90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way's Julio is head over heels and ready to move to the Netherlands for his girlfriend Kirsten — but there’s one person who’s not quite on board with the life-changing plans.
The 27-year-old DJ, who was raised by his single mother in the Dominican Republic, described his childhood in Monday's season 5 premiere as "kind of rough" and labeled himself as a “momma’s boy,” explaining that all they had was “each other.”
But now he was excited for Kirsten, 24, to visit and meet his family for the first time — which would also be their chance to break the news to Julio's mom that he wanted to relocate to Europe for the relationship. What's more, he'd already applied for residency, meaning he could move in as soon as three months.
As expected, the conversation between Julio and his mother was difficult.
“I’m going to have to start my life in a while,” he started. “I won’t be here all my life.” He also admitted that he’d “never liked” living in New York.
“And if you move and I’m here worrying?” his mother responded, getting emotional. “You will enjoy and I will suffer.”
When he pressed her asking what she meant, she simply shook her head and cried. “I would have to get used to it,” she said before succumbing to tears and weeping in her son’s arms. She then begged him to have Kirsten move to them instead of leaving.
“Just imagine, I won’t see him every day,” she told producers later. “It wouldn’t be the way I want it to be.”
Julio and Kirsten began dating a year ago after meeting online. About two or three months into the relationship, he decided to finally meet her in person. He flew to Amsterdam to visit her even though the two of them “had never even FaceTimed” before.
“I was a little skeptical, but I wanted to see who exactly it is I’m talking to,” he shared. “Seeing her for the first time was like a breath of fresh air. I was like, 'Damn, she’s gorgeous.'"
During the couple's first trip together, the Netherlands went on lockdown due to the pandemic, and he and Kirsten had to quarantine together. Julio described the experience as “different and awkward” at first, but said they soon “started breaking out of our shells.”
“I definitely think it fast-tracked the relationship,” Julio explained. “I mean, getting to know each other, I would say, more on an intimate level…like, if I could be in a hotel room with someone for five days, then this is someone that I can see myself being with.”
After that unique experience, Julio says things began to become “more serious” between the two of them. At first he would travel to see Kirsten once a month. Eventually, he spent two months living with her in Amsterdam.
“She makes me feel like I’m not alone,” he said of Kirsten. “This is who I see myself being with.”
Even before falling for Kirsten, Julio had an interest in relocating to Europe for the "better work-life balance" and had always been curious about life there. He's also already a seasoned traveler, having been to 28 countries. For him, the move simply makes sense.
As for Julio's mother? Time will tell if she can handle the distance.
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way premieres Monday at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.
