A Chronicle of App Dating:…experience six

La vida de JW
Aug 22, 2017 · 4 min read

dating philosophy: [be honest with yourself, no expectations, enjoy the art of dating, you get out what you put in, expect the unexpected.]

My European journey continued with a hungover flight to Athens. On arrival it was hot, 115 degrees to be exact. I was pretty much resigned to stay in my room to avoid the heat but decided to try and find a date to grab dinner with.

One of the cool things about Happn is being able to create a status that lets potential suitors know what activities you’re open to doing, so I hopped on the app looking for a dinner date. A short while later I connected with a German fellow from Heidelberg and we met up for dinner.

This might sound crazy but I’m almost certain he’s related to the German craft fair date guy, but I digress. I wasn’t really attracted to him and the conversation was a bit frustrating. He was an academic and seemed to be more interested in hearing himself talk than having a conversation. I didn’t even finish an entire sentence for the first hour until I pointed out that he was repeatedly interrupting me.

I finished up dinner and he suggested a night cap but I decided I’d had enough. We walked back towards our hotels and I bid him farewell.


Moussaka @ Oineas in Athens.

The next two nights I dined alone. It was decidedly more enjoyable. While I’m sure many people looked at me with pity, I actually rather enjoy eating alone. I can fully enjoy my food and think and observe.

My last night in Athens my waiter at Oineas was a very attractive man. He was intrigued by the fact that I was dining alone and asked what my plans were for the evening. Enter overprotective mother who wanted to be a part of the fun, interrupting the conversation. I decided I wasn’t ready for a package deal yet and called it a night.

Solo fine dining at MEating in Mykonos.

I was then off to Mykonos where there was certainly opportunity but I wasn’t really in the mood to try and connect with someone. I enjoyed some fine dining (alone) and did some partying with friends of friends, but in the end I was ok not going on any dates there despite getting quite a few matches.

Walking around Santorini.

The last island of my trip, Santorini, was decidedly not a place to meet single men but was still enjoyable. I actually found myself looking forward to going back to Spain. I hadn’t heard from Pedro and thought maybe he had moved on to the next app date, so I set up a few other dates with a guy from D.C., a Spanish guy and a Belgian guy — all on the same day (I told you this would happen again).

In the end all of the dates were a wash (one was boring, one was a smoker, and the other was way too into the party scene) and I ended up drunk texting with Pedro. We met up for a couple of drinks and I realized I really liked his energy. Which leads me to a couple of Europe dating revelations.

Or really just one — there are WAY MORE men in Europe who find me attractive who I am also attracted to. Not sure if it’s the accents, how cultured men are, the way they dress (it’s probably all of those things) but European men just get me. Yes, that is obviously a gross generalization but stay with me for a moment. I don’t get the, “you’re pretty and smart for a black girl vibe” which I’ve sometimes felt in SF. It’s simply you’re a beautiful, desirable human being.

I had a great last night with Pedro recounting my trip to him, discussing the highs and lows with the comfort and ease of chatting with a lifelong friend.

I returned from the trip decidedly depressed about my dating options in SF and refused to even open my apps for days. When I did, I was even more depressed.

I can’t say that I’ve quite recovered from the overwhelming buoyancy of dating in Europe, but I’ll let you know how I’ve been coping in my next post.

)

La vida de JW

Written by

Writer. Explorer. Yogi. Art Enthusiast. Dog lover.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade