I just got back from an obscure town in Germany where I was visiting a famous institute you have never heard of.
Much fanfare attended this trip because they’re trying to recruit my husband to be a director, and therefore must convince me that I want to move somewhere excessively obscure.
For instance, Andrey arranged a bike rental so I could attempt to find Gulliver Welt (and he waved vaguely in the direction I should cycle). One of the professors invited us to dinner.
This was genuinely the extent of the efforts to persuade me; the reasons are opaque but the general impression is that I am supposed to be in awe of the prestige surrounding the institute. Furthermore, I am supposed to so supportive of aforesaid husband I am willing to move to the middle of nowhere, give up my career (because my immigration status would not allow me to earn money, though I could “always volunteer”), and accept that as a spouse I only qualify for a visa renewed every year — whereas my husband, as a director, would have permanent residency.
Other fun facts: while my husband would have guaranteed private health insurance (the best in the world) that benefit does not cover spouses. Upon further review, the institute suggested that I could make do with the public system, although accessing it would mean getting a job, which is (review previous paragraph) technically not viable for someone with the type of sponsored visa I would have. Or a foreigner with pre-existing conditions, regardless.
Hey, guess what? I smell a “not consistent with EU immigration law” kind of thing here. Though as an American, I’m not protected by EU regulations. The larger problem is that there are no jobs in my sector in the region. The institute has a solution though! Someone suggested they could create a job for me. I could be…. long pause… something…. what is it I do again? Oh right. There are no jobs in my sector in the region. Back to the “support your husband, sacrifice your entire career and everything you care about, because he is an important man who has been offered a very prestigious job.”
All of which is unacceptable but amusing. The best part though? The institute seems puzzled that I would even enquire about a visa for my high school age child.
Hmm. Guess we’ll see if I take that deal, huh?
I am however a fair person so I didn’t want to say no without due diligence. Just about the only thing that could convince me to move is improvement in the quality of housing, so I requested the department arrange some viewings.
One included a top floor maisonette with a few of the river, the hills, and vineyards stretching all the way to France. When I arrived the tenant, a stranger, looked puzzled and said Have we met?
I replied no, on the principle that her scientific career does not intersect with my life in any way. We have nothing obvious in common, and no known mutual acquaintances. It was unlikely we had met in ye olden times, as there was no discernible overlap with my education or west coast life. She does not connect with my Cambridge existence, and definitely didn’t seem like someone who subscribes to my magazine (an assessment based mostly on the fact that she does not have children, but still, a safe bet).
At some point she mentioned doing her postdoc in Montreal, then frowned and said I think your name came up?
I shrugged but then she was describing the apartment she subletted and I said From Rachel?!
Why yes – indeed – this random person who could not conceivably know me otherwise did in fact rent an apartment in Canada from one of my best Cambridge pals.
These coincidences still creep me out no matter how often they happen. Also: Gulliver Welt was closed.
