Great is Thy Faithfulness, this is my life's song.
Since my last post, I wouldn't get to where I am now if God isn't faithful and merciful to an undeserving person like me.
My mom is still battling with cancer and it's another year til she has to go through the treatment. We are just surviving but not desperate each time.
By now I am on my second month here in the UK. I arrived on a Fiance Visa last October. Yes, by God's grace I made it here and reached one of our dreams to be together. But now, the challenge is to keep the dream. It was once impossible for us knowing that my partner is not that financially well off. But holding on to Jesus, He made all of this happened. And I will forever be grateful for His goodness to me and my partner.
Living here in the UK is a dream come true. But I'd never really thought that I'd get here one day. Truthfully, the journey wasn't easy and until now that I am already here, it is still not easy. Although my journey somehow falls into like a relationship/romance category, one thing that we must all wake up from in order to live and cope with life better is to learn and accept that life is not a fairy tale.
I have always been open about my partner's condition. When he visited me for three weeks in the Philippines he was so happy and felt life was good there. But when I came to live here, all his realities slapped in my face.
UK is such a beautiful country but it is simply cold and wet. It is opposite of the country where I came from which is a very warm. The Philippines is indeed very warm and the people are happier in the sun. Although it is considered a third world country, people are in their positive auras most of the time. This is because the sunny weather plays an important factor where people can do more activities outdoors leading to more socialization with others. On the other hand, UK is a first world country but it usually has gloomy weathers and people tend to stay more inside their houses keeping warm and comfy but also many people here suffer from mental illness because of several factors which also includes the weather. So yeah, comparing first-world to third-world countries, I realised that yeah, money makes things easier, but it doesn't always guarantee your happiness. Money may give you a comfortable living but it doesn't guarantee your peace and happiness.
I am still adjusting to my life here. I came in mid autumn which is cold and now its pre-winter and I am starting to feel it's colder. The official winter day will arrive on the 25th of December but I haven't experienced the worst of it yet. I did experienced a negative four temperature outside few days ago and my nerves in the legs retaliate at night when temperatures drop to such. Sometimes, I find it funny that I'll feel too cold upon coming to bed and then wake up in the middle of the night feeling too warm after sleeping with double covers. But I do like this cold weather somehow because it feels more comfy to sleep. Also, this winter season meant shorter days and longer nights where it starts to get dark by 5pm and the morning light around 7am.
One of those things that I like here in the UK is their charity shops. Since brand new items will always be costly, buying from charity shops always is an amazing experience. Like what my partner has always said, once you visit these kind of shops, you will never know what good items you'll find at a very, very low price. Charity shops are like Ukay-Ukay in the Philippines. However, items being sold here are donated by different people who would like to put their unused items in a noble purpose. This is because once these items are sold, they go to the foundation that helps those people in need.
I have also embraced more British/Scottish foods and my diet has changed from eating rice meals three times a day, to only eating once to nothing at all and just having buttys a.k.a sandwiches. I do like it a lot like especially the first time my partner made me a Sunday dinner which is made of roasted chicken and roasted vegetables (broccoli, brussel sprouts and potatos) topped with gravy sauce. It felt so nice and satisfying to the tummy.
Since now we are in winter, my wardrobe has switched from thin clothes to jumpers with layers and layers just to keep warm. It wasn't a good idea that I brought most of my clothes from PH because I can't really wear all of them here except maybe in the summer. My clothes were all too thin for the season that I am currently in.
By now, I have met my fiancé's parents and their respective partners. They are my family here in the UK.
Lately, a lot of immigrants are stressed about the recent changes in immigration. We'll as a background info, UK has been accepting a lot of immigrants as long as they are able to meet the immigration requirements. And these immigrants are also allowed to bring their families to live with them. Now through time hundreds of thousands of immigrants come each year eventually exhausting UK's health care system. So the newly appointed Home Office secretary proposed a new law with higher and tighter requirements especially in the financial part. An employee usually earns 24k to 34k annum here in the UK but they have increased the financial requirement to 37k which will mean that unless you have a yearly wage like that, you can't sponsor your spouse to come and live with you in the UK. But the guidelines are yet to be clearly defined.
Despite of the life that I live here now, nothing is sure yet because we are not yet married and that I need to extend my visa again by March since Fiance visa is only allowing me to stay for 6 months. But also because my partner is on benefits and does not work, his finances completely rely on it. Nothing is so certain about my life here for now. But just trusting in God that He will carry me through and show us His mercy to get through all the challenges and the highs and lows of living a married life in another country far from home.
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