Thanks for making your voice heard Samantha! It’s very brave of you. Reading your story, I saw a version of myself when I was your age, only that I’m not even religious, which made people wonder even harder what was “wrong” with me. All of the dating and sex happened much later after I graduated college and until now I only had a select few relationships. Being single and in my late twenties, I’m experiencing the pitying looks and questioning tones all over again. What I’m trying to say is, there will always be people who think you’re not “normal” just because you don’t do the same thing as they do and you didn’t meet the person who you love at the time they did.

As you get older, none of that noise from families and strangers alike matters because you’ll learn that the only thing that should matter to you is — only go into a relationship if that person is someone you truly care about. Yes, a lot people chose to go into marriages with someone who are “fine” and “okay”. That is their choice. If you want someone who you truly love, do not be afraid to wait. Good luck to you and all of us.