I was on winter break in my last year of college. I accompanied my family on a trip to MD to visit my uncle. After the visit, my parents were ready to head back to PA. My uncle was leaving to attend a BMCA meeting that night. My sister and I managed to convince our parents to stay and attend the meeting. I was excited as I rarely visited MD and loved everything Bafut. I met Jacob's brother Willy and other kids that night. We spent the evening gisting. We talked about primary school and Willy mentioned that his brother and I may have attended the same school. I told him that sadly, I didn't remember anyone from primary school and that was that. As the night ended, we all exchanged FB contacts. Willy couldn't find me on FB so I gave him my phone to add himself. Unknown to me, he also added Jacob. When I found out, I wasn’t happy. I didn’t want Jacob thinking I was trying to holla. lol 3 month later, one blessed day, I mistakenly sent a FB message intended for my cousin to Jacob lol. I was mortified. I had completely forgotten that he accepted "my" unsolicited FB request months ago. I thought "just delete the message and he will never see it " so I did. Too late! To my surprise, seconds later I got a response from him with a simple “ Hey, how are you”?. I immediately blurted out a mouthful about how we came to be FB friends. We both laughed. He said he saw me at the meeting and even gave me a hug. I had no idea he was at the meeting. I just remembered a very friendly 'guy with a beard' hugging my sis and I lol. As we chatted, I found him to be easy going, it seemed like we had known each other before. We talked about so many things that day. 5 Months later, we met in person officially at the BMCA convention in D.C. We found we had alot in common including the same God Mother. We exchanged numbers weeks after. From then, we have spoken almost every day since. We became close friends and years later, took a leap of faith to begin the journey to becoming one.

I rarely attended the regular Bafut Manjong Cultural meetings, but when I did, I met the love of my life. It was in December 2010 at the home of my late uncle. Dr. Nyamboli Richard. I saw two beautiful ladies sitting across from the door when I walked in (Elena and her sister, Lauretta). I gave them a hug and pretended to mingle with the grown-ups. The rest of the evening was uneventful. The next day, I saw a FB friend request from Elena ( I recognized her from the previous night) and accepted (she swears my brother was the one who used her phone to add me). About 3 months later, while helping to design the BMCA Facebook page for the upcoming convention in DC, I received a random message from Elena (Again she swears it was meant for her cousin. God had other plans). I immediately replied and we chatted about the upcoming convention and spring break plans. I was immediately impressed by her excitement and enthusiasm for our culture. We ‘officially met’ in person during the National Convention at DC in 2011. We connected immediately and had so much in common. Our fathers worked together in Bafut and we attended the same primary school. To top it all, when I saw my Godmother, I started walking over to greet her. Elena was also walking in the same direction as me. We both stopped in front of her and introduced each other to her as our Godmother lol. For the next few years, we developed a very close friendship and she became my best friend. Throughout medical school, no matter how much I whined or complained, she listened, was supportive and encouraging. As our friendship progressed, I developed feelings. Towards my final year of medical school, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Elena and asked her out. Of course, its never that easy. After about 6 months, she finally gave me a chance and we went on our first 'official' date.

I always knew Elena would love her friends and family around when I proposed. So, I just needed to come up with the perfect excuse. In late June 2018, Elena's friends invited us for their wedding Thanksgiving service in New Jersey. Knowing that most of her friends lived in Jersey, the opportunity presented itself. I designed her ring and while it was being made, I immediately contacted one of her friends and we went to work, brainstorming. We ran through multiple ideas for having the perfect NYC proposal, but knowing Elena, I knew 'less is more', and so we decided on something simple. We settled on an upscale restaurant located at her Alma Matta (Rutgers university). We sold the dinner to her as a welcome reception for our hosts friends' Thanksgiving that weekend. Few days prior to leaving for NJ, I cautiously encouraged Elena to get her nails done and dress up. Fortunately, any 5 year old is capable for surprising Elena, so that made my job easy. Her friends were able to get her ready. She walks in and the tears started flowing immediately when she saw our families and friends. Everyone was there for her...and unlike when I first asked her out, she said YES to me the very first time.