Since I last posted, about two weeks ago, a lot has happened-- I had my interview at U of Regina, got a job offer, negotiated, and accepted. So it is now all official, pending approval by the university president (a formality), and pending successful application for a work permit (which involves a whole lot of paperwork, but shouldn't be a problem). The hard part is over-- we have jobs!-- and that feeling of being so unsettled is starting to settle. I am very glad we did not have to join the ranks of the growing number of PhD-holders on welfare.

Our to-do list is long: I also need to apply for Canadian permanent residency, and that is another ream of paperwork, FBI background check, medical exam, and many other hoops. We need to find a place to live, and we are perhaps not quite ready to buy a home in a place we've barely visited (we'd like to get more of a feel for the neighborhoods first), but the rental market is quite limited due to being a very high-growth city, so this will take some work. We are fortunate to have been offered a moving allowance, which means we can hire movers (hallelujah!), but we've never done that before so we have to figure out what that entails. All just details.

I also have sort of been putting off obtaining licensure as a psychologist over the past almost two years, and I absolutely need to complete the process now, because it is required for my new job. I have already done most of the paperwork for this in the state of Washington, and once I am licensed here, applying in Saskatchewan will be a much easier process. The one major last step for this is to take the national licensing exam (the EPPP), and I finally scheduled it for June 2nd. Things are starting to come together.

There is one more nagging issue that I have to get some resolution on before moving, and that is my health. While Saskatchewan is progressive in terms of health care (the birth place of medicare!), and seems to have a good health care system, what they do not have is neurosurgeons who specialize in my particular rare condition. I am in the process of obtaining and considering information from multiple doctors, and thinking through what my best options are. I will provide updates if any arise.

It is sunny today, and has been for most of the past week. All the mountains have been out (i.e., not rendered invisible by layers of clouds) and looking lovely. I'm happy that the weather has decided to be much nicer to us than it has the past two springs, so that we'll have the chance to enjoy the northwest at its best before we move away!