Nathalie and Anthony | ”We started off as best friends and now we’re together, in love.”
So as you may know by now if you listen to our podcast, we’ve claimed that Montreal is the mecca of interracial dating or love.
I have had this idea for the past year or so since my obsession with a great website like Humans of New York. When I stumbled upon this actually through their Facebook page I thought to myself and told Clove: “Honey we already create a Chonilla Couple articles and find people from different parts of the world online to share their stories, but wouldn’t it be great to capture all sorts of Interracial and Intercultural couples in our own city. Simply ask them to take a picture and we will provide a business card to see themselves plus the beauty of their relationship and if they want to share more even better. Plus also bonus they get to find out about what we do and who we are.”
At first Clove thought it was a good idea but also shared that I may come off as Banana’s going up to people and say “Can I take a picture of you and post it on my site… Duh…” hehehe. So for a good year anytime I would go out I would tell: “Look honey, another one, and another one… damn if only I had a business card…” My my heart would always break because I NEVER had a business card with me… we simply could no afford to have any printed at the time, more important expenses and since NILLA being the sole bread-winner, we have to choose the needs before the wants. Any who, 1 year later, finally got cards to be very official about what we do and who we are… I’m so glad we can now introduce “Chonilla love on the Street”.
One thing I have and continue to learn is, when you are excited about something you do, feel and share with the world, people pick up that drive, passion and want to be part of that energy as well.
When I first approached this couple it was Canada Day yesterday and I had the kids with me. Clove was at home finishing the remastering of all 280 episode with about 20 more to go… (Hubby works so hard for #Chonilla, he’s been at it for nearly 2 months now. What a great man plus on top of that making artwork for folks, he’s such a good guy, the length of support he provides to people he believes in… wow’s me.) I ask our son to watch the girls as they were standing right behind me and took a chance and ask this great, adorable, happy looking couple walking towards us (gosh, please I hope they tweet or email me their name… I had to quickly focus back on the kids) as I finished getting Ice Cream for the kids while I was waiting for my strawberry milkshake being done. And I just went for it… Told them: “Hi, I run a website and host a podcast, we also run an article called ‘Chonilla Couples’ to show interracial couples such as yourselves around the world and love to take a picture of you guys and yada yada yada…” She smiled and had such pride to have been asked and had a sense of excitement of sharing her love let alone with a best friend she’d had for years and now transformed into love.
Her sense of joy made me realize with doing this on how much people like to share their love and to be noticed for it instead of being judged by it where we all know, till this day people still do stare and pass their own judgement’s or at times question interracial or intercultural relationships – There was a sense of thanks for sharing this in a positive way and me not going up to her like: “Sista, what are you doing?”
I’ll never forget the vibe of joy she gave me and actually have given me a sense of purpose and courage to continue in my city to embrace more Chonilla Couples in the Streets of Montreal.
