After an exhausting day packing up our life (and deep sixing most of it) we woke up bright and early to finish cleaning the apartment. For three whole days we had been waking up at 5am and going to sleep at midnight all in a mad rush to try and move to a new country. We did not finish cleaning our apartment until early the next morning at 8:45 am as the landlord was scheduled to arrive at 9am to do the inspection. Cleaning the oven in the early morning is not at all pleasant. Oven cleaner – that stuff makes you want to smoke and smoke hard. At 8:46am FriendofHippieHusband arrived to drive us and some of our stuff in an old Westfalia VW van to this place they call the land of the free. It was enough to make me break my café fast and head for the cinnamon buns.
Our drive to the US border was completely uneventful. It took only 1hr. One might think – wow this is going to be a breeze, until of course it takes five hours to move a total of 2km. The border wait was 2hrs – waiting and watching cheater cut down into the Nexus lane and then cut back across up further ahead in line. Of course, as evolutionary biologists it provoked a conversation about cheaters, the prisonner’s dilemma, and policing. But when you’re in the car with J and S, it takes on a slightly different tone as they came up with their own fantasies of policing. Like for instance buying a boatload of explosives and blowing the car to the back of the of the line. At one point, HippieHusband and FriendofHippieHusband started calling out “cheater” or "asstard" to every car that attempted to cut in front.
The best part of the 2km crossing was a border official named Gilmore. When we asked to get a TN visa (Trade-Nafta visa), the border official grumbled, “Canadians coming to take jobs from Americans. What do you bring to America? “ I think it was not a question that he wanted an answer to but obliged and said “We bring knowledge and education.” Because of course that’s such a valuable commodity here in the land of the free where carrying a concealed weapon is legal in some states including the one that we’re moving to. Ah FriendofHippieHusband, I think that’s the wrong answer.
Border official Gilmore: Are you a student?
FriendofHippieHusband: Yes, I’m a PhD student at generic American university
Border official Gilmore : I suppose you’ll be wanting a job in the US too?
FriendofHippieHusband: If I’m lucky.
Border official Gilmore : What about the American students where will they get their jobs? Take. Take take. Americans give so much.
Then turning to us, Border official Gilmore asks, “What are your credentials?”
We explained that we had Phd’s in biology – microbiology and genetics. I’m pretty sure that my long-haired companions are eliciting some kind of insecurity in this man.
Border official Gilmore: I did an undergraduate degree in biology.
In my naivete and enthusiasm for education, I asked him where he went to school.
Border official Gilmore: It’s irrelevant because I don’t use my degree on this job.
Pointing at HippieHusband and FriendofHippieHusband, he told them to sit down and that he wanted to deal with me first.
Oh boy. Naivete is one thing, stupidity is another, yes I pursued the question and asked if he enjoyed his university experience.
Border official Gilmore : Well it’s all moot. Moot because I don’t use it in this job. Moot. I’m 44, I don’t own my own house, I’m still single and I have no kids.
Here is where the hippy in mean couldn’t shut up. So I responded by saying that sometimes happiness comes in the small moments of life.
Dead silence. Oh shit now I’ve done it.
Border official Gilmore : Can I see the PhD certificate and letter of offer. This says here that you are a doctor of philosophy but doesn’t say anything about biology.
Yes, I explained that all PhD's regardless of discipline get this title and that mine was with a specialty in genetics. But the question is very revealing. Most of us, get a PhD yet never once during our training take a course in philosophy. In fact, I’m pretty sure that there are many science PhDs who probably don't even know the history and origins of our discipline. It's a shame really.
We get the visas, walk out to the van and drive 1km into the United States. God bless America.
-
I just finished reading an engaging article in The New Yorker, called " The Truth Wears Off. " The author Jonah Lehrer talks abou... -
[These ideas on Slow Science are a work-in-progress a first draft of sorts. With some help from those of you who read this post, via a chal... -
Okay peeps, I know that many of you are lurkers at this website (according to the visits from the sitemeter stats). But I want you to come ...
2 comments:
I don't understand this so-called 'km' you speak of. You say you drove '2km' - I thought you were driving to America. Is 'km' some Canadia-speek for America?
Dear Girlpostdoc:
I just found your blog and this particular entry struck a chord because I had a similar experience when I tried to get my TN visa at the Peace Arch border crossing several years ago. First, I made the mistake of bringing a photocopied copy of my offer letter (that was what I was given by an inexperienced admin assistant), which resulted in the immediate rejection of my visa application and I got "sent back" to Canada. 2 days later and armed with an original offer letter, I went back to the same place and just my luck, I got the exact same border officer who rejected my first attempt (somehow I don't think it was a coincidence). Anyway, he clearly remembered me and gave me a very hard time, including making comments like, "... your degree says you are a doctor of philosophy, but you said your specialty is biochemistry, what has philosophy got to do with biochemistry?" In subsequent years, I have renewed my visa at the airport and everytime I spent hours waiting in the waiting room, and I always ended up missing my scheduled flights. The lessons I have learnt are: one must have patience when dealing the visa issues, and when talking to border officers, just be polite, and give short and succinct answers!
Post a Comment