Communication across cultures and across languages is always a challenge. These challenges are the focus of my professional life and so I enjoy the process of meeting these challenges. For my partner, however, these challenges are extremely frustrating and cause her to be become very angry with me.

Because we communicate in Bahasa Indonesia and because we are often in Indonesia together, the problems can be more acute. She does succeed in using correct Indonesian with me, rather than using the common and constantly changing slang. However, she sometimes speak quickly and sometimes I just can't hear her because she turns away from me when she speaks.

For the solution, I believe that we both
must play a part. I must actively improve my BI and I am doing this now by following an iPhone program, practicing, and I also plan to take a class next year. For her part, I hope
that she will be a little more patient with
me, that she will look at me when she talks and that she may take English tuition some time.