The biggest surprise for Remon Naeem Daniel about Vietnamese culture is that “Vietnamese people wake up very early and eat a very high-quality breakfast.” He was “shocked” when he learned that his wife could have a big bowl of pho or a plate of broken rice for breakfast.
“For Egyptians, those filling dishes are often the main dish for lunch or dinner,” shared Hoang Mai Trang, Daniel’s wife.
But later, when he got used to that way of eating, Daniel was able to eat pho and beef noodle soup in the morning like his wife.
Vietnamese wife, Egyptian husband couple currently living in Dubai
33 years old, Mai Trang has been working and living in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) for 8 years now.
Mai Trang and Daniel met at the first hotel she worked at in Dubai. At that time, Trang worked in the housekeeping department, while Daniel worked in the front office. Currently, both of them work for a chain of Vietnamese restaurants in Dubai.
The two immediately fell in love with each other. But when they first arrived, Trang's English communication skills were not good. Therefore, the language barrier was the first difficulty they encountered.
After dating for about 3 years, Trang and Daniel got married in Vietnam in 2019 but did not register their marriage. Soon after, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, causing the couple to be separated for 2 years. “He was stuck in the Maldives, and I was in Vietnam,” Trang said.
In 2021, when countries gradually reopened, the couple returned to Dubai to work. In November 2022 - exactly 3 years after holding the wedding in Vietnam, the couple went to Egypt to have a church wedding and officially register their marriage.
Two weddings held in two countries, three years apart due to Covid-19
Trang shared that at first, Daniel's family did not think he would marry a foreigner. Everyone always thought he would marry an Egyptian woman, also Orthodox.
But that year, before introducing Trang to his family, Daniel insisted that he only wanted to marry a Vietnamese girl. “Luckily, from the first time we met, his family loved me very much and supported me as much as possible to help us complete the marriage procedures.”
On Trang's family side, everyone supports and is excited about this relationship. From the first time they met, her parents and two siblings loved Daniel very much.
Egypt is a rather strange and distant country to Trang, but after witnessing and experiencing the culture, she found this country to be an interesting place with a long-standing culture.
“After going to Egypt, I found this to be a developing country, still with a lot of rusticity and simplicity, and very cheap food. People still more or less maintain their traditional lifestyle.”
The groom's family at a wedding in Egypt
Eight years of love and living with a foreigner, the couple's life appeared to be very different.
“When we first met, we had some misunderstandings due to cultural differences. I am Asian, I am very shy about expressing my feelings or emotions, but Middle Eastern people are the opposite. They say they love their family every day and always express everything that comes to their mind.
When we first met, he found me quiet and cold, thinking that I didn't like him so he was afraid of bothering me and didn't dare to approach me. Only when we shared with each other did we understand the difference in the way we express our feelings between the two cultures.
Since I met him, I have gradually become more open and always say what I think. That makes us understand each other better."
Daniel traveled to Vietnam with his wife's family
In Trang's eyes, Daniel is a thoughtful and sweet husband in every action and gesture. When going out, he always lets her walk inside. He is also the one who carries everything, "even if there are 10 bags, he won't let me carry any of them."
“When my family had problems, he was always ready to help. He also never criticized my appearance. Since we met, my appearance has changed a lot - sometimes I was thin, sometimes I was twice or three times fatter than him. But he always complimented me on how beautiful and small I was, and never once said anything hurtful about my appearance.”
Trang still remembers a sweet memory that Daniel gave her. When she was working in the hotel, her job was very hard, there were nights when she came home late, exhausted.
One day, when he returned to the staff dormitory, Daniel surprised Trang by quietly cooking Vietnamese-style braised pork with pepper and tomato soup.
“I never instructed him to cook these dishes, but he noticed and remembered. Just that small action made me feel all my fatigue disappear. Until now, I still remember that sweet action,” Trang shared.
Perhaps the "sweet fruit" that Trang received was the result of Daniel growing up in a family filled with love between family members, as Trang realized when interacting with her husband's family. "That love was revealed through the way his mother always took care of every meal for the whole family and always forced her children to eat their fill."
Trang feels lucky to be the daughter-in-law of such a loving family and always reminds herself to cherish what she has.
Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/nguoi-vo-viet-khoe-chong-ai-cap-chu-dao-ngot-ngao-trong-tung-cu-chi-172241010160546429.htm
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