An indo Portuguese romance with its beginnings in a London classroom has travelled through UK and Portugal before settling in Ponda where the boy’s family lives. The Goan tracks Portuguese-Goan romance that ended in a fairy tale wedding
This could be the mother of all Indo-Portuguese culturalexchanges. Portuguese girl meets Goan boy in a London university classroom. Arollicking romance follows across Ponda and Portugal, culminating in a fairytale wedding in Goa, in the presence of the Portuguese Consul General. The Goanand the Portuguese heart were both conquered
Ashley Pereira from Goa and Andrea Areal from Portugal, gotmarried on October 24.To fully understand the romance of their tale, rewindback to its inter-continental beginnings. “We met in London. We had gone thereto pursue our further studies and we were studying at Cavendish College, buthad never seen one another even though we were studying the same course ofBusiness Management,” says Pereira.
Andrea recalls, “In the second trimester, one of ourteachers decided that he wanted to allocate some of his best students to oneclassroom. When I walked into class for the first day of lectures, Ashley wasthe only one there. We had a brief conversation, and he asked where I was from.When I said Portugal, he almost jumped and said he was from Goa.” Ashleyquickly interjects and quips, saying, “I offered credentials as proof that mymiddle name is Joaquim and surname is Pereira!”
Shortly after that initial exchange, the couple starteddating. “Our very first date was at the London Eye, following which we livedtogether for two years in London. Last year, on October 24, I took Andrea toVertigo Bar in Liverpool Street and proposed to her. We decided to spendChristmas in Portugal and then move to Goa permanently in January,” Pereiraadds.
As is typical with Goan families (and their Portuguesecounterparts from whom they have imbibed it), the collective group must alwayshave the last word in. “Our ‘little’ girl travelling across the world like tostart the biggest chapter in her life was incredulous. We had to go and checkthe place first. But it is perfect for her,” say Andrea’s Aunt Joaquina andUncle Fernando de Almeida, the closest thing she has to parents. Ashley’smother, Cristalina Remedios, on the other hand, was more open a bond that shewas not expecting, and says, “I am extremely happy that my son has found allthat he has sought in Andrea.”
Now settled in their new home, the couple looks at life withevery hope and expectation from life to a tale that began with an idyllic ‘onceupon a time’.
