You Know You're in an Intercultural Relationship When…

Dear readers, 

If your partner is a foreigner, I know that at some point, you’ve wondered what common traits indicate an intercultural relationship. Here they are! 

Your Kitchen Looks Like a Fusion Restaurant

One shelf is stocked with sriracha or masala powders, while the other boasts oregano and rosemary. Your kitchen smells like an international food festival, and every meal is an adventure.

You Celebrate Twice the Holidays

Double the holidays, double the fun! Your calendar is a colorful mix of Diwali, Día de las Velitas, Christmas, and, for us…, the final games of cricket and soccer also become holidays. As we say, any reason is a good reason to party. 

Language Lessons Turn into Love Notes

You start picking up phrases in each other's languages. "Good morning" texts come in different scripts and pronunciations, and you might just say "I love you" in multiple languages before breakfast. “Te amo என் ராஜா”. 

Misunderstandings Lead to Hilarious Moments

Your partner’s normal might be bizarre to you, and vice versa. Like when you learned that slurping noodles is a compliment, not bad manners. Or when you tried to explain why you put honey on chicken.

You Compromise on Traditions

Merging traditions is essential to creating your own unique ones. Maybe you combine Empanadas with Gulab Jamuns to have a feast everyone loves.

Travel Has a New Meaning

Visiting your partner's home country feels like entering a new world. It's not a vacation—it's a chance to connect with your partner's roots and family.

Your Netflix List is Endless

From Bollywood to K-dramas, Telenovelas to French films, your watchlist is as diverse as your relationship. Movie night is always a cultural experience.

You Kinda Become an Expert in Geography

You might not have known much about each other's countries before, but now, you can point to each other’s places on a map, name capitals, and even discuss regional dialects.

You Realize Love Knows No Borders

At the end of the day, your love is what unites you. It transcends language barriers, cultural differences, and time zones. You're creating a unique story that's rich in diversity and filled with understanding.

Intercultural love is a journey of discovery, compromise, and joy. They teach us to appreciate diversity and to find beauty in our differences. Whether you're blending traditions, learning new languages, or just navigating the quirks of being from different cultures, remember that love is the universal language that binds it all together.

About the Author

Luisa Trujillo is one half of Masala. She's a dreamer, believer, and achiever from a cozy coffee farm in Risaralda, Colombia. Being in an intercultural and interreligious relationship with an Indian 16,000 km away since 2019, she has gained a fair bit of insight into love, travel, and culture.

In her other life, Luisa has been a Coffee Grower, Digital Marketer, English as a Foreign Language Teacher, and Translator with a bachelor's degree in Modern Languages. Thanks to the latter, she is now fluent in Spanish, English, and French and has basic knowledge of Portuguese, Japanese, and Russian.

Relationships, coffee, languages, and a thousand miles later, she decided to start a community online to share her experience through Masala of Cultures along with her other half, Aswin.

Luisa's insights can also be found on other parts of the internet, including NVCC.