With the explosion of Internet Dating Services, there are so many opportunities for meeting the love of your life online. Bahamian males have for a long time resorted to travelling elsewhere to find love,
but now, it seems that Bahamian females are starting up a new trend: They have been going online to meet their 'e-males.' "I actually met the man who is my husband online, about three years ago. I know that there is a stigma attached to meeting people online, but after having so much bad luck with Bahamian men, I decided to try something else," said Samantha Williams (not her real name).
With the internet practically putting the world at your fingertips, it's no wonder that this trend is becoming so popular. "My husband and I met on a web site geared towards Christians looking to meet new people. At first, I was skeptical about the whole thing, but my friends encouraged me to keep chatting with him. Soon after chatting online, we started talking on the phone. About three months later, he visited me and when we finally met, we realised that we were also physically attracted to each other. Over the next year, the relationship grew. I visited him a couple of times, then I went over to study in his country for six months. Before my studies were over, he proposed. We got married and we now live here," explained Williams.
Williams feels like internet dating can be a good thing, with successful relationships developing. However, she cautions Bahamian women to take their time.
"Online dating is relatively new in The Bahamas, so it's important that people tread carefully. Be aware that there are a lot of weird people online, so you have to take the necessary precautions. I would advise people to screen their new friends carefully."
She had some additional advice for Bahamians who may be interested in trying online-dating: "Try not to get too personal too fast, after all, you don't want to give out personal information that can later be used to hurt you. Also, don't be too quick to travel to the other person's country, especially if they live in unfamiliar territory. Try to establish some kind of link before travelling. If you do decide to travel to visit the person, take a friend with you and stay at a hotel. I took my best friend with me when we went over to meet Craig (not his real name) for the first time." And she added, although her husband is not Bahamian, that doesn't mean that online dating is limited to foreigners.
"The Bahamas is small and most people know each other, so it may seem unnecessary to go online to meet people. So it's not very practical to do it here. But when all the Family Islands are hooked up with the internet (no pun intended), you can probably even meet the man or woman of your dreams from one of the Family Islands online."
Williams said that she knows that most Bahamians are conservative and probably would not venture online to find the love of their life, but she said that sometimes, people have to step outside of the box. "I know that some people may frown on online dating and may even consider it to be a desperate act, but if you live in the United States or Canada, you'll see that it's pretty common. In any event, this is my life, so I don't let people impose their opinions on me."
Williams and her husband have been married for the past two years and the couple is expecting their first child early next year. Her husband Craig, who is a doctor, has settled nicely in The Bahamas but makes frequent trips to visit his family overseas. She said that they are also considering moving over to his country in a couple of years.
By: BETTY VEDRINE, The Nassau Guardian
