Tips on How to Thrive in a Cross-Cultural Marriage

Marriage to someone from another country can be both rewarding and challenging. I was born here in the United States and my wife is Central American. It’s been twenty-two interesting years. I have learned about another culture first hand.

Fortunately, Central America is nearby, so there is less mystery about the United States than whether it was from Asia or Africa. She is also college educated and has amazing language skills. Although she has an accent, she can speak English fluently.

I have learned a lot about your country and your culture. I have always been open to new ideas. If you have a closed mind and many prejudices, it will be difficult to maintain an intercultural relationship.

Some of the things I recommend is for your partner to have relationships with people from their culture. In your case there are many Spanish-speaking people locally. I encourage her to go out and socialize with her friends. They talk on the phone, go out at night, and even take occasional trips together. If you don’t encourage this, you will feel isolated. It is difficult for you to satisfy this need on your own. If your partner has problems with English, it is important that they take classes to gain fluency.

One of the many benefits is that when we travel to a Latin American country I have my own travel guide. She understands cultural differences as well as language. I have a lot of fun when we travel to Mexico or even Spain. You can really immerse yourself in the culture and way of life of people who are different from you.