Wedding Certificate

It is finally official.  Siri and I are destined to be together forever.  The day started out normal enough.  I stayed over at Siri's house in their extra bedroom so I can get up early and go to the consulate to get our Marriage certificate.  We needed two witnesses, so we asked Siri's parents to join us.

As is normally the case, I woke up extremely tired and without enough sleep.  I had my morning coffee and Red Bull and I was ready to go get things started.  Siri and I had many things to do on her day off.  We had to get the Marriage Certificate, Siri had to get her name legally changed, and we then needed to go to the Thailand Bureau of Immigration, once again, to apply for my Visa status change.

I have no idea what Siri's parents were thinking.  We haven't closed the gap on our communication barrier, but they seemed to be happy with things.  Siri's parents have done so much for me and our wedding, I don't know how I will ever be able to thank them.  I don't think I will ever be able to repay them for their gratitude.

That morning, the four of us began on our journey of what would be another long, hot, and tiring day.  This was our second time at the consulate so we pretty much new what had to be done.  Siri was asking me a bunch of odd and obvious questions.  I was pretty confused.  She asked why I was here, how do I spell my name, where am I staying?  After a while of seeing a tired, confused, and frustrated face, she finally informed me that she is translating because I am being interviewed.  It would have been nice to know that at the beginning.  The people at the consulate probably thought I was deranged.  They might have been right.

After dozens of questions and more questions we finally got our Wedding Certificate.  It was now time for Siri to get her name changed.  The entire conversation was in Thai so I just sat on the bench and stared at goats.  I'm not sure how long it took but when we were finished, she said lets go and began explaining everything to her parents... in Thai.  I still didn't know what was going on.  We need to work on our communication.

Afterwards we enjoyed a nice breakfast and dropped Siri's parents off.  It was time for us to take the long trek to the Thailand Bureau of Immigration.  Siri drove there instead of taking a taxi this time.  I slept during the drive.  We pulled in the buildings parking lot, and made a U turn.  We didn't know where we were going.  We entered the wrong building and had to walk back to the building we originally pulled into.  We filled out all the forms and made more copies of more documents and got to speak to the person at immigration.  She basically told us in Thai, me sitting there nodding, everything we did wrong and everything we needed to do.  After we left, It was time for us to take the long walk back to the car.

I turned to Siri and asked her "What just happened?"  She informed me that we are now married and that I have to open a bank account here before I can change my Visa status.  Great!  Married!  Afterwards, we drove back to the apartment and went to sleep.  We celebrated that night by eating pizza at The Pizza Company at Central World.  This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

Here are our only pictures of the day we were legally married.

Living in Bangkok

Several weeks have passed and I am loving Bangkok.  Being with Siri has turned my life upside down.  I don't know how I have lived without her.  All I want to do is make her happy 24/7.  And, she does so much for me.  When I'm around her I forget all my worries.

My apartment here is nice and cozy and has a great location.  I still haven't gotten used to not having a car and taking the skytrain everywhere.  When I go out, I mostly walk.  I have joined a gym, a meetup group, and met some great people here.  Everyone in Thailand seems to be extremely nice.  The malls are all six to eight stories, and there are many.  I have walked to three of the already, and I am sure there are more in walking distance.  It is completely amazing.

My life here seems to be completely ordinary.  Writing, doing errands for the Wedding and Visa process, eating, going to the gym, sleeping way too much, and going out with friends.  I don't know why it feels so great, and I have no idea why I am so much happier than I have ever been... but I don't think I will complain.

Affidavit of Freeman

I never realized how complicated the marriage process was.  The first thing I needed to do was get an Affidavit of Freeman.  I have never heard of an Affidavit of Freeman, what the heck is this?  After many hours of trying to find out what an affidavit of "freeman" was, I finally found a form called the Affidavit of "FREEDOM".  It was a simple mistake.  A minor translation error...err.  Apparently I have to prove that I am single and able to be married.  Now how do I do that???

Siri and I filled out the form and made an appointment with the U.S. Embassy to get more information.  That morning was great.  Siri drove over to my apartment and woke me up a couple hours before the appointment.  We had Burger King for breakfast and then started walking towards the U.S. embassy.  My mind was still in a mental fog from waking up.  I could barely tell up from down.  Thankfully, Siri knew exactly where the U.S. embassy was.

The temperature was ferocious.  A December morning and it was already over 80 degrees.  I was carrying a backpack of everything we needed, except for one thing.  I took off my sweat drenched backpack and looked through it.  I had forgotten the notebook Siri wrote down the appointment number on.  We arrived about an hour early, but neither of us was going to take that grueling walk back to the apartment to get the appointment number and information.  We didn't even bother mentioning it.  I think we both knew that if one goes the other has to also.

While in the US embassy it took us a little while to find out who to talk to and what to do, but we accomplished it without the appointment number.  We gave the embassy my passport and the forms required and after a short wait, the Affidavit of Freedom was notorized.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of it.  We still had to go get the Affidavit of Freedom translated in Thai, then we had to get it certified, after that, we had to go to the Immigration Bureau of Thailand to have it filed.  This time we decided to take a taxi.  The air-conditioning was very nice.  We got the Affidavit of Freedom translated, then notarized, and finally we started to filling out the final forms that would make it legal for us to marry in Thailand.  During this 'simple' process, we made frequent trips to the copy center to have my passport and other documents copied, and we both got our pictures taken, passport size.  That was the third time, in the last few months, I paid to have passport pictures because I kept leaving them behind thinking I would never need them again.  Siri assumed command of the pictures after that.

Towards the end of the day, tired and hungry, we got our Affidavit of Freedom filed.  We grabbed some food and got a taxi to go back to my apartment.  We were done.  I was one step closer to being married to the woman I loved. Once we got to the apartment, Siri asked me where my notebook was (the one with the appointment number).  I immediately realized it was in my backpack.  We had it with us the entire time.  Oops.

Bangkok

Settling in to a new country half way across the world was easier than I ever expected.  Siri had everything prepared for me.  She arrived at the airport to pick me up after my long flight.  It was like we were never apart.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find each other.  I was in a giant airport trying to text my fiancee my whereabouts and she said "keep walking".  So I walked, and walked, and walked all the way until I couldn't walk any further.

To my convenience, there was a money exchange center right at the end of the airport, so I exchanged my U.S. dollars while she was looking for me.  Once I was loaded with enough Thai baht to treat my beautiful love to a delicious meal, I turned around and there she was.  We hugged for what seemed like an eternity.  I didn't want to let go.  I'm never going to let her go.

That night, she took me to my new home.  A nice, new apartment in the middle of Bangkok.  The furniture still had their tags on them.  This was my home, and it was so much nicer than the home I came from.  Siri and I talked for a couple hours and then she went home.  Staying true to Thai tradition, She will move in after the wedding ceremony.  I have the entire place to myself, the woman I love within a phone call away, and I'm in the middle of an amazing city.  Could things get any better?

The view from my apartment balcony.

The Biggest Loser : Wedding Edition

There is less than 7 weeks until the big day.  Siri and I are about to be a part of the most important ceremony in our lives.  Our wedding is on January 30th.  We both want to look great for our wedding.  These wedding pictures are going to be pictures that we look at for the rest of our lives.   Because of this, we decided to setup a little friendly competition.  The Biggest Loser : Wedding Edition.

The requirements:  She must lose 5kgs and I must lose 10kgs before the wedding.  I am expected to lose a little bit more for multiple reasons:  I am bigger, I have gained a lot of weight recently, and I have the most free time to exercise.  Of course, I'm not going to make it easier for her.  I know how to lose weight.  Eating properly and exercising is fun for me... it just requires motivation.

To start the contest, Siri and I went over the rules and methods of motivation.  If either of us lose, we both lose.  We have setup rewards and punishments to ensure we stay on track.  My punishment, If I do not follow the rules, I have to clean the bathroom, shower, and toilet each time I wander of course.  Her punishment... she has to cook a really nice dinner for me each time she makes a mistake.  The reward:  if we both achieve our weekly goals, we get to see a movie in first class seats.  Thailand actually has theaters with reclining sofas, a little expensive, but definitely a great way to watch a movie on the big screen.  We both have to make no mistakes in order to receive our reward.

We both have pledged to invest our time and money to achieve this goal.  We both have made the pledge that we WILL achieve the goal.  We haven't set the ultimate reward for who wins this competition, but I am expecting both of us to have a great time after our wedding day.  When I beat her, I will let her share the rewards with me.

Together

Being together is easier than being apart.  When I am with her, I feel like I am on top of the world.  She makes me happy.  She makes me goofy.  She makes me act in ways that I can only act around her.  I feel like I belong when I am with her.  I feel like we are perfect for each other.  I've never believed in soul mates until I met her.

I know all the reasons why I left Thailand, and I know all the reasons why Siri and I had our difficulties in our relationship.  Those difficulties have always been caused by fear.  I am no longer afraid.  I am ready to spend the rest of my life with Siri, and I will do everything possible to guarantee it will happen.

Siri and I had one last argument in November.  It was an argument about the difference in cultures, family, and tradition.  It was a stupid argument, and it almost broke us apart.  The day after the argument.  She called me and told me she wasn't going to let me go.  She wanted to fly to the U.S. and be with me, but she couldn't.  Laws and regulations were still keeping us apart.  There was only one solution to our problems, and that solution was so obvious.

At the end of November 2009, I packed my bags and moved to Thailand.  It was the best decision I have ever made, and surprisingly, it was an easy decision.  I landed in Bangkok, Thailand on December 1st and settled into my new apartment.  I was home, and I was with the woman I loved.

Home?

Being back in the United States wasn't exactly as great as I was expecting.  The weather was beginning to get cold and I was once again an unemployed man living in a tiny room that gets no sunlight.  It was definitely not how I remembered it.  I thought, "this is no place for Siri to live once we get married".

After having a serious conversation with Siri, we decided that it would be best to move to Myrtle Beach where we would be close to my parents.  I figured Siri would be much more comfortable around people she knows when she returns to the U.S.  I packed up and made the 8 hour drive down to Myrtle Beach.  My time in Myrtle Beach was plagued with problems.  I was getting into more trouble then ever.  This isn't what I was looking for either.  I was starting to feel like I no longer belonged.

I stayed in Myrtle Beach for two weeks before returning back to Virginia.  Myrtle Beach and it's 24 hour bars were not a good match for me at the moment.  I had a future wife that I was going to need to take care of.  I wanted the best for her.   I knew the DC area was the best place for me to find a good job and stay out of trouble.  It was time for me to figure out how I wanted to live my new life.

Homesick

Over six weeks in Thailand and I was beginning to get homesick.  I didn't want to leave Siri, but I really missed home.  I missed going to the bars and hanging out with my firends, I missed driving anywhere at anytime, I missed having English conversations.  It was time for me to go home.

Both Siri and I worried that this might be the end.  But I wouldn't let her know that I was worried.  I told her that I was never going to leave her.  I was never going to give up on us.  We agreed that April would be a good time to have the wedding.  This time she said yes.  Leaving her was so much harder this time around.  I knew how hard long distance relationships were, and I knew how much she worried.

I did everything I could to convince myself that we would be together forever.  I made a committment that I had never made before, and she deserved everything I offered her.  She deserves so much more than I can give her.  I wasn't going to screw this up.  I was going to marry Siripun and do everything possible to guarentee it would happen.

The plane ride home was possibly the worst 20 hours of my life, but this time... I was filled with hope.

Stranded in Thailand

My time in Thailand was coming to an end. The Thai embassy rejected my request for an extension, and I was required to leave the country by September 3rd. Now all I had to do is find a flight to the U.S. That should have been easy. Unfortunately, the flights were overbooked everyday for quite some time. I couldn't get home. I was stranded in Thailand.

What could I do? Should I buy a ticket with another airline? Should I cross the border into Cambodia, and re-enter the country? Should I fly to some other country and then come back? After discussing all the options with Siri, I booked a flight to Malaysia and jumped the border so I can stay another 30 days.

The flight to Malaysia was extremely relaxing. I think I had the best seat on the plane, next to the emergency exit, with tons of foot room and nobody next to me. I slept like a baby on that 3 hour flight. The airport in Malaysia wasn't the prettiest of airports. I would call it more of a hanger with air-conditioning. We had to walk outside to and from the airplane. I had a four hour stay in Malaysia, and then back to Thailand I go.

After what seemed like the longest four hours of my life. I finally got back on the plane and was back in Thailand the same night. With all the stamps on my passport from leaving and arriving, trying to leave and not being able to, and getting an extension rejected (with a big red REJECTED stamp)... I think I really confused the person at customs. My passport said I had to leave by Sept 3rd, and I was arriving on September 2nd after departing on September 2nd. Confusing? After a small little group conversation and a bunch of giggling, they finally let me back into the country. I walked out of the terminal and there she was. I had up to 30 more days to spend with Siri.

Thailand

Thailand was a completely new world for me. The beaches are the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. The traffic is insane. Siri and I had immediately clicked. It was as if we were never apart. I stayed at her family's house, and Siri and I started spending every available moment together.

This was only a short vacation so I tried very hard not to send mixed signals, which only caused me to send more. I already had my life mapped out, and I was ready to live it. After about a week in Thailand, I gave in. Siri was just too much for me to resist.

Siri's birthday was coming up. I wanted to make it special for her. I bought her many gifts and took her up to Chiang Mai on her birthday. I was having an incredible time. I was still trying not to become to attached but I failed. That night I asked her to marry me. She didn't say yes.

Re-United

Fast Forward 9 months.  Siri and I stayed in touch and spoke occasionally. We spoke about what could have been.  We were still very much in love.  I just didn't know it.

I was now living in Virginia.  I had many great roommates, but one would change my life forever.  One day while talking to her,  She mentioned the idea of traveling with her. We discussed the many countries we would like to see and decided on Thailand.  I have never been outside of the country, but I figured why not.  My job search in Virginia was not going very well, and this could be a life changing experience.  I did not know how true that was.  I didn't think the trip was actually ever going to happen, I didn't even know this person very well, but a week after we spoke She showed up at my door.  I woke up to the most annoying sound ever. "Good Morning", "Good Morning", my roommate kept repeating.  She was a real pain in the ass.  A few days after she showed up we were on our way to Thailand.  Never in my life had I done something so spontanious.

After a long flight we finally landed in Thailand.  I walked out of the Terminal and there she was.  Siri was waiting to pick me up.  She looked more beautiful than I remembered.  As soon as I saw her I gave her a very awkward hug.  The moment seemed too surreal.  I was excited.  Siri and I were given a second chance.