Hello from wherever you are in the world!

My name is Emalia, I am a born and raised American, whereas my partner is Syrian and was raised in Syria, Saudi Arabia and the US. Six years ago I feel so blessed this person came into my life and that we built one together. We have had our struggles, not all of which relate to our different upbringings and cultures but I wanted to share some of our stories here and how we navigated issues a lot of multicultural couples will face. Early on in my relationship I found myself in Quora rabbit holes trying to find other people’s experiences I could lean on but I found it was hard to relate to without much context. I hope the honest difficulties, suggestions and humor in it all will help any and all who visit this blog.

Excuse the stereotypes

Are you a vegetarian marrying into a carnivorous German family? Are you an introvert dating a very extroverted cuban whose family is very loud? Do you hate dancing when your Mexican in laws do it weekly? Are you not a big drinker and your British partner and friends insist on pub trivia several nights a week? Or are you a big drinker and your new Muslim in laws do not know you drink?

I believe that each of us in multicultural relationships has a unique story to tell, one of the many beauties of it in the first place. As the world becomes more globalized, these stories will become more common. Writing allows me to share my story with you all and invite conversations about the intersection of culture and relationships.