The love story of Wonwoo and Yoyo
Wonwoo and Yoyo met on Doongle also known as Epenpal which is an International Social Network similar to Facebook. The Application allows you to upload your pictures and stories and chat with people from all over the world. Both stopped using the app frequently but on August 24th in 2015 (exactly on Yoyo’s birthday) a small “LIKE” from Wonwoo on one of Yoyo’s pictures changed everything. Yoyo lived in Heidelberg, Germany and Wonwoo studied in Dublin, Ireland at that time. After texting a few weeks they both realized that they match well together, had similar interests and couldn’t stop texting each other. In October Wonwoo decided to meet Yoyo in person and flew to Germany to meet her. After living as a Long Distance Couple for 2 years, Wonwoo was able to get a visa to start his life with Yoyo in Germany. The couple started a Youtube Channel called “LovelyDistance” to update family and friends as well as followers from all over the world about their relationship and their travels.
Questions to Her
On Our first date…
…we enjoyed our afternoon walking around in Heidelberg and visited the Heidelberg castle. We had a beautiful dinner, took some pictures and talked a lot even we both were really nervous and excited. We met every day during the one week Wonwoo was staying in Germany. And on 10th October he asked me if I was ready to start a relationship with him. Even I told him I am not interested in a Long Distance Relationship I knew that I could trust him and that we would be able to meet often.
During the first months of dating my deal-breaker would be…
… knowing that seeing him again, also means I will have to say goodbye again. No matter how many times we met and even if we were able to stay together for 2 months, I couldn’t stop but count down the days until Wonwoo had to leave again. It really makes you appreciate every single second you get to spend with your partner. If you are also that kind of person that hates saying goodbye you will exactly know how we both felt during that difficult time.
I learned He is right for me when…
… he made me smile and feel better after a busy day. He really appreciates small things such as a walk on a beautiful day. And most importantly he was the one that said he would give up his life in Korea and start a new life in Germany just to be with me.
I had a cultural shock when he…
… went to the toilet to get rid of his stomach pain. I really feel like Korean have a special way to take care of their health. He also told me that eating eel would be good for men’s health and that you should eat an apple every day after reading it in an article. Since I already knew a lot about Korean
Culture before dating Wonwoo there isn’t really something I would call a cultural shock.
3 things I love about Him are…
1. … He loves children, animals. He knows how to cook and does housework. He is just the perfect boyfriend/husband.
2. … He treats every person with respect, especially our families.
3. … He is really protective of me, never stops taking care of me and always makes sure I take care of my health.
All of those things are really important to me for my partner. The list could go on but I will stop here haha.
The biggest misconception about His country and culture was…
… that his family and friends will not accept our relationship or not think of it as something serious. I feel like Korean people are still not that open to other cultures. But his family is really kind to me and accepted me as a new family member. Meeting his family and friends also is a good example that you don’t have to be fluent in English or Korean to communicate or have a good time.
The most beautiful thing He ever did for me was…
… giving up on his life to be with me in Germany. Also, he used to buy me flowers every time after his working place paid him his salary. He always tried his best to pick me up from work or school. I think there is so much more.
During this relationship the most important thing I learned about myself was…
… that I should never expect a long distance relationship to be always difficult. The longest time we haven’t seen each other was for 6 months. Of course, it was really difficult for me to wait so long and I felt like I don’t have a boyfriend but it was worth to wait for him. I knew he was the right one. And i knew he was the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.
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 never give up on your relationship because of the distance or the cultural differences. Never listen to people if they only have something bad to say about your life choices, your relationship or your boyfriend. Don’t think that your boyfriend’s culture will affect your relationship. Also, it is important for you and his family to accept each other’s culture. Asian Parents could be more old-fashioned sometimes so just try to respect it. Learning your boyfriend’s language shows the parents that you are interested in their culture.
Questions to Him
Asking Her out for the first time was…
… after we got close to each other, on Kakaotalk (Korean App like Whatsapp). But she rejected me because she wasn’t sure about a Long Distance Relationship. I was really sure that I wanted to be her boyfriend and I decided to go to Germany and meet her. I met her and we had such a lovely time, and on 10th October I asked her out again if she was ready to start a relationship with me and if she wanted to have a long-distance relationship. So we became a couple.
I learned She is right for me when…
… she was interested in me and said she loves me. And when I found out we have same interests in video games and traveling. Also, she really appreciates me and is really thankful to me for coming to Germany and giving up my Korean life.
I had a cultural shock when…
… I found out she has a lot of pets in her house. She has 4 rabbits, 2 dogs, and 4 birds. It is not really a culture shock, but I was kind of surprised. She told me German people usually have many pets in their house.
3 things I love about Her are…
1. … She loves animals. I believe people who love animals have a pure heart, and she really does.
2. … She is really righteous. She doesn’t overlook somebody’s bad behavior. When young kids do something wrong, she just tells them.
3. … She always loves all the food I cook for her even though I messed up. Also, she is a really honest person.
The biggest misconception about Her country and culture was…
… that I thought German people don’t have good fashion sense because I’ve heard that many times from people and read about it on the internet. But when I came to Germany, I realized I was wrong. Many young people are following the trends, and many people have a good fashion style. Also, I thought there are not many foreigners who are living in Germany, but actually many different people from Turkey, Russia, North Africa and Syria are living here.
The things that She likes to do for fun with me are…
… traveling, talking about serious things and games, taking a walk, laying on the grass and playing with our pets. Also going to a restaurant or bar for having a cocktail and beer.
She hates when I…
… make weird sounds while sleeping. She doesn’t like when I am not honest with her or when I don’t listen to her when she talks.
During this relationship the most important thing I learned about myself was…
… Love has no borders. It doesn’t matter where you live and where your partner lives. If you love someone, you don’t care if it’s gonna be hard. I gave up my life in Korea and decided to live in Germany. It is crazy, but I think it is love.
If there is a piece of advice I could give to my fellow Asian friends who are into the AMWF relationships that would be…
… that it is not always easy, but I support them. If you are sure about the relationship just give your best. In AMWF relationships there might be problems like having a conversation because of the language or cultural difference. You can get a lot of stress from preparing for the visa or moving to another country. But if you really love your partner you can overcome all of that. Respect your partner, and try to understand his or her side. Just do your best step by step. Good luck!
