Gaelyne's Home Suite Home

Created 29 April 1996

After spending a year with Rod (from April '95- April '96), I had to leave Australia so that I could begin the process of immigration. If I hadn't been married already, we might have been able to go about things a little different, but life has some funny quirks to it. I think the day I left had to have been one of the hardest in my life. I don't think anything could have prepared me for the shock of leaving Rod and coming back to the US. It was a difficult time for me. Emotionally, I was kinda on a holding pattern. Physically, I was exhausted.

On my journey to the US, I had an overnight stopover in Japan. I enjoyed it very much, but was still in a daze. Leaving Rod and getting on the plane that day was the hardest thing I've ever done. The man isn't perfect, but he's my best friend, my closest advisor and my soulmate. I felt at such a loss not to have him next to me to share things with. We had (and still have) things for which to be grateful for... and one of them is that the Internet exists and we could communicate with each other daily, either through Email or chatting with each other online. Still, it can never replace being able to share moments, whispers, hugs and kisses. I enjoyed our silences as much as our discussions.

About the only thing that really kept me going is setting up a new Internet account in the states so Rod and I could share mail and so I have both the Australian and CBM echoes to read and participate in. I kept busy (or at least out of trouble) by working on Web pages and The Internet For Commodore Users book.

Taking care of this site from remote was an educational experience in itself, one that I know benefited the book a great deal.

To say I was homesick is an understatement.

In trying to re-write the lyrics to the Australian National Anthem (Advance Australia Fair), Frank Malcolm of AVTECH fame came up with this little dittie, which aside from the references to other computer platforms, I am quite impressed with. It seems appropriate to add it to this page:

And in 2004, Roy McNeill added a new verse:

At the end of August '96, I received a parcel from Rod with all the information and documents he needed to send me for my Visa application so I could go home and spend my life with him. The process of applying for a Visa was expected to take 3-4 months. Meanwhile, the way applications were being processed was undergoing major changes and I know I got a bit panicky about them. One of the key items was that Rod, who is originally from Hastings, England would have to become an Australian citizen. Luckily, due to the news about immigration changes, Rod had already applied for citizenship, because in late September I received a call from the Immigration office, and Rod had just 3 days in which to get his citizenship - else my application would take longer (and of course cost more) to process. Amazingly, he was able to get this dealt with on September 30th, and after he faxed a copy of his certificate to the Immigration office, they officially opened my application. Had it been ONE day later, there were an assortment of new rules and fees we would have had to deal with. PHEW!

I was told the application process could take up to 3 months, which would have been 28 December. We really had our fingers crossed that I'd be home by Christmas, and once again luck was on our side....

On 15 November, I received a call from the Australian Embassy to tell me that my Permanent Resident Visa had been issued. We were ecstatic that it took only 46 days from the time the application was opened instead of the expected 3 months or more.

I left Saginaw at 7:15am on Tuesday, 10 December '96 to travel first to Atlanta, Georgia. I spent the next 23 hours visiting with and saying goodbye to my sister Pam, and brother Steve, and their families. It sure didn't seem like very long at all.

Pam took me to the airport on the 11th December, and that was almost as hard as it was when I had to leave Rod... worse in some ways because I had assumed that she would be able to be with me after I'd checked my ticket - I turned around and a Japanese customs lady was telling her she could go no further. I went to give Pam a hug, and the customs lady literally threw herself between us! It was like that invisible line had been crossed and I'd already left - even though I could still see and hear Pam. We both had tears - that sure isn't the kind of goodbye I'd of wished for. I boarded a Japan Airline plane headed for Narita, Japan, where I would board a flight for Sydney after a short layover. I arrived home on 13 December, at 12:20pm after logging something close to 24-25 hours in the air.

How can I express the happiness and joy I felt when Rod and I were finally reunited? I can't... nor can I ever convey the deep feelings I have knowing that it will be a long time before I will ever see people in the states that I care very deeply for. I will miss my children, their father, my father, and all of my brothers and sisters. No one could ever "replace" them in my life (nor can anyone ever "replace" Rod).

I am grateful that with the new methods of communication such as Email, I will be able to continue to be a part of my family's lives, and they will have me in theirs... It may not be the same as being there in person, but at least we still have links to each other. Just 20 years ago, this would have been impossible. Who knows what the future will bring?

I truly believe my place in life is along side Rod, and as jubilant as I am knowing we will be together for the rest of our lives, I am very mindful that there is a "cost," and that there are many who will miss me. It is bittersweet, and I can only acknowledge their feelings, and do my best to continue to be a part of their lives, if only from a distance.

With love to my families in USA, Australia and Denmark,

PS: I became an Aussie citizen on Australia Day (26 January, 1999)
The pictures from the day are in the Gallery.