My husband is a permanent resident now and unfortunately most of his friends have gone back to Korea. He still knows plenty of people here and we have friends but it’s hard knowing that really good friends will all leave at some point.

A few weeks ago we were at the park and we saw a bunch of Koreans having a barbeque. We knew they were working holiday visa or student visa Koreans just enjoying their time in Australia. My husband hasn’t had that type of relaxed hanging out for a long time.

I told him he could go introduce himself and maybe they’ll invite him to join them but he couldn’t do it (Koreans have a lot of trouble introducing themselves randomly to other Koreans). So instead he stood some distance away and looked over longingly at the fun time they were having. I felt really bad for him. They didn’t notice him.

While getting permanent residency comes with many benefits, there are some aspects that are a bit sad, like friends always leaving. The other problem is my husband’s work hours means he only has a few evenings a week off, so it can be hard to see friends when he wants to.

He doesn’t complain much about it but it does make me sad sometimes that there are so many friends he can’t see for a long time because of his choice to be in Australia with me.