In the past, whenever someone would tell me that they were in a long-distance relationship (LDR), one that crossed countries and time zones and cultures that I knew nothing about, my first reaction was always: “What is wrong with you? This isn’t going to work!” I’m so glad that I was proved wrong by a friend who went on to marry an Australian boyfriend she had met in South Africa during the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

What is it like to tie the knot in an overcrowded refugee camp? Shofika and Saddam are Rohingya refugees who fled their village in Myanmar and now living in Bangladesh.

In newspapers there is a section called “personal ads.” When I was younger, I remember reading these personal ads, hiding from my mother since the content was explicit. Now, 25 years later, the language is the same: “Groom needed for a fair, pretty Muslim/Hindu girl,” or “A pretty fair bride needed for a businessman.” I wonder, even after so many years, why do women still have to be fair and pretty to be eligible for marriage?