I am a U.S. citizen who, while living abroad in Kuwait, met Dyn, an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker). I had just left Afghanistan and scheduled a layover in Kuwait on my way to Thailand. I ended up staying almost a full year on renewed tourist visas. Dyn and I met in a coffee shop through a mutual friend. Our friendship eventually blossomed into romance and we fell in love (although I can confess that it was love at first sight for me).
We spent several months together before deciding I should return home to the U.S. and prepare a way for her. That was more than three years ago.
Dyn was / is married (but separated for seven years) which complicated matters, but we educated ourselves on the annulment process and proceeded forward. While living in Washington DC, I hired an attorney from Manila (sight unseen) and was immediately taken for a ride. Long-story-short, he suckered me out of a great deal of money and then vanished. Enough said. Not one to give up, I used my network of friends in DC and was eventually introduced to a Philippines national who just happened to be an ambassador. He, in turn, used his network of friends to connect us to an attorney in Bohol. What a blessing. Things immediately fell into place and thirteen months later we are nearing the end of the annulment. We expect the annulment to be complete in the first week of June 2015. Dyn has since returned home to PH, from Kuwait, and is with family as her presence is needed throughout the annulment.
It has been a long road with several hurdles and road-blocks. Love saw us through all of it. Countless hundreds of hours on Skype, phone calls, emails and text messages became our standard for spending time together. She is as much a part of my life as if she were here the whole time.
As the annulment draws to a close, we are in the beginning stages of the K1 Visa. Already we are overwhelmed with the outreach here on VJ. We are uncertain of what waits next for us (regarding the K1) but we trust that our VJ family will guide us, pray for us and celebrate with us every step of the way.
