Diary of Parenting Overseas...Entry #1

There are many lessons we have learned and tips we have gained from others in the process of foreigners having babies in India. We know we are not the first nor will we be the last to embark on this journey. However, there have been times we just wanted someone to sit down and tell us all the important details that no one else thinks to tell you or that you can't find on the embassy website. So we are going to being to make entries into throughout the next two months as our journey will soon conclude with the birth of our first son.

Entry #1- Getting a Head Start...
We found that it is very helpful to find your doctor and your hospital as soon as you can after finding out you are pregnant. Of course this is true when living in the states as well. But for living somewhere foreign, it helps to bring that peace to your heart that often questions the unknown of the journey. For those living in or near Gurgaon, we recommend The Cradle through Apollo Clinic in Sector 14. Dr. Preeti Agrawal is a wonderful, calm doctor who has had a lot of experience with foreigners and lives 5-10 minutes away from the hospital. Dr. Preeti has guided us through since the beginning and is very familiar with all of our needs, questions, and circumstances as foreigners.

It helped to take a tour through The Cradle in order to determine if it was suitable for us. We were able to meet many doctors and other important staff members to get a better feel for how things were run at the facility. Do not be afraid to look as much as you want, ask as many questions, and repeat the process until you are 100% sure the facility is best for you! It has also paid off as it seems so many staff members know us now by name and often times they are quick to provide extra support or get us in a bit faster.

Often times, foreigners live in smaller areas that do not provide adequate medical care. However, if you live in a larger city, it is very helpful to find a location near where you stay. This way you are only minutes away from your facility. You will be able to see the doctor on a regular basis and can participate in pre-natal classes (or what they call in India ante-natal classes). It will also help you get established in your community as more of a common resident rather than a foreigner. We know of other foreigners who have had great experiences through Max Medical Centers and La Femme in New Delhi.

Get a Ticket!

When parking your car at any mall in our area, you are always given a ticket from an electronic device. Sometimes you pay before parking and other times you pay after. When exiting the parking garage, you will always give the ticket back to a mall parking attendant.

HOWEVER, what happens when the electronic device is broken? Do the rules still apply?

Apparently, if you do not make sure to get a ticket, you will be violating all the "laws" of mall parking garages and will be treated as such. I know, you are probably thinking..laws are enforced in India? But apparently, at certain times or with certain people, laws are applicable.

The other night we were going to the mall and this exact situation occurred. There were mall attendants standing there whom we asked to give us a ticket. They told us it was broken and to just go on and park. We did so and had a great time. But when we went to leave, we had no ticket to give, but willingly paid the 30 rupees to park. The little man at the booth told us it was 40 rupees and then had us pull to the side for just a moment. We waited and waited. Tempted to just drive off, but didn't as we want to be good tourists. That's when the head of mall security approached our vehicle, asked us many questions about our car, took down the license plate number, and insisted we give him our vehicle registration papers. He claimed it was standard procedure, but we were quite skeptical! Just to be careful, we called our good friend who is a lawyer to help deal with the situation. During the conversation, the security guard wanted to see JP's driver's licence to record his information. That's when we put our foot down! He insinuated many things about us: we possibly stole the car, we didn't pay the parking, etc.. It was such an odd situation, but our lawyer friend was such a great help. He got us out of it and then, when we told the security guard we had already paid 40 rupees for parking, the attendant lied and said we had only paid 30. Thankfully, our reaction seemed to scare the little man, and he immediately gave us our 10 rupees back.

Again, it was such an odd situation, but one I know we just needed to learn for the future and to blog about for others! So here are the 2 lessons we hope you learn from this:
1. Always get a ticket, no matter what from someone, when entering the parking garage of a mall otherwise you may never get out! HA HA!
2. Try to make friends with an Indian lawyer to help you in silly, enforced matters such as not having a little parking ticket!