My name is Tricia and I was born and raised in good old ‘Merica, specifically in the great, frozen state of Ohio. I come from an all-white meat, hard-working, patriotic family and was brought up on Jesus, good food and baseball.

Early on, I had an interest in missions, other cultures, and being overseas. Never in a million years did I dream that I would end up marrying a foreigner. After college, I moved to Costa Rica to work as a Special Education teacher at a missionary school. After about a year in and forming a strict “no-dating the locals” policy, I started a harmless friendship with a tall, dark and handsome Tico (Costa Rican). One thing led to another, and now we’re three years married with a dual citizenship-bearing baby girl and two crazy zaguates (affectionate Tico term for mutts).

Throughout this whole process of bicultural marriage, we’ve had a lot of naysayers. Haters gonna hate though, right? Most of the negativity we had to throw out, but some of what was said proved to be true. Bicultural marriage is hard.  I mean, I know all marriage is hard, but bicultural marriage is a distinctive kind of hard. It’s beautiful, but the struggle is real. Our first year was basically a fight to stay above water, and while in some ways, things are easier now, there are still struggles. Like, we are literally speaking different languages kinds of struggles.

When we first got married, I started looking for information about bicultural marriages–stories, self-help books or basically ANYTHING that could help me feel less alone in my situation–but there was an overwhelmingly depressing lack of material. So, for years now, I’ve felt God saying, “start something. Start the conversation about the trials and triumphs of bicultural marriage, because surely you’re not the only one. “

I am a lover of stories. I love reading biographies about people overcoming hardships, their pasts and their adversaries. I love rejoicing over people’s victories, crying over their sorrows and rooting for the underdog. I love the raw honesty and the soul-bearing strength that is born from someone sharing their story. I love the freedom and community that comes from opening up about a struggle. I also love telling stories. A good story can provoke a smile, kindle a flame or cut to the heart in a powerful way.  I guess that’s another reason why I want to write this blog.  I want this to be a place for stories. I believe God is the ultimate Storyteller, and I want to document the story He is writing with my life. I also want the community that comes from talking about a hard situation.

If you’re reading my blog because you’re in a bicultural marriage, please leave me a message or shoot me an e-mail. I’d love to hear your story, and I’m desperate to glean from your wisdom. If you’re not in a bicultural marriage, but still want to shoot me a message, feel free! I’m excited to see how God uses this blog both in my life and in the lives of others.

¡Gracias!