For Catalina Bernal Andrade, Christmas 2009 was uncommon — in additional methods than one.
That 12 months, Catalina’s father had been recognized with colon most cancers. Catalina, then 31, had moved again into her dad and mom’ residence in Bogotá, Colombia, to assist them via his remedy.
Christmas rolled round, and Catalina and her household celebrated as finest they may, regardless of the robust circumstances. In Colombia, the principle festive celebrations happen on December 24, and staying up all evening is fairly widespread. Catalina and her household loved a Christmas Eve full of consuming, eating and festivities.
After just a few hours of sleep, Catalina and her mom awakened on Christmas Day to move to El Dorado International Airport.
Catalina’s father had inspired his spouse and daughter to go on trip between Christmas and the New Year.
“He was present process chemo and a really, very harsh remedy. So he needed us — my mother and I — to take some vacation,” Catalina tells CNN Travel right this moment. “We each determined that we have been going to Disney World, that it was a enjoyable place to be for every week.”
Catalina and her mom boarded their JetBlue flight to Orlando, Florida, and settled into their seats — Catalina within the center, her mother within the aisle and a stranger within the window.
Over the intercom, the captain wished the passengers “Merry Christmas.” Catalina glanced round and guessed that many of the travellers have been en route to go to household within the United States.
“I do keep in mind folks with loads of carry-ons, with luggage stuffed with presents,” says Catalina.
There have been a number of household teams, however Catalina’s window seat neighbour appeared to be travelling alone. He was a person, in all probability in his 30s, sitting quietly studying and sporting headphones. Catalina was grateful he was conserving to himself.
“I used to be simply chatting with my mother about how arduous these earlier months have been, and the way we would have liked to take a while off to chill out earlier than the upcoming surgical procedures that my dad was going to bear,” she remembers.
The flight took off, and earlier than lengthy, Catalina’s mom fell asleep. In reality, most individuals on the airplane have been napping, seemingly sleep disadvantaged from the day before today’s celebrations.
A couple of hours into the journey, the flight attendant handed Catalina a U.S. immigration kind to finish. Back in 2009, these types had but to be digitized.
“I used to be all on my own filling out these types, and I did not know the flight quantity. So I circled to this random man who was sitting subsequent to me,” remembers Catalina.
A bit awkwardly, conscious she was interrupting him, Catalina caught his consideration.
“He was plugged into his iPod. So I used to be like, ‘Hi, I’m sorry, are you able to give me the flight quantity?'”
The stranger within the window seat pulled a single headphone out his ear.
“123,” he replied, and put his headphone again in, abruptly, turning again to his guide.
Catalina crammed out the types — one for her, one for her mom. But afterward, studying over them, she realized she’d made a mistake.
Ripping them up, she requested the flight attendant for a brand new set and began over.
Now fairly flustered, she’d already forgotten the flight quantity. She turned as soon as once more to the person sat subsequent to her.
“Hey, I’m so sorry to hassle you. Please are you able to remind me of the flight quantity once more?” she requested.
This time, to Catalina’s shock, the stranger was extra pleasant.
“Yeah, after all,” he mentioned, taking each his headphones out this time.
The stranger had his ticket on his lap, and Catalina learn the identify printed on the prime: “Mauricio García Marulanda.”
By coincidence, Catalina knew somebody with the very same identify, and he or she commented this, aloud. From there, Catalina and Mauricio launched themselves correctly and began chatting.
Mauricio, it turned out, wasn’t travelling alone. He was flying with a number of members of the family, together with his mom, to go to his sister, who lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mauricio instructed Catalina he was obsessed with music and had labored as a musician for a lot of his grownup life, however he’d lately gone again to school to check psychology.
Catalina had additionally returned to college a bit later in life, switching in her late 20s from a profession as an entrepreneur to working in schooling.
When they realized this widespread floor, Catalina and Mauricio’s dialog shifted from small speak into one thing deeper. Mauricio admitted to Catalina that his profession change was partly prompted by a rethink of his entire life.
“We began speaking about very profound issues,” he says right this moment. “I instructed her I’d been in rehab, I had these issues with medicine and alcohol, and he or she instructed me about her life.”
Catalina spoke about her father’s sickness, and the way tough the previous 12 months had been for her household.
It turned out each Mauricio and Catalina had lately moved again in with their dad and mom — Mauricio after reckoning with habit points, and Catalina following her father’s prognosis.
“We opened up completely, that is form of the way it began. Not solely as a friendship, however a complete sincerity because the first second,” says Mauricio.
“I instructed her, ‘I haven’t got something, I do not personal something — I solely personal a Volkswagen Beetle beat up that my grandmother left me and three guitars.’ We have been completely upfront with one another.”
Catalina talked about her 20s and the way again then she’d solely been targeted solely on getting cash. She instructed Mauricio about how she’d packed all of it in, lived in India for a bit after which gone again to school.
“It was like, ‘I do not know, this man. I haven’t got something to cover, as a result of he would not know me. I do not know him. I simply may be myself for the subsequent two hours,'” says Catalina.
When the plane ready to land in Orlando, Catalina acquired out a U.S. SIM card from her bag and switched out the Colombian one in her cellphone.
Mauricio took this chance to ask for Catalina’s quantity. She mentioned sure, giving him her non permanent U.S. quantity, her Colombian cell and her e mail deal with. Mauricio scribbled the small print down in a small pocket book.
Earlier of their dialog, Maurico had talked about his music, and one track specifically he’d written known as “Libre” (“Freedom”).
“Send me that track when you possibly can,” mentioned Catalina, because the plane began to descend.
At baggage declare, Mauricio and Catalina stood on reverse sides of the baggage carousel. Catalina’s mom pointed Mauricio out.
“What do you discuss for 2 hours? I could not sleep,” she mentioned to her daughter. “Who was the man?”
“He’s going to be the daddy of my youngsters,” mentioned Catalina. She’d meant it to be a joke, however she realized as she mentioned the phrases aloud that she meant them severely.
“Well, if he will be the daddy of your youngsters, you higher go and say a correct goodbye,” mentioned Catalina’s mom.
By then, Mauricio was surrounded by the household who’d been sitting elsewhere on the airplane.
“No, that is so embarrassing,” mentioned Catalina. “He’s along with his mother, all people.”
But as a result of her mom insisted, Catalina ultimately relented. She made her manner via the crowds to the opposite facet of the carousel. Once there, she launched herself to Mauricio’s household and gave him a kiss on the cheek to say farewell.
“I believe that her mom gave her superb recommendation,” says Mauricio right this moment. “That was just like the deal maker, you recognize, when she got here by and mentioned goodbye.”
In that second, he turned sure their connection hadn’t simply been a fleeting, transitory factor.
“I assumed, ‘This is a particular particular person,’ ” he says. “I keep in mind my household, they have been joking round, ‘Who’s that?’ You know, making enjoyable of me. But that was a key second for our relationship, I believe, when she got here by.”
NEW YEAR’S WISHES
After touchdown within the United States, Mauricio and his household drove to Tennessee, stopping off in Georgia in a single day. During the stopover, he wrote Catalina an e mail, linking to his track on MySpace.
The subsequent day, Catalina picked up the e-mail and responded straight away, sending Mauricio a hyperlink to a weblog she’d saved up whereas dwelling in India. These first two emails changed into common textual content messages over the subsequent a number of days.
Catalina was having fun with her time in Orlando and the much-needed escapism supplied by Disney World.
But she was nonetheless fearful about her father and enthusiastic about him on a regular basis.
“I used to be dealing with this actually heartbreaking state of affairs with my dad. I’m an solely little one, and I’m very near my father, and he was very, very sick,” she remembers.
Mauricio was a salve, responding with considerate emails.
“I do not forget that he despatched me the hyperlink to a Coldplay track, ‘Fix You,’ ” Catalina says. “He mentioned, ‘I do know you are having a tough time, let me repair you.’ And he despatched me the hyperlink to that track.’ That turned our track.”
“It’s an exquisite track,” says Mauricio.
On New Year’s Eve, Mauricio known as Catalina simply earlier than midnight, providing his finest needs for the New Year.
Catalina was in the midst of Disney World when she picked up the decision.
“I’m in Epcot Center, the fireworks present is about to happen, so any minute now I will not have the ability to hear you anymore,” she instructed Mauricio.
“Well, I simply needed to say, Happy New Year, and let’s chat tomorrow,” he mentioned.
When Catalina hung up, her mom requested who’d known as.
“The man from the airplane,” mentioned Catalina.
“That’s very significant,” mentioned her mom.
On New Year’s Day 2010, Catalina and Mauricio spoke on Skype for a number of hours. Catalina was in her Disney lodge room, her mom barely out of earshot. Mauricio was at his sister’s home, surrounded by his nieces. Every so usually, a member of the family would pop on the decision and want Catalina “Happy New Year.”
On the decision, Mauricio went into extra element on his rehab journey. Catalina listened. At the top of the decision, the 2 made plans to fulfill up once they have been each again in Colombia.
FALLING IN LOVE
The evening Mauricio returned to Bogotá, he went straight to Catalina’s residence.
He was nervous.
“The airplane was like a impartial place, however Bogotá is our metropolis — the town the place we have been born and grew up,” he says.
He got here bearing presents — a rubber duck, a candle and a few good cleaning soap, the concept being that it was a “leisure package,” for Catalina to alleviate stress amid the household well being disaster.
“I assumed it was a bit bit suggestive,” says Catalina, laughing.
“But it was not a date,” she provides. “I used to be not sporting something particular. And he simply mentioned, ‘Hey, how are you? I introduced you this.’ And we chatted in my room for some time. It was not a date. It was, once more, one other dialog.”
Their subsequent meet-up was at Mauricio’s mom’s home. Mauricio cooked Catalina dinner, they usually continued chatting.
From there, they turned severe shortly and naturally.
“Let’s skip all this BS, let’s simply be ourselves,” is how Mauricio describes their courtship.
It turned out Mauricio and Catalina had associates in widespread, all of whom mentioned they’d have by no means have paired the 2 collectively.
“He was an artist, he performs the drums, he was like a hipster — and I used to be this enterprise girl all the time sporting heels,” says Catalina.
“If we had met in Bogotá, we would not have even spoken to one another. Because we have been from so completely different backgrounds, it needed to be on a airplane, as I mentioned, it is a impartial place,” says Mauricio.
Mauricio’s household have been actually happy for him, they usually liked Catalina.
Catalina’s father took longer to return spherical. This was partly as a result of he was very unwell and did not meet Mauricio for a number of months.
But additionally, Catalina had been engaged twice in her 20s. When she instructed her dad and mom Mauricio was “the one,” her father specifically was skeptical.
The stakes additionally felt excessive as a result of Catalina’s father was so sick. He needed Catalina to be surrounded by supportive folks.
“He did not know if he was going to recuperate, or if he was going to die,” says Catalina. “I believe that he felt that, if he was passing, that he wanted to depart me with an excellent particular person.”
Over time, nonetheless, Mauricio proved he was there for Catalina wholeheartedly and completely.
And in opposition to the chances, Catalina’s father recovered from his most cancers, ultimately receiving the all clear.
As Catalina’s father regained power, he turned near his daughter’s boyfriend. And when Catalina and Mauricio determined to get married in 2011, Catalina’s dad and mom gave them some cash towards the celebrations.
The couple determined to maintain the celebrations easy, and put the funds in direction of a three-month-long backpacking honeymoon.
Over the course of this journey, Catalina and Mauricio explored the United States, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Thailand and Cambodia collectively.
13 YEARS LATER
Today, some 13 years since they met on a airplane Mauricio and Catalina are nonetheless primarily based in Bogotá, the place they’ll normally be discovered planning their subsequent massive journey.
The largest distinction is that, now, once they board a flight, it is with their 7-year-old daughter, Luna, in tow.
“We attempt to instill in our daughter that travelling is an enormous a part of dwelling life, and understanding the true world,” says Mauricio. “Not getting comfy with the place you reside and your tradition and your society, however going to different locations and have a look at different folks and eat different meals. That’s what we love.”
Mauricio and Catalina nonetheless suppose they’d have by no means have fallen in love in the event that they hadn’t had their first dialog on an airplane.
“When you journey, your thoughts is extra open than if you’re in your comfy place,” says Mauricio. “I believe that additionally helped us to be so clear and open to one another.”
Each Christmas, Catalina and Mauricio replicate on how they met on Dec. 25.
The date, says Catalina, is “extra essential than our wedding ceremony anniversary.”
In Colombia, presents are historically exchanged on Christmas Eve.
“But Mauricio and I normally give one another presents on Christmas Day, within the morning, on the twenty fifth,” says Catalina. “We all the time recall that was the day our relationship began.”
While their love of journey is certainly one of their massive unifiers and has been a driving drive all through their relationship, Mauricio and Catalina say they’re nonetheless forging particular person paths, too.
“We are nonetheless very completely different,” says Catalina. “We have very completely different social circles.”
She likes to go for drinks with associates, whereas Mauricio would relatively keep in — until he is heading out to play music.
“We attempt to be very respectful of who we have been,” says Catalina. “We are nonetheless the individuals we have been earlier than we acquired married, after all. But now we have constructed a life by which we are able to share an important ideas of life collectively.”
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