Questions for her

On our first date …
On our first date, I was very nervous about meeting him. He had to pick me up at my brother’s house since I was leaving my car there because I had to drive 2 hours to meet him and we decided that he would take us all day. When he came to look, I barely had a chance to look at him as he flew to open the door for me, which surprised me a bit. As soon as I got out of the car he gave me a big hug, which helped calm my nerves. As we drove to our rendezvous, we immediately hit it off in the car, chatting non-stop and, to her horror, I had brought her a fun game to play on the road, which was “Harry Potter flavored with candied beans.” The game defiantly broke the ice and I felt completely comfortable with it, even though I still feel bad about getting him to eat all those disgusting tasting beans, it was a great experience to have together. The rest of the day was amazing, with him taking us to a nice restaurant on the beach, where we shared a dessert and talked non-stop. We spent all day and night together, feeling that time had stopped. I couldn’t have asked for a better first date, ending with our first kiss and becoming a couple. Throughout the date, I knew Jay was special, with him making my heart skip a beat every time he looked into my eyes.

For the first few months of dating, my deciding factor would be …
A deciding factor for me would be a guy who is self-centered and only thinks about himself, especially in a relationship, I think a relationship should be about both people and not just one. Jay is the complete opposite of this and always puts others before himself, which is one of the reasons I fell in love with him.

I learned that He is right for me when …
From our first date, I knew he was the one, I had never clicked or felt so close or comfortable with anyone before. It had felt like I’d known him forever, rather than just meeting him that day. I just knew that I was going to be with him forever, that day was going to be the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives.

I had a culture shock when He …
I had a culture shock when he first introduced me to all his friends and family, I was not used to how close they all were and how open and friendly they were. I also had to get used to another language being spoken around me when he was with his friends or family, which at first made me feel intimidated, but now I want to learn his language.

3 things I love about him are …

• His smile always makes my heart skip a beat. Her smile always lights up the room when she walks in.
• His big heart, Jay is the most loving guy I have ever met. He is always helping those around him and caring for those in need. From the first date until now, he has always been there for me. Never before has a boy treated me so well, I feel so loved and desired every day that I am with him. Even when I tease him or do stupid things, he always showers me with love, I could never imagine a world without him.
• His confident, although I’d say he’s shy, Jay isn’t afraid to go out and do things. It always amazes me how safe he can be, his confidence is contagious too, and I am motivated to have more confidence in myself when I am around him. I love seeing how safe he can be and can’t wait to see where it takes him in the future.

The biggest mistake about your country and your culture was …

When I started dating Jay, I didn’t know much about the Philippines and its culture. He had the misconception that Filipinos were reserved for themselves and would not open up to a stranger who came in as they all seemed to stay in their own communities. But I couldn’t be more wrong, with all of them so welcoming and friendly that they welcomed me with open arms as soon as they found out that Jay and I were dating.

The most beautiful thing he did for me was …
He made my first birthday with him the most incredible day of my life, I have never felt so spoiled on my birthday before. He had arranged a birthday cake for me to wake up and an amazing road trip to continue for the day, which ended in a beautiful winery where he got down on his knees and proposed to me.

During this relationship, the most important thing I learned about myself was …
That I can be myself in a relationship, I have a pretty strong personality and I have always been afraid that my personality would end whatever relationship I had, but Jay has stayed by my side no matter how crazy I get and I realized that with the right person I can be who I am and not worry about restraining myself.

If there is one piece of advice I could give to my fellow Western girlfriends who are in relationships with AMWF, it would be …
Do not enter the relationship with certain expectations due to your culture or background, do so with an open mind. Try to be patient with your other half and do not jump to conclusions, there could be a reason why he is doing something that you are not aware of. Communication is so important in an AMWF relationship that many communication problems can occur if you don’t take the time to properly communicate with each other. Just enjoy the relationship, take the time to learn about each other’s cultures and to get to know each other properly.

Questions for him

Asking her out for the first time was …
stressful. I never thought a pretty girl like her would say “Yes”. She is out of my league and I am glad I had the courage to meet her on a date.

I learned that she is the one for me …
the first day I met her. We get along in all things. Our values ​​and principles are very similar. As the months go by, she continues to fill my heart with love and happiness. Since then, every day in my life had been special to her.

I had a culture shock when …
She introduced me to her food with her cooking. Their meals don’t always include rice. Being Filipinos, we have rice as our staple food, along with meat and vegetables. Having said that, I love their cuisine and food. I can live with that when we get married and I may no longer need the rice cooker for every meal.

3 things I love about her are …
her tantalizing blue eyes, naturally caring personality, and bubbly character. She never fails to make me feel pampered when we are together. He goes the extra mile to make me laugh when I start to sulk. And oh! I forgot to mention her mesmerizing smile. I reckon I could launch a thousand ships. That makes 4 things that I love about her.

The biggest mistake about your country and your culture was …
they are not welcome to people of different races. I met his family and they had all been extremely wonderful people. As we deepened in our relationship, they also made me feel like part of their family.

The things he likes to do with me for fun …
we go for coffee (we love our coffee) and explore new places together. Building memories is very important to both of us and we cherish every moment. Every photo we take becomes part of our sturdy treasure chest of love and happiness that we will continue to look back on as we grow gray and old.

Hates when …
I don’t get where she is pointing and I take the wrong turns while driving. She gets frustrated with my innate broken compass and GPS. In my defense, the angle of your fingers pointing in one direction clearly goes the other way when you’re in the driver’s seat. (Well wow! Let’s go for a walk and go a long way). The good thing is that he gets over it after I say the magic words “I love you” along with a cheeky smile.

During this relationship, the most important thing I learned about myself was …
that I am also capable of making another person happy. I always thought that I’m not good enough for someone. I thought “Love” would only be in the books and movie scenes until she came along and made it all real.

If there is one piece of advice I could give to my fellow Asian friends who are in relationships with AMWF, it would be …
Be true to yourself and have the courage to go out and try to find the right one for you. Just give it your all until you find that partner that will make your heart skip a bit. Cultural and racial differences are simply unnecessary antecedents for great relationships. As long as you love each other unconditionally and try to overcome any difference between the two of you, you will have a relationship that will last a lifetime.