Luisa and I met for the first time during the blisteringly cold and particularly dark winter in Edinburgh where we were both pursuing our master's degrees. We were blessed by having the greatest time of our life curtailed by Covid-19 restrictions, a tale everyone can tell. Nonetheless, the few people of my degree that managed to make it to Edinburgh included a couple of mates that would end up becoming very good and trusted friends. Every other week, we decided to meet up despite restrictions to wine and dine and have thoughtful conversations. It turned out that we were not the only people doing that. And thanks to the fact that outside of Mexico, every Mexican knows every single other Mexican in his town and is connected via numerous group chats and social media channels, a girl from Mexicali got hold of our plans and asked my fellow Mexican friend Abraham whether we would be happy to accommodate three more female visitors.

We hesitated, to be honest, after all, what is there better than a night with the gentleman indulging in the consumption of fermented hop juice (preferably from Glasgow or Leuwen) over a roast and uncensored conservations?

Thank goodness, we got a push from Abraham to invite the girls. Shortly after, 3 girls came over, one of which caught my immediate attention. Mexican, 1.50m tall (short?), and a mouth bigger than Donald J Trump. Instead of enjoying the party, my focus shifted to her and for the rest of the night I talked to nobody else. Topics ranged from geopolitics to culture, and I was impressed by her knowledge, the fact that she knew what she wanted in life, and that she was not shy of defending her point of view. Having triggered my interest, I was surprised when, seemingly out of the blue, Luisa had to leave. All I was able to do was ask for her phone number, which I got denied.

In the following days, the usual followed when meeting new friends in a foreign and otherwise locked-down city: a group chat was created. Nonetheless, I did not text her directly. Over time however, the group came together more often, most memorably at the snow-covered Arthur’s Seat. The day was just as fun, and she was just as intriguing as the first time we met. Eventually we did start texting each other and went for long walks, cooked together, celebrated legendary parties with the Mexican Crew (surprisingly many people can do a split), and enjoyed more outdoor activities with our friends as restrictions eased up.

As uncertainty about our future loomed towards the end of our degree when spring and summer turned Edinburgh into a lively and vibrant city, we focused on being here, now as we literally did not know what life would hold for us, good and bad.

The uncertainty would eventually reside after our relationship-defining trip to Portugal that put us firmly together, and the fact that we would both be starting (or resetting) our professional careers in London. Since then, we made awesome experiences including trips to the Netherlands, France, Croatia, Greece, USA, and most importantly Mexico and Germany.

We got engaged on the 27th of July 2024 on a beautiful day close to Windsor Castle.

Nearly 5 years after Luisa and I met, I am delighted to welcome you to Mexico to celebrate that I am taking Luisa as my wonderful wife.