Cross Cultural Marriage celebrates marriages woven together from different countries and cultures. All marriages are to some extent cross-cultural. The trick is blend these into a culture that focuses on the cross.
Jumping Over Family Hurdles
Let’s face it; having any relationship, never mind an intercultural one, often means having to learn to jump over hurdles. You have to clear the ‘meet the family’ hurdle, the ‘get the family’s approval’ hurdle, make a culturally acceptable proposal hurdle’ and get...
Coping with homesickness
You Can't Click Your Heels Three Times Do you ever find yourself wishing that going home was as simple as clicking your heels three times and repeating ‘There’s no place like home’? There are many times that I have wished to be instantly transported back home. I have...
Why culture is a big deal!
So why is culture such a big deal? A little research reveals that culture really goes to the depths of what defines a person. Culture is so difficult to fully explain that many definitions have been offered. One definition from Texas A&M university outlines it as...
He was foreign
When I first met Roy I have to admit that some of the appeal was his accent. He was the foreigner in the midst of sameness and I liked that. I liked the fact that not only did he sound different but it was apparent he thought differently too. I enjoyed talking to him...
Parlez-Vous Woman? Communication in Marriage
Language! One word which could strike fear into the heart and soul of an expat. That is unless you are one of those supremely gifted in the art of language learning. Unfortunately, I fall into the category of not gifted, and Hungarian is certainly a language which...
A New Perspective
After a number of months struggling with headaches, I finally decided to find out what was causing them. There were many natural circumstances including the stress of living abroad that I thought might be contributing to the problem. The weather also received the...
Simplify, simplify, simplify.
We have been battling to keep all the plates spinning and, frankly, we have been doing a poor job. It seems that over the last number of months one job gets neglected because another shouts louder, then the next area of neglect starts screaming for attention....
Turn the Other Cheek
You may think I am going to write about the principle of resisting the temptation to retaliate (Matthew 5), but instead of being hit on both cheeks in Hungary you are more likely to be kissed on both cheeks. The double kiss is a greeting for family, friends and...
Navigating bureaucracy without a GPS
Remember, above all, you need to support each another in your marriage. Don't leave it to one spouse to handle all the stressful situations alone. It can lead to resentment building up in one partner, or if something goes wrong, it allows blame to take the stage....
Gaining Wisdom
Wisdom teeth usually come up during late teens and are the last teeth to appear. Ryan's were problematic, needing an operation and a three-day stay in the local hospital. He had to deal with all this in Hungarian including having to translate for us! When we didn't...