May 6th, 2006, 21:52
Hello all,
As I said I would update you all once my boyfriend had been for his month long holiday trip to the UK, here goes......
Background: We met almost two years ago in Pattaya, when he worked in a host bar, and I fell in love only too quickly. We have had our problems over this time, but I have travelled to Thailand three times and now he has been here for the month of April.
Getting the UK Visa for him was a lot of work, but we managed it without any expensive legal or "professional" visa services to help. I sponsored his application, supplying a load of original documents to prove that I own my home (with a mortgage), earn a decent salary, and could support him and pay all his expenses. He went to Bangkok and queued outside the British Embassy from 5am until the doors opened at 9am, filled out a questionnaire and went through an interview. And got the visa!
Even then, with some posters warning me that immigration officials could still turn him away at Heathrow Airport, I sweated blodd until I saw his handsome face coming through the arrivals hall. While I was waiting for him there was another man sitting waiting who got a call on his mobile and clearly his friend was stopped by immigration. He was standing outside the glass fronted immigration booth facing a stern official who just kept shaking his head at the man for over forty minutes............and I continued to sweat and imagine that I could be next in line to confront that stern face and silent shaking of the official head!!!
But yes, he made it, and I could hardly believe he was here on UK soil, in a cold and harsh climate, and now facing a radically different culture.
We spent the first week in London, doing the tourist sites, the bars, meeting my friends, going to the theatre and the ballet (the Trockdero de Monte Carlo - so not too serious stuff!!). Then a two week trip driving around Scotland visiting my friends and seeing my birthplace of Aberdeen etc. Too much driving, and he found the cold weather and lack of access to Thai food a real trial, but seemed to enjoy himself. In London I had stocked the flat with Thai food and he had cooked endlessly, and produced wonderful food too!!
Then a final week back in London, with me working a few of those days. And all to soon we were driving back to Heathrow for his flight to Thailand. In the car he said "Now I know why you never want me to come to the airport with you!"
It is almost a week since he left, and the flat feels very empty witout him.
He has said that he wants to come and live with me here in the UK. I know I want him here, I know I love him, and I believe he loves me too. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I am 47 and he is 29. The age gap is significant, but my friends all said how lovely he is, and how happy we both looked together.
So now the plan is for me to fly over at the beginning of September, visit the family up near the Lao border, and have the big party there. Then a honeymoon trip, which we had thought of for Phuket, where neither of us have been before, but maybe if there is too much rain we should stick to Pattaya and party with his friends there. Then both fly back to London, and register our Civil Partnership, giving him leave to stay, and a permit to work. And us a chance to live together.
I have lived alone for almost twelve years, and it will be a challenge to share my small London flat with him, however much I love him. I work long hours in my job, and I am already worried about how little we shall see of each other since he wants to start off working in a Thai restaurant. He works as a waiter now, and I do agree that this way he will hav eother Thai people to talk to, make some friends of his own etc. But I also have said that that should be a short-term plan, and he should only work part-time while he studies English, and then get another job with more social hours, otherwise we shall never see each other, and I would hate that.
We even have a long-term plan with my closest friend, so we can have a home in London and another in Thailand when I retire in twelve years time!!!!! I just know that I could not live all year round in Thailand, and would need to have a home in both countries. But so much could change in those years before retirement, my boyfriend looks at me quizzically when I talk in terms of twelve years!!!!!!!!!
So, the plan continues on track. We shall see what the future brings, but I will be doing everything in my power to make this work. We make each other happy, and I believe we both have a right to that happiness.
Cheers!
As I said I would update you all once my boyfriend had been for his month long holiday trip to the UK, here goes......
Background: We met almost two years ago in Pattaya, when he worked in a host bar, and I fell in love only too quickly. We have had our problems over this time, but I have travelled to Thailand three times and now he has been here for the month of April.
Getting the UK Visa for him was a lot of work, but we managed it without any expensive legal or "professional" visa services to help. I sponsored his application, supplying a load of original documents to prove that I own my home (with a mortgage), earn a decent salary, and could support him and pay all his expenses. He went to Bangkok and queued outside the British Embassy from 5am until the doors opened at 9am, filled out a questionnaire and went through an interview. And got the visa!
Even then, with some posters warning me that immigration officials could still turn him away at Heathrow Airport, I sweated blodd until I saw his handsome face coming through the arrivals hall. While I was waiting for him there was another man sitting waiting who got a call on his mobile and clearly his friend was stopped by immigration. He was standing outside the glass fronted immigration booth facing a stern official who just kept shaking his head at the man for over forty minutes............and I continued to sweat and imagine that I could be next in line to confront that stern face and silent shaking of the official head!!!
But yes, he made it, and I could hardly believe he was here on UK soil, in a cold and harsh climate, and now facing a radically different culture.
We spent the first week in London, doing the tourist sites, the bars, meeting my friends, going to the theatre and the ballet (the Trockdero de Monte Carlo - so not too serious stuff!!). Then a two week trip driving around Scotland visiting my friends and seeing my birthplace of Aberdeen etc. Too much driving, and he found the cold weather and lack of access to Thai food a real trial, but seemed to enjoy himself. In London I had stocked the flat with Thai food and he had cooked endlessly, and produced wonderful food too!!
Then a final week back in London, with me working a few of those days. And all to soon we were driving back to Heathrow for his flight to Thailand. In the car he said "Now I know why you never want me to come to the airport with you!"
It is almost a week since he left, and the flat feels very empty witout him.
He has said that he wants to come and live with me here in the UK. I know I want him here, I know I love him, and I believe he loves me too. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I am 47 and he is 29. The age gap is significant, but my friends all said how lovely he is, and how happy we both looked together.
So now the plan is for me to fly over at the beginning of September, visit the family up near the Lao border, and have the big party there. Then a honeymoon trip, which we had thought of for Phuket, where neither of us have been before, but maybe if there is too much rain we should stick to Pattaya and party with his friends there. Then both fly back to London, and register our Civil Partnership, giving him leave to stay, and a permit to work. And us a chance to live together.
I have lived alone for almost twelve years, and it will be a challenge to share my small London flat with him, however much I love him. I work long hours in my job, and I am already worried about how little we shall see of each other since he wants to start off working in a Thai restaurant. He works as a waiter now, and I do agree that this way he will hav eother Thai people to talk to, make some friends of his own etc. But I also have said that that should be a short-term plan, and he should only work part-time while he studies English, and then get another job with more social hours, otherwise we shall never see each other, and I would hate that.
We even have a long-term plan with my closest friend, so we can have a home in London and another in Thailand when I retire in twelve years time!!!!! I just know that I could not live all year round in Thailand, and would need to have a home in both countries. But so much could change in those years before retirement, my boyfriend looks at me quizzically when I talk in terms of twelve years!!!!!!!!!
So, the plan continues on track. We shall see what the future brings, but I will be doing everything in my power to make this work. We make each other happy, and I believe we both have a right to that happiness.
Cheers!