A couple of years back a friend of mine met this great guy online. Yes, you heard (or should I say, read) it right. She met him online, a foreigner. She did take note of the importance of online dating safety though. She made sure that this was not a “fake” or “dangerous” guy. She learned to ask the right questions, draw him out so she would know the real him. And as their connection led to courtship and then more, he decided to come and see her in person, meet her family. The challenge then was how would she introduce him to them? What could she (and he) do to make the introductions a bit easier?

One of the things my friend did was to tell him more about our country, our culture. This helped him to understand how things are being done in our country, what is important in our culture. Thankfully, he was more than willing to learn. She referred him to books, websites that helped him know more about our country and culture. This would help him prepare how to relate, interact with her family. On the other hand, my friend also began opening up to her family about her foreigner beau, his life, and his culture. She was really familiarizing them about him so that when they would finally meet, it’s not like they were meeting a total stranger.

Another thing my friend also did was to already include her family in their online chats and calls. She asked the guy first, of course, if he was willing to do this. Thankfully, he was willing. His affirmative answer, of course, was also a clue that he was that sincere in their blossoming relationship. As he and her family had their share of interaction online, her family began to know him and appreciate his efforts to reach out to them before his travel time to the country came. So if you are currently involved with a foreigner boyfriend/fiancé that you may have met through a dating site, you could take these major points from my friend. Share about your culture to your foreigner boyfriend/fiancé. It will help him a lot to connect with your family. And so will introducing him online to your family before his actual arrival in the country. Make those communication bridges even before he comes. This will go a long way towards a better interaction and relationship between this love of your life and your family.