How we got here
Our Story
Kien came as a photographer for the Games, found himself more interested in the culture and its people. Begi was a volunteer with the media team, a couple of weeks away from leaving Kyrgyzstan to start a new chapter of her life in Turkey. When they met, the conversations came naturally. By the end of the Games, Kien had gotten to know many of the volunteers individually and was even invited to Begi's home for a traditional lunch prepared by her mother. He even threw a farewell dinner for all the volunteers, but had to say goodbye to Begi earlier - as good friends - when she had to leave for Turkey.
Six months later, Kien's travels brought him to Antalya, where they went on a road trip across Turkey together. That was followed a couple of months later when he joined Begi's family in New Jersey to film a documentary about her sister's journey competing in the World Chess Championships for the Disabled. Here, they had a spontaneous plan for a trip to Indonesia before the summer ended. Begi had never seen the ocean.
In Yogyakarta, something changed. The friendship became something more - one that would then stretch across Turkey, Poland, Portugal, and more than 20 countries in between.
In 2025, while hanging off a sheer cliff face over the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland - a 600-meter drop below - Kien pulled a ring from a cargo pocket in his hiking pants and popped the question. In shock, Begi's answer was barely audible. But it was a yes. The video confirmed she did at least nod her head.
Now we're going full circle back to the beginning. To the place where a friendship started over ice cream and mountain air, and somehow led to all this.
Switzerland, 2024 — the proposal
Ijen Crater, Indonesia
Denver, Colorado
