Miami … Merged: Written in the stars?

In a world of romance novels, reality TV shows and love songs, expectations about college romance are high – only to be met with the dissonance of piles of homework, hook-up culture and Brick Street.

“Miami … Merged” was created out of this imbalance as a chance for Miami University students to meet new people and experience what Oxford has to offer, without the stress of asking someone out or the confusion of dating apps.

Three couples were matched up out of a pool of applicants based on simple questions such as majors, hobbies and interests, to more in-depth prompts like ideal types, if they like to talk during movies and who is willing to kill bugs.

The three dates took place between Mariza and Josh, Natalie and Christian and Jane and Maggie. Their love stories may not be long, but each gained different lessons from this experience.

The participants

One application for Miami … Merged was very particular about something rather specific.

“If I get chosen for this, PLEASE no Aries men. Please. I can’t do it again. I wholeheartedly believe that every Aries man lives up to all of the negative stereotypes,” Mariza wrote in her application for the project.

The senior media and communication major said she was looking forward to the chance to try something new. In her application, she wrote she likes to read, work out and listen to Fleetwood Mac, and she enjoys the occasional night Uptown and loves to hang out with her cat, Olive.

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“She’s a little angel—she’s the light of my life,” Mariza said, grinning. “If a guy doesn’t like cats, that’s an immediate no.”

She said she saw a flyer for Miami … Merged hanging near a printer one day in Armstrong and was intrigued.

“I feel like I have confined myself to a very tiny bubble of what I feel my type is and the people that I should date. It would be a very interesting experience to have someone chosen for me, and I’d love to see how that could go,” she wrote in her application.

For her, kindness, respect and a good sense of humor are essential to a healthy relationship.

“It’s better when things happen organically,” Mariza said. “It’s just kinda nice to do things a different way. I’m so over the dating apps.”

Josh, a sophomore cybersecurity and robotics engineering double major, is both introspective and extroverted. In his free time, he fences, plays the drums, marimba, and banjo and skateboards.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve never really been in a sincere relationship before,” he said.

When asked what he was looking for in a relationship, he mentioned that he had been into stargazing recently. While that might not seem especially related to going on his first-ever blind date, that seize-the-moment attitude impacted his mentality about dating.

“I went to a blood moon yesterday,” he said. “That was fun. I kind of couldn't bring myself to go to sleep.”

Josh didn’t have anything specific in mind for qualities he was looking for in a partner, other than an emphasis on communication, sincerity and kindness.

“People are really variable,” he said.

He added that it wasn’t that he didn’t have standards, but that he was open to anything.

“Set me up with an evil wizard or something and I’d be like, uh, not cool man,” Josh said.

Smiles seemed to flow easily from him. The catch? The question on his application about his zodiac sign noted something peculiar…

“Aries, don’t know anything more than that :(”

The date

Mariza and Josh walked into Oxford Sushi King on Friday at 5:30 p.m., both with the knowledge that they don’t like sushi.

“I tried to get him to order for me to see what he would pick out,” Mariza said while smiling. “But that was a lot of pressure, I think.”

To start the meal, Josh ordered an appetizer of dumplings, which Mariza said was a very good choice. For entrees, she got the chicken teriyaki and he got the chicken katsu. They seemed relieved to find options that didn’t involve raw fish.

“We thought we should both try new things because that would be sweet, but then we both ordered things we already had had,” Josh said. “Neither of us tried seafood that day.”

In between conversations ranging everywhere from their own life goals to their discomfort at the current political landscape, Josh taught Mariza how to use chopsticks.

“It was crazy how easily the conversation flowed,” she said.

When asked about his first impression, Josh said she was someone “who stands on business.”

“We lack a lot of honest and kind people, sometimes people are unnecessarily cruel … She’s a naturally kind person," he said.

He added that he found her pretty. She had a similar reaction to seeing him for the first time. Multiple times during the date, she mentioned that he “out-accessorized her.”

“One thing that stood out to me a lot was how smart he was,” Mariza said. “He knows what he's talking about, he knows what he's doing. He has very clear goals for himself, and I really respected that.”

She also said she liked how compassionate he was, and that he’s not a judgmental person at all.

When 7 p.m. rolled around, the pair had to part ways. They swapped numbers before he walked her to her car, but there was also a mutual understanding of their differing futures.

“Logically, I'm about to graduate, and he has two more years to go, so it just wouldn't work out,” Mariza said sadly.

While the stars may not have aligned for the pair, Mariza said she changed her mind about rejecting all Aries men, and Josh said it was a pleasant way to find a new familiar face on campus.

“I felt like it was something I really needed to do,” Mariza said. “I’m happy that I put myself out there to do that.”

Participants rate the date:

Mariza: 9/10

Josh: 8/10

wahllm@miamioh.edu

stumbata@miamioh.edu