I’m going to list some things that have surprised me in the time I’ve known my Filipina wife, and tell you which has been the biggest surprise to me. These will be good surprises. Subscribe to Love Beyond The Sea, take a cruise tour of the the lvbts.com website and leave a comment here or over there in the Community Corner. Remember to be notified for upcoming videos.
In May of 2015 I was united in wedlock to a woman that 55 days earlier from almost 10,000 miles away I didn’t even know existed. You aren’t going to find that marriage strategy advised anywhere, especially factoring in a large age gap and different culture. We both decided to get married after spending a lot of time on line. Eight months after getting married my wife arrived in America. Looking back, it is surprising we got married this way, as it didn’t seem like it was that quick. 55 days before we got married, I would have thought the idea of making an international flight would be outrageous, but I did because that’s where the Filipina I wanted to marry lived. Go where you’re wanted, that’s what I did.
One would think I would get blindsided from something I didn’t see coming, such as something about her personality that I didn’t notice when we were in person in the Philippines. Naturally, both of us have seen additional sides to each other since we’ve been married. Since we are committed to each other, we need to work through anything that comes up. It is not at all a surprise there are times we reveal something new about our personality, after all, if you aren’t in stressful situations you won’t know how you are going to respond. So not much of a surprise there, we continue to learn about each other.
It does surprise me that after telling my wife’s parents and family that I sincerely didn’t expect to ever go back to the Philippines, that I did. My back got very sore on the plane trip there and the time seemed to be moving in slow motion. I wasn’t crazy about wandering through airports trying to find where to go next and not be late for the next flight. It is by the grace of God I pursued her all the way to the Philippines. The return flights back went remarkably quickly as I was on cloud nine from the surreal experience, showing the people seated next to me photos and videos of my experience.
It was a surprise that we liked the same music. There was a lot of 70s music playing which made me feel comfortable. We listen to that kind of music here too, along with some newer songs.
I was surprised Aiza communicated so well with my mother and aunt on Skype. I was surprised she volunteered to chat with my pastor on Skype.
I was not surprised I chickened out on singing karaoke while there. I was surprised she got me to travel with her since I hadn’t previously wanted to.
I am surprised I want to retire in the Philippines. I have a playlist for that I will link in the description box.
I was surprised by the amazing modern malls we saw, and seeing the poverty I saw was surprising to me.
I was surprised this little woman was as brilliant as she is. I was surprised how skilled she was with electronic gadgets. I was surprised how well she could fix things and put things together.
I was surprised the age gap wasn’t a big deal and I am sure many foreigners interested in a Filipina who is a lot younger is curious how that works. I have some videos on relating to a younger woman I will link in the description box too.
I was surprised my wife was such a good homemaker. I finally have a place to come home to that feels like a home. I was also surprised my wife has been embraced so well by the people I know. They see a mature woman with character and a pleasant personality and a strong work ethic. Even her work ethic surprises me, that it is as good as it is. But the biggest surprise isn’t any of these.
The runner up biggest surprise marrying a Filipina has been how well we get along. You learn a lot of things when you didn’t date a person very long, then get married. I think about this a lot. Then I realize that many other foreign men married to Filipinas say it is the best thing they ever did. I give a lot of credit to my wife because I had not had a relationship in a long time and must have had a lot of rust to shake off. This is a big surprise to be sure. We have had our squabbles and seen our bad sides and learned to make up relatively quickly. But there is one surprise that tops all of them.
I am surprised I have developed such strong feelings for this woman. I am surprised the ways I have given of myself to make her life better. I told her when we married that I wanted to make her dreams come true. I wasn’t thinking about my dreams since she was my dream come true. I have fashioned my life around what is best for her. I realize she may live a long time after my days are through and I want these to be the best years of her life as marriage to her has been the best of mine. I am surprised at the sacrifices I have made for her and how I don’t tire of doing it.
I look forward to more surprises with my Love Beyond The Sea.
