Our story started at Rio, a music festival in Sydney, Australia November 2017. Oliver had blue hair and his infamous red backpack. I had white contact lenses in my eyes and mirrors stuck to my forehead — the attraction was instant. We had one of the best nights of our lives, dancing the night away.
The next day, the hangover hit. There was no reception where we were, and thousands of people had come to this festival. We didn't exchange details or share too much information about ourselves, but it was undeniable that there was a connection. As soon as we got out of the dark spot, I saw a friend request pop up on my Facebook. We digitally connected, and date two was only a few days away. A chance to get to know each other.
I was so nervous. I didn't have my white contacts. I didn't have mirrors on my head, and we weren't intoxicated. I was little old Poo without the bells and whistles. But, it was the best date of my life. We went for dinner, spoke for hours, and then sat on this sofa with the view of the Sydney harbor bridge and three twinkling stars (Orion's belt). Oliver mentioned the constellation and his love for the universe, space, aliens, and the moon. I was shocked as I have a tattoo of the constellation behind my ear (a symbol for my two brothers and I)!
A few months passed, and the dates continued, but I always held my emotions a little further than he did because I was worried about what my "traditional Gujarati family" in England would say. He was my "little secret." We moved in together, but then reality hit. He wanted to move back to the U.K. to pursue his career in property development, but I was not ready to leave my well-paid corporate job or ready to tell my family for that matter. I was prepared to push him away and leave love behind purely because of my stupid assumption of what I thought people would say. We argued for a while. But we were undeniably in love and patient with the process.
We have shared playlists since the day we met, and music connects us in so many ways. I was at work one day listening to my "Discover Weekly on Spotify," and a song by @MrNajiboy called "Fallen" played. An interlude in the song made me quit my job within the week, pack my things, and move back to the U.K. with Oli 4 months later. "..Things could go wrong, there could be hardships, but maybe not, the only way that you are going to know is going for it.." (SCARY when the universe slaps you in the face with a message..).
We've been back in the U.K. for two years, bought a farm near the Peak District, and run our own Eco-Friendly Business @Rasta.Farmers. My family has been NOTHING but accepting of Oliver, and my mum treats him like a Son. I fit into his family like the missing piece they didn't know they needed. And we couldn't be happier. Love always wins!
The truth is, we create barriers based on fear of what people would think of us. Traditions are NOT diluted because you mix cultures, they are amplified. Our differences are something of beauty. We now share both of our cultures and call ourselves "Jamindians," and it's defo spicy!