Swiss Sri Lankan Couple: The Story Behind Soul & Spicy

It was at the airport when we first met. One of Salman’s aunts introduced us, we said hello and shook hands. It was a very normal first meeting, but somehow there was already a little curiosity between us. We both noticed each other’s energy, even though neither of us really understood what that feeling meant at the time.

Salman remembers being curious about this Swiss girl who had suddenly arrived with his family. Sarah remembers feeling surprisingly comfortable when she arrived in Sri Lanka. She felt a sense of peace and even a feeling of being at home that she hadn’t experienced before in Switzerland. There was something about the atmosphere, the people and the way everyone welcomed her that made her feel comfortable.

During the first few days, we didn’t suddenly become a couple. We simply started talking. We asked each other the usual questions — what we do, where we live, what kind of work we do and how we spend our time. Then we discovered that we were both freelancers.

That small connection gave us something to talk about, and maybe that was exactly what we needed. At that point, neither of us knew where it would lead.

As we spent more time around each other, Salman became more curious about Sarah and wanted to stay in touch. But asking for her number directly felt a little too obvious, so he found a more professional reason.

He told Sarah that he wanted to show her a post design he had made. Sarah gave him her WhatsApp number, and honestly, Salman felt like he had achieved something very big.

He sent her the design, and that became the beginning of our conversations outside the family. At first, we mostly talked about work because that was the easiest way to keep a conversation going. But because we were both freelancers, we naturally understood each other’s work and could talk about it for hours.

Slowly, we started learning more about each other. Sarah is quite an open book when she feels comfortable with someone, while Salman is naturally a good listener. Somehow, those two sides matched very well. Somewhere along the way, Salman started thinking, “I actually want to know this person better.” Neither of us said it out loud at first, but we both felt something was happening.

After a few weeks of talking and spending time together, we realised this wasn’t feeling like an ordinary friendship anymore. That brought excitement, but also a lot of questions. We came from different countries and completely different backgrounds, and we knew that having feelings for someone was one thing, while building a real life together would be something much bigger.

Sarah’s flight back to Switzerland was getting closer, and suddenly the time we had together felt very short. Then something unexpected happened. Salman’s aunt was staying in Sri Lanka for another week because of her dual citizenship appointment, and Sarah decided to stay with her for that extra week.

That extra week gave us more time to talk, understand each other and think about what we were actually feeling. We talked about our lives, our families and the things that were important to us. But we still didn’t have an answer about what would happen next.

At the time, it probably just felt like extending a holiday. Looking back, that extra week became an important part of our story.

One of Salman’s favourite memories from that first visit happened just before Sarah’s flight. He wanted to give her something personal, so he made a pencil drawing of Sarah, put it in a frame and gave it to her at the beach.

It was a simple gift, but it meant a lot to her. Sarah cried in the car on the way back to Negombo. For Salman, that moment showed him something he really liked about her. Sarah isn’t someone who needs luxury or expensive gifts to feel special. She notices the thought and effort behind something, and she is also a very sensitive person.

For Sarah, there was something equally important happening during those days. She felt safe and comfortable around Salman in a way she hadn’t experienced before. She saw him as a kind and positive person, someone she could be herself around without feeling judged.

Eventually, the holiday came to an end. Our feelings were still there, but there was no clear answer about what would happen next. Sarah had things in her own life that she needed to face and understand, so we didn’t make promises and we didn’t know what the future would look like. We simply said goodbye, knowing that we would stay in contact and see where life took us. Then Sarah flew back to Switzerland.

What happens now?

When Sarah went back to Switzerland, we stayed in contact. At first, our conversations were mostly connected to our businesses and daily life. We were living in two different countries again, and Sarah needed time for herself. Going back to Switzerland gave her the space to think about everything that had happened in Sri Lanka. She had things from her past that she needed to face, understand and work through, and she also needed to think about what she really wanted for her future.

For Salman, this was a time to be patient. He didn’t want to pressure Sarah or make her feel that she had to make a decision because of him. We both understood something important: there was no rush. If this was going to work, we wanted it to be because we both genuinely chose it, not because we were afraid of losing each other.

So we continued talking. Sometimes about work, sometimes about normal everyday things, sometimes about serious topics, and sometimes we didn’t talk much at all. Months passed, and Sarah gave herself the time she needed to understand her feelings, her past and what she really wanted. Salman waited without knowing exactly what the final answer would be. We were both prepared to accept either possibility. If it didn’t work, we would respect that and continue our lives as friends. If it did work, we knew there would still be many challenges ahead.

Then, after August, something changed. After months of thinking, talking and dealing with everything we needed to deal with, we finally reached the same place. We both wanted to give this relationship a real chance. This wasn’t a decision made during Sarah’s holiday, and it wasn’t something we had already decided before she went home. It was a decision we made together after having the time and space to be sure. And that was the moment everything became different.

Once we had both made our decision, we officially started our relationship. But there was still a big challenge in front of us: we were in two different countries.

We couldn’t simply meet whenever we wanted. We couldn’t sit together after a difficult day or go for a spontaneous drive. We had to communicate through messages and calls, sometimes when one of us was tired or busy. And we were still learning how to communicate with each other. English wasn’t our first everyday language, so sometimes even simple things could become difficult.

A sentence could sound different from what one person meant, and feelings were harder to explain through a screen. But instead of letting those things create distance, we learned to be patient. One of the biggest things we learned was not to assume. If something felt wrong, we talked about it. If one of us didn’t understand something, we asked. If one of us needed some time, we tried to respect that.

Long distance taught us that staying connected isn’t about talking every second of the day. It’s about making the other person feel that they still have a place in your life, even when they’re far away. We shared our normal days, our good news, our stressful moments, our silly conversations and sometimes absolutely nothing important at all. Those ordinary conversations became important.

As we got closer, we started understanding how different our worlds really were. Our cultures, languages, routines, religions and even our age difference sometimes made things complicated.

For Salman, religion became one of the biggest challenges because his family is Muslim, and marrying someone from another religion wasn’t something everyone could immediately accept. There were difficult conversations and difficult moments. We had fears about how the families would react and whether everyone would eventually understand our decision.

Sarah’s parents accepted Salman without judging him, and that gave us a lot of confidence. On Salman’s side, things took more time, and we had to be patient. We learned that families sometimes need time to understand something that is completely new to them.

During all of this, we didn’t pretend everything was easy. We had good days and bad days. We cried, laughed, disagreed, made up and kept talking. For us, that was part of growing together.

A multicultural relationship isn’t about one person leaving their culture behind and becoming like the other person. It’s about making space for both. Sarah learned more about Sri Lankan life, family and traditions. Salman learned more about Swiss life, Sarah’s way of thinking and the things that shaped her. And somewhere between those two worlds, we started creating our own.

If another couple asked us how we managed a long-distance relationship, we wouldn’t tell them that there is one special trick. For us, it was mostly about being honest.

We didn’t try to hide difficult feelings just to keep everything positive. We learned that you can love someone and still have disagreements. You can miss someone and still need your own space. You can come from completely different backgrounds and still understand each other if you’re willing to listen.

We also tried not to make every conversation about the relationship. We shared work, jokes, random photos, small moments from our day and the things we were excited about. We kept learning about each other’s lives instead of only waiting for the next time we could meet.

Most importantly, we had a future we were both working towards. Having something to look forward to made the distance easier to handle.

After about a year, we got married. We kept the wedding simple because what mattered most to us wasn’t having a huge celebration. It was reaching that moment after everything we had gone through and seeing both sides of our families happy.

It wasn’t a perfect journey to get there. But it was ours.

We decided to build our life together in Negombo, the same place where Sarah had first arrived for a holiday she never expected would change her future. And that made Negombo even more special to us.

Both of us already had experience working independently, so starting something together felt natural. We wanted to use our skills in a way that connected with the things we genuinely enjoy — creativity, travel, people, Sri Lanka and discovering new ideas. That’s how Soul & Spicy slowly became part of our life.

Today, we work with businesses on marketing and creative projects, help travellers experience Sri Lanka through customised tours and experiences, and work on our own products and ideas.

But we also wanted a place where people could get to know the two people behind everything. That’s why we share our life, travels, cultural differences, funny moments and everyday experiences on Instagram and Facebook.

We’re not trying to show that everything is perfect. We’re simply sharing what life looks like when two people from very different backgrounds decide to build something together.

Sarah has helped Salman see some things from a different perspective, slow down in certain moments and understand that not everything needs to be done the way it has always been done.

Salman has introduced Sarah to a side of Sri Lanka that she might never have experienced as a normal tourist — family life, local food, everyday traditions, small towns, spontaneous plans and the people behind them.

We’ve both learned that being different isn’t necessarily a problem. Sometimes it’s exactly what makes a relationship interesting.

We still have moments when we don’t understand each other. We still have different opinions. We still have days when one of us is more patient than the other. But we know how to come back to the conversation. And perhaps that’s one of the most important things we’ve learned.

You don’t need to agree on everything. You need to feel safe enough to talk about everything.

When we think about how we met now, there are so many little moments that could have changed everything. Sarah could have said no to that unexpected invitation to Sri Lanka. We could have simply said hello at the airport and gone our separate ways. Salman could have never asked for her WhatsApp number. Sarah could have gone home after three weeks instead of staying that extra week.

Any one of those small things could have changed the story. But they didn’t.

Two people from Sri Lanka and Switzerland, with different cultures, languages, religions, routines and family backgrounds, somehow found a way to build a life together. We didn’t start with a perfect plan. We didn’t know where it was going. We just kept talking, kept listening, kept trying and kept choosing each other even when things weren’t easy.

And maybe that’s what we want people to take from our story. You don’t always meet someone when you’re looking for them. Sometimes life simply puts two people in the same place, at the right time, and gives them a reason to start a conversation.

For us, that conversation began at an airport in Sri Lanka. Today, it has become a marriage, a home, a business, countless journeys and a story we’re still writing together.

This is how Soul & Spicy started. Not with a business plan. Not with a perfect idea. But with two people who weren’t looking for each other — and somehow found each other anyway.

And we’re still curious to see where the next chapter takes us.