my love story

[JOHN1964]

Sorry Arnold for the lack of photoshop pictures, They said they could do nothing to help me, ha ha .
Well my first five days as a married man have been great and a little frustrating sometimes with the language but we are doing well, MinYing is learning in leaps and bounds and helping me too, I have picked up a lot more in the last two weeks than i expected i would have.
She is full of surprises as she can read English quite well but can not understand so much but all the same she has more knowledge of the English writing than i knew up until now,
Acouple of days ago we was invited to a friends birthday celebration, We turned up to this house where we all huddled in to a room with a bed and a tv, It was freezing, I sat there shivering uncontrollably for about an hour and then told MinYing that i would go back to the hotel as i could stand no more, She protested quietly and her friends offered to make me warm by putting on a heater and offering me a thick coat to wear on top of mine, Being the stubborn bastard that i am i refused rather sternly and then i remembered something,,The 24 hr rule that i read here once,,, I quickly woke up to myself and accepted the situation as it was and made no more fuss about myself, MinYing was happy and i was happy to that i did not make a fool of myself and put my bride to shame,
The call came that dinner was served in the next room , We all hurried in to the next room and there was no less than twelve dishes all prepared on a small table and we all sat with the heater on and began to enjoy the meal.
The meal was prepared by the birthday girls boyfriend, 26 yrs old and a member of the local police force, Built like a brick s#*t house and about 5,11, Quite tall for a Chinese man, The food was fantastic, As always, The "men" all drank Chinese whiskey and i felt a little left out, I told MinYing that i would like some and a large glass was quickly poured for me, I could see the police man whisper to his friend and MinYing looked at me and shook her head candidly, One after another they all toasted to me and i had to accept and have a drink, I think they were trying to get me drunk, After about an hour the toasts slowed, So i thought i would return the favour and begin to toast them all one by one, Then one by one they declined to drink to my toasts, Only me and the police man left now, He could not stand and had trouble walking, Ha ha , Now i have a new best friend in China as none of his friends have kept up with him in his drinking games.
The rest of the evening went well and we all warmed up quite toasty, A couple of birthday cakes later and a few more drinks saw the night come to an end, MinYing and myself made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed the whole night.
Next time before i start to get my knickers in a twist i will think first, MinYing said that she was not the slightest bit embarrassed about me as she was freezing too and was just about to ask me to return to the hotel anyway.
It is now 8.55pm and we will leave soon for Beijing, We are catching the cattle cart as there are no other tickets available for the fast train, We will arive around 6.15am and then go eat and then off to the Australian embassy to see about the visitors visa for my bride, We are hoping to get one so she can return with me at the end of the month to live as husband and wife for three months, I spoke to the Beijing office today and got the relevant information so fingers crossed it will happen soon , Not holding my breath though, Remembering murphys law,( If it can stuff up then it will), I think murphy said that, or maybe it was his brother patrick, Who knows,
Well guys and girls time for me to close now,,, keep you updated,, Regards from MinYing and John.

[RobertBfrom aust]

A great update John , nice to have a police friend , and good luck for the embassy visit , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[Martin]

A great update!  I remember those drinking games quite well!  I didn't fare quite as well as you did.  Good to see you are enjoying yourself.  I hope you are able to get the visitors visa.  Keep us posted.

[mustfocus]

Great update...

You definitely would do better than myself for the drinking games... That's definitely where I will have a problem (still trying to figure out how I will be able to avoid that unpleasantry when I encounter it)

Good luck at the embassy... I think it's in the Chaoyang part of Beijing... remember to visit New Silk Street...

[Jason B]

Great update mate, good to see you keeping up the Aussie drinking traditions.  I will be interested to follow your account of the paperwork that the embassy requires for the tourist visa as I intend to apply for a tourist visa for Xia after we have submitted the paperwork for her residency visa.  A detailed account of the process would be beneficial and then we can put it into the Australian Visa requirements section for others to follow.

Continue having a great holiday mate and look forward to the next update.

[JOHN1964]

Hi guys and girls, Well the last time i posted my mind was sound, I remember travelling to Beijing and to the hotel and the rest of the week was a little fuzzy.
Seems the flu was a little more serious than i wanted to believe, Apparently after we arrived in Beijing we slept for a few hours and then made our way to the embassy (news to me), We got copies of the necessary forms and made our way back to the hotel to fill in, After a meal and a walk it was time to retire for the night, so i thought, According to MinYing i was quite incoherent and very sleepless, I hallucinated that there was things above our bed in our room and on several occasions i was in the bathroom half in the tub and half on the floor, i remember trying to climb from our window seven floors up just to cool down as i was quite hot.
I lost the next day completely, can not remember a thing, MinYing said it took me nearly two hours to complete the forms which should have taken me about twenty minutes, I hope i did not stuff them up, I remember standing in line outside the embassy for what seemed like hours and nearly collapsing.
We took the next train back to Handan and we took the sleeper car home as there was standing room only in the rest of the train, Again i remember very little, Arriving at our hotel Minying demanded me to go to hospital, Again i refused, I eventually gave in to her requests yesterday and nearly collapsed in the hotel lobby on the way to the taxi, Arriving at the hospital i was to have chest x rays and blood taken, A while later i was told that i had a blood disorder and not flu but pneumonia.
After having over a litre of chemicals being pumped in to me i became comfortable and quite coherent, Arriving back at the hotel i had a good nights sleep, Again this-morning off to hospital again for another litre of infusions and feel 100% again.
The condition of the hospital is appalling,very unhygienic, Blood up the walls and on the ceiling tiles, Spit on the walls and rubbish in every corridor, The girl who was giving me the infusions looked to be about fourteen and she was training a girl who looked even younger.
Again i praise my wife for her persistence and her demands or i could be far worse off now than a few days ago.
I will know in a few days how i went with the visa forms and i hope i filled them in correctly or another trip to Beijing again.
Talk again later guys and girls
Regards MinYing and John       

[RobertBfrom aust]

Hope you are well on the road to recovery John , yes as most of the attached guys can attest to as far as the health of their partners go , the lady is the boss , which is why we delayed our family trip back to Shenyang as the boss said Shenyang would be freezing late Dec till late Feb so if guys can plan their trips for the nicer weather all the better , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[halfpint]

Take care of yourself.  Health 1st, everything else can come after.  Best Wishes, Alan

[JOHN1964]

Hi guys and girls,, In less than 48 hours i will say goodbye to my bride, I think that a lot of you can imagine how i am feeling right now, Nearly one month together and the time has flown by, At this moment writing this post i am very choked up to the extent of having trouble holding back the tears that are welling in my eyes, Must be strong and not show MinYing the softer side of me.
We have got to know eachother so well in the last month, My Chinese has improved greatly, I can communicate simple sentences and have learnt a lot more words to help the communication, MinYing has learnt a lot of English words too and i have to laugh at her pronouncing of some words and the laughter flows every day with our trying to communicate, I am not saying that it has been problem free because it has not been, The pocket translator and the Jibbigo translator on my i phone has been invaluable too.
This lady is more than i could have imagined after our first time we met in Beijing back in September, I fell in love with her long ago but every day she shows me side of her that i never met before we were married, If this is a preview on the rest of my life then i am one of the luckiest men alive right now, She is the most loving affectionate and warm person that i have ever had the pleasure to be with, She keeps writing me notes and asks if i will love her always and be true to her, There is only one way that i can answer that question to her, Till the day i die, I will try to be all that she could ask for.
She , And me alike are a little saddened right now as the person handling her application for her visitors visa is having a few days off and i can get no answer to weather it has been approved or not, We was hoping that she could travel back with me on the 19th but i think it is not possible now, Maybe it will be approved soon and MinYing can join me soon in a couple of weeks, Her mother is a little sad as to her daughter wanting to join me soon, I guess that the reality of loosing her daughter is becoming clearer now and i feel for the family.
Today was the last day for my treatment for the pneumonia and i am happy to have no more holes poked in me from the i.v.d., I think it has been about 8 days straight now and i think the veins in my hands have all but collapsed, I must say that the conditions of the hospital here are disgusting I wont go in to the conditions of the toilets, you can imagine, Anyhow, i feel a lot better now.
Tomorrow i will go to MinYing,s family home and say my goodbyes until i return in August or September, I would love to return sooner but i think maybe not possible unless MinYing gets the visitors visa then i will return with her to lodge the p.r, visa forms in Beijing in three months.
My children all knew that i was going to marry MinYing on this trip but the rest of my family knew nothing, I think my mum must have had kittens when she read the e,mail, My younger brother guessed that it would happen as he said i have been single for too long and all i do is talk about MinYing when i see him, My elder sister was a little shocked as she knows little of my relationship, My workmates were surprised, But how many of you have married after the second time together or even the first??.
MinYing has not wanted to leave the hotel room much the last couple of days, I can see the change in her as the time grows closer, She steals as many cuddles and kisses as she can at every moment, Who am i to say no?, She wont let go of me in public, Not the girl i met in Beijing, Always making sure that i am wrapped up warm, Had enough to eat, plenty to drink, Makes sure that the blankets are on me when i sleep, She still is like an octopus when she sleeps, Arms and legs all over me, Hair in my face tickling my nose but i would not change it for the world, Just two more nights and then back to the lonely bed that i have been used to for the last almost twelve months.
We got the photos developed today, 550 of them,,And you guessed it, about two hundred plus of MinYing, I have another two hundred on my phone and she is in most of them too, Is there something wrong with me or do you take plenty of your wives/girlfriends?, I found that after Beijing i cic not have enough so this time the camera came every where i went, Even the hospital.
Well guys and girls, I have plenty more to tell but my mind is a little blank at the moment,
MinYing is on the bed sewing and looking beautiful as always, Why is every song on the radio a sad one right now?, Even on the music stations on the tv, I think it is time to join my lover and enjoy the warmth of this wonderful lady and keep the smile on my face from disappearing,
Goodnight brother hood, All the best to you, from John (with heavy heart)
   
   

[Arnold]

You sure have the Subject Story " Right " John . This is a wonderful love story and thanks for printing it out for us . Good Luck with MUM coming home ! haha
She'll be happy for you , when she see's that big smile on your Face coming Home .

[shaun]

Gee John, I hope you get this bug behind you.   Your description of the hospital sound like any normal 3rd world nations hospital.  I had the very same issue in 1993 in Israel.  I thought if the sickness doesn't kill me the unsanitary conditions will.

I remember the doctor very well.  It was a woman in her 60's wearing a military uniform.  She had blood on her clothing from an earlier patient.  I assumed the blood on the wall in the exam room was from the same person.  The doctors hands looked filthy and while she was looking in my throat I was choking on the cigarette smoke from the cigarette hinging from her mouth with about a 2 inch ash hanging from it.  She wanted to give me a couple of shots but I said no give me a prescription for penicillin, an expectorant, and strong decongestants and I will take care of the rest.  She did thank God.  I went back to the hotel and took a long bath and washed the clothes I was wearing in hopes to kill any germ that might have latched onto me.

Yes as you say the trip home is very difficult.  Before I went to China the first time I didn't see how it would be possible for me to leave Peggy and wait a year for her to come to America. After my second trip I have been here 7 months and it kills me inside but I am doing it.  All I can say to you is to keep your eye on the prize.  Your fiance, and you will make it.

[mustfocus]

Good on you John,

Great read.  I really hope that things will begin to move more quickly for you.  My lady is similar.  Except for places where we are forced to separate, her hands are always in mine...  Keep the faith!

[halfpint]

John

Fantastic what you have done.  You said some things that really meant a lot to me.   I wish you the best health and future.  Good for you!!  Alan

[JOHN1964]

Why does it hurt so much, Why do we choose to love and marry a lady from a non English speaking country?, Are we all mad?, Why do we put ourselves through the pain?.
MinYing cried uncontrollably on Tuesday night and most of Wednesday morning with the thought of us both having to part, I must say that i had trouble holding back the emotions when she was crying in my arms, Never before in my life did i think that it would be so hard to part with my lover.
I was so happy that the flight was delayed for two hours from Handan because of some air traffic problem, I got to spend a few more hours with my Laopo, She sat with me with her head on my shoulder and took many more photos of us together,
All Wednesday i could feel the unhappiness of my wife as we both knew that we would have to part from each-other soon ,
Even when we both said good bye to the two young ladies from the hotel that served us our breakfast there was a sadness from them both, We often bumped in to them both at the local supermarket and they were both so happy to see us both and just talk to us, We both made some new friends there at the hotel.
I got home at 6.30am in Perth on Friday and took possession of my new Mitsubishi triton, Big deal, Nothing seems to matter any more, The Audi sits in the drive way covered in dust and a month of dirt and i can just see out of the windows, I usually keep my cars spotless but now i do not care, MinYing has sent me endless messages on my mobile phone and is also feeling the pain, I woke this-morning and just reached for my bride and then i realised that i was alone again, No MinYing, No arms and legs over me and no hair in my face, How i miss the things that would keep me awake at night and annoy me, How i would give anything to be with her again.

I guess that most of you know how i feel right now, And for you that have not displeasure of the pain, You have something to experience, I look at the photos and remember the great times with my wife and know that there will be plenty more to come,
Already i am thinking of my next flight to be with my bride, Late April sounds good as of the Easter holiday and the Australian public holidays, Apparently when i filled out the visitors visa application i left out some information and it was rejected, I can not even remember filling the application as of my sickness from my Pneumonia so i have myself to blame, The lady from the embassy told me that we should reapply soon and include the relevant information and we will be successful.
MinYings family have apologised from not looking after me when i was sick, They are the most caring family and feel so sorry and think that is their fault that i became sick, I have told my wife that there is nothing they do to stop my sickness.

I really miss the company of my bride and the laughter we had every day, Just the cuddles and the smiles were enough to make my day so bright and happy, Do anything to be with my bride right now.

Thanks guys and girls.
   

     

[mustfocus]

Hey John,

I know how you feel.  Today was effectively the last  day I had with my lady.  We only had a few hours today as she had a longer shift to deal with today.  We did manage to visit somewhere, but she was unusually silent today and I know she isn't happy.  I am not looking forward to tomorrow morning when I have to be at the airport.  We've been skirting around the issue, but we will have to confront things.

We'll see what happens over the next few days.