Online Dating

Online dating has a really bad stigma to it. Although after asking around, I have actually found that many couples have gotten married after meeting through Match.com and other such sites. It really works!

I personally moved to the States in 2006 and didn't know anyone. With my line of work -- teaching dance to children and nursing -- there are really no guys around to meet. My friends now (except for my nursing cohort) were total strangers that I met in really random places.

I love going out, so I do meet guys at bars/clubs -- not that this crowd is generally boyfriend material either, but it does work every once in a while as well! Now, if you were to go out with a guy you met at a club vs. a guy from Match.com think about it: through Match.com you would already know their occupation, religion, age, education level, and whatever other screening questions they have on there. Even compared to someone you met at a library or coffee shop, Match.com is still more legit! And since the guys on there actually PAID to subscribe, they are, more likely than not, serious about finding someone.

As a girl, I am very anti-paying if the guy can pay for me. (Hey, if females get downgraded in society, why not make the most out of it?) So I figured, yeah this dating site is going to cost me $20/month, but if I can get just ONE free movie date and dinner to Fogo de Chao, I'm totally getting my money back. Make it TWO dates/month and I'm actually MAKING money! Brilliant, I know.

And if you go on these dates, you don't have to kiss them or even hold hands with them. You can just enjoy the pleasure of meeting someone new, learning something new. And who knows, they'll surprise you with something new to do that you haven't done before -- snowboarding, salsa dancing, hiking, or even just new restaurants/places in general. And, for those who don't date at all, it opens you up to the dating scene.

There are only upsides to online dating.