I’m not going to lie. Life without you would probably be easier.

We discovered quickly that loving someone with a different passport is far from a walk in the park.

Without you, I’d be financially better off—not having to spend thousands of dollars each year jumping across the Atlantic to see both of our families or spending money on visas. Let’s not even think about wedding planning.

Without you, I’d let my job carry me across the world without a second thought.

Without you, I wouldn’t have had to fuss with learning to drive in this damn country.

But.

Without you, I wouldn’t get to laugh at the terrible puns you make every day.

I wouldn’t be motivated to go rock climbing—the sport we always do together.

I wouldn’t feel as supported and loved.

I wouldn’t have a reason to stay in this beautiful place where I’ve grown so much as a scholar and a human.

Life with you is hard, but life without you would be so much harder.