Where have u been?

Indeed, really, truly, ...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

Well, I guess the sincere truth is that it is I who has been unavailable. As usual, I forgot my password to my blog and fell too busy into the stream of life to remedy the situation on time.

So, I'm here now! And so much has happened! I left Houston (and my dear Astros with their steadfast Craig Biggio!); I moved to New York City to study some more - like I haven't done too much already; I ran into an immigration situation created by the Uncertainty as well as the recalcitrance of some officious persons at my former school - which almost led me to cutting my plans short....In these last few months, I've learned so much already! And I'm more excited about life than my near memory can recall.

Let me try to flesh out what's been happening.

I finished my summer associateship in Houston. The guys there were so nice! One thing though: the practice of law at major firms follows pretty much the same format regardless of where you are. So, if you're a foreigner looking to get a job in the U.S. - if you've done it at home, you can do it here. Take my word for it.

After Houston, I flew to New York. I came in at night. Whenever I fly into a city, I always try to spot the airport before the plane makes its approach. Sadly, I always fail. The landmarks I choose are always wrong and I'm not quite sure why. So, I wedged my tiny self into this overwhelming city...trying to figure out why the addresses are so odd - 55 East 53rd; Lexington on 7th Avenue; 14th on Avenue of the Americas....Quaint, but confusing.

Now, about my major immigration situation. A few days after I got here, I got an email from the school saying I needed to come into the Office for International Students and Scholars ...with my passport. Instantly, I knew something was wrong. I had been waiting for my DS-2019 (that's what u get when you receive a J-visa, instead of the I-20 for F-visa students). I knew that if everything was ok, all they needed to do was mail out the DS-2019 to me. Well, when I got round to the OISS, the nice lady there told me, "your former school refuses to extend the date on your 2019 and so we cannot transfer you into our program". Anyone who has ever dealt with a J-visa knows immediately that you're on your way out of the country. The J-visa is very restrictive in what you can do and how it is used. If your program sponsor is non-cooperative, you will find that it may have been better for you to have stayed in your country. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing what your sponsoring officer is like until you get here. I called my professors and spoke with the Vice Chancellor about my situation. Essentially, being lawyers (I so hate lawyers) they concluded that if there was no legal basis to request an extension, they simply would refuse to do so. "Legal basis"??? I knew my dodo was beginning to burn....

Well, I knew I had to figure out my options. There were only two. One, go to Canada/Mexico/Aruba/wherever and attempt to get a new visa (preferably, F-1). Two, make my former school change their mind. Well, I chose the more practical move - I applied for a visa to Canada. On the law of probabilities, this path offered a success ratio of less than 0.1. It is almost ridiculous that I chose it. But in the face of a morose and blank sponsoring officer, I had no real alternatives. Well, Canada summarily rejected my visa application. Their reasons were very sketchy as well, but you don't need a good reason to refuse a Nigerian's visa application. It is what we have done to ourselves.

And now the miracle. By the time the rejection from the Canadian consulate came, I had less than 1 week left to leave the U.S. Less than 1 week before I became a statistic in the daily intellectual assault of Lou Dobbs and his campaign against illegal immigrants towards "saving the American middle class". Less than 1 week before I would give up a walk-in-the-chance park to attend the top university in the world for tax law; less than 1-week to give up the sight and sounds of Times Sq., Central Park, old Lady Liberty, Washington Sq., the "MOMA", the beautiful latinas and the sensual black women prowling this city's finer parts....!

By sheer coincidence, I was browsing the internet and boom! - I found the law governing J-visas. And right there, in 22 CFR 62.45 was the legal basis I had been looking for all the while! Friend, I did not delay! Lights! Camera! Action!...copies to my professors, memo to the Vice Chancellor interpreting the statute, copying the sponsoring officer, copying the Graduate programs director, praying to my dead mother, calling on my father's father.... My time was short and all I had was a hope and a prayer - literally. After at least a dozen emails back-and-forth, between the school and I, the sponsoring officer decided to extend the J-visa. He gave me a 1-month extension. This university only needed 11 minutes of it. With the length of time it takes to make a good phonecall, my transfer was complete. Ahhhhh......[deep sigh of relief].

If you've ever been in this situation, you will understand the true length of that sigh. You will understand how close my dodo came to burning....

And so, I'm still here. The dream continues.

Someone smarter than I once said to me: " I remember; and I believe".

With memories like mine, the palpability of God has never been greater.

Now to you who is ill, afraid, hungry, depressed, without hope, with all the worries in the world except mine....I hope you will remember that many things have happened to you already. I hope you will remember that worse things have happened to others...people you've loved, people you've respected, people you've looked up to. I hope you will remember that only grace has kept you here. And when you remember, I hope you will believe.

May your dreams find you.