A Caribbean Immigrant’s Love Story

Where do I start?

Well, let’s start here. To say that I am proud of my Caribbean heritage is an understatement but that fact, coupled with being an immigrant, was nothing short of an adventure when it came to my love life.

I moved to the USA in 2006 with my family. It was exciting and scary at the same time. I left familiar surroundings to enter and build a life in a new culture, thinking the move was simply for educational purposes but little did I know.

At the beginning of my senior year in college, I was asked as a Resident Assistant (RA) to help with the freshman orientation, and without much complaint my co-RAs and I did so. We sat through all the workshops and meetings, and helped organize the activities. On the last day, we participated in a game of Capture the Flag. I don’t quite remember how we split up teams but I do know I thought the idea of even playing this game was silly. However, while playing the game, I met him.

Who’s him? Well he’s now my fiancé.

Now, pause. This is weird, right? Lol. But believe me, it gets stranger.

I know most people share how romantic it was when they met the love of their life but that is not my story. In fact, when I met my bae, he was so annoying and cocky that I wrote him off as some young immature freshman who needed to get a grip. Harsh but true. Those were my initial thoughts. But my goodness did he surprise me!

Over the next three months, Nate (that’s his name), made it a point to patiently pursue me. He went to the art museum with me, he got to know me, he introduced me to his family and he let everyone know that he wanted to be with me. During that time, I also learned that he was older than me, which totally dispelled my immature freshman perception. Then there were other things such as his love of diversity, his love of God and his giving heart that steadily grew my respect for him.

At the end of three months, Nate approached me in the college cafeteria, while I was in line to get a burger, and he asked me out in front of everyone. After I said yes, we sealed it with a kiss and then his friends began clapping wildly, bringing more attention to us than my introverted persona cared for at the moment.

Now, over 3 years later, Nate and I have built an unbreakable bond forged by trust, disappointments, unconditional love, and immigration setbacks. Now, he has become my biggest supporter and the man who always encourages me to pursue my dreams. He has become my best friend and the man who doesn’t allow me to give up in those secret moments when I get frustrated and want to throw in the towel. He is still the guy that I roll my eyes at whenever he teases me but he is also the guy that always makes me smile and tells me he loves me every single day.

On January 2, 2016, he asked me to marry him and I wholeheartedly said ‘Yes’ again. And if there’s anything that our love adventure has taught me, it’s this:

You can write your own love story because love defies race, mistakes and skin color. Love conquers all.

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