90 Day Fiancé follows international couples and their journey to live in the same country. The flagship 90 Day Fiancé series chronicles American citizens bringing their partners to live with them in the U.S. on the K-1 visa, or fiancé visa. The franchise now has several other spin-offs, such as 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days and 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way, both of which follow Americans visiting their partner in their home countries.
Whether the non-American citizen is joining their U.S.-based partner in the USA or vice versa, the American half of the couple sometimes does not seem to understand their partners’ culture (or doesn’t try…yikes). However, there are many ways in which some U.S.-based 90 Day Fiancé cast members not only respect but fully embrace their S.O.’s culture. Let’s go over some of these ways below.
Speaking Their Partner’s Native Language
Learning a new language is not easy, which is why many couples in the franchise communicate mostly with a translator! Frequently, the non-American person in the couple speaks great English. However, in couples where this is not the case, some American cast members have learned their partner’s language so they can better communicate.
For example, Patrick Mendes learned Portuguese, making it easier to speak to his Brazilian partner Thaís Ramone before she learned English. This couple will be featuring later on in Happily Ever After? Season 8.
Also featuring in the season are Ashley Campbell and Manuel Velez. Viewers were impressed that Rochester, New York-based woman Ashley can speak to her Ecuadorian partner Manuel in conversational Spanish. However, seeing as Ashley met Manuel in Ecuador ten years ago, we aren’t sure if she learned the language for Manuel specifically or if she already knew some words. Either way, we love it!
Converting to Their Partner’s Religion
Aside from not always speaking the same language, religion is another big difference that an international couple frequently has on 90 Day Fiancé. In some cases, the American partner will convert to their partner’s religion if doing this is important to their partner.
One American who did this is Sam Wilson, who was featured on 90 Day Fiancé Season 10 with Indonesian woman Citra Herani. It was very important to Citra’s father that Sam convert to Islam before marrying Citra. Sam converted, and the couple is now married and expecting a child, according to Citra’s Instagram.
L.A.-based Nicole Sherbiny also converted to Islam for her partner Mahmoud El Sherbiny. However, the two constantly clash over cultural differences anyway. The current season of Happily Ever After shows Mahmoud moving to the U.S., although he does not seem thrilled with the move so far, so viewers will have to stay updated to see how this turns out.
Being Open to Learning About Their Partners’ Culture
Sometimes American cast members seemingly have no regard for their partners’ cultures, which embarrasses fans when they watch the series. However, many American cast members make an effort to understand the nuances of their S/O’s culture.
For example, in Happily Ever After? Season 8, Kansas-based Emily Bieberly and her parents decided to travel to Cameroon to meet Kobe Blaise’s family. Kobe went with them as well, in addition to the couple’s two young children. This alone showed Emily’s dedication to learning the culture of Cameroon, especially since the flight took over 20 hours in total!
When they first met Kobe’s parents and siblings, Emily and her family wore traditional outfits from Cameroon. Kobe said that it is customary in Cameroon for families to wear matching outfits. Although she wore the outfit, Emily said she wasn’t super comfortable wearing it because she wasn’t sure of the cultural significance of the garb. This comment further showed Emily’s desire to fully embrace her husband’s culture. We love to see it!
The latest episode of Happily Ever After? Season 8 shows a very touching moment when the two families meet, and several people cry out of happiness. Emily and Kobe recently welcomed a third child as well, so we can’t wait to see what’s next for them!
TELL US – WHAT’S ANOTHER WAY AN AMERICAN 90-DAY FIANCE CAST MEMBER HAS SHOWN APPRECIATION FOR THEIR PARTNER’S CULTURE?
