Before meeting Swecha, Jake had only eaten Indian food a few times. His lack of expertise showed in his restaurant choice, G’Raj Mahal, which had a ‘westernized’ approach to Indian food to say the least. But he was still able to hold Swecha’s interest through a knowledge of film, TV, and cricket that was almost on par with her’s.

After a year of long walks, diners, game nights, and movies, the pair decided to visit Jake’s uncle in Portland, Oregon. While Uncle Nick’s itinerary had included a little more hiking than either of them were prepared for, the time they spent relaxing in a cabin next to the iconic haystacks and playing dance dance revolution

This was the day that Jake saw a more devious side to Swecha. As soon as a volunteer handed out the first batch of color, Swecha wasted no time bombarding everyone in sight, strangers and friends alike. While Jake was shy at first, he quickly got into the spirit as the pair made it their mission to ensure no white clothing was safe.

Jake wanted to show Swecha and her family the country town that raised his mom at the most exciting time of the year: the Watermelon Thump, a festival celebrating the sacred watermelon. This town-wide party has everything: watermelon eating contests, seed spitting contests, a beauty pageant crowning the ‘Thump Queen’, and even a watermelon auction with the prize melon going for thousands of dollars! After a day of celebrating and a night of games and laughing with Jake’s grandparents, Pop’s (Jake’s grandfather) couldn’t believe how much fun he had with this crew, repeatedly asking Jake when they would be able to return.