Alex Harding

Born and raised in Sierra Leone. Alex had a interest in computers and business from a young age. He left to the U.S. in 2013 to continue his studies in business and developed a passion for software engineering. He landed a job at Linkedin in 2018. Although reserved at first, Alex lights up a room with his quick witted humor, captivating speeches, and genuine and warm demeanor. Alex enjoys Maren's sweet kisses and random song remixes.

Maren Trotter

Grew up in military family and moved to San Francisco, California for college in 2009. Maren has lived in the Bay Area for the past 14 years. She completed her masters in social work at UC Berkeley. She is a school social worker for students in special education. With her bright colored clothes, humor, and gregarious nature she's hard to miss. She enjoys Alex's warm hugs and never-ending dad jokes.

Alex and Maren met on a rainy night in February 2019 at First Friday, a block party in Oakland, California. They instantly hit it off and exchanged numbers.

Alex cooked Cassava leaves with rice for Maren on their 1st date. They spent every weekend together for 3 months until they became official.

Over 4 years Alex and Maren went on many adventures, ranging from snowmobiling for the first time, going rafting on the Colorado river, and Maren traveling to Sierra Leone multiple times.

Alex surprised Maren with a beautiful proposal at their housewarming party on June 17th, 2023!

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country has a population of about 7.6 million people. The capital and largest city is Freetown.

The country has stunning beaches, lush rainforests, and towering mountains.

The official languages are English and Krio. Krio is a creole language that is based on English and West African languages.

Baoma Station

Baoma is the home town of Alex's paternal family. It's a village located in Bo district in the southern part of Sierra Leone. It has a population of about 7,000. Baoma is a tribally diverse village with the Mende tribe (Alex's tribe) having the most people.

Climate

Sierra Leone is typically between 75 - 90 degrees year round with tropical humidity