When two people from different cultures come together, the joy and fun in discovering each other’s differences can be endlessly fascinating. That is, until the challenges of combining those two cultures can feel difficult and stressful.

Having a partner who has been shaped by different social, economic and religious factors can be both wonderful and maddening, creating fertile ground for misunderstandings, arguments and, over time, resentments. Intercultural couples (and families) have certain challenges, but by learning to more effectively communicate with and listen to your partner – who is literally from another world – you can have fewer frustrations, less conflict and increased empathy and intimacy.