Well, here we go breaking my one of my
unspoken, self-enforced blog rules. I have tried restricting my blog to the
struggles and joys of experiencing life out of my home country (and then back
in it, and then back out of it). And throughout this I’ve kept from writing too
much about my romantic life or really boys in general. Because let’s face it,
no one wants to read a blog of “so, this cute guy smiled at me today” or
“so-and-so says so-and-so was asking about me today” and much less “I went to
town with a friend today, not sure if it was a friend date or a real date.” Although
in some respects, there is the unique experience of being physically different
in a foreign land. A lot of people are initially drawn to you because you’re
different, both in looks and many times in thinking. And yes, opposites
attract, and a lot of people like the mystery of the unknown. However, finding
someone sincere is often a struggle.
Anyway, bringing boys into my blog has
become inevitable, especially because one of the main purposes of this blog is
to keep my family and friends updated on my life from a far. And let’s face it,
intercultural dating is a big part of this ‘living in foreign lands’ deal. But
the short and skinny of it all is that I’m a lucky gal and I’ve found a fella
that makes me happy. And I want you all to know him too, since you can’t hang
out with him on a daily basis to get to know him, this is the least I can do to
let you all into my life and see a glimpse of what I’m living. Not to mention
the fascinating lessons we will all learn together about the challenges of
intercultural dating (please do NOT read as “Angela will spend all of her blog
now telling us about the arguments and cultural misunderstandings she may have
with her boyfriend).
Well family and friends, let’s take a look
at my new beau through my eyes. I introduce you to Daniel Taipe (read
“TIE-pay”). While most of this information is in random order, I will start
with the most important first. He makes me happy and he treats me far better than
I deserve. Now, moving on to the basics, he’s Peruvian, older than me, yet
under 30, works in advertising, is just a smidgen taller than me, he is the
youngest of two (but he’s not the kind of youngest that I am, meaning he isn’t
an attention grabber) and I would easily describe him as a caregiver/protector
personality.
Now instead of throwing out lots of
impressive adjectives about him, I’d rather give examples about his amazing
character. When we walk on the sidewalk he always walks between me and the
road, something I take as a sign of a good man because my brother also does
that. When I’m sick he always asks if I need him to ask off work and come take
care of me. He always walks on the white lines in the cross walk with me, even
when his friends are watching (and laughing). Whenever we’re in a group, he asks
with his eyes if I’m doing ok or if I want to leave. He always offers his hand
when I’m getting out of a cab or bus (something he did naturally even before we
were dating). He has, more than once, showed up to surprise me at my door with
bags full of groceries. He teaches Sabbath School and is a faithful elder at
church. When in stores, I can’t say “hey, that’s pretty” in front of him,
because I’ll then have to spend the next 10 minutes trying to talk him out of
buying it for me, which reminds me very much of my father. He listens very
openly to my most wild opinions, but isn’t afraid to tell me his opinion if
they don’t match. He’s showed on more than one occasion that he’ll stand up for
me against anyone. The other day I was talking a bit emotionally about my
sister (yeah, I love her) and his first reaction was “Do you want to call her?
What’s her number?” He lets me listen to Adventures in Odyssey (although he
doesn’t have much choice about that really). He asks every few days, “Have you
talked to your mom recently? Or Julie?” He pays when he takes me out. He prays
for me.
Now this is a very quick overview of who he
is, and honestly I have so much more to learn too. Although we’ve known each
other for longer, we’ve only been dating a little over a month. And again, I
wish each of you could sit down and spend time with him to see what I see every
day. But until then, I’ll do my best for you to get to know him through our
experiences together. But overall I’m excited that this brown bag adventure has
become an adventure for two.
Well family and friends, let’s take a look
at my new beau through my eyes. I introduce you to Daniel Taipe (read
“TIE-pay”). While most of this information is in random order, I will start
with the most important first. He makes me happy and he treats me far better than
I deserve. Now, moving on to the basics, he’s Peruvian, older than me, yet
under 30, works in advertising, is just a smidgen taller than me, he is the
youngest of two (but he’s not the kind of youngest that I am, meaning he isn’t
an attention grabber) and I would easily describe him as a caregiver/protector
personality.
