’90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days’: Vanja Connected With Božo During Her ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Trip (Exclusive)

More 90 Day drama is on the way! 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days fans will meet lovebirds Vanja and Božo on the Sunday, Oct. 13, episode of the TLC show, and PopCulture.com has exclusive insight into their relationship from Vanja before their debut.

Vanja, 41, is a self-described “Jill of all trades” who lives in Florida, where she balances her busy schedule as a vegan baker, belly dancer and permanent makeup artist. With a disastrous failed engagement in her past, it wasn’t easy for Vanja’s love life to bounce back – until she met Croatian basketball player Božo, 38, during her “hot girl summer” solo trip through Europe.

“I matched with him on a dating app, and I really loved his picture,” Vanja told PopCulture. “As you can see, he’s a very handsome man with a six-pack and all that good stuff. And our conversation was just amazing – that’s what drew me to him.”

Vanja and Božo didn’t get to meet up during her trip, but they did keep in touch online, and now a totally smitten Vanja is traveling overseas to meet him in person for the first time.

“I feel like everything changes when you are just talking over the phone because all you see is what’s in front of your screen and what the other person chooses to show you,” Vanja teased of her journey to come with Božo. “In real life, this person becomes part of reality, and then your perspective changes a little bit. You open your eyes a little bit more, and you learn a little bit more about the other person.”

Despite hailing originally from Bosnia, Vanja noted that cultural differences definitely played a part in this next chapter with Božo, as she’s spent most of her life in the U.S. “I think what actually makes this interesting is to see how you overcome these differences that actually end up putting people together at the end,” she said.

Vanja also had to contend with her past engagement’s impact on her view of love and marriage. “That’s a very hard thing to go through – when you think you know someone and you’re planning your life together, and then all of a sudden, the rug from under you gets pulled,” she told PopCulture. “You become a little jaded. You have these walls built up, and it’s a little bit harder to start trusting people again. But I feel like over time, I’ve been able to overcome that and just make myself more open to the possibility of finding the right person and building my life with somebody.”

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC and is available to stream on Max.