The Unravelling of Things

Twice, I have almost cried within the last few days. Not for two different reasons; for one single reason.
PwC reversed themselves on the job offer.

Well, here's how it went -

Email from PwC: O we're so happy to have you - we think you'd be an excellent success at our firm - we hope you're seriously considering our offer, etc. We'd like to start processing your H1-B visa as soon as possible. Could you please tell us when your Optional Practical Training [OPT] period ends so that we can set our timelines?
Email from Me: O, thank you for the offer. I am seriously considering working at PwC. And, by the way, I'm on a J-1 visa so I don't need to apply for OPT. Once I accept an offer, I directly get an extension of my visa document [the DS-2019].
Email from PwC: O, ok then. We'll be in touch.

4 hours pass with no remarkable event.

Email from PwC: Hi! It's PwC Recruiter here again. I'd just like to clarify one small point. I'm not very familiar with J-1 visas but does your visa have a 2-year home residency requirement? Thanks!

[And you might not notice, but that is the beginning of the end....]

Email from Me: Yes, my visa has a home residency requirement.
[Abrupt] Email from PwC: O, sorry then. We cannot make you an offer if you are not eligible for the H1-B application. Thanks and have a great day!

Inevitably, I fell into instant despair. That deep kind of despair that consumes you when you suddenly realize that everything you do and every step you take meets with an overwhelmingly impenetrable wall of disappointment. I thought it was unfair. Not PwC; life in general. Considering that I am on a J-1 visa, not because I am an exchange student, but because my first school did not have F-1 authorization. [You know, the normal visa that normal students enter the U.S. with. Of course, nothing is normal about me.] If I had any hair, I'd be tearing it out right now.

This was all Tuesday evening.

Stay tuned!