90 Day Fiance couple Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre are compromising and communicating in attempt to make each other happy on Season 2 of 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way, but did they stay together or have they split up since their son Aviel's baptism? Are they still together now?
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[90 Day Fiance Spoilers Warning: This report contains spoilers revealing if Ariela and Biniyam have split or if the 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way couple is still together now.]
Ariela, a 28-year-old from Princeton, NJ, introduced herself on 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way as a freelance writer who also helped out at her father's cardiology practice.RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY KNOW? (PHOTOS)
Ariela had been traveling the world since a young age with her family.
And after going through a difficult divorce, Ariela said she wanted to get to know herself better and see the world -- so she booked a cheap trip to Ethiopia.
Ariela stumbled across Biniyam while she was waiting for a taxi outside of her hotel. She yelled at the attractive man at the time, "Don't I know you from somewhere?!" And she joked it actually worked to pick Biniyam up.
Biniyam, nicknamed "Baby" at 29 years old, is a dancer, choreographer, martial artist and gymnast.
Ariela said she didn't want a boyfriend at the time so she did her best to avoid Biniyam but she kept finding herself wanting to spend time with him.
"After dating for three months, I got some unexpected news. I found out I was pregnant," Ariela revealed, adding that she was scared and returned to America for prenatal care.
Ariela, however, eventually moved back to Ethiopia so she could live with her boyfriend permanently and raise their son together.
Ariela said waiting on Biniyam's K-1 visa would take too long, and she was six months pregnant when filming the show.
But Ariela had her concerns about their language, different culture and the hospital where she intended to deliver her son.
Ariela's family was also worried Biniyam was after a Green Card since he had been married to an American woman before and the pair also welcomed a son together who recently turned three years old.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOWBiniyam told Ariela that he wasn't on speaking terms with his ex, who supposedly moved back to the United States with Biniyam's first-born son.
RELATED LINK: 'MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO BROKE UP? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Biniyam said he was married to the previous American woman for four years but he was only with her for "six to eight months."
Ariela and Biniyam also follow different religions, with Ariela being raised Jewish and Biniyam being an Ethiopian-Orthodox Christian.
Ariela said she was making "the biggest and riskiest decision" of her life because she was giving up so much to be with him.
When Ariela met Biniyam, he was living with his brother and sister-in-law in a one-bedroom house. His siblings apparently took care of him since he was the youngest.
Ariela had high expectations when she moved to Ethiopia, and she was terribly disappointed by the dirty and moldy apartment Biniyam had found for them.
It took time for Ariela and Biniyam to find a suitable apartment in Ariela's mind because she required running water and electricity, but Ariela's mother approved of the hospital Ariela would be delivering her baby in.
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Biniyam wanted to baptize their son in his religion, and Biniyam's loved ones put a lot of pressure on Ariela to convert to being an Orthodox Christian. Ariela also struggled with homesickness once Janice returned to the United States.
"I'm not looking forward to being alone with you. I am not happy about it," Ariela confessed to Biniyam in tears. "I am not happy about it... I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I feel like you don't know me at all or understand me."
"It'll be okay. I love you. I want to make family with you. I want to be a good father, I promise. But don't leave me," Biniyam begged his girlfriend.
Ariela ultimately decided she really wanted to make her marriage work and loved Biniyam, even though she knew they'd struggle financially without a car in Ethiopia.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: BEFORE THE 90 DAYS' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Ariela and Biniyam later learned their baby was breech and Ariela's amniotic fluid was low and so Ariela must undergo an emergency C-section, which was not a common procedure in Ethiopia.
"I have never been more scared in my life. My family is not here... I wish more than anything in the world that my mother was here," Ariela told her parents on the phone. "I am about to have abdominal surgery in a place that's very underdeveloped. I don't know what's going to happen."
Ariela didn't feel ready to have her baby at all, and she cried and apparently had a panic attack, so doctors had to put her under general anesthesia in order to calm her down and take out the baby.
Once Ariela woke up, she said becoming a mother was "amazing and shocking," and she immediately fell in love with her son, whom they later named Aviel Biniyam Shibre.
Ariela made Biniyam walk home with their baby since they didn't have a car seat, and the pair had a warm welcome at home. (Although Ariela didn't appreciate watching a sheep be slaughtered in her honor).
Despite her initial opposition, Ariela came around to the idea of baptizing her son in Biniyam's faith in order to show her love and willingness to compromise.
However, Biniyam pushed to have Aviel circumcised, and Ariela was furious about feeling pushed to go through with the procedure that made her baby cry.
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Ariela admitted she felt like she had "made the wrong decision" in choosing to change her son's body without his consent.
"If I can't even put my foot down and I don't have control over the situation, then I can't be a good mom," Ariela told the cameras.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Biniyam comforted his wife and Avi eventually settled down in his mother's arms. Biniyam was upset because Ariela's trust in him was low and she didn't seem to have much confidence in him, which made him worry about the future of their relationship.
Ariela didn't think she and Biniyam were going to break up, but she said one person winning and one person losing during their disagreements had to stop.
When Ariela's son Aviel was two weeks old, Biniyam had returned to work in order to support his family. Ariela felt like Biniyam was "working nonstop," and while she appreciated him making money for his family, she wished he could stay home more and spend more time with his baby.
Ariela also seemed a little annoyed she was stuck at home while he got to spend time at the club dancing with beautiful women all night.
"I do trust him in a lot of ways, but I think as human beings, there is always temptation to cheat," Ariela told the cameras.
"People are weak and stupid, and I'm no exception. And I hate to say it, but [Biniyam] is no exception. We make mistakes, and I don't want some dumb mistake to affect us forever."
Ariela was worried about her relationship and was feeling terribly lonely at times. She admitted to Biniyam that she didn't trust him, and Biniyam said he hated Ariela's lack of confidence and trust in him.
"Extremely detailed, she look at my phone. If I have to tell her everything, my love for Ari will grow smaller," Biniyam admitted in a confessional.
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Ariela never considered herself a jealous person before, but she said Biniyam pushed her to the limits sometimes.
"He's always kind of portraying me as the bad one and I'm a b-tch, but he doesn't tell me anything and we're not communicating. We are more like roommates with a baby," Ariela explained in a confessional.
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Ariela then asked to see Biniyam's phone, and he took a minute to look through it first. Ariela called Biniyam "an assh-le" and grabbed the phone out of his hand.
Biniyam accused Ariela of freaking out for no reason and gave her permission to call all the numbers in his phone.
It also rubbed Ariela the wrong way when Biniyam revealed he had to work the night he was supposed to spend time with her parents, Janice and Fred Weinberg.
Biniyam desperately wanted the approval of Ariela's father, but he wasn't going to be around much -- and Ariela was furious.
"This is not okay," Ariela said, as she wondered whether Biniyam was actually meeting up with another woman. "I am really pissed off... My parents are coming to meet him and meet our family, and he's just going to leave? I am so disappointed right now."
Ariela told Biniyam he looked like a jerk, like he didn't "give a f-ck," and she told her man "to do better" because he was failing to make her happy.
Biniyam gave Janice and Fred a warm welcome and Fred noted that Biniyam had kind eyes, but the married couple hoped Ariela wasn't feeling alone and helpless in Ethiopia.
"Biniyam is a great father, but he has not been around when I need him. Our relationship is not easy," Ariela said in a confessional, adding, "I am so angry right now."
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"I don't want my parents to think that we're not a good match. I want Biniyam and my family to get along, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that."
When Fred saw how underdeveloped Ethiopia was, he worried about his grandson growing up and playing in the streets. He also noticed Ariela and Biniyam needed to communicate better.
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And although Biniyam was proud of his luxurious apartment, saying it was a nicer place than anywhere else he's lived before, Janice suggested the couple needed a bigger apartment.
"It doesn't fit the requirements we expect for our daughter and our grandson," Janice told the cameras.
Ariela's parents also advised Biniyam to find a more stable and secure job with consistent pay rather than his nights at the club making $400-$500 each shift.
Janice and Fred explained that while they appreciated Biniyam's passion and artistry, he needed to step up as a provider for Ariela and their baby.
Ariela later introduced her parents to Biniyam's sisters Mimi and Wish in the hope Janice and Fred would see how she had a support system in Ethiopia.
Ariela said it was difficult for her to be stuck at home all day while Biniyam worked, but Mimi and Wish insisted it's normal in Ethiopian culture for the man to be away.
The girls said a mother should not complain or scold the father, and they mentioned how Ariela had a temper and looked like a bossy "white girl" in the streets.
Janice said there's always two sides to every story and she knew her daughter very well. Although Ariela can apparently "fly off the handle" on occasion, Janice said Ariela typically has a good reason for doing so.
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Ariela then revealed to her parents that she planned to baptize Avi in Biniyam's religion and she didn't want to analyze it too much. Janice and Fred didn't love hearing that Avi wouldn't be brought up Jewish, and Fred thought this Christian baptism was Biniyam forcing it upon Ariela.
Ariela said she didn't want Aviel growing up with hell in his life, and Biniyam's sister accused Ariela of acting like Biniyam's ex, who had fled Ethiopia with his first child.
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)
Ariela argued that was "really f-cked up," and she couldn't believe Biniyam was letting his sisters talk to her like this. Janice realized Ariela didn't have any support in Ethiopia and Biniyam's sisters clearly took Biniyam's side in everything.
Fred came to the conclusion Ariela and Biniyam were in love and wanted to make a life together, but he acknowledged there was "a lot of uncertainty" in regards to their future together, and Janice didn't think Ethiopia would be a great place for Avi to grow up.
"I'm not sure Ariela even realizes how much she's sacrificing to be here in Ethiopia. I really feel there's a lot of family pressure from his side and she has no support for her own opinions," Janice told the cameras before she returned to the U.S.
Janice promised to help Ariela in any way possible, and Ariela confirmed she wanted to stay in Ethiopia and raise her son with his father around.
Janice just wanted to see her daughter happy and asked Ariela to tell her if something was wrong or if she wasn't happy. The pair hugged goodbye, and Ariela said she'd cry if she wasn't so exhausted.
"Am I making the right decision about where to live? I don't know, but I definitely want Avi to be with his father. That's no question," Ariela said in a confessional.
"Things are not going to be easy, but when you love someone, you try to work through the hard stuff. This is the decision I have made, and I'm sticking to it."
Ariela and Biniyam later went to Biniyam's Ethiopian-Orthodox church to baptize Aviel as a Christian. Ariela got dressed up in traditional attire and hoped Biniyam was thankful and appreciative.
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A celebration then followed and Biniyam's loved ones wished the family wealth and good fortune.
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"I was 100 percent pressured into baptizing Avi," Ariela said.
"But I actually feel good that I agreed to do this, because at the end of the day, while it wasn't a pleasant experience for me, I'm going to hold the memory of Biniyam and his family's happiness forever."
Are Ariela and Biniyam still together now or did the 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way couple break up?
Ariela gave birth to their son, Avi, in December 2019, according to In Touch Weekly.Ariela and Biniyam have hinted on Instagram they are still together nearly one year after welcoming their son.
In mid-November, Biniyam posted a slideshow of photos with Ariela. Although some of them might be throwbacks, he seems happy with his baby's mother and pictures of Ariela in a tie-dye dress appear to have been taken recently.
"Nice memories #arielaandbiniyam #biniyamshibre #arieladanielle #90dayfiance #90dayfiancetheotherway #90dayfiancebeforethe90days #90dayfiancehappilyeverafter #tlc," Biniyam wrote alongside the images.
And Ariela took to Instagram on November 2 and shared a sweet selfie with Biniyam.
The pair posed in what appeared to be the staircase in the apartment they share in Biniyam's hometown of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Comments of love and support poured in for the couple.
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Back in late October, Ariela posted a photo of Biniyam and herself eating a meal together.
"Ethiopian food is the best! #arielaandbiniyam #ethiopia #kategna #ethiopianfood #90fiancetheotherway #90dayfiancepillowtalk #90dayfiancehappilyeverafter," Ariela captioned the photo, suggesting she's still in Ethiopia.
Around that same time, Biniyam posted a photo on his own Instagram account with Ariela and their son. It also appears that Avi has a nanny in Ethiopia, who joined in the family photo with a big smile.
"Your real family are the people who are always there for you through thick and thin.
#family #future #arielaandbiniyam #90dayfiancetheotherway #90dayfiancepillowtalk #90dayfiance," Biniyam wrote alongside the photo.
Ariela has called the apparent nanny, Tsion, her best friend and sister as well as Avi's second mother.
"You taught me so much about Ethiopian culture, friendship, and sisterhood. You are pure in your heart," Ariela recently wrote on Instagram.
"I know you are a part of g-d walking on this earth disguised as a silly human. But I see through it. Avi and I love you more than anything! I want the world to know about you, that special people like you do exist."
Biniyam is also now selling merchandise that features a photo of Ariela and himself touching foreheads. All of the T-shirts, bags, socks and more say "Love Without Borders" on them.
In late November, Biniyam posted a photo montage on his Instagram Stories thanking Ariela for baptizing their son.
Biniyam wrote that Ariela has changed his life, and he set the video to a song with lyrics such as, "My heart can never tell me lies. I know you love me and our love is true. And I feel the same way, I can't deny."
RELATED LINK: '90 DAY FIANCE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY KNOW? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
