The Unusual Way I Fell for a Supermodel Half a World Away

My story these past few months has been one that could be a made-for-TV movie.

• And it involves a super model.
• With brains.
• And an amazing heart.

The Story:

May of 2010, I graduated from Wharton. At our school’s graduation, we were seated in alphabetical order. A lovely woman was seated next to me, and we chatted for about thirty minutes or so. For this post I will leave her name out, but the image is of her. We connected on Facebook, and I had a girlfriend at that time. Nearly five years went by, and occasionally we would trade a message here or there – but never had the opportunity to speak.

She moved away to Dubai to pursue her dream of making education sexy and representing, in her own way, the feminist movement in the Middle East. She taught herself Arabic. She became a television personality. And she launched her own import business and clothing line. She was just featured on Dubai’s major television network, and has over 40k fans.

Total package, right?

How I Fell:

Everyone knows I am a hopeless romantic, and thought her story was so cool. I noticed one day a couple months ago that she was going to be in SF visiting Stanford, and knew that she liked a band that was in town.

I bought the tickets without asking, and sent them to her on the condition we go together.

We went, had an amazing time, and she stole a piece of my heart.

We have been keeping in contact since she left. But this morning I was told her pursuit of an MBA at Stanford has taken a turn. She will be staying in Dubai, and occasionally visiting SF.

It was a little like a punch in the gut, but then I stopped separating feelings from emotions. And I realized this is what is right for her.

This whirlwind experience of meeting such an amazing woman who – at least to a good degree reciprocated my feelings – has made me a better person. I’m listening to TED talks to be able to share insights with her. I started running again, because, well, when you foresee a date with a super model you have to be on your A-game.

And now that I know her long-term plans no longer include being here, I still have the same appreciation for being close to her even from 8,073 miles away. I wake up every morning and have a few messages from her, and go to bed sending a couple messages asking about her day.

The insights I hope you take away from this weaving journey are as follows:

1. Be a hopeless romantic. It can make you a better person and create amazing relationships in the face of doubt, distance or insecurity.
2. Share yourself with people you feel – not think – will be around. Against a lot of odds I get to call a rockstar in the middle east one of the closest people in my life. Even after only a few days in person together.
3. Lift others up, even if it means closing a door for you. The “romantic” reaction to hearing she wasn’t going to come to SF Full-Time was one of disappointment. But on the whole, I know she will be back here eventually, and this is the right decision for her.

And the biggest question is: what does this have to do with online dating? Well, sometimes you meet people and make connections in the most surreal circumstances. I met a model a half a world away.  And it was all because my last name starts with M. You may meet your equivalent just this very second, “Liking” that bagel for the day.

Think about that.

• Originally posted at AndrewMoudry.com
• Shannon’s work can be found at lahjaty.com – where she updates her followers on a regular basis.

Enjoy this post? Then you’ll love reading about the 9 stages of falling in love!

About Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB): CMB  is a free dating service that helps members make meaningful connections. It’s designed for busy singles who want to find something real with little or no effort.