While the rest of us are scrambling to make last-minute Valentine’s Day plans with our boos or re-watching classic Eurotrip rom-coms like Roman Holiday, Diego Toro and Adriana Hernández are living all of our goals. The sweet UPRM power-couple are spending the Spring semester abroad together and with their friends at the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. Adriana, a Hispanic Studies and Art Theory major, and Diego, a Social Sciences and Film Studies student, braved the Trans-Atlantic timezone difference to reflect on their first year together, the spectacular semester that lies ahead, and what they love most: each other.
How did you two meet?
Diego: We met on a meeting for a Business students association which, fun fact, we did not join afterwards.
How and when did you begin dating?
Adriana: We began talking in September 2015.
Diego: Bibí [Adriana’s nickname] and I were trying to grab a coffee together, but unfortunately our conflicting schedules were not allowing us to make that happen. Then one day one of my classes got canceled which finally gave me the perfect oportunity to invite her to grab that coffee.
Where did you go and what did you do for your first date?
Adriana: To our official first date, I invited him to the movies since I knew that he was a cinephile; we saw Crimson Peak.
How long have you been together?
Adriana: Up, to now, we have been together a year and one month.
Diego and Adriana at Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor.
What drove your decision to spend a semester in Spain together?
Adriana: Originally, the plan was for me to study abroad with my best friends “mi corillo,” but Diego was always interested in participating in a student exchange program so I encouraged him to take the leap.
Diego: I have always wanted to study abroad but I never thought that it would have been possible due to certain circumstances.
You are in Europe with a group of friends. What is it like to travel together? What has been the best experience of your trip so far? The worst?
Adriana: It’s less overwhelmimg because we are all sharing the experience together for the first time but is all the more exciting because of the same reasons.
Diego: Having people to rely on, I think, is an important part as well.
Adriana: There are few cities around the world in which you can experience such a huge amount of art history and history alone, while also taking part in its modern transformation. Waking up to this everyday has been, so far, the best.
Diego: To have such historically rich landscapes as part of your daily life is one of the highlights so far. We both agree that some of the most difficult aspects are simply the getting used to certain details of the daily life, especially the constant drop in weather, different time zones [aprox. 5 hours from P.R.] and the so-called “siesta.”
What advice would you give to other couples travelling together?
Adriana: For us, it was a very individual decision above all. We weren’t planning on coming to the same university, but we agreed that after it happened nothing would change. We are in a relationship, but it doesn’t directly affect my personal experience nor his.
Diego: To that, I would also add that it’s important to address the dynamics before leaving, because it enables growth as individuals and as a couple.
What advice would you give to other students planning a semester abroad?
Adriana: Money and timing will always be a problem; being able to look past that and realizing all that will come out of the experience will be a vital part of making the decision to study abroad.
Diego: Planning an international experience will make you question a lot and going through the process will feel overwhelming, but once you’re headed towards it, it will begin to sink in: it’s real.
Adriana: “Here we are with my bestie, Nicole. We miss Sam.”
What is your favorite memory together?
Adriana: My favorite memory, would have to be kept safe.
Diego: Mine I can actually share, it would have to be one of our simplest ones, but of the most treasured. We had just gone out to buy snacks and she wanted to show me the patio at her grandma’s house. The sky was so amazing, I told her I wanted to ask her again if she wanted to be my girlfriend.
What do you love most about each other?
Adriana: Diego is the most benevolent human being I know, his sensitivity would have to be the thing I love most about him. Also, Diego is a bear.
Diego: For me, Bibí is the sweetest, most noble woman I’ve met. She’s been my motivation and moral compass ever since we’ve been together.