This is my last week in Hong Kong. I have been here for 2 years. Every day, I look out from my beautiful Sai Kung flat at the South China sea. It has been a very satisfying two years, professionally-speaking, and it has been amazing living in a sub-tropical climate after a life in cold and dreary England.
So, am I bonkers, leaving Honkers for Chonkers?
Well, if it were just me, I would stay here quite happily for many years. But my family takes priority, and I don't think it's fair for my wife to wait for 7 years (the time needed to apply for permanent residency in Hong Kong), before she is able to work or study here.
I will spend next month in Europe, visiting family, then my wife and I will meet up in Chongqing in August and I will begin a new job and a new life. Her two children will visit for a holiday (they were never able to visit us in Hong Kong), and my wife and I will be able to live together without the visa clock ticking away counting the days until our separation.
Soon Willy will not be the only July-born Londoner who went to China to live with his Hunan-born bride, and said, "First wife, last wife, only wife". Happy birthday Willy for Wednesday! Happy birthday to me for Thursday. Here's hoping for a great adventure.