Whether you are from neighboring countries or countries across the world from one another, there is no denying that your relationship is totally unique. There are some things you expect to be different, but there are some things no one could have warned you about (For instance, I am writing this article on a Brazilian keyboard and I had to ask three different people to figure out how to work the question mark. The letters are in the same places, but that´s about it.). At times, these unique traits amaze you, while in other instances, you have to remind yourself why you are in the relationship because you can not seem to understand what just happened. There will be confusing times in your future, especially if there are language barriers, but you and your significant other have something very special and precious, that no misunderstanding should take away.
1. He/She loves his/her home country, but does not love everything about it.
-This is probably really true for most people, foreign or not, but for them it almost seems more significant.
2. When you were trying to learn his/her native language, you used a word you thought you had mastered, only to learn that what you said definitely DID NOT mean what you were trying to say.
-For me, the word I thought I was trying to say was bread. When my s/o kept smirking every time I said it, he finally told me I was pronouncing the word incorrectly. The word I was actually saying was a very dirty word. To this day, I am afraid of saying it. Who wants to chance accidentally asking his/her s/o´s very Catholic grandmother to pass something like that?
3. While at first the boldness can come across as arrogant, you learn it is really nothing that isn´t customary to his/her region.
-Maybe for your s/o, it isn´t boldness. His/Her trait that secretly intrigues you may not be understood by people where you´re from, but it turns out to be something he/she learned from his/her environment growing up.
4. There are some clothing choices (or habits in general) you just have to get used to.
-Speedos, thongs, Arctic suits, exposed midriffs, face coverings, you name it -these seem to differ just about everywhere. There are definitely more important things to fight about.
5. He/She and you certainly don´t share all the same original ideas about romance -which isn´t all bad.
-The way affections are expressed is surprisingly vast from country to country, or even between areas within the countries.
6. He/She has taught you about how other countries view yours and why. It isn´t quite what you thought it was.
-Something very important I learned about the U.S. that I wasn´t sure was true anymore was that the American Dream is still alive and well. There have been other things, as I am sure you have experienced as well, but there is the one idea that really stands out.
7. He/She has inspired you to learn more about his/her native country, as well as your own.
-You can be very educated about both countries, but as soon as you start seeing them from his/her perspective, you realize how little you actually do know.
8. Sometimes you forget that he/she is a foreigner and that you were lucky enough to be one of the few that get that necessary quality everyone deems unrealistic around their teenaged years.
-Pretty much all the guys and girls I grew up with had "cool accent" on their lists of dating requirements. I´m pretty sure as many of us as had that on our list, just as many of us didn´t really expect to ever get to cross it off.
9. Other people ask you if you have trouble understanding his/her accent and you realize you don´t even notice it anymore.
-I would be rich if I had a penny for every time someone asked me if my s/o´s accent has started any fights because I misunderstood something he said. When asked, though, I´m always like, "He has an accent? Oh yeah, he does, does´t he?"
10. His/Her family probably doesn´t live near yours, so somebody has to do long distance relationships. But, hey, it means you are guranteed to travel, right?
-One of the qualities of your relationship that you can´t decide if constitutes as a pro or a con.
11. Speaking with his/her family looks more like serades than an actual conversation.
-Thick accents, language barriers, trying to explain something you know of that they don´t.... Those moments.
12. You hope his/her family will love you just because you make him/her happy (Besides,
who wouldn´t love you anyway?) even though you´re sure you´ve inherited some unfair and inaccurate stereotypes.
-Though you know some stereotypes are true, you hope there are some you are given the chance to prove wrong.
13. When someone says, "Homemade," you picture different things than your s/o.
-He/She grew up with different things being made within his/her home, even different foods.
14. You two have to decide which holiday traditions to follow, and moreover, which holidays to celebrate.
-Other couples complain about having to figure out when to visit which family. They have no idea.
15. If you have talked about having children at all, you learn that your list of name choices don´t necessarily mesh quite as well as you had hoped.
-There are still some syllables you´re not sure how to pronounce so hopefully none of them make the list!
16. You have wondered why your home country does something the way it does and if any other countries do something like that.
-Why does the United States claim its citizens as American when there are so many Americas? Does Africa do that?
17. You have had to stop him/her mid-speech to figure out his/her unique wording due to translation.
-Personally, I love that my s/o says he talks "with" people rather than "to" them, but it still trips me up once in awhile.
18. Sometimes you wonder if he/she is really that authentic because they seem pretty normal. At least you now know which stereotypes are true and which ones aren´t.
-I´m sure not all Brazilians love soccer/futbol, but mine sure does! He´s not obsessed with fashion, though. Even those things about him that align with stereotypes about Brazilians don´t seem weird or crazy.
19. There are some things you did not expect to be the same about your hometowns, but they are.
-As different as your childhoods were, you actually did have a lot in common. Maybe that´s why you were attracted to one another.
20. People ask you what it´s like, but you aren´t sure what all is different.
-You love your s/o the same regardless of his/her nationality because you are attracted to who he/she is. His/Her nationality just happens to be one of the things that made him/her that way, just as yours made you the way you are.
Good luck!
