Nonsense. It’s me and my wife.
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This thread is sickeningly heartwarming…WTF. Me and the better half dated for around five years, and neither of us had any plans to get married. But then I started having visa problems that, apparently, could only be solved through marriage, so we said OK, what the fuck? Since that romantic beginning, we’ve been married 16 years, mostly happily, and currently have no plans to change our status.
I think at one point, we talked about getting divorced and becoming boyfriend and girlfriend again…like, wouldn’t that be romantic? But then we thought, nah, too much hassle. Doesn’t really feel like a cross-cultural relationship because I’ve been here long enough to be half-Taiwanese, and she’s pretty Westernized and speaks excellent English (although she usually refuses to speak it with me). We’re both pretty stubborn people, so the key to making things work long-term seems to be the ability to overlook the other person’s faults, which seems to get easier with age.
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LOL. Good to know there are other couple like us.
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I know Taiwanese won’t kiss in public. I do see some young people holding hands. Taiwanese women have make comments about my husband and I have a good relationship. A lady asked me on the bus, is it true that foreign husbands are nicer.
Part of the reason that my husband holds my hand is because he is afraid that I will tripped on those terrible side walks.
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It’s not just between couples. In the west people hug and air kiss between friends, in Asia if you do that people would think you’re drunk, high, or clinically insane. Between friends people also address each other by their full name in Taiwan like all the time, which is very rare in the West.
Possitivity and no snarky cynicism? I had to double check the URL.
I’m Taiwanese American, lived in Taiwan for the first 12 years of my life, and I married a local who doesn’t really speak much English despite working at a foreign tech firm. So maybe my story is off topic.
I haven’t been married that long either. I’ll just say that it’s true that you just have to work at it to make it last. There’s always good time and bad times, you just can’t hold grudges, and hopefully there are aclot more good times than the bad. It’s that way with kids too I guess. Then again my daughter is only just about to turn 1, so I probably don’t know anything about how difficult it is to raise a child either.
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The younger generation does it. Maybe not as much as in the west but I’ve never met anyone who was conscious enough to stop me from kissing them in public.
My marriage is like a Grateful Dead concert.
Just a wild ride full of crazy surprises.
Deep into the second set now and ready for more.
Married 24 years next February. Been all around this world.
Nothin left to do but smile smile smile.
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I had to flame the temp thread from this
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Whenever I look at the opposite sex, I think about how different they are, and I think that is what makes them attractive to me (can’t speak for same sex situations). The other is often what is missing to make us complete, see things from different angles, approach life’s challenges differently. It’s like the second eye that allows us to see three-dimensional; not needed to survive, but the vision is oh so much better. After realizing that, I have always accepted and embraced the differences. “Hey, that’s another way to look at it, let’s try that approach for a change, I didn’t think about it!” Key is to let the other be and the other let you be. I see relationships fall apart when there is a dominant one who tries to “fix” the other, or a submissive one who tries to please the other by giving up his/her way.
In a multi-cultural relationship, there is an added dimension, which works similarly. Now you don’t have just the perspective of the opposite sex, but also a whole new cultural dimension to play with. That’s what’s so awesome about living with someone from with a different cultural background and Taiwan being quite different from my home country, I have always loved that. I cannot imagine going back and live with someone from my own country, although I miss some of the cultural stuff that I would share with someone who grew up in the same environment.
Has my 30-year relationship always been happy?
No, definitely not. I did move out at one point and bought my own flat, to get the space I needed to be happy and healthy. This actually saved our relationship.
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30 years!
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Yes, good friends with common interest in scones, but foodies going out to get hot pots, good burgers and other nice places to eat and chat.
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Know each other for nearly 10 years. Married for 6 years and have 3 kids. Been a rough ride, she was love of my life and become a reliable partner now. We survive but I wouldn’t have done again. She was very local Taiwan girl, I am very European. I didn’t feel Taiwan that muoch at all. A year there was enough.
I think our 3 kids are great, they are very happy and full of joy. I get nice compliments often.It means a lot to me, especially cause I am very involved dad. We slowly making German lingua of family. We travelled a lot around Europe, as well to Taiwan and I am very happy we weren’t locked like Taiwanese and mask being forced on our kids.
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met my fiance’e here in Taiwan 7 years ago during an exchange programme, she was hosting another Italian guy, so ofc this dude and I were going out often together, and she was coming with us to help with translating.
Something must have been working then, I completely lost it for her. After the summer went back to Italy to finish my undergrads, she went back to Toronto to finish her Uni too. We kept talking on Line/Skype, then I took the opportunity: come to visit me in Italy for Christmas, since in Taiwan is not holiday, you are free from school in Canada, might be fun. She agreed.
From that day she chose to come to visit me after only few weeks “together” and almost 6 months of separation, I knew she was more than something.
After graduating moved to HK to be closer to TW, since she had to come back to work in the family company. For the following 2 years we were visiting each other at least once a month, then Covid… 2 years of complete separation, I had the lowest points of my life, ended up almost in alcoholism, was throwing my life away, but she made me realise the mistake I was making. After that and understanding how much she cares about me, I decided she was the one.
Went immediately to buy the engagement ring, although had to wait more than a year to give it to her.
We finally reunited only in April this year when I managed to move to Taiwan thanks to the Gold Card approval and my company agreeing to remote work.
We will marry next year in June in Italy, and our time since we moved in together in April has been the best so far. We complement each other. When we fight we fight, but we work hard on understanding why we fought and how to fix it/circumvent it.
We deeply respect each other, very much. And trust each other. Those are the strongest foundations which let us have a long distance relationship for 7 years and then enough confidence to move on with marriage.
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Nice topic, and nice replies and stories! Most people I know in person (vs. online) are in long term relations like the postings here in this topic. Like the TV news, shocking stories make the headlines but in real life only a few people make the news but in real life most people go on with daily life not making the news.
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This thread has got to be the most positive thing on the internet. Keep it going people!
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Intercultural?
How about you, any happily ever after story?
Maybe happiness does not sell copy? Imagine where salespeople would be without marketing wants and dissatisfaction?
We’ve been together for years, and we’re still going strong. We don’t agree on everything, but that’s OK. She’s better than me at some things, and I’m better at others, so we really complement each other.
When I come home every day, I say (in a sing-song voice), “Hello, Honey! I’m home!”
And she runs to meet me. We like to go for walks together in the park or by the riverside. When she poops, I pick it up in a little plastic baggie and dispose of it properly like a good master. If I scratch her behind the ears, …
What? What are we talkin’ about? oh…
Nevermind. 
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You got me. I had to double take on this
Can i ask a personal question?
do you do it…
doggy style?
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