Charlie and Prachi originally connected online through Facebook Dating in 2019. Charlie had been living out of town at that time, but he moved back shortly after they started talking. Prachi had just arrived in Thunder Bay from India that year.
“I clicked on Facebook Dating not really knowing what it was,” Charlie tells me.
“I think Prachi was the only one I talked to there because no one was really using it at that point.”
“Our first date was at Seattle Coffee House when it was on Arthur Street,” says Charlie. One of the things he remembers connecting about was travel.
“I liked how honest he was,” says Prachi. “He was very open-minded and eager to learn things.”
After travel, they connected on food. Charlie introduced Prachi to new restaurants she hadn’t had the chance to try yet since arriving in the city.
Prachi initially moved to Thunder Bay to attend Confederation College and took International Business Management.
She has since moved into the healthcare sector, as she is currently the Change Management Lead at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Charlie is a Nurse Practitioner.
Prachi was drawn to Thunder Bay for its community-based living and the access we have to nature.
They were married in 2022 in India. They chose the city of Rishikesh, a location close to where Prachi was born.
“It was a very nice, spiritual location,” Prachi tells me. “We couldn’t pick between mountains and water, so we picked a place that had both.”
“It’s on the foothills of the Himalayas,” says Charlie.
During the pandemic, they did a ton of hiking. Prachi also says she really enjoys kayaking, which Charlie introduced her to. She took a sea-level kayaking course and loved it.
“Believe it or not, I do like fishing now,” says Prachi. “If they’re biting.”
“Yeah, she likes catching fish,” says Charlie with a laugh.
“I like learning new things. I am also really attracted to the cultural aspect of the city,” says Prachi. “The city has grown in cultural diversity even in the last half decade.”
The couple goes to a lot of community events and are very engaged with the culture in the city.
“I love going out,” says Prachi. “You will see us at everything.”
They also spend a lot of time camping and visiting the lake. Charlie proposed to Prachi at Mink Mountain. They’ve both spent time traveling around to the smaller communities within Northwestern Ontario through their jobs, which they’ve really enjoyed getting to see and experience.
