I had never experienced anyone do anything like that for me before

cute interracial coupleThe story of Richard and Natasha

Richard and Natasha met through the internet (surprise surprise). They first came across each other on Valentine’s Day of last year. Richard lives near Liverpool and Natasha is based in Huddersfield (UK) which are approximately an hour apart. They’d matched on Tinder and Natasha didn’t pluck up the courage to send him a message until the following day. They spoke daily for roughly around a month when it was mutually decided they should meet up. They’re officially journey began on Sunday 19th March 2017 when they became a couple. They now spend every weekend together as Richard journeys to pick Natasha up. Even though it’s only been a mere 10 months, they plan on spending their future together with many exciting adventures ahead, including their first holiday together in 2018.

amwf relationshipNatasha’s answers

On our first date…
we had a very standard type of date. When I first saw him at the train station, my breath was taken away by how handsome he was. We had a spot of lunch before heading to the aquarium. We journeyed there by bus which unfortunately got stuck in some heavy traffic. I’m not usually a shy person but my nerves took over and we didn’t actually speak to each other for the whole journey! My nerves didn’t improve much and my lack of conversation was maintained until we departed at the end of the date. It wasn’t enough to put him off asking me out again though.

During the first months of dating my deal-breaker would be… cheating. I’ve never understood why anybody would betray someone. If he couldn’t be faithful in the initial months then what would stop him being unfaithful several years into the relationship? I’d also be hugely put off by a lack of effort. A relationship requires time and energy from both parties. I want to feel like I am wanted but if he showed no interest, I would have to call it a day.

I learned he was right for me when…
I discovered he was just as weird as me! The first few dates, I definitely tried to be well behaved but once my weirdness came out, he embraced it fully. He doesn’t mind that I’m massively into gory horror films and the fact that I collect Barbie dolls. A lot of people raise their eyebrows at my interests but Richard’s personality matches mine perfectly and that’s why we get along so incredibly well.

I had culture shock when He…
Our cultures are very similar. His mum was born in Hong Kong so he was raised with those traditions and the Cantonese language at home. I was so impressed when I learned he was able to understand his Mum as she often communicates to him in Cantonese. He doesn’t think it’s anything special but I admire anyone who can understand more than one language. We both went to British schools so a lot of our education was the same which is the part where our culture becomes similar.

snapchat coupleThree things I love about him are…
He’s caring – he makes me feel safe and protected and that was a huge thing for me after I came out of quite a horrific abusive relationship. This, unfortunately, has lead to severe depression for me and I’ve found it hard to carry on living. He is always looking out for me and puts me first in everything we do.
He is interesting – there’s nothing more boring than someone who doesn’t have any hobbies or isn’t particularly interested in anything. Richard is big in sports (which doesn’t catch my eye much) but he also likes anything from games to cars. There’s always something to talk about with him.
His sense of humor – he never fails to make me laugh and I think that was a key thing that made us click. Things are so much more comfortable when you share the same humor with someone. If I have a down day, one of his silly jokes will always cheer me up.

The biggest misconception about his country and culture was…
that just because he is Chinese, doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand English. As soon as people see him, I think they assume he is foreign for some reason. When they hear his accent, it’s obvious he was born and raised here.

The most beautiful thing he ever did for me was…
what he planned for my 23rd birthday. He booked us into a really expensive hotel room in the city of Liverpool with a riverside view. I walked into the room to find chocolate dipped strawberries and the most beautiful bunch of flowers. He had booked us into a restaurant I’d been dying to go to for so long. As we were getting ready, he presented to me the most stunning sapphire necklace. It was quite difficult for me to hold the tears back as I’d never experienced anyone do anything like that for me before.

During this relationship the most important thing I learned about myself was…
that my past does not define me. I have struggled greatly with anxiety and depression to the point when I attempted suicide a couple of times. Richard has shown me that there is good in this world and that I do deserve to be treated correctly. He is my absolute rock and I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t find him.

If there is a piece of advice I could give to my fellow Western girlfriends who are into the AMWF relationships that would be…
to just be yourself and you will find the right person. Don’t think you have to conform to just dating a Western guy. If it’s what you like, then never be ashamed. Your Asian prince in shining armor will soon take your breath away if you just be patient.

british chineseRichard’s Answers

On our first date…
I had a rough plan in place of when I wanted to ask her out. She had no idea and I asked her quite casually “Do you want to be together?” It then turned out to be quite funny but awkward on my part because she said: “Well you need to ask me out properly!”. It was then that I shyly asked her to be my girlfriend by saying the words “Would you be my girlfriend?” Thankfully she accepted and it was then official between us.

I learned she was right for me…
after the second time, we met. We were both incredibly nervous on our first date and very few words were exchanged between us. But feeling a lot more at ease on our second date, we seemed to click so much more, especially since we actually spoke to each other this time.

I had culture shock when…
As we were both born and bred in the UK, there isn’t too much difference between our cultures. There are very subtle differences between our cultures as it seems my house is filled with Chinese cooking instruments and Chinese good luck charms which fend against any bad spirits. My mum is a big believer in those things which I think is the biggest cultural difference between us.

british girlThree things I love about her are…
Humour – we definitely find the same things funny which give loads of cement to our relationship.
Kind-hearted – She’s the kindest and sweetest person I’ve met to this date. She will always go out of her way to make anyone smile and that in turn always brings a smile to my face.
Beautiful – I tell her every day how stunning I think she is and I’ll stop at nothing until she believes it.

The biggest misconception about his country and culture was…
It’s difficult to say what the biggest misconception was about her culture as we were both raised in Britain. I don’t really have any conceptions about Western girls as I’ve grown up with white people and most of my close friends are white.

The things she likes to do for fun with me are…
such a huge variety of things! I’m a big fan of the cinema and when I first took her to see “Dunkirk”, she had doubts about it. But she came out saying how much she loved it and now we try to make regular dates at the cinema.

She hates when I …
mess with my nose. I tend to have a blocked nose and I will rest my finger on it, pointing it upwards. She always tells me off when she sees me doing that. I’ve no idea why that gets her but it really seems to bug her.

amwf couple in the UKDuring this relationship, the most important thing I learned about myself was…
that I can be a good boyfriend to someone. I always thought I could treat someone right and make someone happy. When she tells me daily how much she loves being with me and how much I care for her, it’s proved that for me.

If there is a piece of advice I could give to my fellow Asian friends who are into the AMWF relationships that would be…
to just go for it. Don’t listen to small minded people who may have incorrect racist thoughts on the basis of an Asian being with a Western girl. If you love her, never let that stop you.

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