"this is not the place for quick questions"

i called the indian embassy the other day, to ask if i am allowed to arrive in india on a one way ticket. i am happy to learn, the answer is yes. I got two "yesses", one from Ottawa and one from Vancouver, so i'm happy with that. The answer to my other question is not so forthcoming. I am trying to find out if it is possible to receive a visa to travel there for more than one year. One very snippy Indian woman told me in no uncertain terms that the maximum is one year, "one year!" she repeated a second time, just in case something was lost in translation.
and i'm still in Canada.
I dialed the number to the embassy in Vancouver which is notoriously hard to get through to, according to me, since everytime i call the line is busy, busy, busy. Finally I get the dreaded recording: "press one for.... press two for... etc. etc. and press "0" for general assistance. the first time i press "0", nothing happens, absolutely zip. no voice, no music, no nothing. i call back, press "0", this time i get music, 10 minutes worth, impatient, i hang up. The third time i call, i figure "i'll press 2 for visa inquiries, since, amazingly, mine is, in fact, a visa inquiry to boot." and thus begins my introduction to indian bureaucrazy, which, i imagine, i will have plenty of exposure to over the coming months and years. The man who answers a curt "hello" on the other end after i press 2, does not sound very amiable, so I proceed politely "oh hello, i just have a quick question..." and he cuts me off in his strong indian accent "this is not the place for quick questions" "Call again, press "0" he says shortly and then the line clicks off. i laugh until i cry.

planning and preparations

I just registered for my second course in India. This the basic teacher training that is a month long in Northern India (http://www.sivananda.org/netala/travel.html). The place is where the Ganges river begins to flow out from underneath the glacier in the Himalayas. I can't think of a more perfect spot. I look forward to the trip with great trepidation and glee. Perhaps this is what all my previous travelling has brought me to. This is the culmination. Each step I take towards going, every phone call i make, internet research i do, course i register for, dollar i put in my india account, gives me a unique thrill each time, and my focus grows more acute. Fascinating. But i'm still terrified.

I still need visas and vaccinations and plane tickets and health insurance and, and.... courage.

P.S.
Please send courage