(CNN Spanish) – When Melanie “Mel” Paquot said she was going to Lithuania for an exchange semester, her friends and family were surprised.
Although Mel is originally from northern Mexico, she was not used to such cold temperatures and the decision to go to Lithuania seemed “random,” but it was her last chance to take advantage of her university’s foreign exchange program.
While studying at LCC International University, he shared a class with Alex Rubel, who was born and raised in Ukraine but went to study in Lithuania on the recommendation of a family friend.
In the spring of 2015, Mel gifted Alex an orange woven bracelet, typical of her home state of Chihuahua. Alex placed it on his right wrist and never took it off again.
Mel gave Alex a bracelet from her pet Chihuahua. (Source: Instagram melpaquot)
They had only had a few interactions, but Mel was attracted to Alex and decided to take the first step: ask him out for coffee.
“I didn't understand why he invited me, I asked him if he wanted to talk about homework or something else in class,” Alex tells CNN.
What seemed like a trip with no expectations, since they both knew Mel would only be in Lithuania for a semester, turned into an hour-long date. They talked for so long that the cafe they were at was closed and the buses stopped running through the area. They had to walk back to the university campus, which gave them the opportunity to talk more.
“If you don't like me, just say, 'Apple'”
Melanie and Alex met at LCC International University. (Source: Instagram melpaquot)
Mel says she received a message from Alex on Facebook shortly afterwards.
“He told me he liked me. It was a very long and different message. He said something like, “The truth is that I like you.” If you don't like me, just say “apple” and we'll stop talking about it. But if you like me, we can talk about it,” he says.
Laughing, Alex says that he wanted to make the rejection “as pleasant as possible” “just in case.”
They dated regularly before one of the first culture shocks occurred. When Alex called Melanie his girlfriend, she told him firmly that they weren't together yet.
“You didn’t ask me to be your girlfriend,” Mel said at the time. Alex was surprised by this statement.
“I had already told her I liked her and she told me she liked me. For me, we were already together,” explains Alex.
“Well… do you want to be my girlfriend?” Alex then asked.
“No, but you have to ask me nicer,” said Mel, expecting a grand romantic gesture, as is common in Mexico. Finally, Alex asked Melanie to be his girlfriend with a flower. This time she said yes.
Mel expected Alex to ask her to be his girlfriend with a romantic gesture, as is customary in Mexico. (Source: Instagram melpaquot)
At the end of the semester, Mel had to return to Mexico. She and Alex agreed to try a long-distance relationship.
“We saw each other twice a year: in summer and in winter. I left Lithuania in May and we saw each other until December of that year,” says Mel.
The third time is the charm
Alex and Mel maintained their long-distance relationship for two years. (Source: Instagram melpaquot)
After two years of long-distance dating, Mel was about to graduate from university and Alex had a job offer in Europe.
They knew they wanted to stay together, so Alex moved to the United States, where Mel was temporarily living. They knew they wanted to take the next step, but the moment they got engaged wasn't romantic at all, which they laugh about.
The engagement ring arrived at Mel's before Alex, so she received it in a package.
“I had the box at my house. I looked at the box and just thought: There's my engagement ring and I can't open it. Nothing romantic,” says Mel.
Alex was only in the city for a week before returning to Europe to sort things out before his move. They both knew they were getting engaged sometime that week, so the element of surprise was completely ruined.
One night, the couple was standing in front of a McDonald's when a heavy rain fell on them. They got into the car and Alex took the ring out of his pocket from the passenger seat.
“I've been carrying this with me all day,” he said to Mel, handing her the ring without saying anything else. He took a Polaroid photo of a confused Mel, who was hoping for a more romantic proposal.
“In my defense I have to say I was waiting all week for the right moment, but it never came. It was my last day before my return. [a Europa] and I got nervous,” Alex explains with a smile.
But the third time's the charm: Thanks to a damaged ring, Alex was able to make the romantic gesture Mel had been waiting for since the first months they knew each other.
“It was an internet ring. We didn't have much money because we were students and someone stepped on it and it collapsed. “We had it repaired and when they gave it back to us, Alex took advantage,” says Mel. This time he got down on his knees and asked her to marry him in a romantic moment.
Multicultural family
Mel, Alex and their daughter Mia. (Source: Instagram melpaquot)
They married in Mexico in 2017 and moved to Canada for a while because Alex couldn't yet speak Spanish. They returned to Mexico in 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the midst of the pandemic, Mel began creating content on social media and chronicling the adventures of a multicultural couple on the TikTok account @mexikraine.
In 2021, their daughter Mía Kateryna was born.
Mia is raised in three languages: Spanish, Ukrainian and English. He speaks Spanish at school, reads books in Ukrainian at home, and speaks English at home.
The extended family is also important to Alex and Mel. Alex's brother is in Latvia and they are in constant contact.
“We chat via video call and Mía is playing with her cousin. They don’t get along, but they show their wrists in front of the camera and play,” says Mel.
Melanie and Alex's mothers communicate in English and maintain contact via social networks. Neither parent speaks English or the other's language: their children and wives take on the role of translator when everyone gets together.
The couple married in 2017. (Source: Instagram melpaquot)
However, the political situation in recent years has made it difficult to reunite the entire family. Alex's parents are currently in Ukraine, where the war with Russia is ongoing for the second time.
“We often spoke to them via video calls. There is great uncertainty about the war and they are relatively close to danger; missile sirens can often be heard. “We told them to come to Mexico, but it’s not easy for them to leave the house they’ve lived in for 30 years to go to a country where they don’t speak the language,” says Alex.
Although the Rubel-Paquot family doesn't rule out moving to another country with some job opportunities, they love the life they've built in Mexico.
“In Mexico it is very easy to integrate, even if you don't speak the language. They accept you. They invite you to prepare a roast beef. Melanie has a very large family with many gatherings and many children. Mexico is our home,” says Alex.