The visa is either still being processed or is bouncing around in the hands of one courier or another. If things went according to Hoyle I'd be in my second week in the classroom, but instead I've been marinating in my own juices as I fill my unscheduled time as well as I can. I've kept a close eye on the sports pages so that I can be well prepared for the upcoming (and long overdue) hockey season, prepping myself for the classroom and pondering what books to bring along. The question of what I'll enjoy reading is weighed against what just might provoke confiscation at the border. Not too serious a concern, just something that I get a bit more preoccupied with since I have the time to think about it. From what I have read and heard thus far there should not be too much trouble with the books I bring unless there are scantily clad women or the name of a certain Indian writer on the cover. At the moment, Anne-Marie MacDonald's The Way the Crow Flies and James Joyce's Ulysses, which was once banned, are in the suitcase.
Met with an Iranian student here in Calgary yesterday and had a chance to confirm everything that I've heard and read about Iranian hospitality. He gave me his email address and offered to connect me with friends of his in the country if I had any problems or concerns while I was there. I am confident that the university in Tehran will address most of my concerns and needs but it is good to have all of this help offered to me. Meanwhile, I wait for the phone to ring or a courier to give a knock on my door. My pen is ready to sign for it.
