So, this is the final post on
john jenkins: notes from down
under. I wanted to wrap up before we left Australia, but real life sometimes
gets in the way of blogging. I recall somewhere around February or March of
2008 that I was making the case to David that we should do this (
this being moving overseas). At the time the opportunity presented itself,
there were two choices, Sydney and Hong Kong. While I was excited about the
possibility of either, my preference was for Hong Kong—I think because it seemed more
exotic or more of a challenge (which is kind of ironic, since it was under
British rule for over 150 years). As we explored the possibilities further, we
came to realize that the best option I was ever going to have if we went to
Hong Kong was a tourist visa. The Chinese government doesn’t allow same sex
partners to have co-sponsorship of work visas; rather, even though David was
getting sponsored to work, we couldn’t apply for me to have a second visa
through his sponsorship so that I could. I don’t know if this is still the case,
but I would assume it to be. For the record, the United States has only begun
to open its restrictions on gay couples applying for visas (work/partner) within
the past couple of years. In the end, I’m pretty sure Sydney would have won out
regardless, because I think my other half was never that keen on moving to Hong
Kong anyway. Looking back now, I can’t believe it has been almost four years
ago since we first set foot on the island continent and I have no regrets. The
experience changed us and the people we met will be part of our family for the
rest of our lives. A friend, who has spent a fair amount of time in Australia,
sent me a message before we moved home. He asked, “Other than the word
cunt, what else has Australia taught
you?” I said, “Alcohol…that’s a conversation we will need to have over alcohol.”
