Matchmaking honoured part of many cultures, SACPA told
In Mexico, there’s little need for matchmakers.
When a woman catches a man’s attention, says Sandra Juell, he steps right up and talks to her. “We are very open.” But that’s not so common in southern Alberta, she’s found.
That’s why she offers a matchmaking service here — and fields messages from around the world.
Originally from the Mexican city of Monterrey, Juell went to law school and then earned an education degree as well. She worked as an educational assistant after relocating to Lethbridge.
That’s when she learned there are many people, young and older, who find it difficult to meet someone and form a long-term relationship. There aren’t so many ways to socialize here, she discovered.
“And winters can be long,” she reminded participants at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs.
After a divorce and raising two sons in Mexico, Juell turned to the internet in hopes of finding a new partner. After filling out a detailed questionnaire, “I received more than 2,000 messages in response.”
Many were from far distant places, but she gradually narrowed the field by considering the values, interests and other attributes described by those responding to her replies. Eventually it came down to two men, she said — and she selected the one from Lethbridge.
They’ve been together for eight years, she added.
But there are dangers associated with online matches, she warned. Not everyone tells the truth.
Recognizing that matchmaking is a long-honoured part of many cultures, Juell decided to put her experience to work here. While she conducted client interviews in coffee shops at first, she’s now set up an office downtown where she can offer confidentiality.
While divorced men and women hoping for a successful second marriage come to see her, she says her clients include young people who are completing their education as well as seniors whose partner has died.
Young people often seem to be in a hurry, she reports.
“I tell them, don’t go so fast,” take your time in finding the “right” person.
But often, she says, seniors are more wary.
“They say, ‘Can you give me a little more time?’ ”
Not everyone will find a match, she points out. And there’s no guarantee it will endure. But Juell offers a word of hope. “Never give up on love.”