WOW. Ombudsman got back to you?! It sucks that it's another generic, 30-day message, but at least they got back to you...They never got back to me.

ALSO--
It's really fucking difficult to stay positive when all around me, my friends and boyfriend are living their lives free of this kind of concern. They have the kind of problems that I wish I could only deal with for the rest of my life (e.g. my macro plate delivery didn't come in time, I need to by furniture for my new place, etc...) I remember when I only had that kind of shit to worry about these past two years. I thought that I could finally be normal.

Then this happened. And as accommodating as my team at work has been--they understand that this is all happening beyond my control--I can't help but feel completely unreliable. How can they see me the same way and assign the same weight of responsibility now that they know I can be gone for a month or longer every two years? I'm trying to take this time off as an opportunity to network/apply to other jobs, but I can't help but feel like I'm just going to have the same problems at a different place. What's the point?

So maybe it's working for others, but staying positive is really not fucking working for me. I graduated top of my class, and I'm one of the highest rated people at my level at work. I'm used to having things to do, having a career, and taking care of myself. I can't do that anymore, and it makes me look at myself in a completely different, a much dimmer light. All the fears I had about my future before DACA have come rushing back. I don't know how much longer I can wait.