My Life Abroad

My husband (Birdie) and I met about 25 years ago – 1987. At my high school in California, our family housed a couple of Australian Basketball players when their team came to our school playing on a US tour. I was lucky enough to spot Birdie in our first game against the Australians and after the game I went up to speak to him. We were joined at the hip for the entire time he was in town, and then for several years following this chance meeting we wrote long love letters back and forth. It seemed like I had known him my whole life and I always wondered for years what “could have been” if we just didn’t live on other sides of the world? Through the years, in 92, 94, 96, and 2000 we found each other online, and ended up emailing quite a bit – chatted online and never really found the right time to connect and give things a shot. Both of us being married at one time or another also made meeting impossible. In 2005 Birdie saved up to come to the US to watch a series of NBA Basketball games all over the US. He called me up and said “I’m coming to California and I want to see you”. I was flattered, I really felt our time had passed – but I was very interested to connect with him again. We talked about taking a trip to Australia to check it out. On that first trip he asked me to stay, move out with him and get married. Both divorced and neither of us with children, I moved out to Melbourne in 2005 and we started planning our life together. Birdie and I were married on 29 April 2006. This month is my 3-year anniversary of being an Australian Citizen, and I have dual citizenship. I've been writing my blog since just before my arrival in 2005. It's mostly for my friends and family but it is my experiences to share. I also run a Facebook group for 'Americans living in Victoria Australia' that is quite interactive and helps many expats out upon arrival to Australia.