Most of you know the story…

All of you who know Giovanni, know that he is not the most extroverted type at first. All of you who know me, know that I love every opportunity to dance Latin music. The exact details of how we ended up dancing together are …well… fuzzy. What is important is that we had a great time, as some of you might probably still recall.

We met in 2019, at the wedding of two dear friends of ours. I was a guest of the bride; Giovanni, a guest of the groom. The magic happened on the dance floor, at some point after 11PM

What some of you might not know, is that both of us were completely, not in the mood for a relationship. I debated for days whether to reach out to him (He had given me his contact card before we were -rudely!- interrupted by a grumpy DJ around 3am) and when I did, I had no expectations other than perhaps having one more date, because why not?

Little did I know, that when I reached out to Giovanni, he had also set his mind on meeting with me to politely tell me that he was busy with life and did not have time to pursue a relationship. We both believe in the importance of -not- using messaging apps for important things, so we agreed on a second -first?- proper date.

We met in Bochum Central Station and went to Three Sixty for a beer at 5pm. I had planned to be home by 6:30. We said goodbye around 10pm at the bottom of platform 8. I was left utterly baffled. We had had a wonderful chat for over 4 hours. I really liked him. He was funny, insightful and full of interests I happened to share. However, I still did not want a relationship. Mainly because my visa was about to expire and I did not know if I had a future in Germany.

In the end, and with the subtle help of some magic (and some conversations in front of a museum in Spain) we will be forever grateful for, we decided to continue seeing each other. We dated for 4 months and then we got together, just as COVID hit. After 4 years he proposed atop a volcano in Iceland in freezing November, under the northern lights. I said yes.

We have gone through many changes, including moving in together, a PhD and changing countries. We have faced challenges and enjoyed many joyful moments. We have traveled, cooked together, hiked and made many, many lists (we love lists). We have grown as people and as a couple.

Although before we met we were happy as individuals, and never sought to find a person to complete us, we have become happier and we have enriched each other’s lives.

We are blessed and excited about the rest of our lives together.