Like a coin flipping in the air

Once again soooooooo much to update on.   Okay so last weekend Akira's host family came to San Diego to visit us for the weekend and to go to the Wild Animal Park (which was amazing!).  His host family is from a small town near the North Pole in Alaska.  When Akira was 16 and missing the States (since he had been back in Japan for the past seven years because his father's contract in Ohio was for only five years Akira was desperately trying to figure out a way to come back) he joined AFS.  AFS, from what I gather, is basically an international exchange high school program.  So Akira got transferred to Alaska, not his first choice, but he didn't care so long as it was back in the States.  He got very lucky, his host family is amazing.  Truly some of the kindest people I have ever met in my life.  Now they aren't world traveled, in fact, they are pretty blue collar, but they are just damn good people.  Big hearts.  So all the love and affection that Akira was lacking from his natural family and Japan was instantly filled when he met his Alaskan family, as we lovingly call them.  (it's a shame they aren't my actual inlaws...)  And I can understand why Akira was so confused on who he was...Japanese or American?  Because both families are extremely one way or the other.  His family in Japan is very traditional and live in a rural rice town, and his Alaskan family is very small town republican and even a bit racist, though...I don't think they mean to be, they just don't understand anything outside their own world, same with Akira's family in Japan, who are well...racist as well.  lol.  But no one means to be.  That's what I want to point out, cause Akira and I see this, none of them mean to be anything negitive, it's just how they were raised on what is thought of as a decent life.  So Akira, before me, was very confused.

Lucky for me my ordeal was extremes as well but it was easy for me to just accept it because unlike Akira, I'm also racially mixed so I really don't have a choice in the matter other than to be both cultures all the time which can be a bit of a pain in the ass but none the less, a more entertaining and open way of living life.  If I wasn't a half breed and if I wasn't so East and West I doubt Akira and I would be gettting married. 

That's the thing, both of our families see us as one way or the other instead of what we really are.  Akira is seen as either American or Japanese depending on which family he's around.  I'm seen as either Persian or American depending on which parent I'm around and then depending on what other Americans and Persians view me as...to Dad I'm always Persian, to Mom I'm always American....to other Persians and Americans, they are a bit confused on how to handle me....so either I'm embraced or shunned. Akira went through the same thing, was even bullied over it. This stuff use to bug me, but now I really don't care because no matter what I'm both.  And now Akira has accepted himself as that too.  He's both.  He's not one way or the other, he's just both.  

So as I was seeing how everyone was treating him, everything started to fall into place and we came to realize, sure we've had different lives and we have different cultures, but we're both very East and very West.  I even told him our relationship works out because we are like western friends but eastern lovers.  Which is very true.  I have yet seen an American woman willing to take care of a Japanese man without complaining about it because she doesn't understand the east's view of the roles of husband and wife.  Well I get it.  My father has done nothing but bang into my head on an almost hourly bases on the roles of a woman and a wife in an eastern home.  And Akira, dispite his perfect english and western behavior, loves in an extremely eastern way.  Which is the same way I do, so it works out.  We get each other.  We can flow from one side to the other with out any conflict and we enjoy nothing more then seeing how closely linked Japanese and Persians are to each other.  And we are each learning a new culture, which is also a bonus because each of us loves learning about cultures.  I'm sure we look crazy to everyone in our families, because we were both looked at as the sweet but odd ones in our own families, but Akira and I...I swear it's like we're always playing together.  Everything is great because we finally found someone else who experinces how we've lived our life.  He could never make it work with a Japanese girl or a western girl, and I could never make it work with a western guy or a middle eastern guy because we both needed someone who is both east and west. 

So....I guess what I'm trying to say with out bragging is.....I'm pretty happy I know him better than his family does....LOL!   And I'm pretty happy someone finally knows me <3 

But his Alaskan family is truly amazing, I even cried when they left (not in front of them thank God).

It's also pretty clear that the families are jealous of each other and keep trying to compete and convince us to live life their way...but we quickly answer this to a simple...there is no correct way because we don't fit into just one side of a family...we are both ways therefore the correct way to live life, to settle and to marry...is our way...both ways...in keeping with everything we value from all cultures and views and disregaurding those we see as too unfit in our lives.  Now naturally this hurts people in our family, but honestly, there's no way to get around it.

It's like that with half breeds and people raised in a multicultural atmosphere.  So those of you out there making us... you've been warned, looool.  I finally broke down today and told everyone to just accept that we are together to to not make us feel gulity for what we are doing because this is just who we are.  We're just...different....but we understand everyone's view.  We completely understand it, and no one is wrong...we're just different and that's nothing to be sad about, but to be proud of, I think at least...
This....

Plus this...

Equals a weird, crazy, open minded loving us!

And it feels like that, that we're walking hand in hand making our own way in life no longer alone <3