Reunion waits for the ash to settle

Their relationship survived across the span of the Atlantic Ocean. But Mother Nature had other plans for their reunion.
Hannah Beck, 22, met 24-year-old Edgar van der Meer, at Taylor Statten Camps in Algonquin Park in July 2008. Their relationship bloomed throughout the summer. When Beck returned home to Toronto and van der Meer to the Netherlands, they decided to give a long-distance relationship a try. Despite the distance, they feel they know one another better than most other couples.
“When you’re in a long-distance relationship, you’re forced to get to know each other emotionally and psychologically and mentally, instead of having the physical side to distract you,” Beck said.
Van der Meer proposed to Beck last October. They plan to marry next April. He packed up his life in the Netherlands to move to Toronto for good. But a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused an ash cloud that spread into Western Europe. The ash cloud reduces visibility and could also cause plane engines to shut down. Airports across the globe canceled flights in and out of the UK.
“I went to the airport… and stood in line for about two hours. Got told, ‘sorry, we can’t re-book you,’” Van der Meer said. “So I went to another airline and asked how many seats were available… I called United right away… and said, ‘they told me that there are 114 seats, can you please get me on that flight?’”
The couple speaks daily on the phone and through Skype. They make the trek to see one another for a week at a time, every four months. After waiting nearly two years to be in the same city, let alone the same continent, a simple flight delay should be easy for the couple.
“Everybody’s like, ‘well at least he’s not just coming to visit, at least he’s coming to stay.’ But you want him to be here now, you don’t want to wait,” Beck said. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster because you don’t know if you should get excited.”
Beck and van der Meer reunited Apr. 20 when he got on one of the first planes out of the Netherlands. Van de Meer will return to Taylor Statten Camps for the summer, while recent nursing graduate Beck goes on the job hunt.
“We’ve been waiting for this for about two years now,” Beck said. “He met me when I was in sweatpants and no make-up, so I feel no pressure with (him).”