Hi everyone!
My name's Gav. Pleased to meet ya!
Why 'HopeUK' for a username then? Well, I suppose I consider myself a reasonably well travelled person (Sicily, Canada, Tunisia, various spots around Europe) but have only ever done so with family - never alone. After a mutual breakup with my girlfriend of eight years last September I decided I could either shrink inwards, or push on. I chose the latter, but not having any immediate interest in a new relationship I shunned dating sites as I might, say, shun a rabid dog, and chose a more interesting line of thought - pushing the opportunities of Facebook a little further than normal to meet people from farther afield - the idea being to make friends around the world with whom I could meet up with one day, to give myself a little motivation for self exploration and travel! I have a particular affinity with the East which has been with me for as long as I can remember - my first destination was for various reasons going to be Tokyo. I was so sure of this.. but.. one of my random "hello's" was returned by a lovely graduate nurse from Manila. After a couple of months of email conversation we found a lovely friendship which evolved (okay.. possibly fuelled by her accepting my request to court her, I admit - hang on, I wasn't looking for a relationship..), and in what I still consider to be an outrageous move I have chosen to follow the call of my heart, take a chance and meet up with my newest friend on my first solo holiday to the Philippines this April.
Until I read some of the tales on this site I thought I was doing something quite insane. I take it as a reassuring sign to read about so many of you who have seemingly broken with rationale and taken leave of your senses as well!
I decided to join this forum for a couple of reasons.. To connect with other people who have been in (or are in the middle of) similar situations, and for some moral support in these surreal times, to help me limp towards my adventure and survive this unexpected (and dare I call it?) long distance relationship..
..the wait it seems is killing me!!
