We got married in December 2013, but my husband had to return to the US just 50 days after. I've gotten used to our long-distance relationship since we became official in 2009 with Roan's occasional visits to Manila, but I never imagined how difficult it was when he left shortly after our wedding.
If you've been reading SCATTERBRAIN since February last year, then you've probably heard a lot about our immigration visa journey. Roan filed his petition papers to bring me to the US during this time, and we've been waiting (albeit not-so-patiently) for any progress since.
To give you a brief background, it took 115 days for our I-130 petition to be approved. Looking at similar timelines, ours took longer than expected. We don't exactly know what may have caused this, but we're guessing that filing two visa petitions (K-3 and I-130) at the same time was the culprit. It meant that USCIS had to go through two different documents, and decide which gets approved first.
Last week, on our anniversary as a couple, Roan and I received the good news that we've been praying and hoping for. The National Visa Center (NVC) has finally completed the domestic pre-processing of our immigrant visa petition, and has released my visa interview schedule! After 386 days, we're finally moving towards the end of our visa journey!
This week, I'm grateful that our waiting game is almost over. My interview is scheduled in mid-March, and we're looking into leaving sometime in April (or depending on how much time the visa validity will allow me to stay, but not for long).
My goals for this month have since slightly changed because getting a schedule for my medical exam is now top priority.I didn't tell my family about this until the day after Dad arrived from The Netherlands, and I might have become emotional just breaking the news. I don't want to think about it, but I'm already feeling a sense of separation anxiety now that I only have little time left to be with them. Oh, may the remaining days here in Manila be ever full of love, peace and happiness.
P.S. Have you joined my blog's birthday giveaway yet?
Grateful Heart Link-up with Emily of Ember Grey