There's been a while since I posted something substantial here but the process with me and my fianceé Wenjun (文君) has been going well. We married in Sweden on July 7th so she’s finally my wife. We had a small but romantic wedding in a church in northern Sweden with some friends and relatives. I think for the first time in my life, I can say I am genuinely happy.
We had plans on getting married in China first, but that did not work out for several reasons. We still want to have a Chinese wedding in the future, though.
Last year she applied for a 2-year residence permit in Sweden and was interviewed by the Swedish consulate in Hong Kong spring last year. I filled out the necessary paperwork and sent them along with proof of the sincerety of our relationship (such as flight tickets, hotel bookings and tons of pictures of us and our families together) to the Migration Board. I expected to wait a long time, even before I would be called for an interview. The files said the board hoped to be able to make a decision within six months. One month later, to the day, my fianceé received an email from the consulate and a few days later I got the formal decision from the Migration Board. A residence permit for two years was approved. I never thought it would be that easy.
Background (for those who don't already know about it):We first met on China Love on May 15th 2009, I visited her in December that year, the following summer and again this year. She first visited me in Sweden over Christmas and New Year 2010. She finally arrived in Sweden in October this year, about two and a half years after our initial contact online, carrying only a big bag with some of her belongings. Now we’ve been living together since October last year and everything is great – even though learning Swedish is a challenge, especially since her Swedish For Immigrants class is unsatisfying in many ways, making me into a substitute teacher every evening. The more I teach her, the more I realize that Chinese is actually easier and more logical!
It’s been a long wait but well worth it. Although everything has not been going according to plan we are finally together.
I want to thank all of you who supported me when I had some concerns and doubts. It can indeed be a bumpy road when you find love in a country so far away, having to rely on translators and agencies initially. I feel I’ve been lucky to have had such a smooth process after all, even though it did take a long time from our first kiss to her residence permit and finally marriage.
To everyone still looking for your true love: never give up! Love will strike.
