So I met my current boyfriend six months ago on campus, he was an exchange student and although that wasn’t new for me, he didn’t speak really any English. He could understand most of it, but almost all of our communication had to be done through google translate at first (lmao that’s actually how he asked me out). It was a bit of a bargain deciding to date, but honestly we really, really like each other. We get along so well, and every interaction feels natural and safe despite barriers.

Today he understands English A LOT better, and is even better at speaking, although very broken. I’ve even started learning Korean so I could better understand and communicate on my part. Although language is getting better we’ve run into other issues. To make a very long story short and simple, he has certain cultural expectations that I don’t agree with/can’t live up to and vice versa. for example he’s a bit stoic?? not the right word but I hope ya get it and he very much respects the traditional position of “the man” in our relationship. I’m a bit more relaxed and go with the flow. I view us as total equals and don’t hold him up on some invisible pedestal that he feels he needs to live up to. It’s like he’s putting pressure on himself to be the best boyfriend/protector trope and that in turn causes a bit of stress towards us as a whole. Idk, it feels restrictive and a bit uncomfortable.

Again, I absolutely love being with him and we get along so well despite these things, so breaking up isn’s an option. I’ve tried to explain the situation but it gets a bit lost in translation, so I need advice on how to handle these little differences/views! I’d love any ideas you can give since I’m a bit desperate!! Thank you so much!