Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.06.2014, Síða 18

18
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08 — 2014
David
䘅 Describe yourself in three
words:
Passionate
Caring
Fun
䘅Describe Annie in three words:
Thoughtful
Caring
Diligent (pays close attention to de-
tails)
䘅Describe the two of you, as a cou-
ple, in three words:
Dynamic Duo
Comfortable
In sync with each other
䘅Tell us how you and Annie met—
it sounds like you had a pretty
whirlwind court-
ship.
We met at a coffee
shop near her house.
We walked around
together and talked
for about 3 months
(2-3 times a week)
before I held her
hand or even kissed
her. I know it sounds
like I was moving
at a snail’s pace, but
I wanted to get to
know her on the inside and vice versa.
Only after a dinner with her co-work-
er did I get the slight hint that maybe
I should hold her hand (or do some-
thing), if I was interested in Annie as
more than just a friend. That prompt-
ed me to start holding her hand on our
walks. Talk about being really a slow
guy :-).
䘅Tell us about the moment you re-
alised Annie was “the one.”
I feel it was a gradual process. We
talked about many different things
along a path called Alki Beach which
has a view of downtown Seattle and
Puget Sound. In addition, she is an
amazing cook and I really enjoy eating
the meals that she makes. We actually
don’t have a TV in the household, so
we talk a lot after work, which I feel
is key to our relationship. Sharing and
communicating.
䘅What made you want to come to
Iceland to propose?
I wanted to propose to her some-
where special. I started reading about
Iceland and the Northern Lights and
decided to propose to her under the
NL.
䘅 What was something new that
you learned about Annie while in
Iceland?
I realised that we
make a wonderful
team. And she is
quite funny.
䘅 Tell us about
your proposal
under the North-
ern Lights.
We booked our
initial NL tour
through our ho-
tel, and at the ap-
pointed time we
were in the lobby. But 20 minutes
passed, and so the hotel clerk called
and was told that when the shuttle
stopped by, no one was waiting for
it. Oh my!!! I was a bit anxious at this
point, to say the least. We took a taxi
to BSÍ bus terminal and made it onto
a tour bus. Initially, there were only
small traces of NL in the distance, so
I was debating whether to ask or not.
Fortunately, a beautiful stream of NL
appeared above us, streaming above
the clouds, and I said to myself ‘I bet-
ter ask now, or the lights may go away
quickly.’ Within 30 seconds of her
saying “yes,” there were fireworks in
the distance that lasted for about 3–4
minutes. Yes, fireworks in the sky.
Fannie (our tour guide) stated that it
is not common to see fireworks in Ice-
land, except for New Year’s Eve. The
fireworks were definitely a bonus for
us and perfectly timed as well.
䘅 What were some of the high-
lights of your trip? (Other than
getting engaged, of course!)
We enjoyed the hotdogs at Baejarins
Beztu Pylsur and a benefit concert at
Harpa—one of the nights with a men’s
choir (I believe they were firemen or
policemen). We were lucky enough to
try hákarl and ram's testicles. We had
a wonderful dinner at Fish Market
and enjoyed museums in Reykjavík,
with our favourite being the Ásmun-
dur Sveinsson Sculpture Museum and
Park. And we enjoyed driving along
the southern side of the country to
the Glacier Lagoon, which is just an
amazing place.
䘅Do you imagine you'll come back
to Iceland some day?
We will definitely be back to Iceland,
likely in the summer time, so that we
can explore the whole country along
the Ring Road.
Annie
䘅Describe yourself in three words:
Confident
Caring
Generous
䘅Describe David in three words:
He is perfect!
䘅Describe the two of you, as a couple,
in three words:
Harmony
Laugh
Love
䘅 Are you glad that David decided to
propose in Iceland? February is not
generally when a lot of people want to
visit us.
I don’t think he could have come up with a
better idea to propose. You are right, Feb-
ruary is generally not when lots of people
visit Iceland, but here is how we decided:
Early last December, we spent a week in
Grand Cayman. Before our trip, David
suggested that instead of going back to
his family in New Jersey for Christmas,
that we go to Europe for a week. He’s a
Gemini, so I knew he would always want
to travel. But going to Europe a week af-
ter a 7 day vacation in Cayman was a little
too much for me (I guess this is the dif-
ference between a Taurus and a Gemini).
We decided to go back to New Jersey and
spend a couple of days in New York City
(I was later told that proposing to me the
day after Christmas in New York City was
on David’s agenda). But because I had to
catch up with a lot at work, I had to cancel
the trip and spend Christmas in Seattle.
DAVID WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT MY
LAST MINUTE CANCELLATION!! I
didn’t understand why he was so upset
(I even thought he was going to break up
with me). Eventually, a good conversation
helped us overcome the issue. Around
New Year’s, the Gemini started talking
about our next trip. We both had heard so
many good things about Iceland. So when
he came up with the idea of trip to Iceland,
I couldn’t have said no.
䘅Did you have any inkling that David
would be proposing on this trip?
My sixth sense told me he may pop the
question on the trip, but I didn’t have my
hopes up. I’d love to see our relationship
move forward, but having him in my life,
even just as a friend, is already a blessing.
I couldn’t have asked for more.
䘅What was something new that you
learned about David while in Iceland?
While in Iceland, I realised that he was
more playful than I knew, and had a great
sense of humour. More importantly, I
realised what a big heart he had. On our
way back from the Glacier Lagoon, we
ran into a couple whose car broke down
on the Black Beach in Vík. Our original
plan was to spend the night in Vík. But
after finding out that they had to catch
their flight at 6 AM the next morning,
David offered them a ride back to Reyk-
javík.
䘅Tell us about the proposal under the
Northern Lights.
I’ll let David tell the story. He does a bet-
ter job than I do.
䘅 What were some of the highlights
of your trip?
The food, water, air, culture, mountains,
volcanoes, the sand and rock—every sin-
gle minute in Iceland was a highlight. But
if I have to pick one, I have to say it’s your
people who made the trip well worth it. I
was a flight attendant for 5 years before
going to college, so travelling isn’t strange
to me. Our trip to Iceland is by far the best
trip I’ve ever had.
In early February, we here are the Grapevine—a notorious-
ly amorous publication, as our readers well know—received
an unexpected message in our inbox:
“My fiancé and I got engaged under the Northern Lights.
She is Canadian and I'm American.
We met in a coffee shop in Seattle about 10 months ago.
Once I knew she was 'the one', I wanted to propose to her some-
where special!
We would love to share our story with your readers.
Thank you
David Chang, MD
Annie Yu”
So we asked David and Annie to each answer some ques-
tions about themselves and their trip, without showing each
other their answers first. Here are their responses, which
should even be a surprise to them. Go snuggle, lovers.
Iceland Is
For Lovers
David and Annie
Interviewed by Larissa Kyzer
Photo by David and Annie
Tourism | Love
“I realised that we make
a wonderful team. And
she is quite funny.”
䘅