Erik
Year: Fourth
Major: Systems Engineering
U.Va. Involvement: German Society, volunteering/tutoring through Madison House and other organizations
Hometown: Williamsburg
Ideal Date: No more than an inch taller than me, thin and/or athletic, I’m not partial regarding hair or eye color, cute smile
Ideal Date Personality: Friendly and outgoing, independent and motivated, adventurous, intelligent and curious, humble, loyal, sarcastic or satirical, caring and thoughtful
Deal breakers? Smoking, excessive piercings or tattoos, lots of makeup, very religious
What makes you a good catch? I have goals and aspirations. I’m dedicated, thoughtful, caring, motivated, hardworking, organized, clean, gracious, humble and very self-aware.
What makes you a less-than-perfect catch? I tend to try too hard, which is fine until it’s too late for trying to matter. I don’t mind – perhaps I prefer – being alone. I don’t mind just sitting in silence and thinking. Sometimes that bothers people.
Tania
Year: Fourth
Major: Biomedical Engineering
U.Va. Involvement: Fuego Dance Team, Mahogany Dance Troupe, Madison House Medical Services, Student Interpreter Services, Fashion for a Cause, Project Inspire
Hometown: Dorado, Puerto Rico
Ideal Date: Tall, dark hair, not too skinny but in-shape, ideally green eyes but I don’t discriminate, pretty smile, just overall good looking
Ideal Date Personality: Sweet, funny, can carry on a conversation without being awkward, not afraid to be himself or express himself, open-minded, easy to talk to, a gentleman, humble, interested in what you have to say
Deal breakers? Cockiness and superficiality
What makes you a good catch? Aside from the fact that I am pretty, a good dancer and some people even refer to me as a “little Puerto Rican princess,” I have a very compassionate heart and I love helping others. I am open-minded and I give everybody an equal chance when getting to know them. I am smart and I work hard for what I want and those I care about. I am shy at first, but once you know me, I am the most easy-going person you’ll ever meet. I also have an adventurous side.
What makes you a less-than-perfect catch? I can be awkward if I am in an uncomfortable situation, sometimes I am a bit dorky and I get stressed easily.
Erik and Tania met at the Rotunda and went to Michael’s.
Tania: Going on a real date is on the 115 Things to do Before You Graduate list and I wanted to cross that out.
Erik: I started thinking of all the things that could go wrong. I thought, “This was a mistake – it could be terrible.” I started thinking of all the things I didn’t put under “deal-breakers” on the survey.
Tania: I got to the Rotunda earlier and didn’t really see anybody, so I walked to a corner and five to 10 minutes later, Erik appeared and asked, “Are you here for Love Connection?”
Erik: I thought she was really pretty. I was surprised because I was expecting so many bad things.
Tania: I think I was a little over dressed because he was just wearing a t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He seemed really nice, but he wasn’t really my type so I figured it was just friendship from [the beginning].
Erik: We decided to go to Michael’s for dinner. It was mutual.
Tania: At first it was kind of hard to get the conversation going and I felt [like] I was making most of the effort. Sometimes it felt like I would ask him a question and he would give me an answer that didn’t really give me anything to work with.
Erik: I don’t think it was awkward. We left the awkwardness at the Rotunda and after that it was really comfortable.
Tania: I would say the first 30 minutes of the dinner was awkward at times. I think I did most of the talking.
Erik: We had a lot of little things in common – life things. We are both in engineering. We shared some similar interests, [although] one of her [interests] is dancing [and] I’m not much into dancing. I didn’t tell her that though.
Tania: He told me he wasn’t really involved in anything outside the E-School, so I think the main thing in common [is] that we [are] both engineers.
Erik: We did laugh a lot the whole time. I paid. She offered to pay her half, which was a nice thought, but I paid. When we left the restaurant, she said, “What do you want to do next?” and I felt good about that – she didn’t want to get rid of me.
Tania: We got froyo after dinner because I felt [like] he didn’t really want the date to end. I asked [for] his number as a way to get his name because I didn’t remember his name for half the date.
Erik: She asked for my number at Berry Berry. We were talking about our Love Connection applications and I said I [didn’t] want excessive piercings. She showed me her three piercings and I jokingly told her [they were] too much.
Tania: When we were in Berry Berry, I gave him my number as a way to finish the date. After that, he suggested [we] go to one of the Gardens and I thought it was funny that he was probably trying to make a move and I wasn’t letting it happen.
Erik: We laughed a lot and we picked on each other too. I guess that counts as flirting.
Tania: We were at the Gardens and to be honest I didn’t know how to leave, so I just said, “I want to go home now.” He walked me home and I just gave him an awkward hug and told him it was nice.
Erik: I would be really glad to go out with her again. I think there could be a romantic connection.
Tania: I could not see going on a date with him again, but I could see hanging out as friends. I told him to text me when he [got] home safely, but when he told me he got home, I texted him “Okay, have a good night.” I didn’t really engage in conversation after.
Erik: I’m weary of rating it too high, but I don’t know of many ways it could have gone better, so I guess a 9.
Tania: I would rate the date a 7 because we went to a lot of nice places, but there was no connection.
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