I never expected my Vietnamese coworkers to become my second family

I'm American.

I don't speak Vietnamese.

About five years ago, I accepted a job at a Vietnamese-owned nail salon because I needed steady work.

Honestly...

I was nervous on my first day.

Almost everyone spoke Vietnamese to each other.

I wondered if I'd fit in.

Instead, they welcomed me like family.

My boss and his wife treated everyone with kindness.

The older technicians made sure I never skipped lunch.

Whenever someone brought homemade food, they'd always save me a plate and patiently teach me how to pronounce the names of every dish.

Little by little, I stopped feeling like the outsider.

That's also where I met Daniel.

He was one of the nail techs.

He had moved from Vietnam several years earlier.

He was funny, hardworking, and had the calmest personality of anyone in the salon.

At first we were just coworkers.

Then we'd grab coffee after work.

Soon we were having dinner together almost every weekend.

The funniest part was trying to meet each other's families.

My parents had never met a Vietnamese family before.

His parents spoke very little English.

The first dinner was awkward for about ten minutes.

Then his mom kept putting more food on my plate.

My dad asked his dad about fishing.

By the end of the night, everyone was laughing even though half the conversation was happening through translation apps and hand gestures.

A year later, Daniel proposed.

We got married six months after that.

People still ask me if our different cultures ever cause problems.

Of course they do sometimes.

Every marriage has differences.

Ours just happen to include two languages, two cultures, and two very different holiday traditions.

But those differences have also given us twice as many reasons to celebrate.

I still work at the same salon.

My husband still works beside me.

Sometimes customers ask how we met.

They always seem surprised when I tell them it all started over a manicure table and a bowl of homemade pho in the salon break room.

Looking back, I thought I was accepting a job.

I had no idea I was walking into the place where I'd meet my husband and gain an entire second family.