Dating Foreign Women: The Stages of Romantic Love

A man walked into a park, alone. The people around looked so happy - but not him. Turning toward the piece of paper in his hand, a smile suddenly lit up his face.

It read: "..when you’re ready, let’s face life together!" A surge of adrenaline rushed through his veins. With newfound courage, he ran to the woman on the bench.

"My love, I'm ready! Be with me!," he proclaimed. To his surprise, the woman stood up and ran. Gazed and confused, he walks away - just after crumpling and throwing away the insurance ad.

You simply can't rush dating foreign women. There are stages you have to take, learn, and adjust on. Varying cultural backgrounds, language, beliefs, and religion may set you apart.

Falling in love with someone from another country is sweet, especially if you're lucky enough to meet your match. It brings you joy and teaches you life lessons. You see the world differently because of it.

Online dating has brought couples together from all over the world. It helped in finding eternal happiness for people seeking love. It bridged the cultural gaps and showed what love can do. Not only has it proved the wonders of technology, but also how love can go the distance.

Here are the stages of romantic love:

Stage 1: The Attraction

The attraction is the first stage. It acts like a magnet, pulling you close into each other. Everyone experiences this. It's the stage wherein you start falling in love.

Some identify this as the fantasy or honeymoon stage of a relationship. At this stage, you believe your partner is ideal and the perfect one for you. Your life without her is something you can't imagine.

The Attraction Stage doesn't last for long. On average, it can only last for up to three months. Some can make it up to the next few months or two years. It mainly depends.

If you constantly change partners, it's possible that you're only capable of loving until this stage. While it may appear sad, it can also mean you are yet to meet the one for you.

In this stage:

• You believe your partner is the one for you.
• Your partner's perfect, for every inch she is.
• You don't mind the flaws you see in her.
• You perceive her for how you want her to be.
• You find it hard to be apart from her.
• You miss her more than you should be.
• You'd prefer to spend almost every minute with her.
• You don't want to be in a fight with her, so you avoid it at all costs.

Stage 2: The Truth

Truth can hurt you. It can change a beautiful picture to an ugly one, and it can even make you walk out of a relationship.

Dating foreign women is different from staying in love. At this stage, you begin to see the truth unfold before you. Unlike before, the flaws you ignored once affect you now.

You begin to question whether you made the right decision to be with her. Gone are the days when you just can't get enough of her because now, you wonder if it's worth staying.

At this stage, remember these:

• If you love the person despite the flaws, it makes you stay and progress to the next stage.
• You're still in love with her, but not with everything about her.
• The concept of her perfection is now like fiction.
• You're unsure if you're still in love.
• The relationship isn't as great as how it started.

Stage 3: The Setbacks

It's good that you've reached this stage. That only means you accept each other despite the flaws.

Over the long term phase of your relationship, the truth that made you doubt once now grows into setbacks. The flaws you know about your partner make you feel disappointed or discouraged.

It requires more effort if you want to overcome this stage together. With the differences you have now on the line, you're battling between staying and giving up.

Most break-ups are at this stage. Due to the unsettled differences, some people prefer to be apart rather than staying and hurting each other.

Stage 4: The Strength

Coming to this stage with your partner signifies you're on your way to commitment. It tells that your relationship is going somewhere and not just an empty future.

Aiming for a long term relationship with your partner strengthens the love. It proves how you'd go to lengths just to be with each other. Couples are able to work out stability at this stage.

This time, you focus more on your partner. You're not willing to bargain what you have for something or anyone that's new.

Be guided by these points:

• You're getting stronger than you know.
• You've matured over time and learned that love is progressive.
• You're emotionally ready to face issues and problems with her.
• You're not weakened by fights but instead strengthened because of it.
• You're confident that your love can withstand trials coming your way.

Stage 5: The Commitment

Reaching this stage is the dream of every couple. Sadly, not everyone can make it this far. Commitment is only for people with genuine love. Loving a person is enough to make you commit to a relationship.

It's achieved in different ways but all with one reason behind: your partner. Losing her is something you’d never want.

At this stage, you're both certain that there's a future ahead of you. You're content to be with each other. No matter how hard you may have struggled during the earlier stages, it won't matter now because she's right beside you.

At this stage, couples:

• Decide to get married;
• Are comfortable with spending their lives together;
• Choose an eternity together;
• Are through the stages of flirtatious love; and
• Capable enough to grow as an individual person with each other's presence.

Love As A Stage of Life

Humans as we are, we seek to love. The contentment and happiness of knowing that you are loved back by the person you love most are incomparable.

There are stages of life. A man grows, fails, learns, and succeeds. Without all this, life's a dead tree. Stagnant and dull.

Dating foreign women is a brave decision. You learn about countries and culture. You're bound to experience struggles, but in the end, having someone matters most to you.