Edouard and I met via social media because we had a friend in common.
Edouard saw that I was a teacher who taught English and was interested in improving his English language skills. Which was pretty perfect, by the way, so I assumed it was just an excuse to talk to me.
We talked for months, and eventually he asked me if I would like to visit his home country and meet his family. It sounded a little crazy at the time, but after 9 months of consistent communication and video calls, I said yes.
We got married July 2023 in Rwanda. We had our civil wedding, and then in 2024 I came back, and we had our traditional wedding, which was the most beautiful experience. We even live streamed it so my family in the USA could be part of the experience!
We have a 7-8 hour time difference, so one way we stay connected is by carving out intentional time together. Usually when I’m eating lunch and he’s eating dinner. Or we will both cook at the same time. One thing I think has made the distance bearable is that Edouard truly goes out of his way to communicate with me—sometimes on a motorbike or in the field where he’s working that day.
Same for me, early mornings or ducking away during my lunch break so we can talk. It’s forced to have a much better work-life balance (no working through lunches for this teacher). We are currently waiting for his immigration, but he is part of the 75 country pause. So we are just waiting.
We have survived immigration (mostly) and the death of my mother. Edouard truly was there for me any hour of the night and always said “yes” when I wanted to visit, even if it meant he had to sacrifice things.
Even though our story may seem fast and unconventional, I couldn’t ask for or dream up a better partner or husband. We constantly tell ourselves the distance is just a small part of our marriage in hindsight. And I love that I’ve been able to experience his culture, family and country alongside him.
It’ll be 3 years of marriage in July 2026 and I’m hoping we will have closed the gap by then.
Long distance is hard, but it’s not impossible.