“Loving an Alien”, an international ‘recipe’ for how to be married to a foreigner

How would it be, loving an alien? Except, not actually a Martian from Mars or another planet, just a foreigner with his/her own cultural, behavioral and language background?

A former Romanian journalist, Angela Nicoara, now settled in a picturesque Transylvanian village with her expat husband, tries to answer that question and more, by presenting no less than twenty-seven case studies of mixed couples -some of them among the most unexpected cultural blends – in the guise of a collection of cosy interviews with special ladies of different nationalities married to foreigners, who reveal what’s behind tying the knot with a man from a different country and cultural environment, with rules and habits so different to their own.

Moreover, cuisine seems to be one of the bridges joining them, so the author includes, at the end of each story, a recipe mutually enjoyed by the couple and usually cooked in their family.

“Loving an Alien” was released on June 17 and is available on Amazon. Available in Mobi and paperback formats, it has so far received more than sixty reviews of 4* and 5* on Goodreads and Amazon.

Angela came up with the idea for the book in January 2015.

“One winter’s night, by our log fire, I started thinking about my girlfriends around the world, many of whom had married a foreigner. Their lives were so similar, and yet so different to my own. Hmm, why not share our experiences? What if I go back to how it all started for me? Put my journalist hat on and interview them? Ask about life on Planet Love – what might they say?

Angela Nicoara told The Romania Journal that it took about eighteen months for this project to come true.

“I did most of the interviews on Skype, then transcribed and edited them with the help of my husband Mike. Each woman had final approval on the result. The idea of adding recipes came when I realized the importance of cuisine in most of these families; although, it’s true, not in all of them.”

However, being herself married to a foreigner – Brit Mike Ormsby – surely gave her a wider perspective on the topic and a sense of the undercurrents of such relationships, which involve more than a simple marriage and romance – rather it’s a deep, inter-nation relationship encompassing global travel, living in different places around the world, life lessons, relations with the in-laws, ’third culture’ kids, accepting the other’s curiosities and oddities, and much more.

So, becomes almost a recipe in itself – a recipe of a life experience, of do’s and don’ts, with different approaches on marriage that all endorse the French concept of vive la différence, and are all governed, in the end, by mutual love and respect, as the mandatory ingredients for each relationship.

Funny stories, romantic encounters and proposals, eloping and wide, inter-cultural weddings, dress codes, exquisite travel destinations, and amazing flavors – they’re all in Angela Nicoara’s book.

Angela says her own romantic adventure started in 1995. She was a young Romanian journalist and applied to the BBC School in Bucharest, where she met some British guy in a gloomy corridor, and everything changed.

“There was a power cut at BBC School. It was so dark I could hardly see him. We chatted for a few minutes, sharing a joke about the excellent conditions, and I had a feeling I’d never experienced before; it was as if I’d known him all my life. Why?” she recounts.

After a truly globetrotting experience in various remote countries, Angela is now living in Transylvania, where she enjoys an authentic Romanian countryside experience, alongside her ‘loving alien’, taking care of their animals, and editorial projects.

Don’t miss her story and those of twenty-six equally bold women who share their multicultural marital experiences and dare to talk about their relationships with guys who came from ‘another world’ but eventually so close to their hearts.

About the author

Angela Nicoara grew up in communist Romania, and has lived and worked in twenty countries around the world. A former broadcast journalist and media manager, she is based in the mountains of Transylvania with her favorite alien, five cats, two dogs, and the occasional bear.