The biggest decision of my life, just yet.

John and me at the Harbour Square Park. Summer of 2017.

When John asked me to come visit him back in July of 2014, the plan was only for the whole summer. I was working in a newspaper then and just had permission from my boss to go on a two-month vacation.
Sixty days were too short of a vacation when you’re just starting to know more about the special person in your life, and enjoying that sense of being cared about.
I dreaded receiving emails from the boss asking if I was coming back to Manila or not. I tried asking extending my vacation leave, but it was declined. However, I understood where my boss was coming from.
I loved my job, but I love John even more. He told me that he wasn’t ready to send me home to the Philippines just yet. I was so confused then, and had to seek my sisters’ opinion and advice about the situation. They’d given me their blessing, and supported my decision to stay here with John.
After weeks of thorough consideration, I decided to quit my job. It was a just, but not an easy decision. I never made such a big decision like this in my whole 38 years. But I felt very comfortable with John—and just the thought of being apart from him was unthinkable. So, with a heavy heart, I emailed the resignation letter to my boss at the end of September 2014.
It wasn’t easy, because it’s not just the job that I loved so much that I had to give up; I left my home and all of my family and friends to live in a country which I know little about.
Canada is a beautiful country, but daily life is often a challenge as I work hard to adjust to different people, culture and language; not to mention the cold weather.
If not for John's dedication to me, I wouldn't take a chance on making a new life with him in a country so different from my own.
In retrospect, I had only two choices—leave my comfort zone to be with John and learn to love the Canadian way of life, or let him walk away from me. So really, I had no choice at all.
John’s continued encouragement and support have largely helped me overcome all the anxieties.
Right now, I enjoy being a plain housewife to him. I don’t care even if I was unemployed at the moment—that’s perfectly fine. John knows how to return the favor. Even though he works six days a week, he finds time to occasionally cook for me or do laundry, plus all the other small things I did not expect he would do for me like cutting my nails, massaging my feet, etc. Who wouldn’t be touched by his thoughtfulness? Not me, obviously!
This only shows how loving and caring person John really is. These specific qualities made me say he is that person I want to spend my life with. I have never experienced so much love and affection like this in my previous relationships.
John is not afraid to show his feelings with me. We always have fun and are laughing at each other.
We also have many things in common—listening to music, riding the bike or going for a walk, watching sports (and having a nice glass of cold beers to go with it), and seeing movies.
John and I have been together for two years now. Though we get along well, there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Misunderstandings and fights are a common thing in our relationship. And it’s those tough times that bring me and John closer together and make the relationship stronger than ever.
Maturity has also played a major role in our relationship. Whenever we get into fights, we are able to have a discussion like adults and not resort to name calling. Sure, we do not agree on a lot of things, but we have the utmost respect and love for each other.
At the end of the day, what’s important is that we are on the same page and are looking in the same direction.