Parting -- NOT so sweet.

I just recently saw my wife get on a plane bound for home, and I won't see her for at least a couple of months. For some reason, right now that pithy saying in Romeo&Juliet (of all things) is one of the first things that comes to mind, and it really bugs me. I'll grant it to Juliet that she was young and naive, and 'parting' for just one night, so what does she know about sorrow (at least, up until the last act). Right now, I don't feel anything that could quite be considered sweet. Even though we knew this was coming, and was a recognized possibility even when we were dating, it doesn't make it any better.

In case you're wondering why YT doesn't just stay here with me and the rest of her family, well, it has to do with her green card. We applied early this year, and were really hoping to receive it before we left to come to Taiwan. It still hadn't arrived by the day we had to leave, so we'd made arrangments with a friend to send it to TW through the mail when it came, which would have been a big worry and an extra headache. But, fortunately, as it turns out, we realized half an hour outside of Pittsburgh that we'd forgotten the plane tickets, so we went back to get them. Guess what the mailman had delivered just after we had left that morning? Yep, the green card. So we didn't have to have it sent to us. I like that story, but it's not my point.

The point is that it's a conditional green card, which means we have to be married for at least two years before we can apply to have the conditional status removed, at which point it would be unconditional and/or permanent (yay). If we don't succeed in having it removed, it's very bad news. We'd have to go through the whole application process from the beginning, which is now even more expensive and a bigger pain in the tuckus than it was before. Officially, it's okay for her to be abroad through the duration allowed by her travel documents, which is about a year. However, we were counselled that if she is gone too long, regardless of having the proper legal documentation, the government could think she might abandon her residency and isn't serious about living in the US. They could make that claim at least, and that would likely mean the conditional status would not be removed. We were told that she could still go abroad, but the total amount shouldn't exceed a certain number of months. So, she'll spend part of her time here in Taiwan, and part of her time back in the US finishing up her dissertation. That's the plan, at least.

So now it's just me and the in-laws, which is going great except for the part where my wife is no longer here too. It's like (perhaps) when you were a kid and your best friend, your favorite person in the world, had to go away to camp for the summer. Things just aren't as fun anymore. I now just have a few articles of left-behind clothing and ticket stubs and pictures, and needless to say, it's not quite enough. We will, of course, also have the telephone and internet chats and webcams, and almost all that the magic of the digital era can provide, but you can't put your arms around a digital picture, even if it's uploading at 30 frames per second. It is much better than nothing, granted; however I do hate the feeling that, as it may come to seem, my wife flew to Pittsburgh and somehow ended up getting stuck inside my computer. Strangely enough, she only comes out at certain times of day, and somehow, Oliver is there, too. I guess it's a good thing I never saw the movie Tron.
This is now my wife, sort of:


We do know that my work here will also allow me to (among other things) understand her cultural background and language much better and be a stronger part of her family. So we both think it will have many positive effects in the long run. But for now, though, I have to say, sorry to disagree with you Juliet, but parting is just sorrow. You'll learn that too soon enough, though. If you want some advice, don't pay too much attention to the Friar at the end of Scene 1 in Act IV, but, I'm no literary theorist.

Okay, I've got to go. Till next time, BB

PS: For what it's worth, I should say it does feel really good to be able to communicate using the webcam. It's not as good as face-to-face, of course, but it does help a lot.