Statement about Rebecca & Jamie's Relationship

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3.1 We first met when Jamie was living and working on the Gold Coast in Australia January 2015. We became close friends for 6 months, before Rebecca went travelling and Jamie decided to move back to London, UK.

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3.2 However, our relationship properly began a few years later in 2018. Rebecca was studying overseas as part of her Undergraduate Degree in Utrecht, Netherland, whilst Jamie was working in Birmingham and London, UK. We got in contact again in September 2018 and began travelling to see each other between the Netherlands and the UK often between October 2018 – January 2019. Between us we took 8 different trips between the countries in this time, as well as a joint trip to Poland, and Rebecca staying with Jamie’s family in December and January 2018/2019. We have been in a committed relationship since December 2018.

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In January 2019, Rebecca finished her undergraduate degree and moved back to Byron Bay, NSW. At this point we decided to commit to a long-distance relationship, with the eventual goal to be living in London together, or back on the Gold Coast (depending on Jamie’s work). From January 2019, Jamie flew to Australia from London to see Rebecca during April – May 2019. Jamie was living with Rebecca and her family in Byron Bay, NSW. During this trip we both spent time on the Gold Coast, QLD with Rebecca’s friendship group, but also with Jamie’s friends from when he lived in Australia. It has always been important to Rebecca, that Jamie integrate well with her family and friends and become a deep part of her Australian life, so two spend a month together in Australia, at concerts, dinners, trips with friends, but also living day to day life with Rebecca’s family was a fantastic experience, and more importantly a great checkpoint for our growing relationship together.

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Our next trip together was in October 2019. Rebecca flew from Australia, and Jamie flew from the UK, to Japan. We spent 3 weeks travelling around Japan. We financed the trip together and organised all the trips, flights, trains, accommodation, and events together. After this trip, we organised our next trip quickly. We met again in Indonesia in late January and early February 2020, to spend over two weeks travelling around the country. Again, finances, flights, accommodation were organised together. During this trip we discussed and began planning the next time we would see each other – we never wanted to go more than 3 to 4 months without seeing each for an extended period during our long-distance relationship.

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3.3 We had began booking flights and events for Rebecca to visit Jamie in London and live with him from June 2020. We had booked tickets for events in the Netherlands, Rebecca was organising flights for us both to see her extended family in Sweden, as well itineraries for trips and events to be taken in the UK, in a Google Doc. Due to COVID-19, this time together did not materialise. Everything we had planned for the future, has been set back and by the time we hope to be back together in January 2021 it will be over 11 months since we last saw each other. The only silver lining to this time apart, is that we have accelerated our desire to be co-habituating permanently.

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3.4 The opportunity for Rebecca to continue her Master’s education in London and work, and to be living with Jamie whilst he works in London is not only exciting but necessary to our ongoing relationship. We are desperate to take this next step together, as we work towards our eventual goal of living back in Australia together within the next 2-3 years.

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During our time apart, we have spent everyday working on ourselves and our relationship together. We talk everyday either by messenger, phone call, or video calls. Our lives are fully entwined even though we live 9 to 11 time zones apart and we make the effort consistently to make time, send gifts, communicate, and bridge the gap between us anyway we can.

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We both have sent endless letters, gifts, packages, and small items to stay connected. Often, these surprises must include wider family to keep gifts for birthdays and Christmas safe until they are ready for us to open.

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It is important to mention how difficult a situation we have been balancing: this is due mainly because Rebecca has been in the process of completing her Undergraduate Degree and her Master’s Degree in Australia; whilst Jamie has been working full time in the UK. This has given us limited opportunity to find space to make consolidated trips to each other’s home country. Instead, from a financial and creating time point of view (and because we both love travelling) have made the effort to spend our time together when we can in new countries. This has again helped us get to know each other at depth, spending all our time exploring and learning from, and about each other, during these trips.

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It is no understatement how difficult long distance is, both emotionally as a couple, but also individually. We have learnt to co-operate through difficult distant phases and become efficient at planning and working together future trips and long-term goals together. Long distance has forced us to evaluate our lives carefully and work hard to be there for one another. It is clear that our relationship is going from strength to strength and now we are both ready to take this compassion, love and care that we share from a distance to everyday shared lives, living together in the UK from January 2021 onwards.