It’s the month of love and SA PROMO Magazine did some investigation into South Africans dating non-South Africans.

Ian is dating a girl from Denmark. They met in a pub in Northfields in London when she was visiting a relative who happened to be dating a good friend of his.

What are the main cultural differences between you and your partner?

She's pretty relaxed and easy going. Don’t really notice any cultural differences. Scandinavians appear to be, in general, a lot more liberal and free thinking compared to how I might have been when younger.

What is the best thing about your partner not being South African?

Long Shengen visas, learning about and traveling regularly to Scandinavia, new languages, new food and great Danish Christmas celebrations.

What are the challenges of dating a non-South African?

Big language barrier when I’m surrounded by her family. There's a very small similarity between Afrikaans and Danish in a few of their words, but it doesn’t help because the pronunciation is completely alien.

What South Africanisms has your partner picked up from you?

She says ‘ja’ and ‘like’ a lot. When she goes back home, people ask her if she's been living in Australia... it would appear that she's picking up the accent.

What elements have you adopted from your partner’s culture?

We both live in London, so it's more of an adaptation on her part and her culture and habits are perhaps not best displayed as they would be at home.

If you are a South African dating a non-South African and wish to share your insights, please contact editor@sapromo.com