I wrote this for a wedding magazine soon to be published in the BVI, but I was so wowed by the story that I couldn’t wait to share it with you! Here goes:
Aaahhh…Love!
I have to say that I would have never imagined that coming to this island would help me find the love of my life! This came somewhere in the end of Juan Carlos sharing this beautiful love story.
But if you think about it, if we all were to imagine the path our lives would take and it becomes a reality, that would not leave much room for excitement, the element of surprise, intrigue and destiny.
We can really wrap up this story like this: Boy grows up, achieves academic qualifications, journeys to another country to work, meets girl, they get married, started having babies and are looking forward to a great future. Or we can satisfy our yearning for a ‘feel good’ love story by being a tad more elaborate. Ok, hands down, we all choose the latter.
Juan Carlos Quezada, 29, was born in Panama. He is a lawyer who moved to Tortola, British Virgin Islands about five years ago to work at a local Trust Company.
As with many foreigners who come to the Territory, it was originally for a short period of time, very often to fulfill a 1-3 year contract. But in a lot of cases, ‘life’ happens. In Juan Carlos’ case, he grew to love the island for its tropical weather, its beaches, the people he met here (especially one particular family as you will see later on) and of course he loved and was good at his job!
It is not unusual in Panama to be a qualified professional at 23 years old, since students can graduate High School at 18 with their Bachelor’s Degree and then move straight into pursuing higher education. What is unusual is him not being married around that age!
It was not a tough choice for Juan Carlos moving to and settling in the British Virgin Islands from Panama. The only regret is having had to leave his family and that he was not there when his grandmother passed away.
He considers Panama, which is located in Central America and has over 3.6 million people, a small country with the similarities of any major city. That is relative of course and so he finds the BVI a lot less hectic. After all, there are not as many options for going for lunch or drinks or having a good time, as he puts it. But Juan Carlos loves the sea and the BVI has lots of that and the water is great for swimming, surfing and sailing, which he enjoys.
When he moved here in 2008, he was so focused on his career that he was not dating, neither was he looking for a relationship. In fact, he did not care to get married at all or maybe when he was about 35.
That worked out well for about 3 years, but as a young professional on the social scene, this was soon challenged. He did have a great group of friends from diverse backgrounds, but he did notice that there did not seem to be many available and eligible females here to hang out with.
Then, it happened…..one Friday night…..about three years ago…..June 15th, 2011…..happy hour at a local night spot with some friends…..there she was among the crowd!
“I saw this beautiful girl and she really caught my attention and so I asked one of my friends who I thought would know her and right away, I was introduced,” related Juan Carlos.
This ‘girl’ turned out to be Gioalis, who was with her friend who was with her boyfriend. That meant Gioalis was on her own, at least for the night. He later found out that she had just graduated college in her native Venezuela and arrived on the island a few months ago, as she awaited the transition to her next unknown phase of life. And get this….she was not dating either!
By this time, of course, Juan Carlos was doing the ‘Happy Dance’!
Now while he was suddenly convinced ‘this is the full package’, she was understandably hesitant. But he went in for the tackle: “how are you doing, what’s your name, how long have you been on the island, how is it that I haven’t see you before, would you like to join us, I am with some friends who speak Spanish?” – you know, small talk to break the ice.
Turns out Gioalis was having the same social challenge as Juan Carlos – not much to do on the island. So while he was preoccupied with work, she basically stayed at home a lot. Did he capitalize on that? Yes, he sure did! “Give me your phone number and I will show you that this island has a lot to offer,” he told her.
He had to be quick on the fingers, because she made it quite clear that she was only going to say it once. She did not warn him, however, that she was also going to say it softly. But hey, when a man really wants a woman, he goes after her! So yes, he got that number and he made sure to call her right there on the spot to ensure that he entered it in his phone correctly and she did not give him a wrong number.
Fast forward from that night when they pretty much closed the place down at around 5:30am the next day, to the ‘couple’ spending every single day together after that, to today when….hold on, hold on! Now don’t go reading the end of the story; take the journey with the rest of us!
Juan Carlos would come up with every reason to connect with Gioalis – “I don’t want to have dinner on my own, would you like to join me; there’s this party, would you like to come; have you ever been to a full moon party at Bomba’s, we should go, even though it might have been on a Tuesday night.” He was enamored by her beauty, personality, confidence and determination.
Gioalis had all the time in the world, as she was not working, but came here to visit her mother Alice, who was living here for the past 17 years.
So, the big question! How did he pop the question?
Their meeting in June, came a month before his birthday on July 12 and he wanted to go sailing for his birthday. By this time, he says they were actually dating, but of course after only one month, she would not be caught holding his hands in public.
So on the Saturday, on the Willy T against backdrop of Norman Island, with the sun setting in the background and having one of their many conversations, Gioalis asked Juan Carlos what more could he want, being at a good place now in his life. She compared her own situation as she remembered that she had to soon make a decision about whether she was going to stay in the BVI or go on to further her studies.
Then it dawned on Juan Carlos! He may lose this girl if he doesn’t help her to make a decision to stick around, for the moment, at least. So there and then, he quickly told her that she didn’t have to leave, because he wanted to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her!
“It felt right,” he said, “and I was not going to negotiate losing her just because the conditions were not right, so that’s when I popped the question.”
They immediately got engaged and planned to get married within a year. This would give them time to get to know each other better, figure out the immigration requirements for her to stay here while he was on contract and certainly, work out the logistics of the actual wedding.
As it turned out, they were able to get married about a year after they met right here on Tortola at a rented villa, again against the backdrop of one of the islands – Guana Island. The villa was beautifully decorated by none other than Gioalis’ mother, who incidentally is a florist and decorator at Stems and the best mother-in-law ever! It was an intimate gathering of family and friends, including his parents, on January 5, 2013.
“So we have already celebrated our first anniversary and I have to say that 2013 was the best year ever, until now that we found out that we’re pregnant,” he beamed. Baby girl, first of no more than 3 children, is due in May.
Gioalis, who is now 28, must be a proud wife and even prouder expectant mother, don’t you think?
The Quezadas have some time left in the British Virgin Islands before going back home to Panama to continue raising their family.
Aaahhh, love!
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Angela's Musings 