Would you date someone from a foreign country?

I come from a pretty multicultural family....I've half Tansanian cousins, half Mexican cousins, loads of American cousins, my bro is married to an Aussie, sisters married to an American and a Greek guy, my other brother went out with a Nigerian woman, so it's no biggie for me. I've been living outside Ireland since 2004, so I'd have to be open to foreign men if I wanted to meet someone. It's down to the person basically.

Previous boyfriends have been from the States and England and had a thing with an Argentinian for a year. My current boyfriend is Spanish and lucky for us, he's got fantastic English. It's been great so far....he's very affectionate and tactile, complimentary and up front, which is different to Irish guys I've gone out with in the past. He has a great sense of humour and we have plenty of laughs together. He's ridiculously clever, which keeps me on my toes and he's interesting and very kind. Same kind of traits you'd find in any good man anywhere in the world and that's all that really matters.

There's definite cultural differences and I'd say the fact that I've been looking supporting and looking after myself since I was 21 and him later is a funny one. I suppose I'd be maturer in some ways because of that but not to the point that it's a problem.

He's very close to his family and it seems his family are not so open to him dating someone foreign and are quite conservative (he's definitely not) and he's trying to butter them up before I meet them, which is the polar opposite to my family. I'm meeting his Aunties next week and I'm ****ting bricks. I find the Spanish attitude to family suffocating...I love my family but we all make our own choices and if my one of us butted into another's personal affairs, there'd be trouble. Seems that's not the case here.

And finally the fact that he'd look after himself more than guys I've seen in the past. He's older than me and swims regularly to not get a belly, which I don't think we care too much about in Ireland. It's not really acceptable here at his age. Seems there's more pressure among men to look good, more pressure than in Ireland.

Al in all though, yay for foreigners!!

Fishie wrote: »

an Italian friend with a Beninese boyfriend

Had to wikipedia that... never even realised there was such a country as Benin!

Yeah, definitely. I date an American and I have several friends who date people from other countries.

bluewolf wrote: »

I'd be kinda the same about converting - I believe what I believe, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise or go through this big massive lie for someone else. Best friend OTOH thinks it's the most romantic thing :pac:
I know about the situation though - another of her sisters did marry a very orthodox person - no electricity on sabbath, a million young kids, can't use even... I think it's a phone, on sabbath, either. etc etc.

You're dead right- people don't realise what a horrible experience it is to convert to Judaism. At least in Ireland and Israel anyway- I can't speak for other countries. It's a process of taking a substantial amount of money, ridiculing the person for not already being Jewish and putting them through a process of humiliation and making them feel like an imposter until the Rabbi, in his own good time, decides that they're ready for the mikveh (immersion ceremony, similar to being baptised) where they must strip off completely in front of a woman they don't know, get completely scrubbed down and get in the water while rabbis chant random BS outside the door. A horrible experience- wouldn't wish it on anyone. My boyfriend was offered a 'fast track' conversion (they're eager to make those who are already Israelis- particularly those in the army- Jewish) but he refused, and I wouldn't blame him for a second.
Her poor sister In the case I know of, she's so financially dependent on her husband that leaving him simply isn't an option, so he uses the synagogue as an 'old boy's club' while she's left sitting at home. Yep, no phone, no cooker, no washing machine, no kettle, no tv- even quite a lot of children's toys must be put away...!!