How do you think Indians blend /integrate with mainstream American culture?In my time I have found Indians largely disconnected and completely isolated with anything American (especially when it comes to dating).Is this a largely first generation immigrant thing ?Interested in opinions and how you like living in the US?
You mean first gen right? My second gen Indian friends can’t stand going back to India :)
Yes I’m a first gen immigrant myself and interested in the perspective of other first gen immigrants
Caucasian guy here but first gen. Indians are generally nice peeps and funny as hell. Just be yourself.
All of my my Indian coworkers are married in their 20s and most of them have kids. They're all super nice people but a bit insular, a lot of talking about cricket and visa stuff. Awesome food at the get-togethers though.
Depends. If a first generation immigrant has gone to school here, then they seem to socialize a tad better. Indian women seem to have a smoother ride.
Indian here. In decreasing order of ease in getting along: 1) fellow Indians (duh) 2) first gen immigrants from asia, Africa, South America 3) second gen Asians 4) other Americans, Europeans etc. Of course, this is a generalization, and there are many exceptions. The biggest reason I find it hard to have an engaging conversation with category 4 is the lack of overlapping interests and cultural differences. Strangely, I find it easier to gel with category 4 with older people(45+) than folks my age (20s). I don't get sports references simply coz i don't follow baseball, nfl, nba etc. There are also pop culture references that are often hard to get, even though Indians are quite familiar with Hollywood, american music etc. I feel that Americans act differently as compared to other cultures that I have been exposed to, in terms of how they behave, react, interests etc. Don't get me wrong, Americans can be entertaining and fun, but it's hard to contribute to conversations because of the cultural gap.
True. Had a hard time understanding some cultural references in school in spite of not being totally ignorant about American culture (like knowing the significance of a certain zip code - it was used to denote a hip neighborhood, or a certain movie, or a certain character/ scene in a movie/ TV serial)..In retrospect, a pre req. course in American culture wouldn't have been amiss, though I concede not everything can be taught in a classroom, some of this can come only through cultural immersion & experience.
There's also an invisible force field that keeps everything formal and impersonal. With other cultures, it's ok to be open but Americans seem distant, independent, self sufficient and err on the side of caution when it comes to being accidentally offensive by being too personal perhaps. That's my read, not necessarily the case
I’ve noticed folks that come here for undergrad are more open to adopting/blending with American culture than folks that come for their masters, it’s a broad generalization and just my observation. I personally love the culture and my fiancé is American. Idk about 99% of Indians not dating doe
Well, it's easier in undergrad coz one is younger, and it'd be even easier if one were in high school. Ability to blend is inversely proportional to one's age. Grad students are as willing to blend, just older and more set in their ways.
1st Gen Indian here. I typically find it easier to mingle with 1st Gen non Americans. Here's an example, the whole world is going crazy with Brazil and Belgium today at the lunch toble while the few Americans in my team (most Americans lest I generalize) don't have much to contribute. The rest of the world seems a little more integrated, aware etc of things. While Americans are (again I must add mostly) in the American bubble. It ends up being cultural or possibly that a certain type of people end up here as 1st Gen so there is enough similarity.
Before I get a flaming response. I do get along with Americans quite well, some of them are super smart, funny and nice people, but those cultural differences are real.
Also, being aware of the history and the people of a country that you choose to live in often helps. Imnsho, this is one singular issue where most first generation south asian immigrants come up short.
In my experience, many Americans are collectivist. They say they want diversity but white women almost always are looking for men with more money.
How did you formulate this opinion of white women and why do you feel this doesn’t apply to women of other ethnicities?
I guess you’re right. Maybe white women are just more obvious IMHO
What do you mean by "especially when it comes to dating" ?
Europeans,south Americans and Africans in my experience have no problem dating American women and marriage .99% of Indian guys I know do not date at all and really struggle eventually resorting to arranged marriage .So it seems like a form of social isolation?
Yes tintin u right