When it comes to relationships and people sharing their habits with each other, it is difficult not to find fault in the other at one point. No matter how similar two people may seem, they will always have strong opinions about some things and differ completely. This happens with partners that share the same culture, language and influences as children. The issues become more complex when the partners come from crucially different social backgrounds.
Intercultural dating may be especially interesting to analyze anthropologically but, in actual practice, being involved in that sort of dynamic may prove problematic to some. These examples are frequent as there are always opportunities for people to enroll in programs focusing on cultural exchange. Dating people from a different culture can take you from excitement to frustrations to stereotyping for those people who are less patient.
First of all, there is the language barrier that need to broken down and which usually ends many relationships before they really start. Sometimes not even body language will help. For example, in Bulgaria nodding your head means no, while shaking it from side to side means yes. Therefore problems arise very early on. If one partner is a native English speaker and the other one is not, the later will have to exercise extra effort to put his/her ideas across. This immediately delays power of reaction or spontaneity. When both speakers have English as a second language communication will also suffer because of superficiality. They will try to express themselves as clear as possible thus using common words that will not really render the true essence. Furthermore, trying to correct or finish the other's idea or phrase will prove to be annoying to the person that has more difficulty in communicating. But then again, it is all about the tone and intention. Correcting can be constructive, turning into a learning exercise between two people who enjoy each other's company.
Moving on from language, gestures, habits and customs are different all around the world. Germans for example are known to talk louder and more passionately in their conversations with friends than Americans, who are known to be polite and more reserved. Not only the way you say things but also the subjects that are discussed are different and have different status in different cultures. Some cultures consider rude to talk about your religious belief while others appreciate an open passionate input from their partner of conversation on that subject. In America, you are asked to have a glass of wine and are never asked again in case you reject the offer. In European cultures, in the South Eastern part for example, it is polite to reject the offer as many as three times and then be asked again.
A Korean woman would expect the man to pay in case he is interested in her after the first date. In this case, in North American culture it would be customary for the woman and the man to pay evenly. These etiquette problems can be overcome but things become more delicate when people from more conservative countries like China or Japan interact with people from the West that are extremely open about sexuality. The former may feel offended and even hurt by a German person wanting just a physical relation and stating it directly.
If such a relationship can work, it all depends on each partner's tolerance or interest to explore those actual differences or inconsistencies between them.
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