I am sure this has been done before. And actually I know there is a "getting to know you" forum, but I think it would be nice for our little African forum.

Where did you meet your spouse or soon-to-be spouse?


K.


I guess I will start.

I met my sweetheart at the market. I was visiting Gambia (for ~8 days) and went to the market to look for souvenirs. He was there and there was just something so special about him. We talked everyday after our first meeting and went out the night before I was to depart. We kept in touch from there.

K.

Yes, Its been awhile since we had this kind of thread. I met my husband in South Africa. We were both part of University of the Nations/ Youth With a Misison. I was tkaing a Community Deveopment School in my outreach phase, while he was taking the Discipleship Training School. We really didn't like each other at first. But after one 3 hour converstation, we became inseperable. Until, of course, we had to be seperated. Nine months later, he came to the State, 2 months after that we were married. and almost 8 months later here we are. He is the best man and I am blessed to have him in my life. Thanks God first impressions aren't the lasting ones!

Kia

Hey K,
Nice thread going here.
I met by SO while in school in Nigeria in 2000.We met at a get together party orgainized for students and i was one of the hostesses. He said i served him but i wasn't aware and i did not remember but we hit it off anyways.we started dating that year but you know, i had to come back to the states to complete my schooling.Finally decided to get married and went back to nigeria to get engaged last year. THat is how the k1 process started.

I am telling you, it has not been easy being that far away from him and thank god, it is getting closer.My baby arrives next week

Don't remember when my Hubby and I met cos we were babies . Grew up together and I left for here(for school). Came back several years later and we were definitely feeling each other Now we are going through this disaster called immigration. For the newbies- our k3 was denied back in november cos lagos doesn't accept co-sponsors so they want us to wait for out CR-1/I-130 before they can grant the visa. We don't even need a co-sponsor anymore. Lately lagos slowed down so much for CR-1s as before it was taking 2-3 months for getting an interview now its taking 6-7 months So right now we have about a 6 month wait. But i hope to come back and post some good news one day.

S&S

Hello
Ok I will get in on this one I met my baby in djibouti africa i was there working for about a month and she worked in a resturant.
Soon as she walked over to me i knew she was the one for me.
And we spent everday and eveing togeather the whole time i was there .
and as soon as i got to the states i got on a plane 2weeks later and flew to her home of Ethiopia and i stayed there for 2 months with her we got enggaged and i will be going back in june to get married and then i will stay there until we get her visa. i like it there and i dont want to be without my baby. I love ethiopia. and i love my baby the best thing that has happed to me

She is my soul mate . and there is no ocean big enough to keep us apart.

Paul & Wubit

I was introduced to my Nigerian via his brother. Our friendship grew and in December we Married. It has been wonderful and i am excited about my new journey. May GOD continue to Bless all of us. DeNitra Ukpo

I met Seun here in NYC at a Church retreat and he happened to be one of the leaders in Charge of the trip. We got into an interesting conversation that night with a couple of other people. It took me a couple of weeks to realize that he was the one I have been waiting for my whole life.

A few months later he asked me to marry him and today is actually our one year anniversary. It has been an experience, the one thing I must say that I admire about African men, is that they know how to handle responsibilities so well it is unbelievable.

His love for the Lord is what attracted me to him and is still what attracts him. I that man.


All the best.

I am so happy all of you took the time to respond. I know I am just so curious (read nosy), so I hope I was not prying too much. The stories were great and it is nice to know more about you all.

K.

I am glad this post was started. Interesting topic ....

Three years ago my cousin married a gentleman from Cameroon. They met while she was in Grad school at Harvard.

Well ... 2 years after their marriage I flew to MA to attend the 1 year old B-day party of her son. While at the party, the sister of my Fiance arrived (I met her 2 years ago during the wedding festivities of my cousin). She started shouting at the top of her lungs, "it's you! It's you!". I remembered her from the wedding (we had an interesting discussion about being single, and waiting on the Lord for a good man). Anyway, I had no idea why she was so excited to see me. But I went along with the vibrance of the occasion. After she calmed down, she explained to my cousin that I was the one she was telling her about all these years. My cousin said "Oh .. you kept on saying that you wanted your brother to meet my 'sister' she is my cousin not my sister" (by the way all of my cousins sisters are married). Anyway, my Fiance's sister reminded me of our conversation from 2 years prior, and said that she felt that I would be a good person for her brother. Hmmmm ..... I thought .... by no means am I interested in 1) a long distance relationship and 2) someone from a differnt culture. Whew .... I am so glad that God will, not my desire was in control. Because I have come to know one of the best human beings I've ever known. Today he is my husband. A man I laugh with, occasionaly have disagreements with, and most importantly ... the first man ever in my life to say "let's pray together".

Ooooh! I love this topic! Thanks for sharing all

So here's my story: (sorry if it's WAY too long- I just get so excited!)

It was right before my senior year when I thought I'd had it with school and was going to drop out and travel the world. My parents of course thought I was crazy after investing so much time already. So we compromised and I said I would study abroad. Now I've always wanted to go to Africa since I was so, so young for some reason (fate calling maybe?) and although they still thought I was crazy and were scared for me, it was agreed that it was better than quitting all together. Already way late in the game, I started looking at the consortium programs that my school worked with. Few went to Africa, and most of those were South Africa which I'd ruled out. They were all past their deadlines, so I called them up, and there was only one that would take me.. so Ghana it was! I was signed up that day and had my ticket by the week's end. At one point our group spent a week in Tamale, when I was waiting at a chop bar in line and a small boy walked right up to me randomly (no, I was not the only white one in line) and asked me if I liked to dance. Yes I did. So he brought me to the center to a rehearsal to which of course I was not to remain audience. Soon thereafter I had agreed to take lessons for my week in Tamale with Awal. First lesson, that was it, I was in love! That night we spent the whole night walking the city just talking. Then too soon I had to leave with my class. Still having him in mind though, I wanted to go back for my end of term independant study. Unfortunantly, my teachers forbid us going to Tamale without chaperones because there was some political tension a few years ago. So. What could I really do but not listen?! Ha. I decided to go anyways and bought my ticket to leave that night (I am a very impulsive person). I emailed Awal to tell him I was coming and tried to call at every stop along the way, but the phones were down. So, I arrived at four in the morning, with no idea if he even knew I was coming. I got off the bus and started walking. I swear, I had no idea where I was going, I just thought that if I went I would get somewhere..?! A few blocks later, I kid you not, I ran right into Awal walking to meet me! We have the craziest synchronicity between us.. completely meant to be. So I spent my month writing my entire paper as if I was studying in Accra! Then finally I had to go home But I couldn't leave it be! So I immediately wrote up a contract to go back again, but directly through my school. And, I kid you not, I had my tickets that day! (I told you I was impulsive!) Then I had four months more where I got to live with him and his family, work, play, and travel with him. And cheesy as it sounds, I swear I grew even more in love with him every day... So, that's the story of us!!!! And here we are now... awaiting the 'powers that be' to tell us what will become of our new life together..
Thanks for listening! If you've actually made it this far, you don't have enough to do!

I met Yacine on the phone No I didn't just random dial algeria.. LOL.. I've known his brother for 3 years. I taught him a lot of English and I improved my French with him. One day called him out of the blue and guess what, he sold his phone to his brother.. then we hit it off.. and well.. we haven't stopped talking since

mine will be long... I can't seem to every tell the short version.

John saw me for the first time in Nov. 2004. I was in Uganda working for a really corrupt organization and was getting ready to leave them and looking for somewhere else to go.
But, I happened to end up at a football game John saw me and said he knew right away I was the one (nope wasn't the only white there). So he spent the next 3 weeks finding out about me, and praying to God for to make a way for us to meet. And I spent those three week looking for a new organization to volunteer for to get away from the corrupt one. Through a series of event that only God could have planned. I ended up at YWAM volunteering for 2 weeks with a camp they were having. We YWAM was where John was. He spent several days watching me and praying, but felt that God was telling him I was the one.
Finally he apporoached me whiel I was playing my favorite song on a cd. John picked up his guitar and started learning it. I thought hey this guy is kind of cool. We talked for 2 days then John went to Tanzani for an outreach Before he left he was praying that I would come and ask him for his e-mail, and I was thinking man that guy seems kind of cute, I should go ask for his e-mail so I did. So John left to TZ and I headed off to Rwanda to volunteer there for two months. We started e-mailing. John was in love with me but I thought of him as a friend.
I then Headed back to the US, kept e-mailing john.
I ended up comming back to Uganda in January. John told me all about how he had been praying for ayear that I would be his wife. I started parying about it.
Now I am totally in love with him and we are getting married Jan 2007

We met on the internet and hit it off right away. With in the month, we were discussing a life together. I had never connected in that way before. But, I was still skeptical and reserved. I mean, I had grown to love this man, but I had never met him. In the back of my mind I was still the slightest bit worried that he wouldn't be the man in person that he was on the internet. I went to Nigeria to meet him. We ended up getting hitched while I was there. He was the man I had grown to know and everything was just so wonderful.

I met my hubby online back in 2001. I met him thru a message board on MSN. I visited him for the first time in the UAE because he was living there at the time and doing business. I had some vacation time so I went there 7months after meeting him online. We kept in touch and the rest is history!
Sweetee

Stephen and I met online on a Christian singles site. From the very first email, I felt like there was something about him that I loved. We started right out talking about how we were going to make a relationship work when we were on two very different continents. We really cut to the chase. Kind of a "A bird may love a fish, but where will they live?" type of thing. Anyway, we quickly fell in love and decided to marry----assuming that our first, in face meeting went well. I went to Nigeria in March 2005 and everything was perfect. We've been married for a year now and everything is still perfect. Stephen really is my dream come true!

Molly

Ah, what a wonderful thread this is and what great stories!

We met online through a Christian website. I was very skeptical at first because everyone told me he was just out for a green card and a trip to America! The more we emailed the more i realized this was not true. then we started chatting through MSN, then calling each other... I fall deeply in love with my SO!! I never knew that this kind of love existed or would ever exist! We planned our meeting for December 2005 and if everything went well we would marry in Aftrica. Well... all the chemistry was there and we were married on Christmas Eve.

Ah, a short story of love!

I came back to US and now we are going to the steps to bring him here.

I thank God for bringing us together and pray that he will bring back together.

Thank you all for sharing your stories!

Linda

Claudeth and I met through blossoms and then I went to visit my friend and got a chance to meet her in person. It was perfect and here we are

We met through a mutual friend. I remember watching that video that was taped at my friend's home in Addis the evening before she left to come back to the US from a visit over there. She had her friends over for a little get-together. Her nephew videotaped the little party. That very tape was where I first saw Nani. Quite stunning. So I had to ask. My friend spoke very well of her and it was about 6 months later that my friend returned to Addis and I slipped a little gift into her luggage to give to Nani. Which she did. The gift must have hit the right nerve as Nani called the same day she received it. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Just for the record: We were married about 6 months later.