The Vancouver Interviews (2)

Presently, 8 are done. I have to say they were much less complicated than I expected it to be. There was no let-us-examine-the-depth-of-your-knowledge questions. Some wanted to know my views on very broad topics in relation to my field or research, but thats more to see whether I can have an intelligent conversation or not and communicate decently than to try and put me in an awkward spot. That said, several of the schools definitely did not want me and I definitely did not want some. Some schools wanted people with a very different specialization, others wanted the newbie to build an entire program from scratch or had no tenure possibility. So the 8 has effectively shrank to a potential 3 in my head, which can shrink further depending on who else the schools got to meet. In the meantime, Mike's been interviewing too, and 3 of them seem all into him, to the point that they have already told him that they want to fly him out for campus visits (thats when the final 3-4 candidates are presented to each faculty member in the entire department/school). One of the schools is in a sweet sweet location, by the water, away from but close enough to the city (H's city) at the same time. Pay is supposedly competitive, but its a small school, which could be limiting if we ever want to move. And currently, I have no job openings in the region. But I am happy just knowing that this is the least we can have...possibly. Things can always somehow screw up, you nebber know. Another, which is in a place we both don't don't don't wanna be in asked Mike to tell me to send in my cv as well, not happening of course. Mikes still got many more interviews, I've got 1 after which I get to fly back to normalcy, and I look forward to that muchly.
In the meantime, I got to meet one very well-mannered gentle mallu boy and a chatty, friendly delhi girl. These brief meetings made me happy. Its funny how these conversations feel immediately intimate. No matter how much of a real conversation I have with a non-Indian, it always feels like I am on the outside looking in. But then, back home, a lot of the conversations with non-friends were purposefully unrevealing and that was probably worse.