Couple overcomes clash of cultures
Spotsylvania County couple had cultural issues to overcome: He's from India, and she's from El Salvador
Date published: 4/21/2007
By CATHY DYSON
Mukesh and Marvin Srivastava are from opposite sides of the world and have little in common, at least on paper.
He's from India and she's from Central America.
They met in a place foreign to both of them--Mississippi--and came to realize they weren't so different after all.
But the two, who have since married and moved to Spotsylvania County, didn't discover that overnight.
It took 11 years.
"We are from different tribes. We are different in culture and different in thinking," he said.
"I think that maybe this 11 years was necessary for us to get to know each other better," she said.
Mukesh, 48, is an assistant professor of computer technology at the University of Mary Washington College of Graduate and Professional Studies in Stafford County.
He's also working on two doctoral degrees from universities in the United Kingdom.
Marvin, 44, teaches Spanish to elementary school students in Spotsylvania. She regularly shocks people with her gender and accent.
Many who see the name "Marvin Srivastava" expect an Indian man.
But the happy couple isn't bothered by little things like that. They've had bigger issues to overcome, such as contrasting backgrounds.
Mukesh was raised in an affluent household in the northern part of India, where his father is a nuclear physicist.
Marvin was born into a working-class family in El Salvador, where her father is the village preacher.
People in his country practice Hindu; many in hers are Catholic. They grew up with different foods, rituals and customs.
But the moment the two met in 1991, at a reception at Jackson State University, they made a connection.
It wasn't romantic at first.
The two spent time together almost every day while Marvin was in the United States. She got a grant to study adult education, and he was on the faculty at Jackson State.
They talked about his work with computers and artificial intelligence and her desire to help others as a social worker.
Each cherished strong bonds with family and friends.
Both believed in becoming better people by worshipping God more than by following a particular religion.
Both also enjoyed new experiences, like salsa dancing. Mukesh didn't know how to dance to that beat when he met Marvin, but he was willing to try.
"Mukesh is very open-minded, and that's what I've always liked about him," Marvin said.
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Mukesh and Marvin Srivastava are vegetarians whose diets combine both cultures. A favorite dish is beans and curry powder.
Tried to have a baby for four years, then decided to adopt from India. Hope to get a boy first and then a girl.
Will teach their children rituals from various religions and countries, along with languages. Want their children to speak English, Spanish and Hindi by the time they're 4, then learn Chinese.
"We really intend to make good citizens of the world out of them," said Mukesh Srivastava.
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Date published: 4/21/2007
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