Regardless of being raised on completely different continents and residing in numerous nations, Andrea Mendoza and Victor Aguilera weren’t deterred from pursuing a relationship after they met in Munich throughout Oktoberfest in September 2016.
“She was fairly, sensible, attention-grabbing — in fact I needed to maintain involved, even when the gap was large,” Mr. Aguilera stated. “We might discuss so much. It by no means bought boring.”
Mr. Aguilera had taken a bus to Munich from Zurich, the place he was dwelling on the time. Ms. Mendoza, who was finishing an structure fellowship, flew from South Africa to town, the place she met Mr. Aguilera at a beer corridor whereas on a 14-hour layover earlier than flying to Brazil.
Each of Mexican descent, they bonded over their shared heritage and love of studying about completely different cultures. “We simply had an immediate connection,” recalled Ms. Mendoza.
Mr. Aguilera, 41, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, to a Mexican father and Swiss mom. When he was 10, he and his household moved to Jona, Switzerland. A graduate of the College of Utilized Sciences in Switzerland, Mr. Aguilera is at present a top quality management and analytics lab technician at Carbogen AMCIS, a drug growth and commercialization service, in Hunzenschwil, Switzerland.
Born and raised in Gilbert, Ariz., Ms. Mendoza, 29, graduated from the College of Southern California in 2016. Following her fellowship, she moved to Shanghai for a 12 months to work at an structure agency. In 2018, she relocated to Santa Fe, N.M., the place she started working as an exhibition designer for Meow Wolf, an area arts manufacturing firm.
Within the years after they met in Munich, the 2 saved in contact sporadically, sending the occasional postcard and life replace by way of WhatsApp. They reunited in Colombia within the spring of 2018, after Ms. Mendoza, on a whim, had invited Mr. Aguilera to affix her on a five-day journey she had deliberate to Bogotá and Cartagena.
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Two weeks after they parted methods on the finish of that journey, Mr. Aguilera requested Ms. Mendoza to be his girlfriend. Although she “wasn’t actually fascinated about relationship” earlier than they visited Colombia, Ms. Mendoza stated their time there collectively made her rethink.
“We had such a superb time, I used to be like ‘Yeah, this totally is sensible to proceed and see once we can meet up once more,’” she stated.
They spent the subsequent 12 months assembly in numerous areas around the globe. On Nov. 15, 2019, Mr. Aguilera proposed to Ms. Mendoza whereas on a visit to Costa Rica for her birthday. In 2021, Ms. Mendoza moved to Switzerland, the place she is at present finding out for a grasp’s diploma in superior research in structure and digital fabrication on the ETH Zurich.
The couple had been wed April 7 on the Schadau Citadel in Thun, Switzerland, earlier than 40 company, virtually all of whom had been vaccinated. Stephanie Huber, a civil registrar with the native authorities, officiated.
The ceremony was adopted by a ship trip on Lake Thun, throughout which the couple minimize their wedding ceremony cake. Afterward, the newlyweds and their company walked by the previous city neighborhood to Thun Citadel for a toast on its summer season terrace. Later, a dinner and reception had been held on the Congress Hotel Seepark in Thun.
After spending the early years of their relationship thus far aside, Ms. Mendoza and Mr. Aguilera are most wanting ahead to having fun with the quieter points of dwelling collectively of their new residence in Lenzburg, Switzerland.
“It’s so good to do the mundane issues now,” the bride stated. “We’ve completed a lot touring and spent a lot time aside that being dwelling, establishing our residence, getting issues settled and making it a house is thrilling.”
