Long Long Distance Love Affair

Because of him, flying became a part of my life.

How did you meet? I got that question so many times. I am talking about me and my husband. It was a long story to tell, many people find it inspiring, some people believe it is magic, but I want to tell you, finding true love is like finding a needle in a haystack. Especially, finding true love on the internet is not that easy and very risky.

Three years as a tourist in Holland.

Me and my husband have met on a social network, Fanbox. That was October 2008. He came in the Philippines December but we have not met. I was not convinced that someone I met on the internet can fly half of the world and like to meet me, though he was already a vacationer in the Philippines before we met on the net. December 2009 when we met each other in person. I fetched him at the airport, he stayed with our family in our house for a couple of days, then I went with him for a long holiday.

Diamond earings, the first "pasalubong" I got from him.

The rest is history. We were in a relationship for three years and we are married now for two years. I know friends who also met a guy on the net, have a long distance relationship through the internet. Some succeed, many failed and caused them headaches and heartbreaks. 

My husband is in the Netherlands and I live with my parents in the Philippines. At first we meet online only on weekends because with the nature of his work, it is not possible for him to come online during daytime. We have a six hour gap. I was working in Citibank but I don't have a computer at home. We agreed we meet only online on weekends but every day we leave offline messages to each other.

We need to trust and to be trusted if we want our love survive the distance. Before my husband came to the Philippines to meet me, he sent a bouquet of flowers for me. He is arriving December 2009, I received the flower month of April, and July when he told me that he already purchased his plane ticket.

We haven't met yet but he sent me a bouquet of flowers.

He made me feel he is so real. Possibly because he also felt how real I am. I always tell him the truth, I am not adept at pretending. When I went with him for a long holiday, he saw how simple I am, and I am not after for money and good times. 

The process for me to be able to live with him in the Netherlands takes a lot of time, money, and patience. I have to take first the Dutch MVV Exam at the Royal Dutch Embassy in Manila. Eric paid it and I took the test. Eventually, the Dutch Government gave me special consideration because my left ear is deaf and my right ear is only 60% working.

Things come into the right places because two months before our wedding, the Dutch Government granted my MVV or my residence permit. We got married on December 2012 and the following month,  we return in the Netherlands as husband and wife.

MVV Exam, a Dutch reviewer that he sent to me.

We are in a long way now of our relationship. I can proudly address him now as my beloved husband. We now have a son. I have already taken the Naturalization Exams and it goes well too. I never thought it that I can find true love from a box that full of trash. I am thankful that I am still a blessed girl.

I am thankful to this kind-hearted man for he made his home my home.

For those who are asking me now on how to succeed in a long distance love affair, especially for those who just met on the internet, I would say: honesty is the best policy. A relationship that starts in pretending and lying will never turn out right. I believe in a saying that what you sow is what you reap. This one too is very important, no matter how much you feel you want to love and to be loved, do not close your eyes to the obvious danger. Use your intuition to sense lies, cheating, and pretender. It is better to back out, feel the temporary frustration than to risk your future happiness. If it is love, it's love. If it is not let go, let God, and move on. As for me, I love so much our love story!