Learning to Fly - Post 18

Quote of the Day:
"You'll learn more about a road by traveling it than by consulting all the maps in the world."
- Anonymous

Isn't this quote so true? You can read all the Student Affairs literature you want, but you'll never have an understanding of what positions in our field are like until you've actually worked for a while.

Similarly, you can read all the books about being an international student but you'll never understand what it's like until you've actually gone to a different country and dealt with the stereotypes and the bureaucracy of receiving a visa and and and. Of course, it's not all bad. There's also the amazing experience of really getting to know a different culture, of becoming so familiar with a new language that you start thinking and dreaming in that language, making new friends that are so different than your friends at home and and and. But I'll tell you all about that some other time.

I have had a "vent session" about being an international student in a while, so I thought it was once again time to do so. Especially since, once again, I'm going through the scary process of applying for a visa.

Here are some of the facts: I came here in 2000 on an international student visa (valid for 5 years or until I finished my studies). I graduated in 2004 from undergrad and decided to go straight to grad school because then I simply had to extend my visa, which was just the easiest thing at the time. After two years, I graduated from grad school and applied for the OPT (Optional Practical Training). That allows me to work full-time for one year after I graduated in the field of my studies. So that's what I'm on right now.

Now, the institution I'm working at is applying for an H1B visa for me, which will allow me to work for 3 years (and I could apply for another 3 years after that). Fortunately, the department I'm working at has gone through this process with another employee last year, so they have some experience with all this. They've already started the whole process, as last year, it took a little longer than they expected. So far so good.

Now everything should be fine. And I try to keep telling myself that. But then again (and I'm sure you've noticed that if you've been reading my blog for a while) I'm the kind of person who is still going to worry. It's just that I have absolutely no control over all this. What if the school messes something up and the paperwork doesn't go through...or doesn't go through on time? What if, for some reason, the application is denied?

I try not to think about it too much because I'd just drive myself insane. But what's annoying - and what I really wanted to talk about today - are those comments from colleagues, who just have no idea what I'm going through.

For example, when we had to submit our letters of intent: Knowing that I needed the institution to apply for this visa for me, I didn't even think twice about indicating that I was interested in coming back. Yes, I like my job and I'd probably be coming back anyway. But because of this whole visa thing, I don't really have a choice. If I applied for another job, I probably wouldn't find out whether or not I'm hired until much later in the semester and then it'd be too late to submit the paperwork to get a visa for a Fall start date. And my current institution couldn't submit a visa application for me if I didn't tell them that I was coming back. So this really wouldn't work.
I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for me. I was totally planning on coming back anyway. And I'm so grateful to my current institution to going through the whole hassle of applying for a visa for me!!!
The reason I'm telling you is that some of my colleagues made comments, after we submitted those letters, questioning why I was so certain that I'd be coming back next year. And some of them asked me, if I wasn't even looking if there was something better out there. I know, they probably didn't mean it in a bad way at all...it's just one of those instances where I realized how little Americans know about what it's like to be an international student and repeatedly have to go through this whole frustrating visa application process. This is already something I dread, something I have nightmares about, so unless you're ready to hear me rant about the frustrations of applying for a visa, don't ask about it!!!

Oh and what I absolutely love are those comments like, "Why don't you apply for citizenship?" Okay, here you've just proven that you have not the slightest the idea of what you're talking about. You can't just apply for citizenship. You need to be a permanent resident for four years prior to doing so...and while I've been in this country for almost 7 years now, all of those were on "temporary visas," so none of these years count. I'm also not fortunate enough to have close relatives here or to be getting married to an American citizen any time soon.

I also indicated in my letter of intent that I was planning on staying for two more years. Now, some people immediately thought I did this to improve my chances of getting the living learning community I wanted. Granted, I did include it because I was hoping to do so. But it wasn't a political, sly move; it's what I am really planning on doing. If this institution goes through the pain and the costs of applying for a visa for me, the least I can do is stick around for a little while and give something back to the department, isn't it? And let's be honest, job-searching itself isn't that much fun to begin with...add the citizen of another country component and it's pure torture. The longer I can avoid this the better.

Okay, so what's the point to my little vent session?
If you ever work with a citizen of another country, don't try to give them "good advice" unless you really know about the visa/citizenship application process. You're just going to make yourself look like a fool and make that person feel frustrated and annoyed. If you don't know, ask!
And just realize that little decisions, that don't seem to matter much to you, can be a huge deal for someone in that situation. Life's just a little harder when you weren't born in this country but are, for some weird reason, stuck on the idea that you want to stay here. You know, every other day, I ask myself why I even want to be here. The country or at least the country's government obviously doesn't want foreigners here anymore. And sometimes I even question if its citizens do...