Online Eye Health Course completed

Well, at least I've been through all the material and just finished the 30-item multiple choice test.  When I submitted my test, I received the following notice:

Your Online Course results have been sent to Unite For Sight. You will be contacted regarding the results.

So, let's see what happens.  I'm allowed to take the test up to five times, but I don't think that will be necessary.

I was happy to see the test writers had a little fun in their work.  One of the questions read as follows:

Aqueous Humor is produced by the _____.

1. Ciliary muscles
2. Ciliary body
3. Tear ducts
4. Aqueous Comedians

I just looked at my email and find I have been notified that I have passed the exam.  Now I'm qualified to be confused.  ;-)

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India Visa Round 4

I got a call yesterday that my passport was ready for delivery.  This afternoon the courier arrived, I presented my receipt, signed for delivery, and am now in possession of a 6-month Indian Employment Visa.

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India to Japan booked

It's going to be a long day of travel to Japan.

Bhubaneswar to Kolkata

Flight 1              Thu, 11 Jul 2013  IndiGo

                         19:25 — 20:20 

                         Bhubaneswar → Kolkata

                         55m, 0 stop

Kolkata to Bangkok

Flight 2             Friday, July 12, 2013

                        02:00 — 06:10

                        Kolkata → Bangkok

Change of plane required. Time between flights : 4:50.

Bangkok to Osaka

Flight 3            Friday, July 12, 2013

                       11:00 — 18:30

                       Bangkok → Osaka

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Vaccinated

Today concluded my three week course of vaccines.  I don't have the receipts in front of me, but the course ran about 1200AED for Hep A & B.  Typhoid vaccine is still scare in the UAE (and not available at City Hospital).  Also picked up a 22 day course of malaria prophylactic (a Malarone generic from Mylan) for 800AED.  Malaria seems to be quite prevalent.  This report from 2011 has the state of Orissa reporting 23% of all India's malaria cases and 20% of its deaths from malaria.

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India Visa Round 3

I took a day off from visa fetching to rest and take some exercise at the gym.  This morning I was back at it with a visit to BLS, the India visa service.  Everything appeared to be in perfect order.  All the papers were there, with the vice consul's signature and instructions approving a 6-month work visa.  The clerk found, however, that the computer was set up to process only 1-year work visas.  Please wait.  We have to get the 6-month form from the embassy.  I left them with the papers and the money and a couple hours later I got an SMS that the application and payment had been accepted.  Now I have to make another trip to the office to pick up the receipt, which I will need to claim the passport when it is delivered next week.  

Almost there.

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Goal reached!

Many thanks to all my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances for helping me meet my fundraising goal.  This is equal to 40 sight-restoring cataract surgeries.  What you have contributed is an amazing gift, the ability to see again, to regain independence, to once more be a productive member of the family and community.  Thank you.

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India Visa Round 2

I went to the consulate this morning fully expecting to stand in line with a room-full of Indians.  To my surprise, there was no line outside the building when I arrived shortly before 9:00.  Security had my name on a list.  I went through the metal detector and upstairs to another security guard who had a copy of the same list.  He put a number 1 next to my name, indicating I was first to arrive, and shown to a sofa, where I watched a beautiful video on the Golden Temple for about 30 minutes before being called into the office of the vice-consul.  He offered me tea and we had a nice chat about my interests in India, photography, volunteer work, and religion (he had noted "Buddhist" on my application).  40 minutes later he signed my papers, wished me luck, and I was off.  No lines, no hassle.  Tomorrow I go back to the visa agent with signed papers and make formal application.

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India Visa Round 1

Guaranteed there is a paper or process that has not been foreseen, that has not been mentioned in the instructions.  Nothing is as easy as it seems.  Especially if it seems easy.  

The Indian embassy outsources its visa services to a private firm that didn't mention in their instructions that for employment visas preapproval from the consulate is required.  That means a visit to the consular offices.  But before you go, an appointment is required.  Call this number.

Repeated calls for over two hours resulted in no answer.  The phone just rang and rang.  A call to the receptionist was not helpful.  To my surprise, an email was.  A reply came within an hour asking me to come in tomorrow morning.  

I'm terribly afraid some essential paper will be missing from the small sheaf already in my visa folder.  

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