Love is in the air today: it’s Valentine’s Day! Today we’re celebrating Abby and Conor, two TEAN alums who met on their program in Gold Coast, Australia and fell in love. Ten years later, on this past New Year’s Eve, they got married! We asked Abby some questions to hear their love story.
What year and which city did you travel to with TEAN?
In 2013 we traveled to Gold Coast, Australia to study at Bond University.
How did you two meet while on your program?
The TEAN students would all go out together as a group, and one night Conor and I danced and hit it off!
Where was your first date?
We traveled to the Great Barrier Reef and went to maccas (McDonald’s). For the next two months, we hung out every single day: exchanging music, talking about our families, adventuring to different cities, bungee jumping, skydiving, scuba diving, and climbing glaciers together.
Any funny stories together while at your program?
Before we were “together” we planned to go skydiving as a group, but just us two showed up! We still wanted to skydive, so it was pretty much a date before it was a thing between us.
How did you keep in touch with each other post-Australia?
We got side jobs to be able to afford flying to each other. We kept doing this until I moved out to Boston to be with him.
Did you stay in touch with anyone else you met on the trip?
Yes! Our friend Josh was Conor’s best friend in college and is still one of our best friends. He married us! I became close with Josh before Conor, actually. We also stayed in touch with our friend Eddie from our TEAN group, as well.
Tell us about your proposal! When did you know you were the one for each other?
We knew we were meant for each other before we left Australia. We dated and lived all over the US for 10 years–Boston, LA, Chicago. When we moved to Iowa, he proposed in the park with champagne and our dog, Jazz.
Tell us about your wedding! Any details as a nod to meeting in Australia?
It was so special to have Josh marry us who watched us fall in love in Australia!
Have you gone back to Australia together? If not, any plans to in the future?
Not yet, but we plan to take our kids one day to show them where we met.
How did your study abroad experience impact you individually?
Study abroad opened our eyes to adventure and helped us fall in love with experiencing other cultures.
Any advice for future TEAN travelers?
Be open to anything that may happen. Don’t worry as much about money or things you might miss out on back home. Your life will change for the better because you went!
We couldn’t agree more! Study abroad creates life-changing moments, and for Abby and Conor, study abroad created a happily ever after. Happy Valentine’s Day from TEAN!
