The Beginning
It started
with an interview in the car. Pedro and I were on our honeymoon in the Smokey
Mountains. A mad dash to a city café, a scramble for strong enough Wi-Fi,
and we realized a hot spot in the car was the only option. They couldn't
fault him for perseverance. This interview was for a chance to study veterinary
medicine at the Royal Vet College of London. As in the UK, as in 4,321 miles
from our apartment in Gainesville, FL.
As I sat in
the passenger seat and tried to melt into the side of the door and not hang on
every word, I picture living in the UK. If this interview goes as well as the
last one, we (well, he) can have a pick of Glasgow, Scotland or London,
England. (Spoiler alert....We picked Glasgow)
Pedro asked me if
I would mind.
Me: Mind??
Pedro: Yeah, I
mean I would like you to come with me, but I would respect your decision to
stay.
I believe a good amount of gibberish and stuttering came from my mouth, but I was able to say, "Of course I want to go!"
Because of
course I want to follow my husband, but also...who wouldn't want a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in another country? Best part is
we'll be fully sponsored (with pay-you-back-later-with-a-ton-of-interest
money) from the US government. The $400,000 price tag is especially
daunting and anxiety inducing, but we have to think of it as "an
investment in our future".
I also like to
think of it as a show of true love, just me and him in a foreign land. We've been
to together for 9 years, 5 months, and 24 days. We've been married for 8 months
and 22 days. And now I can add 4,321 miles to that, following him across
the world.