The Tale

It all started on a late August day in 2017 at the Healey Family Student Center during the School of Foreign Service new student orientation, just before the Dean's speech. Two first-year students full of nerves, neither quite sure what the next four years would bring.

Their first few months: seat-saving in Econ 103, Kingsman: The Golden Circle at AMC Georgetown 14, a "we'll stay friends, but I know the owner here so I'll treat you" dinner at The Tapas Bar in Bethesda, a decent tomato rice stew and a not-so-decent stir-fried cold soba, the Freer Sackler's Ancient Bells of China collection, many late-night chats at Lau, and, just once, underneath the flagpoles at the Washington Monument.

Then, on a December hatsuyuki (the year's first snow) night, after Harry promised to read "a few excerpts" from his diary—which somehow lasted 1.5 hours well past midnight—the relationship officially began.

Since then, they've navigated just about everything together: the existential questions that seem to accompany your early twenties, spending arguably too much time together their second year, not nearly enough while studying abroad in different corners of Europe their third year, and then, thanks to COVID, once again perhaps a little too much again. Together they've lived in the DMV, NYC, San Diego, and now Chicago. Over the years, they've made their way across the US and China, but also Japan, Taiwan, the UK, Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Peru, Türkiye, across from the East Bank, Canada, France -- What else are two SFS grads going to do but walk the Maps of the Modern World, check out the capital cities they so dutifully memorized for a pass/fail grade, then spend the rest of their lives reminiscing about them?

Now, ten years later, La Jolla and San Diego hold a special place in their hearts. Home to Harry's PhD program, it's where endless coastal trails meet authentic Chinese food, making it their dream city. From leisurely walks along the Guy Fleming Trail above Torrey Pines to impromptu sunset picnics at Calumet Park, they've fallen in love with this place. They can't wait to share a small piece of it with you as you join them in La Jolla to celebrate this next chapter. Having you there truly means the world to them.