Summer 2023 felt like a fresh start. I wanted to get out, discover new things, leave everyday life behind, step out of my comfort zone, and meet new people. It was my first truly long trip outside Europe. Fynn is always on the road doing workations, something I had never done. Robin travels a lot too. I know both from work; we spent several years together there, and with Fynn and Robin I knew it was going to be a great time. I was single, curious, and ready for fun, lighthearted moments. Why not? When I saw her for the first time on July 19, 2023, my first thought was simply: “Wow.” What a presence. Beautiful eyes, outgoing and always has a witty remark ready. I said to Fynn, “Yeah, well, regarding the question about the room, I'd be very happy to share a room with her.” There were eight of us in the villa. During the day we were mostly out with the group, and I quickly noticed that the vibe between us was right. At night we lay awake for hours and talked late into the night: family, past, relationships, work, life plans, values, dreams. Time flew, and very quickly I felt that she is a genuinely good, warm person and that I want to take care of her. The moment it became more than just a vacation acquaintance came on our first day together in Tangalle. An iced coffee at a café, the whole day just the two of us, lots of conversation and closeness. Of course I found her super attractive, but it was more than that. Intelligent, funny, the same sense of humor. We experienced a lot, it was never boring, no one was annoyed. Everything felt light and effortless. I thought: wow, this could be my soulmate. Saying goodbye to Sri Lanka was hard. The place, the people, and above all, her. At the same time, I was grateful for the time and excited to see how things would continue in Germany. Normal weather instead of the beach, no cooking team, back to work. We wanted to keep dating intentionally and see how it would be in normal everyday life. The Contact After Back in Germany everything was surprisingly easy. We texted every day and called every evening, usually FaceTime before falling asleep. It quickly became our small and very sweet routine that I looked forward to every day. I wanted to see her in person again as soon as possible. Growing Together Our first real dinner date was at Gigi in Munich. We dressed up, the Italian food was fantastic, and our conversations had depth and looked to the future instead of small talk. During that visit we also spent time in the English Garden and spent a whole day on Lake Starnberg. She had rented the boat. Just the two of us on the water — it was beautiful and romantic, and by then my feelings were already very strong. Since then we have experienced a lot together and have already been to almost fifteen countries, including Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris, and Bulgaria. I spent several weeks in Munich over a period of more than a year. Daria was in Bielefeld for longer periods of time every now and then. However, Daria was in Bielefeld more often, as it wasn't always possible to be in Munich frequently due to soccer. The first time she met my parents was at the sports field in Jöllenbeck. Not ideally planned by me; a different setting would have been better, but it somehow fits me. We said “I love you” for the first time after my family visited us in Bielefeld — my mom, dad, and grandma were there. That was about two months after Sri Lanka. On October 13, 2023, I officially asked her if we should be together. I had wanted to ask earlier, but the right moment mattered to me. That day everything fit: beautiful weather, pizza — her favorite alongside sushi — and a ladybug, a symbol that appears in important moments of her life. The Proposal in Mexico I had prepared the proposal for May 25, 2025, well, and I was very nervous two to three days beforehand. During the photo shoot and on the way to the beach, I secretly wiped away tears of joy and practiced on my phone how to say “Will you marry me?” in Russian. When I went down on one knee, the sentence was gone. I still said everything I wanted to say, just not in Russian. And to be honest, I think that today we both remember the feeling between us more than every single word. I certainly do.