immigrant

Being an immigrant is hard. It means waiting in long, confusing lines in small, airless offices. Here they don't turn on the air conditioner for immigrants. In Spain they made us wait in the rain. Also, it's expensive. We're lucky because the school helps us with the visa process, pays the fees, even gives us rides to the immigration office.

On Friday we went to pick up our visa extensions, which is simply a piece of paper. But getting that piece of paper took a whole afternoon. We have to have these papers if we want to leave the country (but not to get back in, something I don't quite get.)

Address and passport number blocked due to creeps and identity thieves.  

Anyway, I'm saying all this to tell you that we would like to move home, live as citizens. But we're not so sure that's possible. 400 layoffs in Des Moines last year makes us the 401st and 402nd people in line. I emailed the University of Iowa educational placement office to ask about jobs. I told them we'd move anywhere in the Midwest except Nebraska. And you know what they said? NEBRASKA is the only place that is hiring. So, we have to ask ourselves, what's worse? India or Nebraska. I honestly don't know.

A note:  My dislike of Nebraska is irrational, but that doesn't diminish the feeling.  "Why do you dislike Nebraska so much?"  "I don't know, I just, I just....HATE IT!"  And if you're from Nebraska, I'm sorry, I don't dislike you, just your state.  There's a difference, believe me.