I’ve been abroad for 13 years now. I am an only child and can only spend 2-3 weeks at home per year because of my work. So when my parents visit me, they usually stay 2 weeks and we just chill. I do suffer a lot from expat guilt, those few weeks per year are very valuable to me.
I’ve been with my partner (who is a local) for a while but he only recently met my parents because of the pandemic. He tried learning my language but failed, and my parents barely understand English. Last time we all stayed together for 2 days and it was just awkward. I felt like everyone had the best intentions but my parents weren’t very comfortable, and my partner was awkward too. Because of the language barrier and barely knowing each other, they didn’t really warm up to each other.
I really want to move in with my partner, but I don’t want my parents to feel like guests in our shared flat. I have never lived with a partner before, but i guess i can’t really force him to speak another language or stay elsewhere so I can properly catch up with my parents. It would also be kinda awkward to have my parents to stay in a hotel, because we have so little time together. I don’t know what to do, who to talk to first, or how to solve this.
This is an opportunity for your parents here. You’re the adult building your life just as they did when they were younger. They’re coming into your space. It’s up to them to be the supportive parents and put forth the effort to get to know your partner, even if hey have to use google translate to communicate at first. It’s crazy to me they aren’t ecstatic that you’ve found a person you want to be with. I know the guilt can get in the way, but try setting some boundaries and remind them that it’s your space they’re coming into and they’ll need to assimilate a little bit.