We met while both juniors at Rutgers University in Fall 2010. Actually, our first technical meeting was a year prior at Pablo's 19th birthday party, although he doesn't remember that time. We were urged by mutual friends that fall to meet, however I was too busy studying for my MCATs to spend much time together at first. After I finally took my exam, Pablo asked me to our first date at one of my favorite places to eat in college, the Chipotle on George Street in New Brunswick. We continued talking and dating, and finally decided to make it official in November 2010. We've been inseparable ever since.
After dating for 1.5 years at college living just down the street from each other, following graduation I moved home and started medical school in South Jersey, while Pablo moved up further into Northern Jersey. Thus began four long years of texts, phone calls, and semi-weekly drives up and down the NJ Turnpike. We made it through medical school together stronger than ever, and I matched at my top residency program for OBGYN, but the best part- it was in Morristown, NJ! We were finally able to move in together after 4 long years apart.
Farah was on high alert. Every time we went anywhere, she assumed I was going to propose. In an effort to surprise her, I spent years not proposing so she would lose hope. Then, in a stroke of pure genius, I proposed to her on her 30th birthday. She never expected it. Mainly because of the number of times she had been disappointed. It was a master plan. I took her to New Brunswick, the city where we both went to college (GO RU) and the city where we met. After a very nice steak dinner (during which I was super nervous and could barely finish my steak- but forced myself to because no way am I wasting that kind of money), I took her to the very corner where we had our first date. I pulled out a lovely, heartfelt letter I had written and then I read it to her. I was too nervous to figure out how to fold the letter back up... so I crumpled it up and stuffed it in my jacket pocket and went for it. I got down on one knee in the middle of New Brunswick on the corner of George St. and Church St. (look it up) and I proposed. I felt very exposed and embarrassed to be doing it in the middle of the city in front of the Chipotle where we had our first date and as she said yes (of course she did), some guy driving by pointed his finger at us and yelled as he turned the corner. But despite the corny location and the embarrassing nature of it all, I knew she would love that I brought her back to where it all started. And I would do it again without second thought.