We’re Kara and Eliecer — though in Mexico, everyone knows him as Cuba, and to his family and close friends, he’s Jabico. Back in October 2022, we met the way every great love story should: on a basketball court. Neither of us came looking for anything more than a chance to shoot around, but fate clearly had bigger plans.

Here’s the thing: our language skills were… limited. Kara had just enough Spanish to order food (priorities, right?), while Eliecer’s English consisted of one word: “Hi.” Not exactly Shakespeare material. Luckily, we both spoke the language of basketball — and that was enough. Kara has played since childhood, and Eliecer (6’9) plays professionally, so instead of talking, we dribbled, passed, and laughed our way through that first game.

Somewhere between missed shots and playful competition, we discovered something wild: we both wear the same jersey number, #22. Coincidence? Maybe. But we like to think of it as destiny showing up on the scoreboard.

The early days were hilarious and challenging all at once. We leaned hard on Google Translate, which quickly made it clear that it doesn’t understand Cuban Spanish… and definitely doesn’t get American sarcasm. Half the time, the translations didn’t make sense, but laughing at the confusion somehow made things easier.

After the court, we went for frozen yogurt at Zo’Zen — still our favorite spot — and ended the night with a walk on the beach. That’s when Kara got her first taste of Cuban music, which now plays consistently on her playlists. Looking back, that one day gave us all the ingredients: basketball, food, music, laughter, and a spark that’s only grown stronger.

Since then, our playbook has filled up with new chapters: traveling, sharing cultures, meeting family, and figuring out how to blend two worlds together. Kara has loved visiting Cuba and being welcomed by Eliecer’s family with open arms. Eliecer has met a lot of Kara’s family and friends— sometimes through cruise ship stops in Cozumel — and now many of them are learning Spanish to connect with him, while he’s learning English (with a lot of help from movies). 

We now share a life together in Mexico, which has become our home court. One day, we hope to add the U.S. to our season schedule, but for now, the paperwork makes it more of a full-court press than a fast break. Until then, Mexico is where we’re building our team and chasing new adventures side by side.

What started with hoops and yogurt has turned into something much bigger: a partnership, a family, and a team. Basketball may have brought us together, but love — with plenty of food, music, beach walks, and laughter — keeps us in the game. And just to seal the deal, Eliecer is now a die-hard Buckeye fan.