(I originally planned to post this all later but I can't take the poking on Facebook or the nudging on MSN - the virtual abuse has gotten to me and I'm afraid I've caved under the pressure... :P)

It's set. Thanks to all your prayers, good wishes and coin throwing into mall fountains (thanks G), everything for seems to be ready for my departure.

Oops, I let it slip...departure... ha...ha? Ok not funny since you don't know what I'm referring to. Agreed. Let's move on.

So kids, as you may know since August last year I've travelled from Toronto to Michigan (MI) to start my law school career. I was dubious from the start. For many reasons, I've never liked MI to begin with. I've always been dragged there from when I was a kid to visit family that I've never liked and who aren't very keen on me either - don't let me start. But the place itself just seemed odd to me and I just never felt comfortable there. But when I got the acceptance, I was happy about law school itself so cast my skepticism aside and went along with everything. School started up and I got into my studies, but the surroundings seemed to be dragging me down. Where I was going to school is a very quiet and desolate place. Not to mention ghetto and gloomy. By nature I'm more of a quiet person who tends to keep to herself and doesn't need a big group of friends or companions - I've always preferred independent work instead of group. But this place got to me in a bad way. Being away from home for the first time didn't help matters much. School itself was tough since many people aren't helpful because they're afraid you'll get ahead of them and the constant scare that people will be graded poorly against the other students in order to balance the number of A's in the class due to the large enrolment rate in the school (though I did meet some very nice people). So I started getting very depressed and had trouble accepting my situation - that I'd be there for 3 whole years in pursuit of this degree.

First term came and went and with me doing better than even I expected too, but it still wasn't enough. I wasn't happy. It wasn't regular old stress - I've had that, and so did all the other students in my year. But this was something more deep rooted. Everything just felt wrong there. If you're a person who believe in 'signs' then I have plenty for you:

• I had trouble getting the paperwork through for my student visa - it got lost the first time they mailed it to me and I finally emailed the school and had to rush to get everything completed before I had to move there. I ended up getting it about 2 days before I was supposed to leave home
• I had a hard time finding a good place to live. My apartment was in the downtown ghetto, nearby a not-so-friendly motel. Ok, so I could have simply moved, right? Let's keep going...
• I needed a car and so went to lease one from there (calculated to be cheaper for lease + insurance compared to Toronto); the lease papers had to be sent in because the finally realized my Social Insurance Number (Social Security for my US peeps) was Canadian - though I had written specifically that it was and was assured by the dealership that it was ok.
• Had to apply for a US SSN - took a week longer than they said it would to arrive and I couldn't get my car until I gave them my new number.
• Two months after getting said car, I managed to hit a bright yellow post near a parking ticket dispenser and brok the headlight unit on the front of the car and scrathed up the bumper. Dealership quoted $1400 to fix the damage. (And I thought all they had to do was replace the lightbulb and glass...turns out it became an electrical problem)
• I went and applied for this special student loan especially for Canadian students studying in the US. Applied August 2006. Lost my supporting documents - sent me notice MID OCTOBER 2006. Once I sent another set, they send me a letter in NOVEMBER to say that the application I filled out was wrong because I filled out an application for undergraduate students and not graduate students (mind you, I was the one who requested this form from them, I didn't pick it up myself AND there is no bloody different between the forms except the word "graduate" vs. "undergraduate"). Correct form sent again. Cheque (or "check") for my first term tuition was finally mailed to the school this past January 2007. I haven't even mentioned the number of times I called this student loan facility and how many hours spent being put on hold and trying to explain my situation each time around to each representative.
• I got my first ever traffic ticket - I've never even had a parking ticket and I got one for speeding. I was taking a friend home and we were heading straight down on a 35mph road. After an intersection I didn't notice that it turned into a 25mph street because the friend was (ironically) showing me some different apartments. Next thing you know bright red, white and blue lights are flashing behind me. Silly me thought the car was after someone else so I pulled over to the right and only when the cop also stopped did it hit me. He said I was doing 37mph in a 25mph zone and after making me wait for what seemed like forever, he came back and said he'd let me off "easy" by charging me for a civil infraction for doing 30mph in a 25mph road. But, as I suppose he must, he wrote down "actual speed 37"). I was planning on fighting it but that in itself was a whole issue because here in the States (I dont know if it's the same back home) students must report any and all tickets and other charges to the Dean to be put on record for when you graduate and take the bar. I thought it would get worse if I fought it, especially not know how the traffic courts worked in the U.S. so I paid the US$145.00 ticket. Is that a normal amount!? Anyone..?!
  
• I was followed home by creepy, seemingly homeless, man the one time I decided to walk home from school. I didn't venture out for 4 days until my next class.

This was all in the span of 6 months. Say what you will but this was enough for me to realize that I didn't belong there. So where did I belong?

I wasn't allowed to transfer from a US school to a Canadian law school because the differences in the legal systems (civil vs. common law) so transferring back home wasn't an option - I'd have to reapply to Canadian schools and start as a new student in the Fall term. Transferring to a different school within the US is also tough in and of itself, not to mention that I don't know where I'd get in and it just may be so far that I couldn't go home on weekends like I wanted to and it just wouldn't be worth it. I like the US well enough but going further away also meant being somewhere where I had no connections. Even though I have a strained relationship with the family I have in Michigan, they would, if the emergency arose, attempt to help me for my dad's sake, that I know for sure.

I started to think about what I wanted in my law career. At first I thought it would be mediation and arbitration but it didn't seem like something I would want in the long run. Then it came to me, I wanted to do international law. I love learning of different countries, and policies between them. I have always had an interest in human rights and poverty issues. Maybe I could work for the UN? Or go into international trade law and work for the WTO? Or work for the WHO and international health issues? You get the idea...

A lot of research later, some e-mails back and forth, and I found a school that was willing to grant me credit for some of the courses I had already completed, offered me fully serviced and safe residence on-campus (I was off-campus before), and has an awesome International Law Master's program. Instead of spending 3 years on my J.D. degree in the US, I could do the same degree in 2 years and so finish the same time I had originally expected to, then add on a year to do my Master's if I so wished.

OR, I could potentially complete 1 year there and then apply to transfer back to a Canadian school, which many students had already done. The school has a small population, with small teacher to student ratio. Since there were already a high number of Canadian students there, they offer some Canadian-based law courses, making it easier to move the degree back home after graduation (if I don't transfer before). And, to top it off, the school is located in one of the most lovely places I've ever seen.

So what's the problem?

It's all in Australia. And I'm going. This May.

And yes, I am happy :)




I'm going to post another FAQ, please feel free to ask me any questions you have. I'll try to answer as best I can, keeping in mind that I want to maintain some privacy. And on another note, thank you so much from the bottom of my blogging heart for all your wonderful prayers and concerns through the comments and emails - it really means a great deal. And whether I know you in the real world or not, I'd like to hear any positive and negative feedback.