I might have broken a few records.

[swstephe 13]

I have a kind of weird story, if anyone is interested.

I first met my fiancée in 1985. That was before there was an internet. We met each other as pen pals while I was in college. Our letters became more detailed and grew to about 20 pages, long hand, where we would have to wait 2 weeks for a reply. Somehow, I felt that we were destined to be married, even though we had never met in person, or had even been to each other's countries or even continents. I had learned an Indonesian word, "jodoh", which can mean "the person you are fated to be with". Two weeks after graduating college, I took my tiny savings and bought a plane ticket about half way to Indonesia. My plan was to teach English in Taiwan for a while, then buy a plane ticket the rest of the way. I was excited to think my letters might get replies in just 1 week. But I never got a response. I even cut out the address from ads and bills I was receiving, (Chinese writing), and mailed it together with my letters but got nothing back.

In the years that followed, I had never forgotten her and felt drawn toward that area, even while trying to move on with my life. Around 2009, I was running a small company in a tiny country on Borneo Island. I looked up her name on Facebook and found a match. I sent her a message and she replied that it was her, and that she still remembered me after all this time. She said she had gotten my letters and replied, but it seemed that I wasn't getting her letters. It even turned out that we had been living only about a 2 hour drive from each other on Borneo. I had gone to Indonesia on business and we figured out that we were only about 2 blocks away from each other during a very difficult time in her life. Many places we had visited overlapped. The place where my brother got married, (in the Philippines), was where she got coffee every morning when she was stationed there. We met for the very first time, in person, 22 years after I had started on my journey after college. We "floated" around South-East Asia for a while. Eventually, I came back to the US to clear up my debts and obligations. She was able to come to the US for about 6 months at a time due to a generous tourist visa she got from a previous US employer. Last month, we got everything cleared out so we can pursue a green card so we can finally get married and stay together for good.

It turned out we are pretty much a perfect match in personality and interests. Her family knows all about me from how much she talked about me when she was in college, (they even had a nickname for me). Sometimes they would catch us sitting or standing in the same posture. Once, I had a dream where she was wet, (I thought it had been raining), and wearing a sarong. She thought it was strange as she never wears that kind of clothes. But I found a picture, taken about 9 years after we lost contact of her doing this Indonesian ceremony to find her soul mate -- in the picture she is wearing a brown sarong and an elderly lady is pouring water over her head. I guess the delay in years gave us a more solid foundation. I learned a lot about the Indonesian language, food and culture. She knows so much about American TV and movies that she can usually come up with the most arcane trivia about any TV or movie star from the past 50 years.

I'm just wondering if I should add some of this info to the visa application, or if it is too much information.

[Ash.1101 1,756]

The story is adorable, but yeah it's too much information.


The 129-F application only needs to satisfy the needs that you met in the last 2 years in person and that you are both able to legally marry. Anything more than that they'll most likely ignore.

Again though, it's a super cute story and maybe something you'll want to tell the grandkids one day, but it may be a little too much for immigration officers.

[NikLR 13,227]

Welcome to VJ.

Cute story. Much too long. Concentrate on your current relationship together.

[Ebunoluwa 6,136]

Wonderful story, enjoyed reading it. If you want you can frontload your petition and include your story as a relationship

timeline story, make sure you highlight it with events (engagement etc., milestones from past to current).

If you have photos from the past and current you can attach them to further 'show and tell' your story as relationship

evidence.

Even though USCIS will not need it at all, it will be forwarded to the embassy in your file and the CO will have already

seen it before the interview, make sure your fiance remembers everything just like you do because if her perspective is

slightly different it would not be helpful. Some questions she will have to answer may come from the letter if you include it.

I submitted a relationship timeline when we had to re file our petition because the first one was denied.

[JenniferNangel 137]

What a sweet story it seems you 2 are really destine for each other

I would just put the basic you were pen pals but lost touch until you found her on Facebook

Best of lucky to both of you through this journey

[TBoneTX 45,266]

Of the advice above, follow Ebunoluwa's.

Answer the "how/when you met" question on the I-129F form very concisely.

Construct your relationship timeline as Ebunoluwa suggested.

And what a great story!

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

My fiancé is in love with your story, would make a great Pinoy movie

[Michael and Ganna 104]

Your story shows that the perfect person we are to be with doesn't always live in our backyard ....best of luck to you on your journey

[LionessDeon 2,060]

Beautiful story.

[millefleur 5,046]

Really great story. It's pleasant to read the details of something actually nice here, seeing as how a lot of horror stories get posted (or least since I've been member.) Hope you'll have an easy and pleasant visa journey!

[Pitaya 2,577]

Welcome to the forum.

[Tom&Deb 0]

Beautiful love story! Your story is proof that things like these do happen in real life (not only in movies!). Does that tiny country in Borneo happen to be Brunei by any chance? Anyways, congratulations on meeting the love of your life (finally!) and on your marriage

[swstephe 13]

Beautiful love story! Your story is proof that things like these do happen in real life (not only in movies!). Does that tiny country in Borneo happen to be Brunei by any chance? Anyways, congratulations on meeting the love of your life (finally!) and on your marriage

Yes, it was Brunei, (a very short list of candidates). And with a population of 300k, it is likely we know some people in common.

[Tom&Deb 0]

Without a doubt! I'm very sure we have some friends in common