She is from Chaco, he is English: they spoke for 10 years on networks, they saw each other in a pandemic and they got married three months ago

“It was the best decision of my life”, says Marisol Colombo (29). The only thing she regrets is not doing it sooner. On September 10, 2021, she married Josh Queen (28) , British, in an intimate ceremony in Resistencia, Chaco.

Marisol and Josh met through social media. “I was studying to teach English at university, and I was looking for an opportunity to improve my language. In the browser I found profiles of North Americans and British people”, Marisol tells Infobae. More than 12,000 kilometers away, Josh was the only one who accepted the friend request.

One summer night she received the first message. “Within a few words, I felt that there was a very strong connection. The conversation flowed from the beginning: it seemed that we had known each other for a lifetime, ”he admits.

And so it was, they spent ten years talking remotely. The advancement of technology narrowed the differences: messages, video calls, photos, video. Any excuse was valid. “The bond only cooled when we got engaged, each one on his own, otherwise, he was present in all the moments of my life”.

In all that time they both had partners, with whom they even lived, but there was always something that united them. They were predestined. “It's like the romantic legend of the red string,” says Marisol.

Risk it all

In March 2020, Marisol, who was already working as a teacher at the National Technical University in Chaco, had a strong relationship crisis. “It was no longer enough. I decided to cut it off. I was frustrated with the constant failures in love, and I thought, 'If Josh is still here after all this time, there's a chance for something more.'

Bold and passionate, she put first: “Luckily, he was in full separation. We resume the link with conversations by day, by night. The love was intact."

Marisol proposed a face-to-face meeting. They both wanted to end the distance. But the arrival of the pandemic delayed all plans. However, without thinking, she bought a plane ticket to London. “I gambled for love. They canceled my flight more than ten times, until I made it.”

Once in the UK, the odyssey continued, she was detained at Migrations. “The entry of tourists was very complex due to the pandemic. After several minutes and verification of identity and stay, I was able to enter. A few yards away, waiting for her, was Josh.

The longest hug in the world

“When I saw him, I couldn't help but run to hug him. All that he had felt through messages, calls, multiplied by a thousand, ”she admits. The long-awaited kiss was not long in coming.

What followed after that first meeting was dizzying, especially for Marisol. She lived together for almost five months in London, where she met friends and relatives of Josh. He adopted gastronomic customs and shared local rituals. “Being with him I wondered why I wasted so much time. Being with him makes me a better person.”

Days before Marisol's birthday, Josh invited her to tour the city of Bath. She accepted without knowing everything that would come next. “He prepared a speech in Spanish with the help of a friend, all to ask for my hand.”

On April 17, 2021, minutes before twelve and in the middle of the coastal walk, he knelt down, looked into her eyes, and proposed to her. “I don't hesitate. I said yes, and we cried.”

The yes, I do

With her tourist visa about to expire, Marisol had to return to Chaco. There they began to plan the wedding. “The truth is that it was very complex, because the borders for foreigners were still closed. It was agony." At that time, family reunifications had been suspended.

Marisol continued with her dream. Finally, in August, Josh was able to arrive, and on September 10 they were married in an intimate ceremony overlooking the Paraná River, in Resistencia. “From London his relatives connected by zoom and we accompanied with their own party.”

The honeymoon lasted almost ten days and they chose to discover the Iguazú Falls and Bariloche. “Josh told me it's the most beautiful place he's ever been on. It was beautiful to discover the country through his eyes. I love his way of enjoying life.”

They have been married for three months. Josh had to return to London because of his work obligations. Marisol is anxious and has already applied for the marriage visa. You have at least 60 business days to wait. “When I get out, I'm moving. Although he wants to live in Argentina. He fell in love with the country. Every day it gets tougher. I miss him a lot, I want to recover those 10 years of distance.

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