Poo-Poo Platter

Well, it’s over. Mei and I have called it quits. The long-distance thing just wasn’t working out, and there was no end in sight. We both decided it would be best if we stopped waiting and moved on with our lives.

For those not in the know, Mei moved back to Taiwan early last year because of job, visa, and family issues. What was originally going to be a 3-month wait turned into 6 months, then 9, then a year. Neither of us was able to find time and/or money to go see the other one. She had not been able to find a company to sponsor a work visa. And neither one of us was even remotely ready for marriage.

Patience and hope kept us committed to each other over the past year. Focusing on work and personal hobbies helped to pass the time as well. However, after a few discussions over the past few weeks, we realized that the situation didn’t look to be improving anytime soon. I had recently dropped a huge chunk of change on taxes and really couldn’t afford to spend a couple thousand dollars in one lump sum to travel overseas for an extended period of time. She just started a new job and wouldn’t be able to take any vacation time to come visit. Considering all of our constraints, it would’ve been at least another 6-8 months before either us would be able to see each other.

Even if we were able to meet up somewhere, there would still be the inevitable separation again. I don’t think either of us could deal with another long-term wait until the next uncertain visit. We’d just be back in limbo going about our own lives on two different continents. Breaking things off was the best thing for both of us.

Mei and I are still friends and plan to remain that way. The breakup was a mutual decision, so there’s no bad blood or blame anywhere. It still sucks, but it’s definitely best that we move on. Such is life.