The old saying goes, “You meet the most important people in your life at the most unexpected times.”  For junior Jordan Palmer and her Germany-born beau Nikolas Frankl, fate struck one starry night in The Big Apple.

Palmer and her two friends settled into their rooms in Hotel Pennsylvania, and headed to the lobby in their pajamas for an enjoyable night-in.  Two lads sitting next to them, preoccupied with a fry-throwing battle and blowing straw wrappers at one another were also there. “A wrapper hit the legs of us and one boy knelt down in front of us to retrieve it, caught our eyes, and asked what our names were,” Palmer explained.  

The group talked about their lives at home, and the girls learned that the duo traveled from Munich, Germany, and their infectious personalities led to the next few days, where the group spent time roaming various stores of New York, heading to the infamous City Perk Cafe, and exploring the luxurious levels of the hotel, even sneaking away into the ballroom without being caught by the sleeping guard.  “We went on the set-up stage and Nik was the first to ask me to dance,” Palmer expanded.

Their time together came to an end but that did not mean being in contact did.

Throughout the next several months Palmer and Nik would keep in contact, even with the difficulty of the 6-hour difference in a country more than 4,000 miles away.  

When Palmer would be heading to sleep, Nik would be waking up and ready to start his day.  The two had it hard in forms of communication, but the need to talk to one another outweighed any of their struggles.  

With the date of prom nearing closer, the two had the idea of flying Nik out from Germany to enjoy the dance and then to visit various sites across Maryland.  

From having to get an international license, to booking flights, to paying extra for a passport, Nik seemed to do whatever it took to see Palmer once more.  

“Nik worked so hard to travel to my hometown to take me to prom and I appreciate all the effort he has since put into our relationship,” Jordan says, “We took things day by day and are now in a relationship that feels so natural, and it feels like we are meant to be together.”  

Palmer and Nik recently visited local favorite hot spots like Ocean City, where they enjoyed a night on the beach under the stars, Margaritas Pizza, where Nik had his first taste of spaghetti pizza, and even traveled to the Washington, DC.  

Palmer wanted Nik to get a sense of what her life was like before she goes to visit Munich in August this summer.  “I don’t know what the future holds for us, but we have scheduled some flights in later months,” Jordan explains, “It can be really tough at times, some days we’re not in sync with one another, but we both know that the troubles we have now will be worth it in the end.”  

Nik said there is a lot he loves about Jordan.  “I love everything about her. Her laugh, the way she sings at the top of her lungs while listening to the radio, and how she never stops dancing,” he continues. “I wish we could be together more often, but I am doing whatever I can to make our relationship work.”