Finding love abroad: Camila & Peter’s EF love story

When our students embark on a language trip abroad, they never know what they might find along the way – for some, it’s the love of their life. Camila and Peter’s paths first crossed while they were on an EF Year Abroad in Oxford. The rest is history! Read about their love story below.

Why did you want to study abroad with EF?

Camila: I found the office in Brazil. The staff were super nice and very informative. At first I wanted San Diego or Boston but they were full. The EF member of staff said they had visited Oxford and thought it was beautiful, plus Oxford was unofficially the home of the English Language.

Can you tell us about when you first met and your first date?

Camila: I saw Peter for the first time in the residence kitchen, holding a board game under his arm. At first I thought he was a member of staff, but when he asked me if I would like to play in his room with a few others, I realized he was a student. I fell for him straight away and thought to myself “he is mine.”

That night I asked him if he was going to Cambridge over the weekend. He said he was and we hung out all day. After the trip I said bye and thought that would be it but then he hugged me and my heart started to beat faster.

The next day we went on the Windsor trip together and at the end of the trip he asked me out on a date.

That Friday he took me to Oxford Castle for our date, where we went shoe shopping. At the end of the date, outside the school, he kissed me and I kissed him back. From then on we felt very close to one another. We did not care that we were from completely different cultures or that our homes were on opposite sides of the world. We fell in love.

Where did the wedding happen?

Camila: It took place in Slovakia in a city called Topoľčany. The wedding was celebrated in both Slovak and Spanish as the priest was fluent in both. It was a very unique wedding and the best day of my life so far. Having Jamie from the EF Oxford staff there even though I had left a long time ago was great too.

We have a baby due on the 3rd of September. We are equal parts nervous and excited to become parents for the first time!

How did studying with EF benefit you both?

Camila: EF, of course, helped us improve our English as this was our common language but it also prepared us to live far away from our families. I now live in Slovakia and distance will not be an issue for our new family.