Serious Serious Debt
I made friends with a really cool Korean bloke through both work and friends-of-friends. We got on like a house on fire. Well, not like a concrete house, cos they don't burn very well. But I digress.

He wasn't a really close mate, but a friend enough to catch up with every few weeks or so. Then he decides to get married. To a Japanese girl. Who he wants to bring to Australia. (As this is where this story is being writ).

After one or two fateful lagers, he pops the question. To me! Would I please sponsor his future wife to come to Australia in holy matrimony. Of course I said yes, in the wisdom of never having met her, not knowing him uber-well, not knowing what it entailed, and not being really very aware of the infinite un-love in which Koreans and Japanese hold each other. And I was pissed.

--- skip paperwork and 3 months ---

The crux of the above skippage was that for 2 years after she got here I was liable for any costs the Aus govt may incur for her going on welfare, being a murderer, forgetting a library book etc. I'd never met the girl, but was assured she was lovely, and she looked lovely in the photos. And I had to sign legally binding stuff that said I knew her like a sister, even though they were living half a country away.

The potential cost to me? Oh, $200,000+ (invent your own figure, really) which is a shitload of quid/lira/drachmas.

It's the best debt I've ever been in - it's now 4 years on and they had their first kid 5 weeks ago. Beautiful, and I'm responsible.

I still haven't met her.

Maybe a sparkly sparkle in what appears to be an urky gloom of QOTW dread...
(baldie, Fri 24 Nov 2006, 9:40, Reply)