Part 2 of this post is now live, check it out here
If you’re in a relationship with someone from abroad (or even a different region or minority group from your own country), you may feel at times that you come from different planets. Things that aren’t even on your priority list at all can be a big deal for your partner. Similarly, they can carelessly step on your toes as well.
If they’re from a different language background, these problems can become compounded with miscommunications. You know, suddenly they seem offended and you can’t understand why, or they give a mindless ‘yes’ to a question it later turns out they didn’t understand at all. Then there’s the times it feels like they’re having a completely different conversation with a voice in their head rather than actually hearing what you’re saying, and you get stuck in a loop of repeating or explaining and they keep not understanding.
Maybe the primary language in the home is your partner’s and you find it exhausting to try and speak. You may sometimes also feel embarrassed when you make mistakes.
I’ve been there, and I’m here to help if you’re having a similar situation.
This is a two-part series. In the first post, I’ll be dealing with culture. In part 2, I will be dealing with linguistic issues. Here are my tips….