European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Roman Ackermann Marianne Mirijanian head for marriage. S&5 Dove Onsoy Kyong Morison left and husband. T a amps Ken Goorge Mike Are in Harmony to the tune of having Angelin and Chris. From the cover. Shake the Comers of his Mouth curve to a smile and his  remain steady keen with respect.  wedding tentatively scheduled for this year in Mainz will be one of a myriad Cross cultural marriages every year. And with any Luck these marriages will turn wedding aisles into Bridges Between America and the rest of the world. Their Story will Tell whether two upbringing will fuse into an Alloy or whether two people will be lost in the collision of two cultures with differences ranging from How to View life right Down to say How to Greet a stranger. A if you believe in yourself and have someone who believes in you too a says Mirijanian matter of factly As she turns to her Fiance a a it la  Well maybe say family and marriage therapists. Although no divorce rates Are available on Cross cultural marriages therapists such As Vici Braun of the military Community in Frankfurt Germany agree these relationships demand extra Effort a any relationship takes a lot of work a probably As much As any professional Job a Braun says. A each person brings in a whole set of background experiences and melding them together can take a lot. When the two Are from different cultures its that much  if not carefully confronted those backgrounds can sabotage a marriage with misunderstanding. An italian who customarily Speaks with Sharp hand motions May appear upset to a foreign spouse. A business minded american May seem impersonal and hurried to a family oriented spaniard. Seeking out and discussing those kinds of Dif. Ferencek is the key Braun says. A lot of times a person will have a superficial understanding of another persons culture and its nuances a she says. A Success depends on How willing the person is to look at that other culture and accept that cultures system of belief and value  even if two people accept their cultural differences there a no saying their countries will. Every traveler through Europe has seen at least one Wall Spray painted with the words a Yankee go  in a recent Abc news and new York Rimes poll japanese chose America As their greatest foreign threat. Quot tango in Turkey. Such suspicion almost prevented Darian j. Hodges a 29-year-old army staff sergeant in in Ciurlik Turkey from marrying his wife aynur five years ago. Aynur smother refused to meet with Darian to bless their marriage something rigidly required by turkish custom. But after waiting three Days in front of her House Darian finally got his Chance. Quot she still had a scowl on her face a Darian says of aynur smother. A a in be never really made a bad impression. It was kind of unusual to have my reputation at question. Did i believe in god did i want to have children would i always have a Job a turkish custom usually Calls for such questioning but the suspicions of aynur smother stemmed from tales of . Soldiers who had impregnated turkish women before disappearing to the states. V 6 Ever distorting . Television and film corroborate misconceptions of americans. I m from Texas and in be been asked several times a is everyone like j.r.? a Darian says. After they met with me and talked with me that changed their  vibes meet the Mcclellan Ken and Maria a living proof that despite the culture Gap a marriage can Page 4 a sunday August 25, 1991