Experiences With Multicultural Marriage

Experiences With Multicultural Marriage

www.theodysseyonline.com

If you decide to marry somebody from another cultural other than your own it can be one of the best experiences that your life may bring. Although it may also be one of the hardest experiences also. An article from the Inter Nations information website called, “Common Issues in Mixed Marriages,” they talk about the cons to marrying somebody from another culture or religion. The author also talks about the good things that their love brings in a multicultural marriage. In this brief essay I will talk about the cons to multicultural marriage and how to fix them.

Today it is very easy to meet somebody that comes from another culture or even another country. It is also very common to find love with that certain person. InterNations is a website that helps couples work out their problems within their relationships. It highlights the fact that when you marry somebody from another culture their parents don’t always live close by. To get close with their family they say that “It always makes sense to find out as much as possible about your partner’s family but it makes special sense to do so in mixed marriages – especially concerning the culture and its traditional family structures.” It is very important to be close with your partners family but it can often be very hard to do that.

Although having a partner with family in another country can be hard there are some positives to the situation. The author talks about Liz, an American woman who married somebody from India. She explains. “I mean, I see some of my family members maybe once a year, if that. Here in Jaipur, family is more important. My husband’s parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and their in-laws are a fairly tight-knit bunch. Sometimes, I find this rather exhausting.” It can be very difficult to keep up with the family traditions, ceremonies, and cultural commonalities. Although Liz felt left out at times from all of these things, she found the positives in the relationship and was able to overcome it. Liz bonded with her husband’s cousin and learned a lot about their culture through her. They also became great friends and Liz was able to forget about the things and people she was missing back home. At the end of the day, when you find the person you love you can overcome anything. Even though it may take a little more than just effort, it is worth it.

Future Research Question:  If there are problems, what can couples do to fix them?