K1 journey (Jornada K1)
Autor: [TK] | Publicado: 2016-06-18T09:46:00-07:00


In
the year of 2012 I had the worst birthday ever. I cried the whole
night, maybe because of the two bottles of Brazilian type of sangria
or because I was really lonely. However, just a couple days after
this I met one of the most important persons in my life, Alan, my
husband and the one who changed my life forever.

All
the changes started when we met at a karate class in Brazil. I tried
to talk with him, but I did not know that he was an exchange student,
so I was a little embarrassed when he said in broken Portuguese that
he could not understand me. Anyway, it was the perfect excuse to add
him on Facebook. We started chatting there on a mix of Portuguese and
English, and it worked. In less than a month we began to date. It was
very intense. I even moved to his student apartment. After three
months he had to go back to the U.S., and we could not stand the idea
to be apart, so we decided to be together. With the result of that we
learned about a k1 visa, the fiancé visa and all started to be
complicated.

Basically,
the
fiancé visa is a painful waiting process. There are five steps to
follow: pack and send documents, wait for the approval, be
interviewed, pass through immigration, and get married. The most
problematic part is the bureaucracy. Stamps and approvals require
time and patience. It is not just your process there; it is the whole
world waiting on a list. Some cases last three months and others two
years, so when we started the process, I was panicking that mine was
one of the worst cases possible and my anxiety went up to a whole new
level.

The
first one, packing, was easy. We just needed to prove our
relationship with pictures, letters, and documents and send them to
the U.S. government. We took advantage of our cyber relationship and
sent them all our Facebook timeline, with the pictures,
conversations, and events that we attended together. We also needed
to send a letter explaining how we met. I never saw this letter, but
I think Alan did a good job because in some cases people need to
resend everything just because the government doesn’t believe in
the story of the couple. At least everything was accepted really fast
in our case.

The
second one is the worst one, because waiting can be really cruel and
wearing.
At this moment I was apart from Alan at least ten months; the k1
process is expensive, so we waited to open the process until he had a
good enough job. A long distance relationship creates a strong
connection between partners, and we couldn’t wait to live that
connection face-to-face. My emotions in that moment were completely
shattered, and it looked like the wait was never ending. The distance
really did not help. It is a crazy trial for a relationship.
Regardless,
four
months, that looked like years, passed and we finally received the
approval.

In
Brazil, children don't move from parents’ homes as soon as they
make 18 years old. As an example, my mom never moved and we lived in
my grandma’s house until I got married. Brazilians are very family
oriented people in general. As a result of that, when I traveled by
myself to Rio de Janeiro for the next step, because of the interview
and medical exams that were required, I was scared and a little lost.
But also I was feeling independent and walking on my own for the
first time in my life. I was freaking out, sweating, and also passing
out a couple times inside the office because of stress. If I knew
that everything was going to be fine, I would relax a little. I did
not have the knowledge of any other case and did not have a way to
know that the interview is just protocol and you basically are
already approved in that step. However, when I was approved, I just
couldn’t believe how easy the interview was.

In
the next step, I was completely exhausted, my mental health was
committed, and I had to stop my classes at college, because of the
pressure and stress. The k1 visa makes you get married in 90 days
after you enter in the U.S., so while I was in Brazil I was afraid
about everything, like if my relationship was strong enough, if I
would get used to the new culture, or if I would miss my family. Even
though Alan was very supportive, he was 4,916.51 miles from me. I
lost count of how many times I cried. Anyhow, I made it. Arriving
in the United States, I
passed through immigration knowing all I had to do to be there and
all the work it was. I knew the next step was my reward, getting
married.

After
all, our wedding was really simple, but it was an achievement of a
dream of mine. It was in Las Vegas, and since I was a little girl, I
wanted my wedding to be there. We united his family and a couple of
friend in a van and went on a road trip. My parents and grandma flew
from Brazil to there.
I was so nervous and it wasn’t because of the ceremony, it was
because that moment represented my life without my parents. They were
so present in all moments of my life that these thoughts made me have
a nervous breakdown and also fight with my husband-to-be in the night
before the wedding. The wedding was almost over, but my wise Alan
took me by the hand and said that he was going to be with me no
matter what. The ceremony was simple, but perfect. It
was broadcast
live on the Internet, so all my family and friends in Brazil could
see it. It was fun and different, to sum up, it was Vegas.

For
the most part when I look back, I feel that I would do everything
again. The process wasn’t easy, but in compensation I learned a lot
of patience, worked a lot on my anxiety, and grew up ten years in 16
months. I had to work on my emotions and inner peace, so I could be
with my partner. The result of that is in the next month we are
completing two years of being crazy together.

Post feito para uma aula de composition (: