They found Love in D.R.

My guest Nathan Ponce tells us how he found love, unexpectedly, whilst performing humanitarian work in Dominican Republic. For those romantic ones amongst us, this will be a truly enjoyable episode. I was there myself and met Nathan whilst him romance unfolded in front of my eyes. Nathan is from San Diego, California, USA, and met Kathy from Vienna, Austria. They are now married and living together in San Diego, California, USA.

Episode Highlights:

• [01:55] - Beautiful love story, 2015, long trip and humanitarian work with Haitian Creole population.
• [03:14] - Dominican Republic & Haiti on island called Hispaniola.
• [04:27] - Favourite things about D.R., way of life, pura vida (pure life), beach, food, drink, laid back atmosphere
• [05:32] - Monday afternoon and mojitos on the beach!
• [07:20] - Wanted her on his volleyball team, she is 6"0, and he is 5"5.
• [09:05] - Dominican spanish vs. spanish from Mexico / Ecuador
• [10:27] - Favourite foods, caribbean foods with a dominican spin. Grilled chicken dishes with staple beans, and plantain. Drinks made of island fruits.
• [12:33] - Dancing, Bachata, Sala, Merengue. Logistics of 5"5 vs 6"0, logistical differences.
• [14:55] - Dancing popular in San Diego, but the demographics mean the focus is different at times, dancing styles in tropical dance not as popular.
• [16:10] - In New York, didn't shy away from any opportunity, if he saw a tall girl, he'd ask her to dance. He learnt some moves specific to tall girls.
• [20:14] - Met and quickly became good friends, best friends, but how long did it take to know this was special and going somewhere?
• [22:29] - All he ever wanted, not that he was specifically looking for a 6"0 Austrian girl.
• [23:50] - Cultural differences : Boy from San Diego meets girl from Vienna Austria in D.R. Three cultures are at play.
• [27:09] - Get to know each other without side influences, distractions from back home.
• [29:53] - Trip wasn't going to last forever, how did that dawn on you?
• [31:15] - 3 months in, Kathy says she has a guy friend from her hometown coming to the D.R., led to the start of a series of conversation and events.
• [34:48] - "I went in, I kissed her"
• [35:30] - Sometimes a third party can clarify an existing friendship into what's going on.
• [36:10] - She jumped back a bit, but how did Nathan react? He kissed her again.
• [39:20] - Last few weeks together on the island, speaks us through his emotions.
• [42:35] - When dust settled, Kathy back in Vienna, Nathan in San Diego, how were you both coping? Long distance dating is difficult. Time difference complicates things further.
• [44:43] - Meeting her family for the first time. How did they react?
• [47:33] - The height difference, people notice at first but not anymore.
• [49:25] - Plans for engagement.
• [56:44] - Nail salon, polaroid pictures, very romantic.
• [57:16] - Wedding in Vienna, how were the logistics of that organised, since his family and friends live in California, many thousands of miles away.
• [01:01:04] - Visa requirements when she came to live in USA.
• [01:05:10] - Cost of Visa, circa. $3,700.00 U.S., no lawyer needed necessarily.
• [01:08:08] - Now married for 3 1/2 years, how has Kathy settled into San Diego? Everyone loves San Diego! But it is expensive.
• [01:11:02] - Speaks to the audience, compares Los Angeles (LA) to San Diego. San Diego has it all!
• [01:13:35] - No current plans to return as a couple to D.R., before Nathan left he experienced an incident on the island. Despite this, D.R. remains one of his favourite places.

All in all, a beautiful love story of two travellers meeting, falling in love and getting married.

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