Everything starts in Austin, Texas, USA.
Bee Ean and Fabien participated in the Aiesec exchange program in Austin, Texas, USA. Bee Ean worked as a financial analyst with Motorola while Fabien worked as a Software Development intern in Trilogy Inc.
One day, Bee Ean sent out an email to some Aiesec trainees to invite those who are interested in playing badminton. Fabien and several interns signed up for this activity. Bee Ean was surprised that Fabien was actually quite good at this sport, as she thought that only Asians are keen on badminton. The friendship between them grew stronger through the badminton sessions and Aiesec outings.
The relationship was not smooth because there was a big obstacle in front of them: both of them would finish their internship soon and where should they go after? A miracle came, Fabien was offered a position by Trilogy, which came as a surprise because the company was laying off quite a lot of people at that time and hadn't been hiring new employees.
While Fabien was going to have a nice career with Trilogy, Bee Ean couldn't resist the temptation of taking up the job offer by Motorola back to her beloved country Malaysia and to be with her family. After serious consideration, she decided to take up the job and leave behind all the uncertainties with this relationship.
Fabien was heart broken with this decision. He persuaded her with his love, which she was deeply touched by and agreed to stay on with him. Before they started their new life, they traveled to Malaysia and France, where they discovered the country of their loved one.
In September 2002, they were back in Austin, Texas. Under Fabien's support, Bee Ean took a MBA course in San Marcos, Texas. They enjoyed their life in US, and have traveled around the country. Their relationship grew stronger.
In 2003, Fabien's grandmothers and Bee Ean's aunt came to visit them and using their two weeks discovering around US. In 2004, Bee Ean's mother and aunt came to attend her graduation. They traveled to some cities in US. These opportunities let their family members to know about their life in US better.
In 2005, they decided that they should move on. While Fabien was so keen to go back to his own country, Bee Ean was once again putting through many struggles and doubts, as her biggest challenge was to start from scratch, by learning French and being able to find a job in France. She was hesitated so much, but with help from many people, including the members in two Malaysian forums:mybuddies.net and comeherelah , she took up the challenges.
The transiting process from Austin to France was not as smoothed as they can imagine. The job hunting process was quite tough even for Fabien. However, they were given many valuable supports, especially from Fabien's family. They treat Bee Ean like their own daughter and try to make her at home.
The first few months in France were very tough for Bee Ean. She felt useless and had completely lost her self-esteem and confidence. Luckily, she made lots of friends and has since created her own social circle. She and Fabien hosted a lot of gatherings in their cozy apartment. She starts to appreciate what this beautiful country can offer her.
Reference: Text written by Bee Ean. All photos on this page (except the Texas map) are from our personal collection. Please do not use them elsewhere without our consent.