Asking for a friend: My new girlfriend is from another country and goes to church a lot, which is not my thing. Can we overcome all our cultural differences?

"Q: I recently started seeing someone who I really like, but our cultures are becoming a bit of a barrier. She's from a different country, with a different religion to me, and in her country, relationships can be very traditional. Men are meant to work and the women are meant to stay at home with children. I don't really think like that, and that's also really hard to do in Ireland with everything being so expensive."

"I wouldn't say that I would be very religious; I'm probably more spiritual than anything else. We get on well otherwise and are really attracted to each other. I could see us together as boyfriend and girlfriend, and she has said the same. But I'm not sure if this would work long-term due to these differences. She goes to church a lot and has asked me to come but I don't think I feel very comfortable with that."

"You know yourself and her better than I ever will, so I can't give you any conclusive answer as an outsider on how well-aligned you are. It does sound like there are some hurdles that may be insurmountable, no matter the emotional willingness to make it work."

An individual is dating someone from another country with a different religion, and cultural expectations emphasize traditional gender roles where men work and women stay at home. Financial realities in Ireland make such arrangements difficult. The individual identifies as more spiritual than religious and feels uncomfortable attending large church community events. Mutual attraction exists and both see potential for a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, but there is uncertainty about long-term compatibility. An external assessment finds no conclusive answer and notes that some cultural and religious hurdles may be insurmountable despite emotional willingness to make the relationship work.

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