a while since I last blogged because things have been happening so fast and there is so much to do.

The house is now sold!!!! It has been absolutely amazing because it was only on the market for 2 weeks exactly. We now have three and a half weeks to get out. This means we need to sell our stuff and sort out what we will take with us to India. We do not plan on taking much, in fact just about the clothes on our backs and a couple of personal items. We have some things we are selling on trade me and other things that friends have made a claim on. I feel like I have been picked up in a whirlwind except that it is not chaos because everything is falling into place so beautifully.

We now have David's Full Directors identification number, I have had to reapply due to my proof of address not being adequate but it should be done in a couple of days. We also have our digital signatures done. Once my DIN is approved we can then get a company name approval done and then incorporate. Once we have our business incorporated we can then apply for our Visa's.

I have so much more to write about but I need to get some other stuff done. So in a nutshell, that's where we are at.

Home in Bangalore?

Our friend Ben has just come back from Bangalore and while he was there he found a 6 Bdrm house right where we want to live. The owners actually wanted to sell the house but the asking price is so high that no one is able to buy it. They are thinking of renting it out for Rs15,000 per month. That is about $455 NZD per month. Wow! Ben thinks we would love the place and he has found a place for them a few doors down.

Hopefully we are going to be sent some photo's of the place. It is not flash but Ben thinks we would like it. It is apparently an old villa owned by the YWCA. Vinu said it is very Indian and that's what I am after. We could start paying the rent before we get there and that way know we have a place to go to when we arrive.

Ben and Vinu came and had dinner with us last night, we did an impromptu chinese takeaways night.
Ben brought back some coffee from Bangalore. It was from Cafe coffee day, India's starbucks equivalent. He also brought us some yummy Indian snacks. We love these guys so much and are so pleased they are going to be coming to Bangalore with us.

Timing timing timing

I am still being constantly blown away with how things are falling into place in an incredible way.
We had the builder come to fix our floor and ceiling in the flat yesterday and the job has ended up being a bit bigger than expected and we required a plumber. I was already amazed at how we were able to get a builder so quickly but when we needed a plumber quickly (because the builder couldn't do his work until the plumber had been) I thought it may slow things up. Plumbers normally don't come for a day or two. I found one who came within the hour. He was even amazed we had him there so quick. Now that's not all, he decided to pop in this morning to see how the builder was doing and just happened to walk in at the exact time the builder finished the floor and the next lot of plumbing was needed. What can I say?

We are awaiting to hear the final verdict on the house offer sometime today. The building inspector found a few issues so it will be interesting to see what happens. At least I feel we will be selling the house with nothing concealed and hidden.

We have an open home tomorrow so it will be good to have a new floor down and the ceiling fixed. If the offer still comes in then we may call off the open home. It's just a matter of waiting and seeing.

I love this

Here is a photo of an Inn David, Daya and I stayed at in Old Delhi. It was only $75NZD for three of us, three nights with breakfast. It looks really dodgy but it was actually OK. Definitely not 5 star but we had a roof over our heads, food and a cold shower. What more do we need?

It is the pink building. The balcony on the right is where we would eat our breakfast. We had a triple share room that meant we could fit three people in one bed. It was fun and worth a laugh. It was on Main Bazaar Rd and very close to the train station. We loved it.

The little photo is the ally way up to the Inn at ground level.

A definate to Delhi

We have made the decision that we will definitely be heading to Delhi first but we are not sure how long we will stay there. It will depend on any compliance issues with the start of our business and housing etc.

It is going to be so nice to spend time with our friends and it will be extra nice that Zoe will be there for the kids.

I have been wondering how the kids are going to react when they first walk out of the Delhi airport terminal. I have a smile on my face as I picture it. It is a sea of people, taxis, various people wanting to carry your luggage etc. Quite an assault on the senses if you are not ready for it. Last time we arrived in the early hours of the morning and the airport was still pumping.

I couldn't find a picture that truly captures the moment but here are a couple that give a little idea.

So close to a deal on our house.

We have a firm offer now but it is conditional on us fixing up our flat and on the place passing a building inspection. The inspection is happening tomorrow at 3pm so although I am feeling a bit like I am awaiting exam results I also know that God has everything under control. I just need to keep reminding myself of that fact from time to time.

Our flat has rotten floor boards and a ceiling that needs repairs. We were hoping someone would take the place as is and fix it up themselves but the offer we have is good and we are prepared to fix things up. I called a builder today for a quote, my darling hubby could do the work but time is the constraint. We were unsure how much it was going to cost but he has rung back to say $250. I was amazed because when we were talking with him at our house, he was saying it could be just under $1000. I am not sure why it is suddenly so much cheaper but thank you God. He is coming tomorrow morning at 9am. Not only is he cheap but he is also available quickly.

My Mum and Dad have been great helping around the house. They have come and helped paint, clean etc. Mum and I got stuck into the flat today. We painted, pulled up old carpet and generally made it feel fresh and clean. David had a half day of work today so he was able to wield a paintbrush and roller around the place too. We now only need the ceiling and bathroom fixed, painted and then it is done. We also need to do the last painting of the outside of our house. It will probably only take a day or two.

We also had good friends of ours Cam and Nikki turn up with two ponga trees to plant in our garden, Cam even dug the holes while Nikki cleaned some of our windows. We so appreciate the time our parents and friends have given us. Every little bit of help makes things so much easier. Thanks guys.

Our documents have arrived in India

This is a bit of a funny post but it has been fun to track the progress of our documents through NZ post. Check out where they have been:

3104433032 - Detailed Report
Date		Time		Location Service Area		Checkpoint Details
November 02, 2009		18:48		Auckland - New Zealand		Shipment picked up
November 02, 2009		19:57		Auckland - New Zealand		Processed at Auckland - New Zealand
November 02, 2009		21:16		Auckland - New Zealand		Processed at Auckland - New Zealand
November 02, 2009		21:17		Auckland - New Zealand		Departed from DHL facility in Auckland - New Zealand
November 03, 2009		06:54		Singapore - Singapore		Arrived at DHL facility in Singapore - Singapore
November 03, 2009		07:02		Singapore - Singapore		Processed at Singapore - Singapore
November 03, 2009		07:26		Singapore - Singapore		Departed from DHL facility in Singapore - Singapore
November 03, 2009		12:42		New Delhi - India		Arrived at DHL facility in New Delhi - India
November 03, 2009		12:58		New Delhi - India		Processed at New Delhi - India
November 03, 2009		13:34		New Delhi - India		Processed at New Delhi - India
November 03, 2009		13:42		New Delhi - India		Departed from DHL facility in New Delhi - India
November 03, 2009		14:52		New Delhi - India		Arrived at DHL facility
November 03, 2009		15:11		New Delhi - India		With delivery courier
November 03, 2009		20:27		New Delhi - India		Consignee premises closed
November 04, 2009		08:18		New Delhi - India		With delivery courier
November 04, 2009		09:25		New Delhi - India		Processed at New Delhi - India
November 04, 2009		11:39		New Delhi - India		Shipment delivered

How amazingly detailed is that! It's good to know they have arrived and we have even been told that Ganesh signed for them. (who ever he is?) Now to see how everything else plays out from here.

Electricity

My Dad sent me a few photo's this morning of Indian electrical wires. We have witnessed this first hand. The monkeys walk and play along them. People just hook wire over a line to grab some power for the house or put stripped wires directly into a socket. It is not always like this but we have seen some very interesting masses of power cables that make you go Hmmm?