A couple of months ago I wrote a post about 10 things that no one tells you about dating/marrying a foreigner and today I finally decided to let him know what I've been writing about him a.k.a. translating it. Of course it is not a rule, there are exceptions, but after a while talking to some friends in the same situation we came to a consensus that the following topics are undoubtedly the most common things, at least for those who have Irish/ Dutch/ British partners. Voilá!
1 - You will take a long time to realize that they are interested. Unlike the Brazilian men, they don't throw themselves at any woman. You will hardly ever walk down the street and come across those awkward glances and naughty jokes.
2 - You'll spend a lot of time talking in another language and at some stage you will get tired of it. Not to mention that when you're argueing your brain will crash and you will feel like a 5 year old without being able to explain everything you want.
3 - People will think you're trying to get a Visa/ Green Card/ Red Passport. And some will make fun of it without considering that that kind of comment offends you.
4 - Living with gringo is embarking on a change of at least 180° in your life. You will hardly be able to maintain your habits. You learn to adjust to the differences of your partner and to compromise between the two cultures.
5 - In Brazil it's "fancy" to marry a gringo. It gives you status. Many people are impressed with the gringo who earns 2000 euros a month, as that is over 8000 reais. Even that been a fair wage in Europe, that amount of money doesn't pay for a housekeeper, manicure and hairdresser every week.
6 - There are very few gringos who decide to live in Brazil, it's usually the woman who comes to live with him in Europe. In this case, you must keep in mind that you will see very little of your family and that you won't be present in a fair number of important events (good and bad).
7 - You will learn to deal with a totally different family that also see you in a different way. As much as they love you and you to them, they will regard you as a foreign and therefore a person with different customs of them.
8 - Your kids will want to be gringos like their friends and will develop their own habits, and at some point you'll wonder what did you do wrong (and you didn't, ok?).
9 - Gringos don't understand our need for internet, especially social networks. Of course they use, like, but you will hear a complaint (or two) because of the time you spend connected.
10 - Love can be the most important thing in a relationship, but it alone is not enough. To sustain a relationship with a foreigner it's necessary to have (mostly) great patience, dialogue and flexibility. And be aware that sooner or later the relationship will have issues in the legal aspects.
And you.. Would you add any other item to the list?
