Learning to love someone from another culture and another language
How I communicate with my boyfriends non-english speaking family.
Whilst attending Keiser University, I met and fell in love with my boyfriend. From Switzerland with family ties to Croatia, he had a very different upbringing to me and had different experiences throughout his life from different cultures. At home he speaks Croatian with his family, whilst speaking Swiss German with friends and in day-to-day life. I on the other hand, was raised in Australia and only speak English. We are different, but we are still so alike. With him, I was able to learn about other cultures and values that were different to my own.
Visiting his home in Switzerland was also an eye opening and nerve wracking experience for me. Because I am unable to speak the local language, communicating is a little complicated for me. I would say the most challenging part is communicating with his parents, both of which do not speak or understand English. As someone who only knows English, this is quite difficult to handle, and I can feel isolated at times - more so in public. I have begun learning German, but it is not a quick or easy process. Because of this, I have had to learn to express myself with more than just words. Using gestures and facial expressions helps, as well as google translate of course. But learning how to speak to someone when they don’t actually understand the language you're speaking is strange, yet possible. It takes confidence and it takes practice, but I am definitely improving.