From Student Permit to Work Permit - Updated

I realized that I've been talking mostly about classes, research, and projects as of late.  In fact, I have about three other blog posts in the works that are all school related.  Obviously this makes sense as I am a full-time student, but I want to pause occasionally and bring up the specifically international student aspect.

As part of the Public History program here at Western, I have to complete a 12 week, full-time internship this summer for my degree.  Now these internships can be paid or unpaid (as I will be getting college credit for working) but obviously I would prefer if I could find something paid.  I have applied to programs both here in Canada and back in the States, but I would much prefer to stay here in London with Doug.  

The student permit that I currently hold allows me to attend university and work on-campus.  Since I have a research assistantship (RA) I am technically employed by Western, even though I spend my time out at Fanshawe Pioneer Village.  So I could remain in Canada on my student permit only if I take an unpaid internship.

So I have started the process of applying for a work permit in order to legally work anywhere in Canada.  (By starting the process I mean filling out all the forms and making sure I have copies of all the necessary documents.)  I went to a seminar a few weeks ago for international students about immigrating to Canada.  Though Doug and I aren't to the point where we want (or are able) to start the immigration process, I was hoping they would provide some information relevant to my situation.

I had to sit though a two and a half hour presentation (much of which did not pertain to me) but I got the nugget of information I needed.  Basically, there are three different ways I could apply for a work permit.  (These are all without already having a job lined up, which I don't, or falling under the category what Canada considers a "skilled worker.")

First, there is an option for a co-op work permit if it is required for your degree and the co-op isn't more than 1/3 of your program.  However, this permit would only be good for the length of the co-op, then you would need to renew.  That's a lot of money to spend for a relatively short period of time.

Second, I could apply for a post-grad work permit.  This allows someone who has just earned a graduate degree to get a work permit that would be the same as the duration of their program - up to two years.  So for me that would amount to a one-year work permit.  Not bad, but still not great.

Finally, I can apply for a spousal work permit.  Since Doug's PhD program is longer than my MA program (his student permit is valid until 2015), as his spouse I can apply for a work permit that matches the duration of his student permit.  Three years, now we're talking.

I talked with one of the speakers at the seminar to make sure I understood everything correctly (it can all get pretty confusing) and I've also made an appointment with a counselor at the International and Exchange Student Center next week to go over everything.

In the meantime, as I already had a planned trip to Ohio to visit family this weekend, I am going to stop by the Consulate in Detroit and try to apply for one in person, rather than mail in the application and wait to hear back.  I just like the idea of talking with someone face to face before paying the fee and possibly being rejected because I filled something out incorrectly.  If that happens, they keep our money, and we have to pay again when I reapply.

So here's to hoping I'm as over-prepared as I was when we crossed the border the first time and things go as smoothly.  I'll feel a lot better when all this government paperwork is behind me, and I can stop worrying about it for a few years! 

(Oh, and here's to hoping I get a paid internship - or better even - a job in the area to go along with my work permit!) 

Renaissance Center, Canadian Consulate Detroit

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Update:

I have decided that there needs to be a special link on the Citizenship and Immegration Canada website that is specifically for those coming from the United States.  All it need say is - "whatever documentation you want to get, you can do it at the port of entry."

Much like my last time crossing the border, I didn't need to go to the Consulate in Detroit, they just directed me to the port of entry (I stopped in Sarnia on my way back from Ohio.)  Once again, I had more paperwork than necessary, and I spent about an hour waiting for the immegration officer to put all my information in the computer, and then printing out a nice work permit for me.

Though it was frustrating to go through way more work than was necessary (espcially since I was just doing what I had been instructed to do) in the end I guess it's better safe than sorry.

Most importantly, I have a permit to work in Canada through May, 2015.  Let the job hunt begin!

Midway Musings

At the start of winter break, many people asked how my first semester of grad school had gone.  Following the hectic final two weeks, I rarely had the energy to elaborate beyond "good."  Now that I've had a few days to do absolutely nothing relax, it seems like a perfect time to look back at the past few months and reflect on why I felt so busy all of the time!

Who says grad school doesn't have field trips?!  Here are just a few of the sites I visited this semester:

• Fanshawe Pioneer Village
• Banting House
• Oil Museum of Canada
• Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site
• Fort Malden National Historic Site
• Windsor's Community Museum 

Of course you can't forget about classes, here's a selection of some of my projects:

• Public History - Theory, History and Practice
• Heritage Designation Project for London Advisory Committee on Heritage (more on this project later, as it deserves its own post)

• War of 1812 Smartphone App secondary source research

• Understanding Archives: The Management of Primary Sources in the Digital Age
• Arrangement & Description Project for London Life Troupers Fonds 
• Essays on Ethics in the Archival Profession and Photographs in Archives
• Presentation on Digital Archival Exhibits: Anne Frank: An Unfinished Story

• Digital History
•  Blogging and Tweeting

There was plenty to do outside of the classroom as well:

• Curatorial and Collections Research Assistant at Fanshawe Pioneer Village 
•  Beta tester of the Tecumseh Lies Here Augmented Reality Game
• Ontario Augmented Reality Network Workshop  
• Homecoming Display of the UWO Medical Artifact Collection

• Assisted in packing the UWO Medical Artifact Collection
• Poster Session Proposal (accepted!) to the National Council on Public History 2012 Annual Meeting with Adriana and Laura (more on this later as well...)
• Mounted LACH Project Exhibit

Media Credit: Adrian Petry

Of course, midst all this hard work I still found time for game nights, homecoming parties, trivia nights, birthday celebrations, and general shenanigans with the rest of the #phgp (public history group people.)


Winter break doesn't mean I'm going to completely slack off from my scholarly duties.  Here are a few of the things I hope to accomplish:

• Internship search
• French flashcards
• Blog Posts

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and those in academia are enjoying a much deserved break!

Conservation and Cataloging 101

Recently at Fanshawe Pioneer Village I had the opportunity to work on conserving and cataloging some new artifact acquisitions.  Shanna, the curator, gave me a few lessons and let me loose to learn by doing.  I documented my first real curatorial experience to share with all of you.  Enjoy!

This is what waited for me at work last week.

Tin trucks! Before adding them to the collection, 

these artifacts needed to be cleaned and cataloged.

My supplies

First step is to remove as much dirt and debris 

with brushes.  Unfortunately since these toys 

were covered with grime, the brushed did little 

more than move the dirt around.

Next I used a soft cloth to removed more dust.

This is a solution of orvus and water.

I'm not sure the ratio, as Shanna 

mixed it for me in advance.

Just a little of this solution on a soft rag to get it 

damp does wonders.  Check out that dirt from just 

one side of the truck.  I went through a lot of rags.

For all the nooks and crannies I used q-tips.  

I went through even more of these than rags.

Immediately after cleaning, I went over with a dry rag.

I cleaned the trucks in sections, with some 

being more challenging/time consuming than others

Finally all shiny and clean! 

(It took me two full days to do all five.)

After they were clean we did a photo shoot.  

Part of this was for cataloging the items later, 

and some for the museum newsletter 

which often features new acquisitions.

This is one of my favorite shots.

 Next was cataloging.  I entered the new artifacts 

into the PastPerfect database.  Notice the tape 

measure for including dimensions, and the 

research to discuss the history of the trucks.

Every new artifact is given an accession number.  

This number is also written on the item so it can

be easily identified in the collection database.

The first step is putting a layer of clear lacquer on the truck.

 

Then the number is applied with a quick-drying ink.  

I used India ink which I applied with a nib pen.

This took quite the steady hand, but once the ink was dry 

I covered the numbers with another layer of clear lacquer.

  Unfortunately, until the new Visitor Centre is built, there 

is no place to display the trucks.  So into storage they go.

Two days of work complete with many   

conservation and cataloging lessons learned.

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't wear gloves during this process.  Now that these artifacts have been accessioned, you would typically wear gloves when handling them.  However, when cleaning gloves can actually cause more harm by not allowing a firm grip, leading to dropping the artifacts. This is why I do not have on the typical white gloves during the cleaning process.

Doors Open London

Have you ever looked forward to a day or event so much that you spend copious amounts of time making a plan and scheduling so that you can see and do as much as possible?  That is exactly what I did for this past Sunday.  And you know what usually happens when you put that much effort into a plan - it falls apart before it really has a chance to start.  My day turned into a series of happy accidents, which lead to my conclusion that while planning may not be everything, timing certainly is.

This weekend was the 10th anniversary of Doors Open London.  It's an event that happens all across Ontario (not necessarily on the same weekend) and gives people a chance to go into some buildings that aren't usually open to the public, and those that are usually open (like museums) are free!  It also happened to be the last weekend of the Car Free Festival, and several blocks downtown were open to pedestrian traffic making it easy to get around to the different venues.  

Although I didn't take photos of everything, here is a brief pictorial post of my day.  Call it an "afternoon in the life" if you will.

I started my day at Metropolitan United Church.  Now it wasn't a stop on DO (although it was a beautiful building), but it was a Sunday and I had yet to visit this church.  I figured it was a great place to start downtown.

Metropolitan United Church

Just across the street was the site I was most excited about seeing, the London Life building.  For the first time they had their auditorium open to the public.  This is where the London Life Troupers would rehears before touring to entertain the Allied troops during WWII.  I was very impressed with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the volunteers here.  They did a wonderful job of presenting some very interesting photos and artifacts.

London Life

As I exited the building, I heard music playing and what sounded like a parade coming down the street.  I wasn't aware there was a parade affiliated with DO, so I watched to see what was going on.  Turns out it was part of the Walk A Mile in Her Shoes Campaign, which raises awareness of violence against women, as well as funds for a local women's shelter.  It was a parade of men walking around Victoria Park in red high heels.  An entertaining way to bring awareness to an important cause.

Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Parade

There were several men in uniform marching.  Kudos to them!

From here I rode my bike down to Dundas street that was closed to vehicles.  I walked along the closed street - which was much quieter than I was expecting, perhaps it was busier on Saturday - and took in all the buildings and booths on the street.  My favorite stop was the London City Planning offices.  The city had taken two buildings - previously a theatre and restaurant - and merged the inside to create a cohesive office space.  However, the facades were restored to their original splendor.  My historic preservation professor at EMU would have approved.

London city planning office

I stopped by an art gallery across the street.

The Arts Project

Finally, I decided to end my afternoon at a historic base ball game at Fanshawe Pioneer Village.  The London Tecumsehs played a fantastic game with an impressive 15 - 3 victory over the visitors.

Historic Base Ball!

 It was a nice end to a wonderful day, where nothing went according to plan!

Fanshawe Pioneer Village

One of the things i like about the UWO Public History grad program (other than it being a one-year non-thesis program) is that we have the opportunity to do a research assistantship rather than a teaching assistantship.  Even better, we have the opportunity to complete this RA at one of the local historical institutions.  Earlier this summer, our program director contacted us with a list of institutions and research projects form which to choose.  I submitted my top three, and waited to hear back.  I was thrilled to be placed at my top choice: Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

Now, those of you that are familiar with my work experience know that I worked at Greenfield Village for several years.  FPV is a similar living history institution, although it is smaller in scope.  To quote their mission, "Fanshawe Pioneer Village will partner with the community to educate about the past, collect and preserve local history and accurately interpret one century of time from 1820 - 1920."  They collect an preserve objects and building to tell the story of the founding and settlement of London up to 1840 and the settlement and rural development of the former townships of Westminster, London, West Nissouri, North Dorchester, Delaware and Lobo 1790 to 1920.

This year I will be working with the Director of Operations/Curator.  I am excited and a little apprehensive because I do not have any curatorial experience.  However, I have decided that I want to diversity my museum work outside the comfort zone of interpretation and special events.  Many smaller museums require their employees to be jack-of-all-trades, so the more varied my skills the better.  It sounds as if I will involved in two projects.  I'll be working on digitizing their collection records - which is also good registrar experience - as well as assisting in closing down the buildings and reopening them in the spring.  With the latter, I will get some hands-on artifact experience as well.

My first day was this past Friday, and wasn't quite sure what to expect.  It started out with the typical new job paperwork, and some training videos to watch as well as reading to do.  In the afternoon, one of the educational program employees took me on a guided tour of the Village.  Following the tour, I was given a crash course in PastPerfect, the collections management software most Canadian museums use.  It was practically an avalanche of information to absorb!

Everyone was welcoming and it seems like a wonderful work environment.  I believe I lucked out and am in for a great time, and a fantastic experience to add to my resume.