From sunny California to snowy La Ronge: this American made the move for love
CBC
When people run into Holly Nguyen in her northern Saskatchewan town, they can often tell she hasn't always lived there.
When they ask where she’s from and the 31-year-old responds “California,” it triggers a question she’s heard many times: “What the hell are you doing up here?"
“As a Californian who's come up to the North, there's something about the boreal forest, these northern communities, the Tri community specifically, that just kind of enamors you and it works its way into your bones and your blood,” she said.
But much deeper than her connection to the place is the person who drew her to La Ronge, Sask. — her spouse, Kitten Chrispen.
The pair met online in 2007 when they were about 13.
As a queer autistic young person who’s struggled with mental health and suicidal ideation over the years, that connection was a lifeline, Chrispen said.
“When I met her and we started talking, things just clicked. I was like, ‘I want to be her friend.’”
That connection deepened into a crush, but at that age, she hadn’t given too much thought to her sexuality, or that she might be attracted to women as well as men, Nguyen said.
When Chrispen came to visit her in Anaheim just before Nguyen left for college, their relationship began to shift into a romantic one.
“When it comes to relationships, I'm a pretty slow burner,” Nguyen said.
“I have to process everything and whatnot. So it wasn't until the second summer [of her visiting] that I made my move in the dorkiest way.”
Nguyen recalled blurting out to her pen pal, 'OK, do you want to do the dating thing for real?'
“She said yes. I don’t know why.”
It was everything Chrispen had spent years pining for, without knowing if it would happen.
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