Love Knows No Border
American/Canadian couple .... Mais fais-le français
Before I dive deep into my international marriage, I just want to thank you all so much for being here and reading all of our blog posts that us girls put so much time into - we truly appreciate it! Not only that, but being here in the Breaking The Ice membership in general! This is such an amazing community and I could not be happier that I get to experience it all with you!
That being said, here's a quick (lol) back story on my husband and I, how we met, and what we are up to now!
My husband and I met during our freshmen year of college at Bowling Green State University, in Ohio (Go Falcons!). He, obviously, played on the hockey team and I was a cheerleader. A very close teammate of mine was dating a very close teammate of his and (after a few dates of me sneaking my roommates in for backup) the rest was headaches... I mean history :P I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where my family only knew football, baseball, and Kentucky basketball! Therefore my very first hockey game ever attended was my husbands, and little did I know what in the world I was getting myself into!!
In my husband's 4 years of pro hockey, we had 7 different homes! I say "we", but I spent the first year and a half just visiting while I started my career! Turned out that I hated my job and hated being separated all season - AND off season since we are from two different countries - so there I was, doing what I said I would NEVER do... follow a man :P Looking back now I am forever grateful that I did, even though sometimes it was hell. I would have never seen all the places that I have if I didn't and that to me is amazing! (huge travel gal) He played three years in the states/canada and then one in the UK!
Fast forward to where we are now. I KNOW I am not the only one when I say this past year has completely ruined (not to be dramatic) our plans and what we had envisioned for our future! Not to mention having to do the majority of it alone, in.our.parents.basements, due to border closures... *cue traumatic flashbacks*. In the end, an amazing job offer appeared that was too good to pass up for my husband's finance career, and with him pushing his 30s he chose to go this route. With the state that hockey is in and the unknown that is to come, he decided it was time to start his career! As always, being his little cheerleader (no pun intended) I supported every decision he made.. even if that meant me having a full on meltdown and crying every day (no joke) because said job was located in Regina, Saskatchewan. <- if you're from Regina, visit Regina, literally anything, please be my friend :P
USA/CANADIAN COUPLE
I can't help but find this post very ironic given what my husband and I just went through in the last week! He drove from his hometown in Quebec City, Quebec to our new home Regina, Saskatchewan (33 hours) - then had to fly into Cincinnati, Ohio (15 hours total) in order to now drive me and the Uhaul across the border back into Regina (should have been 22h hours but was more like 36 LOL). BUT I am extremely relieved to be writing this on OUR new couch, in OUR new place (I know you know!) So here we go!
Looks like I hit the international relationship jackpot that I never knew existed LOL. Having a significant other from Canada seems to be as easy as that, same continent, not a huge culture change, and they speak English.... well, the majority of them do! My husband is that small percentage that is French Canadian! So visiting his hometown feels more like we took a jump across the pond - very European like, and ALL French (Quebec City). My in-laws do not speak a lick of English... likewise with me and French!
I figured this would be a fun little post to answer a handful of questions that we often get as an international/bilingual couple! If you can relate to these/have any other questions you constantly have to answer - I would love to hear all about them!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you communicate with his parents?
My girl SIRI & Google Translate come in clutch! After almost 8 years, we definitely have the basics down! It's more complicated for all of us when we want so badly to explain a story ... but have to rely on my husband to translate or google. It definitely loses the emotion in telling the story or the humor in it, but it works and we get along so great. I couldn't ask for better in-laws and how they treat me like the daughter they never had! True story, my husband is an only child (yes, lord help me) and his father always wanted a girl LOL sooo yeah, I'm spoiled!
What language will you speak with your kids?
Considering my lack of French haha, I will speak to them in English, and my husband will speak to them in French. When we are together we will of course speak English! If we are in a location where our child will be able to go to a French speaking school, we will choose that and then English at home! It's a no brainer for us obviously! Just pray for me one day that they don't gang up on me too hard *eye roll!
So since you're married now, do you both have dual citizenship?
I WISH! That would save us a pretty penny! If any of you have gone through the green card/permanent resident card applications YOU KNOW. So in short, since we are married, we are now allowed to APPLY for those cards, that's all! LOL
What cultural differences do you face?
Like I mentioned above, they're not that many being he's from Canada. Though him being from Quebec really does add a few in there! One really big one that is different to us Americans is that they don't go in the same "order" that we do when it comes to relationships! *of course, this isn't everyone, but I have found that it most definitely is the majority! For example, most of them don't get married - and if they do, they do not take their husband's last name (imagine addressing our wedding invitations heheh..) The majority of my husbands friends with significant others live together and have children, but are not married. Not that that isn't common in the US, but they plan it that way, which is not exactly common in the US! The French Canadians, in my experience, seem to be extremely open about (what I would consider) inappropriate topics! HAHA! It seems to be very normal and at those moments I'm extremely happy I can't understand what they're saying :P
Where do you plan to live after hockey...US or CA?
This one hits me hard at the moment! My husband and I both agreed that after the years of bouncing all other places for his career, that I would choose where we "settled down". And as I'm sitting in Regina, Saskatchewan we all know that was yet another plan of mine that didn't make the cut! Not saying I won't like it here, but my first choice was the sand and the sun in Charleston, South Carolina so you can see where I'm a little bitter :P
I cannot thank you all enough for just being here, let alone reading our content we create for you each week! I hope this post was something fun for you to read and maybe even resonates with some of you in the same situation!
XOXO - B
"A journey well shared is a journey well enjoyed"
