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Tamera Jenkins

THE FULBRIGHT YEAR Disclaimer* This blog is not an official Fulbright Program blog. The views disclosed are my own and do not reflect those of the Fulbright Program,the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations

Monday, September 6, 2010

Labour (notice the locally correct spelling) Day in BC

As most know Alexis had to return to Missouri this weekend. Jim returned at 1:00 this morning after 30 hours of round trip travel. Frankly I've been too upset to even blog but I think I'm beginning to gain some perspective and can hopefully not rant or whine when I address the circumstances regarding her return home.

Jim and I obtained the paperwork, per instructions given by the local elementary school, needed to make custodial decisions on Alexis's behalf, including enrollment in school. What they,and until this week, we were unaware of, is that these documents were not legal internationally. Upon enrolling her in school her documents were sent to an "international education committee"(I'm sure there is an official organizational title, but I'm not sure exactly what it is) informed us that our custodial status over her is not recognized in Canada and that we had two choices in the matter, 1. Go to the BC government and begin the process of legally adopting her....umm, not an option, thank you or 2. pay $12,000 for 9 months of education. Neither options were acceptable and while we could have possibly fought this had we the time or money(of which we have neither) I personally did not want to find myself at odds with the Canadian government that, along with the U.S. State Department is responsible for bringing me to BC.

So, in less than three days we bought a round trip ticket for Jim and a one-way ticket for Alexis, packed four huge bags filled with as many of her belongings as we could stuff in them, and with many tears,had Jim escort her to KC. Words really can't express how sad I am to see her go but with the situation we were faced with I'm not sure what other options we had.





PICTURES FROM THE PAST WEEK





One of the last really warm days that we had



Alexis and Lauren



















Criminology Dept. at SFU
Alexis spent the entire day with me while I attended the new graduate student orientation. Even though she was bored she was a real trooper. Numerous individuals commented on her wonderful behavior and teased her about being the youngest graduate student they'd ever met!








Scenes from around campus










































A rainy BC day traveling to and from the Burnaby campus

The signs points out a 12.5% grade. Fun, fun, in the snow!
























Slippery when wet







Two days later the sun is back



























Summer is over, my first class, Criminological Theories, starts tomorow.






















































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About Me

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Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
In politically correct language I am called a non-traditional student or,as my mother would say, a late-bloomer. For twenty years I was a stay-at-home/home-schooling mom but surprise.. kids grow up. When my son asked me what I was going to do after he left home I told him I was sure it would involve crates of Kleenex, junk food, and a lot of self pity. He suggested college instead and I took him up on it. I graduated in Dec. 09 with a BA in Criminal Justice/Corrections from Park University in Parkville, Mo. Through internships that brought me into contact with both the victims and offenders of violent crime, I have acquired a passion to assist each in addressing issues of accountability and healing through the restorative process of victim-offender mediation. As a 2010-2011 Canada-U.S. Student Fulbright recipient I will travel this fall with my husband and granddaughter, to British Columbia where I will be attending Simon Fraser University's Graduate School of Criminology. With a superb symmetry, Mother, arbitrator of children’s squabbles has progressed to victim-offender mediator.