One thing that expatriates quickly learn is that love knows no cultural or geographical boundaries. After moving abroad, many expats find that it isn’t only the culture and lifestyle on offer in their host country that they fall in love with and it isn’t unusual for people to meet their soul mate while living overseas. Writer Wendy Williams explores the concept of expatriate love in her new book, which is entitled The Globalisation of Love.
Describing her book in an interview with Jo Parfait, Wendy reveals that the publication is about “Global love stories, intercultural romance and marriage (…) [it is] about the whirls and twirls, the quirks and perks, the frustrations and the fun of a multicultural relationship.”
Wendy’s book is based on interviews with multicultural couples from around the world. Chapters cover topics such as multicultural weddings, dealing with religious conflicts, language and race barriers and raising children as a multicultural couple.
No stranger to multicultural relationships herself, Wendy draws upon her own experiences as a Canadian expat who fell in love with her Austrian husband when living in Vienna. She writes: “…one of the most profound effects on globalisation is that people from everywhere are falling in love with people from everywhere else. There is a world of romance happening out there and it is called the globalisation of love.”
The book is a great read for anyone who is currently involved in a multicultural relationship and offers practical advice and insights into many of the issues that such couples may face, including dealing with the parents-in-law, coping with cultural differences, planning marriage ceremonies and gaining the approval of others. She supports the observations she has made as a result of her own relationship with insights from the couples that she interviewed when compiling the book, and this adds a depth to the advice and revealations. One of the things that makes the book stand out is the fact that it is written with an element of humor, which allows Wendy to address some difficult issues in a manner that is interesting to read and endearing.
For more information about the book and the author, check out the book’s website: The Globalisation of Love.
