“I’ve never had so many interested people as after the coronavirus lockdown”
When you entered my office just now, I immediately thought about which woman in my file you would suit – just from the outside. I am a matchmaker. I don’t like the word “single” so much, I prefer to say “free hearts”. That’s why my agency in Zurich is called that. I grew up in Bavaria and studied business administration. Even as a student, I used to set up friends with parties in my apartment: 40 people in 40 square meters – you inevitably get to know each other better. As a child, I said I wanted six children from six men. Today I have a daughter. I met her father, from whom I am separated, through a dating agency. Why did I do that? I was sick of being hit on when I went out. I wanted something serious, to start a family. This is still one of the main reasons why women come to me today. I refer to my customers as Adam and Eve. So if he is looking for a woman, he comes to me for a chat. We talk about him and what his Eva should be like. I ask about education, work, leisure time, character, looks, smoking, pets – I want to capture the whole Adam. With this data – together with my overall impressions, my experience and my gut feeling – I then recommend an Eva to him. Before the first date, neither of them gets the other’s photo and surname. Otherwise they will google themselves or make a hasty judgment based on the photo. Especially with all the online dating sites, appearance is extremely overrated, which is rarely a good thing. Of course, I don’t want anyone “en Wüeschte” either, but some people are so interesting on a date that their looks suddenly become secondary. My Adams and Eves are between 27 and 82. There is a surplus of women over 60, most men of the same age are looking for something younger. Yet women over 55 have so much to offer. Many seek my help because they are shy, don’t know where to meet someone, or because they are in a high professional or social position that makes it difficult to find love freely and anonymously. What rarely ends well? Too big an age difference and sex after the first date. I’ve been doing this for ten years now. But I’ve never been as busy as I was after the lockdown because of corona. Anyone who has had to sit at home alone for so long obviously doesn’t want to experience it a second time. Dating is embarrassing for many people. Even at weddings, guests are not allowed to know how the couple met. I think that’s a shame. I am married. With a man who I knew was free again and who I actually just wanted to win over for my agency. Purely professional interest. But then it turned into love and marriage. You probably know him, it’s the “Meteo” Bucheli from television. Why use a dating agency? Because the interested parties here are really serious. The hurdles are high. You have to call me, come by, ask my questions openly and honestly and enter into a binding contract. Anyone who does all this – is really ready. Would I know a suitable woman for you now after our conversation? We should have talked more about you and less about me. But yes, yes … I can think of a few great women your age.
