When Lara Burger (24) completed her matric in 2016, she opted to go on an adventure to au pair in America for a year before she made final future plans. She never planned on becoming a US citizen, but love has got a way of changing lives forever. Lara shared her story with Saffa Mag from Minneapolis, Minnesota where she now lives.
“At the end of Grade 11 I knew that I didn’t want to go to university right away and my mom gave me the idea to apply to become an au pair. My grandma who has previously visited the States supported the idea but wanted me to do so in the US. “On the 12th of January 2017 my parents, brothers and a few of my closest friends accompanied me to O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg where life, as I knew it, was about to change.
I settled in well with my host-family and a few months later, in May of 2017, I met Jeremy Golden on an online dating application. Swiping right on Jeremy’s profile is one of the best decisions I have ever made!” After her first year, she extended her J1-visa for another year and enjoyed her time with her newly found friends and Jeremy. “I was living my best life!” Saying goodbye to Jeremy and her host family on December 24th, 2018, was emotional.
he couple decided to make their long-distance relationship work and six months later, in June 2019, Jeremy had his first taste of Africa. “I introduced him to my family and friends, and he used the opportunity to ask my parents’ consent to marry me.”
On top of SA’s world famous Table Mountain, Jeremy popped the question and Lara says it was the easiest “yes” ever. Marrying someone in a different country isn’t quite as easy and she started the immigration process with her K1 (fiancée) visa application. “A large part of applying for the K1-visa is proving that you are in a bona fide relationship in the form of pictures, letters from friends and family, text messages, plane tickets or any other evidence to prove your status”.
In December 2019 Jeremy returned and this time joined the family on their “Desember see-vakansie” as Lara describes it. Their visa application was still being reviewed and Lara was waiting for her interview at the US Embassy. They made plans to meet up in France in March 2020 and then Covid hit. Immigration came to a complete standstill and the couple was devastated, disappointed and heartbroken. They managed to spend three weeks in Egypt and upon their return, the good news awaited them. “My interview was only three weeks away!”
At last they were on the verge of closing the gap of 14 417km that lay between them! The interview went as planned and Lara was informed that she could proceed with her visa and immigration plans. For her compulsory 14 days quarantine in a country other than SA, Lara spent time with her aunt in Mozambique.
“I’ve been living in the States for nearly a year now and the homesickness does not go away but it does get easier. It is incredibly difficult to make friends in a new country
At last they were on the verge of closing the gap of 14 417km that lay between them! The interview went as planned and Lara was informed that she could proceed with her visa and immigration plans. For her compulsory 14 days quarantine in a country other than SA, Lara spent time with her aunt in Mozambique. On the 24th of March Lara took off from Maputo Airport with her life packed into two suitcases. Three months later, on the 6th of June the couple had an intimate wedding ceremony. Next, the process of applying for a Green Card started and she is eagerly waiting for the final steps.
Life in the States hasn’t all been smooth sailing. “I’ve been living in the States for nearly a year now and the homesickness does not go away but it does get easier. It is incredibly difficult to make friends in a new country. I joined the Facebook groups: South Africans in the USA and SAWITU (South African Women in the USA & Canada) which constantly reminds you that you are not alone and that your feelings of homesickness and guilt do not make you less of a strong person”.
