A love story between two cultures

A love story between two cultures

It all began with a language exchange

We met through an app. He wanted to learn Spanish and I wanted to learn Turkish.

I never imagined that what started with a few simple messages and the odd lesson would become a story that would change the way I see the world. Because the world can look different when you are willing to open up and get to know other cultures, other ways of understanding life and even other religions.

He is Turkish and Muslim; I am Spanish and not Muslim. We seemed to belong to two different worlds. Thousands of kilometres separated us, as well as our age difference, our culture and our religion.

At first I did not want to see all those obstacles, because the excitement of getting to know that person was stronger than the distance and the differences between us. It was a story that, little by little, transformed me.

The trip to Turkey

Then the moment came to meet him. I had a trip to Turkey planned with my friends, and that is where we saw each other in person for the first time. I remember the nerves and the excitement of those days. I did not know what would happen or when we would have the chance to see each other again, but I felt I needed to find out.

When I arrived in Turkey, everything seemed new and fascinating. I got to know him, but also that wonderful country I fell in love with. Its streets, its landscapes, the sound of the adhan, the call to prayer, and the way people lived made me feel I had entered a completely different world. Above all, I was struck by Turkish hospitality, which reminded me that here in the Canary Islands we were once like that too, and that this custom has been fading over time.

That trip brought me closer to him and also made part of me change little by little. For the first time I was able to see his religion, Islam, through different eyes. Until then I had not been able to understand it that way. Sometimes it is not ignorance, but a lack of knowledge, a fear of opening up to life and, why not, a fear of change too.

When the differences become real

But I also understood that really getting to know each other is not only about sharing beautiful moments. It also means facing problems and cultural differences. What mattered to me did not matter to him, or the other way round. Talking about our differences and listening to each other was not easy, especially because I did not speak Turkish well, he did not speak Spanish well, and we talked through a translation app that often translated badly.

And then the question arose: could our story find a place between two such different ways of life?

After I returned to Spain, our relationship continued at a distance. We talked every day and tried to keep alive the connection we had built. Over time, however, the differences that had once seemed far away began to feel more present.

Who moves?

When we started talking about marriage, our relationship stopped being just about the two of us. His family, his culture, what others might say and the weight of social expectations also came into play.

And then another, even harder question appeared: which of us would have to move country so we could build a life together? He would have to leave Turkey and come to Spain, or I would have to leave Spain to start a new life in Turkey. We were no longer talking only about a long-distance relationship, but about changing our lives, our surroundings and everything we knew.

He had his family in Turkey, his roots and the responsibility he felt towards relatives who were ill. I had my life in Spain and my own plans. At one point we considered the possibility of him coming to Spain, but in the end he could not, or did not want to.

For me, that experience was a real story, something I lived with hope and that left its mark on my life. Whether it meant the same to him is something I doubt.

What I learned

That was when I understood that this story was teaching me to see life differently. It was not only helping me get to know another person, but also to know myself better. It made me ask myself what I wanted for my life, which limits I was not willing to cross and what I could accept without stopping being myself.

Over time I understood that not all stories are meant to last forever. Some come to teach us, to open our eyes and to show us parts of ourselves we did not know. That relationship taught me that love is not always enough when there are deep differences, but it also taught me that getting to know someone from another culture can change you forever.

Although our story did not have the ending I imagined, I will always remember what I learned. Turkey, its landscapes, its people and its religion are part of an important stage of my life. Thanks to all of it, I learned to look at the world with fewer prejudices, more curiosity and a slightly more open heart.