AfriqASIA LOVE!!! ....WHAT IF LOVE CAME FROM ASIA?

The African lady says "well I'm open minded, i could marry a foreigner", and the African man also admits "When it comes to choosing a partner, i do not have a problem with the person`s origin, but one thing is, she must be beautiful" Then comes the question,

"So what if love came from Asia?". By now, lips start to twitch and eyes start to roll in confusion. "Well with that, it depends..."Some also plunge into a short giggle. But really, the question is, "Is an Asian not a foreigner?" . The African lady thinks "Well he is, but i wasn`t referring to someone from such a faraway place, you know...". So the criteria gets narrowed down. And well, to the African man, his definition of beautiful  is a lady with full round hips...". Huh! Could it get more interesting than that? Well... Yes!! It gets even more exciting when you actually get to talk to an African, who found love in "a 


faraway place" and dared to call it the most beautiful thing that ever happened to her.     Her name is Gertrude.

Gertrude:  I`m Gertrude Blay, a Ghanaian originally from Half-Assini, an Nzema, and i currently live at Ashorman Estate.I have two kids. I`m currently taking care of my second baby, after which I'll go back to school. I attended the UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES and i have a certificate in health Care. That is one of my areas of interest. I`ve been married for four years. My husband is Chinese.

AfriqAsia Merge:  Have you always wanted to marry a foreigner?

Gertrude:  No. I always wanted to marry an African: a Ghanaian or a Nigerian but not a Whiteman, American or even Asian. Personally i love everything African.

AfriqAsia merge: So what caused the drift? Anything special you found that you may want to share?

Gertrude:  He was the perfect person, and it was the perfect timing. It was in Ghana. He met me through a friend on facebook, so he actually made the move. Really i wasn`t interested at first. When i saw him and realised he was Asian, i didn`t like it because i thought i could only be with an African. Moreover, at that time i was still nursing some "emotional wounds" and  i wanted to be alone. But, he was such a friend...he was just good.

AfriqAsia Merge: So, when you got closer to him, was there anything that shocked you?

Gertrude: Yea. Quite. The kind of food he liked, Chinese sauces and so on..I don`t even know how to prepare them (laughs) but the advantage is that he is a good cook so he prepares it for us. He sometimes does weird stuff and then says "Oh, when you go to China we do this, we do that", but I've gotten used to it.

AfriqAsia Merge: Have you been to his Hometown?

Gertrude: Not yet. But i`ve met some of his family members and we`re planning to go there in a year`s time. I`ve met some of his friends as well. They are nice. They are funny: You know, the language, sometimes their facial expressions... They are interesting and really nice...

AfriqAsia Merge: Have you had any difficulty helping him with anything on cultural or social levels?

Gertrude:  Well, he does almost everything by himself and then tells me about it. He has good friends who help him out too. He`s really gotten used to everything here so he finds his way around.

AfriqAsia Merge: And what about the reaction of outsiders, your friends etc      towards your couple?

Gertrude: For that, there`s been a lot, a lot. When i told my friends that i was getting married to a Chinese they all went "What? A Chinese man?" and then they started calling me by names like "China Mama" "Akosua China" and so on. It`s funny. And sometimes, when I'm walking with the children alone, people are shocked. They ask, "Are those really your kids?" and so on. So sometimes I'm more relaxed when i take the kids out together with their Dad, because when we are alone, it`s a different thing all together. And when I'm alone with my husband, people stare at us a lot. They look curious and some wonder "Why Chinese?"

AfriqAsia Merge: So, why Chinese? Can you tell us?

Gertrude: (Laughs) Well, i don`t know. The personality is what i looked at, not the fact the he`s Chinese.

AfriqAsia Merge: Have you tried learning his language?

Gertrude : Yes. I really want to learn it well. He bought me a lot of CDs and Dictionaries and all that. Even for the kids... Because we`re in Ghana and they seem to be learning my language, the "Nzema" and the "Twi", so we are trying to bring them up with the Chinese language as well.

AfriqAsia Merge:  So, what will you say to Ghanaian or African ladies who feel that Asia is a no go area when it comes to love, marriage and relationships?

Gertrude : Well, the most important thing is the personality. I think the ladies should not worry too much about where the person is coming from. That`s the whole idea. The moment you have the stereotyped idea that someone from Asia is "Out" then, you may never move forward.  People may tease you, yes. For me they even said that made in China items were not good so it includes husbands and all, but that`s not true. Well yeah, maybe i was lucky and got the perfect one. But i tell you, we are all human beings. The person may be your own tribesman but if he`s not right, he`s not right. So, we have to be more open minded.

So, talking of open-mindedness, AfriqAsia Merge would love to ask YOU, our African friend: What if love came from Asia? and our Asian Friend "What if love came from Africa?  Share your views, comments and experiences with us on  afriqasia9@gmail.com... Wishing you all...

A      HAPPY      VAL`S       DAY !!!

AfriqAsia Merge

                        ...still bridging the gap..