OH-MY-GOD

stop with the food!!!! i must have gained 10 lbs in 2 days already!! this is serious business, nothing like "teacher conferences." breakfast, one session, coffee break, one session, snacks, one session, lunch, one session, snacks, one session, coffee break, one session, reception, dinner, dessert buffet at the derby race tracks, cocktails, ... no time to think, but a lot of great times talking with people and making contact and learning cool things. it's funny to meet people from universities where i've sent job applications to. unfortunately, these people work in student services/administration and not in teaching, so no one would actually see my job applications, but i don't think it matters. i think that what matters is the networking, the chatting, the friendships, the business cards, the discussions... i'm not sleeping at all but having a lot of fun! and louisville is a VERY, very cool town, internationally and culturally speaking! i'd never thought i'd say this but it's definitely a place where i would be happy to work and live. not too big, not too small.

talking about a place to live, here's a great news, the greatest news in a long time: I HAVE STARTED WORKING ON MY APPLICATION FOR A CANADIAN RESIDENCY PERMIT! yep, don't need a job to do that. i have the money, the time, the education, the language skills, the work experience, and ... if i ever get an interview for a job in canada, i can say "it's true, i'm not a canadian citizen, but i've applied for residency 3 months ago!" this is a BIG turning point, a big decision. i talked with an immigration councelor from the canadian consulate at detroit, today, and asked her about the medical stuff that's been worrying me, and about the jobs that i might not get, and she said that their goals is to give residency visas to 300.000 people per year, now, so my chances were excellent! she also said two incredible things about international students: 1) students can now work TWO years in canada after the end of their studies (only 1 year until now, and only 1 year in the US), and 2), students can work OFF-CAMPUS and not just on-campus the way it had been (and is too, in the US) for ever! This is amazing! of course i can't take advantage of any of those opportunities, but it's still amazing, given daily new restrictions regarding student immigration in the US.

so there, i don't need a job to get a residency permit and live in canada. this is just too cool. i am going, if i don't get my dream job in the US or even in canada!