You and your Asian partner are going back to your country very soon. It may be good news for you but to her, if it’s her first time to even travel outside of her own country, it’s gotta be scary. Who can blame her? She’s going to live in an uncharted territory and she won’t really know what’s in store for her. Now, this is going to be a problem for you because you don’t want a partner who’s depressed and feeling like she’s not fitting in.

What do you do? Follow these suggestions and help your lady avoid culture shock.

How You Can Help Your Asian Partner

1. Listen and be sensitive.

Before travelling back to your country, sit down with her and then ask her about her worries. Most Asian women are positive thinkers but it’s still always a comfort if they hear that everything’s going to be alright from their man.

2. Provide support.

You have to be aware of the difficulties  that you are going to encounter. It could be language barrier which often times isolates an individual from the rest of the world or it could be adapting a different culture. Either way, what you can do is talk to someone who’s been in a similar situation. Ask him about potential difficulties and potential solutions.

3. Put yourself in her shoes.

Once you’ve identified the possible problems that might arise, you then have to put yourself in her shoes so you can understand how she might feel. Imagine that your first time visiting her in her country. What challenges did you have to face?

4. Spend quality time.

When you’re already settled in, spend quality time with her. Remember that there’s a difference between quality and quantity. It doesn’t matter if you spend time with her often. If you’re not engaged or paying attention, it won’t matter.

Do something that she might like (even if you don’t like doing that something). That will cheer her up. You don’t even have to do go out all the time. It could just be a simple but meaningful phone call while you’re at work.

5. Encourage her to have friends.

Talk to your Asian partner and let her know that you will be there for her but it would be helpful if she has friends that can be her support system. If you have volunteer work or any activity in your community, ask her to join in so she can meet new friends.

6. Communicate.

This has to be the most important thing of all. Keep communication open with you and her, and with her and her family. Set up Skype of your computer or give her a phone that has all the latest apps that will allow her to call home. As for yourself, don’t forget to ask her how her day was.

7. Be her tour guide.

Before going back to work, make sure that she’s learned the usual places that she can go to around your neighborhood. Showing your Asian wife around can serve as quality time. This way, even if you’re not together, she can preoccupy herself with grocery shopping, visiting places and etc.

8. Family visits.

Another thing that you can do is to encourage your family to visit your Asian partner. This, of course, will depend on how your family accepts you getting married but as much as possible, it would be helpful if you have a family member over who can get along with your partner.