So life decided to pitch a curve ball at the both of us.
We met in November in Egypt, I said goodbye to my SO in December of last year for her to start a year long assignment with an NGO in Sudan (she is a doctor)... we met in Istanbul, Dubai, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and latest Ethiopia about every 6 to 8 weeks and we were really looking forward to start living together in Italy when she returns from her job in Sudan.
So this last weekend we met in Ethiopia (just a 2 hour flight for her from Khartoum), and just before we would fly she told me that she was late with her period. We didn't worry about it because living in a country with a very harsh climate (typically 40-45° celcius) and strange food tended to throw off her period in any case.
While hiking in Ethiopia we talked about it and decided to be sure and get a pregnancy test when we were back in a bigger city, because getting this in Sudan (Sharia country) as a non married girl is nigh on impossible and maybe even dangerous.
So we try a test (or 4) and all off them are positive, we went to a private clinic to make sure that she (we) are really pregnant and it's the case.
You can imagine that this caused a real mix of emotions. From shear terror and angst to total euphoria and happiness. This was not something that we were planning for... we are two grown adults, not totally unintelligent, and we took the necessary precautions... but still it happened. So here we are... Never having lived together (although we were going to close the distance end of October), not having planned for a baby (but we did discuss that we would like to have children after a while)...
Saying goodbye to her this Monday while I flew back to Europe and she to Sudan was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever done. She's now in Sudan and has informed the NGO, her colleagues her former work in Italy and friends and family that she'll come back to Italy urgently and that she's pregnant.
Luckily both her bosses (NGO and the one from her work in a hospital in Italy) are both women and reacted very well to this sudden change. All of our colleagues are really happy for her as well and I'm super glad that this happened and she's getting a lot of support, because I know that next to me feeling happy she needed as well to get some good vibes and responses from other people she trusts. I've been on video calls already with her colleagues and her boss (and obviously her as well) and I'm very very happy that her surroundings are happy, reasonably comfortable and she's getting the support she needs even though I'm not with her yet.
And I'm checking on my side how to manage with work (if I can keep this line of work while living in Italy), and then we'll improvise... living in Italy, living in Belgium, where to get the baby... I thank the skies in any case that we are both Europeans and don't need to worry about visa's, etc.
So here goes... a new adventure starts, really looking forward to it because I love her with all my heart, but of course I'm also worried and a bit scared.
Cheers
B
We met in November in Egypt, I said goodbye to my SO in December of last year for her to start a year long assignment with an NGO in Sudan (she is a doctor)... we met in Istanbul, Dubai, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and latest Ethiopia about every 6 to 8 weeks and we were really looking forward to start living together in Italy when she returns from her job in Sudan.
So this last weekend we met in Ethiopia (just a 2 hour flight for her from Khartoum), and just before we would fly she told me that she was late with her period. We didn't worry about it because living in a country with a very harsh climate (typically 40-45° celcius) and strange food tended to throw off her period in any case.
While hiking in Ethiopia we talked about it and decided to be sure and get a pregnancy test when we were back in a bigger city, because getting this in Sudan (Sharia country) as a non married girl is nigh on impossible and maybe even dangerous.
So we try a test (or 4) and all off them are positive, we went to a private clinic to make sure that she (we) are really pregnant and it's the case.
You can imagine that this caused a real mix of emotions. From shear terror and angst to total euphoria and happiness. This was not something that we were planning for... we are two grown adults, not totally unintelligent, and we took the necessary precautions... but still it happened. So here we are... Never having lived together (although we were going to close the distance end of October), not having planned for a baby (but we did discuss that we would like to have children after a while)...
Saying goodbye to her this Monday while I flew back to Europe and she to Sudan was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever done. She's now in Sudan and has informed the NGO, her colleagues her former work in Italy and friends and family that she'll come back to Italy urgently and that she's pregnant.
Luckily both her bosses (NGO and the one from her work in a hospital in Italy) are both women and reacted very well to this sudden change. All of our colleagues are really happy for her as well and I'm super glad that this happened and she's getting a lot of support, because I know that next to me feeling happy she needed as well to get some good vibes and responses from other people she trusts. I've been on video calls already with her colleagues and her boss (and obviously her as well) and I'm very very happy that her surroundings are happy, reasonably comfortable and she's getting the support she needs even though I'm not with her yet.
And I'm checking on my side how to manage with work (if I can keep this line of work while living in Italy), and then we'll improvise... living in Italy, living in Belgium, where to get the baby... I thank the skies in any case that we are both Europeans and don't need to worry about visa's, etc.
So here goes... a new adventure starts, really looking forward to it because I love her with all my heart, but of course I'm also worried and a bit scared.
Cheers
B
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