step 1: get a friend who is travelling around nepal and thailand, and is keeping in touch with everyone via an email list(much more common in a time before blogs…)

step 2: set up an email address that is similar to said friend’s(e.g. misterwilster@hotmail… instead of misterwillster@hotmail….)

step 3:write a sweet email like this…and i quote:

Subject: confession time
This has been something that has been weighing on me for quite some time, and i really feel like i need to just get it off my chest. her name is shkmeh, she is the daughter of one of the porters that i talked about.
Their family is so sweet i love them already, they are so humble, while the father has been away with us his family has been taking care of their small farm which is located in the most beatiful hemegog (it’s kind of like a valley) at the base of the annapurna range. i know what most of you are going to say about this, and i appologize for the abruptness, but she is my soul-mate, i don’t know how else to explain it. the language barrier will be a challenge, but from what i can understand she really wants to learn, and i know together we can do it. i love and appreciate all of you so much and hope you can support me in my desision. jared, and andy i really want
to thank you for all of your emails and advice, you have really helped me in my desision. i cant wait for all of you to meet sckmeh (pronounced shk-meh) i will see you all soon,
love, chia

step 4: console crying girlfriend and freaked-out parents.

my favorite parts:

• the name, sckmeh, andy just hit the keyboard and that’s what came out, along with the pronunciation guide. it’s in the email twice and spelled differently both times.
• “…a challenge, but from what i can understand she really wants to learn…..”
• and the sweetest part was that everyone full-on fell for it, they wouldn’t put something crazy like this past matt, so sweet.