As Valentine’s day is just around the corner, many students may wonder just how they will meet their future spouse. However, have you ever wondered how our teachers — the ones guiding us through this academic world — found the ones who help them through their own lives?
We interviewed three teachers about how they met their partners: From chance encounters to thoughtfully planned moments, their stories offer a glimpse into the unique ways love marks its path.
These interviews conducted by The Falcon have been lightly edited for clarity and slightly condensed.
The long journey
Chemistry Honors teacher Kathy Nakamatsu
Husband: Jon Nakamatsu, concert pianist
Falcon: How did you first meet your husband?
Nakamatsu: I met him when I was in grad school. We were both studying to be teachers at Stanford. The program we were in lasted a month, so for the summer, both of us were living at [our parents’] home.
I remember we’d eat lunch in this common area, and I was eating lunch by myself, and he was eating lunch by himself. I thought we should get to know each other. But the funny thing is, we didn’t start dating then. We were just friends for 13 years. He actually liked me, but he wasn’t my type. At that time, I thought I was going to marry someone blonde and blue-eyed.
Fast forward ten or something years: When my first husband was going through cancer treatments, we would meet up with Jon, my husband now, and have dinner. And when my first husband knew that he was not going to live much longer, he said: “I want you to get married again. And if you marry someone like Jon, I’d be really happy.”
I was initially like: “Ew, why would I marry Jon?”
After my husband died, Jon would call me and say: “Let’s go have dinner. Let’s meet up.” I just thought nothing of it. We’re just friends. Then one day, he said: “I want to do more than just stuff our faces.”
I went back to my work, and I’m like, “What does that mean? I don’t understand what that means.” But my friends [told me], “I think he wants to date you.” And I’m like: “Ew, no.”
Falcon: What caused the flip between your perspective of him?
Nakamatsu: So I had a really, really bad week of teaching. It was right around Veterans Day, and he is a professional pianist. He had always said: “Hey, you should come to one of my concerts.”
And so I called him up and said: “Where are you this weekend? Because I need to get out of here. I hate my job.” And he told me: “Oh, I’m in Maine. You should come meet me because I actually have some free time.”
So I looked into airfares, and because I was trying to buy a ticket three days before the weekend, tickets were $600 to fly to Maine. I called him back and said: “I can’t do it. It’s too expensive.”
The next thing I know, he calls me and says: “I bought you a ticket to Maine. I’m flying you first class.” I’ve never flown first class before. I came out there, and I remember him coming down the stairs wearing a tuxedo, and my heart [skipped] a beat. I’m like: “Wait, what is this?”
So it took us a little time to go from friends, to be more than friends, because we were both really scared about losing the friendship. It’s awesome being married to your best friend.
Falcon: So, going back to an earlier stage, what was your first impression of him?
Nakamatsu: He was a funny, silly, goofy guy. I like that he’s down to earth. He’s this amazing pianist who’s won huge competitions, but he’s the most normal guy you could ever meet. He cooks; he cleans — cleans more than I do.
Falcon: Do you have any funny memories?
Nakamatsu: We were having this conversation, and I asked him: “Do you think you’ll ever get married.” He said: “Yes, and I would probably marry my best friend.”
I was completely clueless. I had no idea he was talking about me. I missed so many clues. I knew that he was really good friends with this other girl, and I got all upset because I thought that meant our friendship was limited. Little did I know, he was trying to say: “I’m gonna marry you.”
Online success
Choral director Beth Nitzan
Husband: Rob Blenk, wildlife biologist
Falcon: Where and how did you meet your partner?
Nitzan: This is very boring and very millennial. I met my husband on Tinder.
Falcon: Was this your first match?
Nitzan: He was the third Tinder date that I had been on, so I didn’t have to do it for very long, which is good, because online dating is terrible.
Falcon: What was the first date experience like?
Nitzan: So he’s a wildlife biologist, and so for our first date, he took me to a place where a bunch of bats roost. At twilight, when the sun goes down, all the bats come out at once [over] a freeway overpass.
For our first date, he took me to this swampy freeway overpass, and I got so many mosquito bites. We were late, so we missed the big bat cloud, although it was still a full cloud.
Falcon: How did he win you over?
Nitzan: He won me over because he brought a beautiful picnic with a whole bunch of cheese, and I love cheese. He even had a tablecloth.
Falcon: So what caught your attention about him?
Nitzan: He was really friendly and funny, and he made me laugh a lot.
Falcon: Do you remember any funny moments while dating?
Nitzan: This story might not be funny, but I rant about this to some of my students. On an early date, I I asked him what his favorite cake was, and he told me “red velvet,” which is my least favorite cake.
And I have a whole rant about red velvet cake and how ridiculous it is. And then, [later on, I found out] that’s not even his favorite cake. He just blanked in the moment and said something, so we got past it.
Falcon: Who “technically” made the first move, since it was on Tinder?
Nitzan: Well, we were chatting, and we were sharing some stories. And I said something like, “Oh, well, if you want to hear another story, you have to do it on a date”… or something like that. He responded: “Oh, okay, yeah; let’s go out.”
Finding love during college year abroad
English teacher Amy Keys
Husband: Steve McKay, UCSC sociology professor
Falcon: How did you first meet your husband?
Keys: In my junior year of college at Northwestern, I went to Germany. It used to be common to go for a whole year to a university in another country and study there. I was really sure that I was never going to hang out with the other Americans, because I only wanted to speak German and get to know people from other parts of the world.
I was definitely not going to have an American boyfriend, and then I fell in love like right away. I met him pretty early on, and a lot of our classes were about taking advantage of the things that Munich had to offer. As a student, you had a free card to go to any symphony, orchestra, art museum, ballet and theater. He also was really into taking advantage of all those things.
We started seeing each other, running into each other at various cultural events, and then pretty quickly ended up being a couple. He was from California and was going to UC Berkeley, and I was from the Midwest and going to Northwestern. So that’s how we ended up meeting in Germany.
Falcon: What caught your attention about him? What were your first impressions?
Keys: He lived in a huge student dorm in Munich called Studentenstadt, [or the] “Student City.” I was struck by how many Germans he got to know, because he was so willing to do different things — he was really athletic and he played basketball, but he also entered in this talent show.
I remember he did a juggling act where he had someone throw increasingly big and awkward things and he would juggle them, including hacky sacks and an apple. When he added an apple to his juggling, he would take bites of it in between. Then, someone threw him a huge glass beer mug and he was juggling that. It was the goofiest thing I’d ever seen. I thought anybody who’s willing to make a fool of themselves — in such a talented way — probably is going to be fun to be around.
Falcon: Was there a particular conversation that sparked the relationship?
Keys: I don’t remember any one particular conversation. I just remember feeling safe and at home. I also remember feeling at home exploring the world with this person, being side by side and looking out for all kinds of new things. I felt like this was a person I could be quiet with or silly with, or just be real with, and I had a feeling that that would last.
