Along with all the blogs I read weekly - like Lucky Fatima's blog and Gori Girl's blog, which I link to fairly regularly- there are a couple I've come across recently that you should go check out if, like me, you can't get enough of this intercultural marriage talk. Here are just a FEW links to some of my favorite recent finds:
The Big Bad Blond Bahu Blog: This girl is seriously hilarious, married to a Maharashtrian Indian, and she tackles a lot of sensitive issues. She also has a lot of different experiences than I, especially on the in-law front. So if you've ever tired of hearing about how much I like my in-laws, you could find some balance over there. Because unfortunately, lots of bahus (perhaps especially the big, bad, blond type) have in-law issues.
Lucky Delicious: If you've ever wanted to cook Indian/Pakistani food, Lucky Fatima's food-dedicated blog is a great tool to help. I, too, spent hours deep in the dark corners of The Desi Cookbook back before M and I were married. Lucky Fatima, on the other hand, gives a more South Pakistani-North Indian take on the food, with tons of helpful tips and tricks and a heaving helping of South Asian history in the process. I always learn on lot over there, it would have been nice to find six years ago when I was still flailing, cooking Vindaloo for my non-Vindaloo eating Mian.
Musings From An American-Nepali Household: This is the blog of the partner of a Nepali guy, and a frequent commenter here. It's so interesting to me because many of the things she writes about are similar to things experienced by a lot of South Asians, but some of them are VERY different. A lot of times I think her stories are like the other side of the coin I have. And this woman is my personal hero because the first time she met her in-laws, she did it by traveling to Nepal to stay with them for four days. ALONE. No boyfriend in sight - or even in the same country!
Complicated: A blog for anyone who ever feared that your Pakistani significant other - who you intended to marry- might go back to Pakistan and be secretly married off. Or anyone nervous about whether one day, your Pakistani significant other would be denied entry to the United States, deported and/or prohibited from ever entering American again, perhaps indefinitely. This poor girl's blog is bound to make anyone feel better about their situation. And surprisingly, it has a happy ending! (Well, we assume it does - she's still in the middle of telling the story. But if we all head over there and gently encourage her, perhaps she'll write more often!)
Here Only: Another blog about a woman married to a man of Indian heritage, she even has non-desi interesting things to write about, which is refreshing, and she has pictures of her kids on her site, which I would have killed to see 4 years ago! She recently wrote this post about the long journey that is this life of compromise that was just beautiful and I really identified with it.
Sometimes Sobia Forum: Not a blog, but born of a now-defunct one. The Great Sobia, before our time, was a pioneer of being the gori wife of a Pakistani. I happened upon her stories before she took them all down, but thankfully she's left forum up for us. There's a handful of wives of Pakistanis on there doling out advice to each other on all kinds of topics. (Though it's a bit trickier than a blog because you have to register, introduce yourself, and meet a certain requirement of posting a certain number of times so that the other members feel they "know" you before you're let into the members-only juicier areas of the forum.)
My Indian Love: Dating an Indian guy, she writes about all sorts of cultural tidbits and reminds me a LOT of what it was like when I first met M. Her stories are also very similar to what I've experienced because her significant other is an Indian Muslim, and since M's parents were born in India, their culture is very similar to that of many North Indians. On of my favorite recent posts - titled The Americanization of An Indian - was where she posted a list of movies she was going to watch with her Indian guy. We do the exact same thing! I should write about our list too...
Intercultural Talk: A blog written by an expert in the field of intercultural communication. I've learned so much from her, and her posts always make me reevaluate how I'm communicating both in and about my marital situation. A very valuable resource!
These are just the newer things I've come across, there must be other blogs out there I'm missing, right? Do you know of any great blog - new or old, about intercultural marriage or anything else! If so leave the link in the comments, even if it's your own blog. Other people - like me - could be missing out!
