While most students involved with the German American Placement Program (GAPP) gained cultural perspective, senior Sarah Johnson obtained something much more marvelous…love.

“To describe my feelings for her is not easy in English.  She is my little princess.  I’ve never met a better girl than her and I love her more than anything else,” said Leo Muller, Johnson’s boyfriend of five months.

Johnson and Muller met last spring while Leo was in the States with the GAAP program.

“When I first saw him, I was automatically attracted to him, and same for him to me,” gushed Johnson.

The pair, who share a common love for video games and food, got to know each other well during his limited time here and began texting incessantly after his departure.  When it became apparent that both were interested in something more, Muller sent Johnson a letter inscribed with the German translation for “ Wanna be my girlfriend?” and a yes, no, and maybe box.

The couple met for the first time as an official couple in Berlin this summer once again through the GAPP program. While attachment to their individual host sibling did not allow for much alone time, the match utilized music rehersals between their serogate siblings to spend quality time together. They also bonded by watching soccer games and at a cookout for GAPP students held at Muller’s home.  It was at the Bar-B-Que that the pair shared their first kiss.

“It was a feeling words cannot describe,” Muller said of the long-awaited kiss.

Since the trip Johnson and Muller have kept their relationship intact by texting and skyping constantly.  Johnson explained that the only communication difficulties stem from the drastic seven-hour time difference, as Muller is fluent in English. The pair also plans to visit one another as often as finances allow.

Even though the relationship must face a multitude of obstacles, both members of the couplet feel it can endure as they are both focused and committed on making it work.

“We have such strong chemistry. No matter how far away we are from each other, nothing will tear us apart,” says Johnson.