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Stephen and Madina

Two second years find a new friend over a shared crème brûlée

<p><strong>Stephen</strong></p><p><em>Year:</em> Second</p><p><em>Major: </em>Anthropology and Pre-Commerce </p><p><em>U.Va. Involvement:</em> Madison House, Alpha Kappa Psi</p><p><em>Hometown:</em> Bridgewater, NJ</p><p><em>Ideal Date:</em> Laid back girl [who] appreciates good music</p><p><em>Deal Breakers: </em>[Being] passive aggressive</p><p><em>Hobbies:</em> DJing and beatboxing</p><p><em>What makes you a perfect catch? </em>I’m caring and chill</p><p><em>What makes you a less-than-perfect catch?</em> I can be a little sensitive</p>

Stephen

Year: Second

Major: Anthropology and Pre-Commerce

U.Va. Involvement: Madison House, Alpha Kappa Psi

Hometown: Bridgewater, NJ

Ideal Date: Laid back girl [who] appreciates good music

Deal Breakers: [Being] passive aggressive

Hobbies: DJing and beatboxing

What makes you a perfect catch? I’m caring and chill

What makes you a less-than-perfect catch? I can be a little sensitive

Stephen and Madina met at 8 p.m. at Old Cabell Hall and went to Cafe Caturra.

Stephen: I was nominated by three of my friends to do [Love Connection]. I was a little reluctant to go through with it, but I thought, “Alright, why not?” I just kept an open mind and decided to try it out.

Madina: I had someone I know [do Love Connection] and I just thought it would be a fun experience and a good story to tell. When I found out I was chosen, I just started laughing.

Stephen: This was my first time [on a blind date]. I wasn’t expecting to meet the love of my life or anything remotely close to that. I expected a simple, casual date where you just get to know the other person, and that’s exactly what it was. I also got a delicious steak out of it, which was awesome.

Madina: I’ve never been on a blind date before. I wasn’t expecting anything — I just figured it would be fine.

Stephen: We met at the steps of Old Cabell. I waited for about two minutes and then she showed up. We introduced ourselves and then headed for the restaurant.

Madina: He was already there and I heard him talking to a friend about [Love Connection] and his friend was so excited for him. Just as she was walking away, I was like, “Hi” and he asked if I was Madina. I pronounced his name wrong, which was kind of funny. We shook hands.

Stephen: She seemed like a pretty nice girl. She was polite but a little shy and reserved. There was neither a strong negative nor positive impression — just like most average first encounters you make with people.

Madina: He seemed really nice, like a regular U.Va. student.

Stephen: It was a pretty easygoing conversation. I didn’t think it was awkward at all — no painful silences or anything. I naturally talk a lot, so I probably did most of the talking, but she also talked quite a lot. She was a good listener and the conversation was pretty good.

Madina: The conversation was so much fun. I don’t think we had too much in common, but we’re both second years and are interested in similar things. There was no awkward moment — it was very easy. We talked about travelling and French.

Stephen: We are [both] children of immigrant parents and we prefer to hang out with groups of people we know well. We both really hate cats and love dogs, although I’ve never owned a dog [and] she has had two. We both speak or can understand a foreign language.

Madina: We [know] some of the same people in different organizations and [have] common friends. He has travelled a lot and is culturally aware, and I feel like I am as well.

Stephen: There was definitely more of a friend vibe. I know I was not flirting, and I’m pretty sure she wasn’t either. It was more chill, if anything.

Madina: I definitely don’t think I was flirting. I can’t tell if he was. It was very casual and chill.

Stephen: I could see myself being friends with her, but not anything more. She was a pretty nice, easygoing girl, but I didn’t feel any chemistry or a romantic connection, which is a key requirement for me.

Madina: I think either [being friends or more] would be fine. If we just wanted to just hang out, that would be cool, but if we wanted more, that would also be cool. I’m down for either. If [a connection] just means having a nice conversation and not being awkward, then I would say we had a connection, but that could just be friendly.

Stephen: We [were] at the restaurant for about two hours, and it was getting kind of late. We had both finished eating quite a while ago, so I asked her if she wanted to leave, and she said sure.

Madina: We shared dessert and I got to have the strawberry on the crème brûlée. We [talked] for 30 minutes, even after our plates had been taken away. He had parked his car [at] Clark and [we] walked back together. We were on the Lawn and he said, “It was really nice to meet you” and gave me a hug.

Stephen: [I would rate the date] around a 5. I had a decent time and got a good meal out of it, but it lacked the chemistry and we didn’t have many striking similarities. Our personalities didn’t really match to a point where I would take her on a second date. She seemed a little too introverted for my taste.

Madina: I would rate the date an 8. It wasn’t romantic, but on very friendly terms, it was genuinely nice to hang out with someone and have dinner.

This week’s Love Connection is sponsored by Cafe Caturra.

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