Romance across cultures

how we live — By Bob Riel on June 23, 2006 at 11:54 am

It’s not a surprise that the rituals of dating and romance differ by culture. Now, an article in the summer issue of Glimpse Quarterly examines some of these rituals, as well as the challenges and benefits of cross-cultural dating. In the article:

Students relate a wide range of experiences. Many women who spent time in France, Spain, Italy and Latin America initially felt daunted by the forward, aggressive ways in which local men pursued their romantic interests, as well as the prevalence of public displays of affection. Says University of Minnesota student Bonnie Folkestad, “Spanish men wanted to rush things. They had no problem telling a woman that they loved her, or that they wanted to marry her, or that she should not return home.” …

Those who study abroad in heavily Muslim countries, by contrast, find public displays of affection to be scarce. “But relationships are still great,” asserts a Colorado College student who studied abroad in Morocco. “They’re just more private and mainly exist behind closed doors.”