My Statement to the Visa People: A soppy read..

Tim and Kim

Until I met Tim I had never been in a relationship which lasted more than 3 months, I had never travelled with a man nor lived with one. I am 32, so this means I had a lot of boyfriends as they were all short relationships.

I was doing a GP locum in the Falkland Islands when I met and fell in love with Tim. We met at a dinner party and my first thought was, “Wow – he’s gorgeous!” Then I found out he was with another girl, so I paid him little attention. That was the 15th August 2006.

Two months later on Friday the 13th October 2006 (for some an unlucky day – for me the luckiest day of my life) I met Tim on the dance floor – he asked me if he could take my photo. I could barely answer as I was struck by how gorgeous and shiny he seemed. I was instantly smitten. It was only about two weeks later I realised that this was the same man I had met two months prior.

A few more meetings at the pub, a few text messages later and it was my farewell party on the 21st October 2006. Tim came late as he needed dutch courage to kiss me – and on the dance floor we kissed. From that moment on – we pretty much haven’t been apart.
We spent every minute together that we weren’t at work. I was leaving the Falklands. Tim helped me pack up my house on an all nighter only 3 days into our relationship. He also made me bread, brought me supper and I couldn’t believe he was as kind as he was fun and gorgeous.
I had a holiday booked to Chile a week after we got together – I told him I loved him at the airport. We were in touch every day on skype, sms and email for those two weeks. In that time I was away we decided to be together forever. I cancelled my next holiday to Ascension Island and changed my ticket out of the Falklands twice. We went to Tim’s home to meet his parents and grandparents and to see where he grew up – that was the 16th November 2006.

I went to the UK to sort out my affairs and then to Australia to come to a wedding and see my grandparents in Tassie. I was due to go to Fiji to work on a dream island on a diving project as the Expedition doctor and decided instead to go back to the Falklands to no job and to live with a man I had only been with a few weeks in a teeny tiny flat. It was so small we couldn’t open the bedroom door as the bed was in the way! It was such fun. We decided never to be apart again.
We finished building Tim’s house together and on our 6 month anniversary went travelling – South America, Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, the Falklands and Australia. We learnt to snowboard together, we walk, ride, explore, adventure, eat out. We’ve emigrated twice together, survived me writing exams, we’ve done 5 new jobs between us, had family illness and every new stress we face together – we’re grateful for the other one being there.

I have learnt all about house building, 4x4’s, fishing, IT, sheep farming and Tim’s learnt all about South African culture, doctor speak, energy healing and magic. I am airy fairy and Tim is grounded. I am worldly wise and Tim is practical and handy. We both love to eat and drink and have fun. We are best friends. We laugh every day. Every day we feel grateful to be together and every day the best part of the day is snuggling up in bed together. People love being around us as we are so delighted with each other and have fun together.

Tim is the first person I have ever met that understands all the parts of me – the serious, overachieving doctor, the wild partying, hippy, the free spirit adventurer, the softy, the fussy one and he just accepts all the bits and loves me more. I make things happen, I am teaching Tim about metaphysics, self expression, dreams and integrity.

From the beginning we have shared all our money – never had an issue with it. We solve our financial problems together. We share all the bills and complement each other perfectly in the housework – he takes the bin out and makes the bed, I wash the clothes and tidy up after supper.

We talk about our not-yet existing children and decide how we would manage certain situations with them. We are constantly preparing ourselves for our job ahead as parents and are excited at the prospect of increasing our family.

When we fight – it usually never lasts more than an hour. Tim just opens his arms and solves it all with cuddles. And when it’s all over we try to learn from what’s just happened. We make a rule of never going to bed with anything incomplete between us.

We both get on really well with each other’s families. It is such a relief. When I took Tim home to meet everyone - they all loved him – everyone kept telling me not to mess it up – that he’s a keeper. In a month we are taking Tim’s parents to Tasmania and South Africa to meet my family and friends – can’t wait! I get on really great with Tim’s friends in the Falklands – although there are some locals who are not impressed I am stealing a local boy of such good stock! Truth be told – he needs to extend his gene pool – his family has been in the islands for five generations already!

Tim’s parents are sheep farmers in the Falklands and we have left them the house in the case of Tim’s death – I drew up his will before we left the Falklands from wills I found on the net. At this point I would not go back to the Falklands without him – it would be too hard – so it makes sense we would leave the house to them.

Our plans at this stage are to stay in Australia for another two years. In that time we hope to buy a house and both keep growing in our jobs. We’d like to live in South Africa for a year for Tim to experience it and for me to get my practical skills in Emergency sharpened up again. It seems likely that we’ll always live between The Falklands, Oz and South Africa. We’d like our kids to know all three ways of life. There are more career opportunities for us in Australia than the Falklands and it is so much safer and politically stable here than in South Africa – so it looks like Australia is a good option for us – and there is a great need for doctors and IT people thankfully!
I hope you will consider our application favourably.

Thank you