I was just getting my papers together to send off for my Criminal Record Check and I came across a ton of expired old ID cards. My student/faculty cards from undergrad and grad school (I was issued a student card and then, as a TA, soon after got a faculty card at Concordia); my old S.I.N. card (Social Insurance Number, for you non-Canadians); my Quebec Health Insurance card; and a few more odd cards. Not among them was my long-ago destroyed learner’s license, which even after it expired was useful for ID for a while, and as soon as it wasn’t, got trashed. Also missing was my Saskatchewan Health card, which I would have last used in 1998, and which I’m sure is around here somewhere.
I also happen to have in my possession my birth certificate (several copies, actually), my baptismal record, and the papers I was issued when I arrived in Canada from Malawi — bearing what I think is my British passport number.
Next semester, one of the first things I’m going to do is drop by the British Embassy in Seoul and get the paperwork I need in order to get my UK passport. After all, I’m entitled to one — I was a British citizen for years before I ever was naturalized a Canadian, and though it was in childhood, it’d still be nice to have it now that I’m grown up and could actually use it.
Tomorrow’s the big day — trip to the Canadian Embassy, trip to the cop shop, trip to the post office. I can hardly contain my annoyance at the series of hoops to jump. I wish I’d done this a couple of weeks ago, when the Ottawa police department was still mistakenly under the impression it could issue VSS clearances on behalf of the RCMP. Damn!
Ah well… maybe I’ll be put on an E-1 visa next semester and a plain old local criminal record check will suffice? I wish the people at Academic Affairs could be convinced to hammer that out… they think it won’t be an issue until March. Because, really, it would be a lot better if they just made a decision now. Hopefully, they’ll realize that the E-1 will make things easier for both them and for me.
So does this passport mean you’re going to Anticipation?
Also, we seem to be missing your program participant form, if you were interesting in doing that. I know I’d like to see more writers on there….(my presslady hat is getting into agh I need contacts gear)
Also…when did you go to Concordia? my friend Rene went there for a while, in animation although he may have taken some math I think he just a math major in CGEP.
Val,
Yeah, I’m planning on being there.
I filled out the online program participant form, so I have no idea why it’s not done. Still haven’t done the membership thing, though… I’ll try it again, I guess?
I was at Concordia from fall 1998 to spring 2001. My thesis (some early short stories) should still be somewhere in the library system. Silly me, I didn’t get an extra copy for myself! (I’ve considered trying to get one bound over here, since I have all the files, still.)
I didn’t know anyone at Con U (as we called it then) outside of Lit, though: the MA in English program was a night program, and the Creative Writing area was even more insular, in some ways. (Even though half our program was academic, and we did mix somewhat.)