An Indian Fights Americana

Hi ,
It a great one, especially for people i mean indians who are working abroad or studying . It is much relieving to read this one as I 2 miss my country , have been in russia for 6 months and i have already booked my ticket . Seen and felt exactly like you have expressed in your poem,every little detail, except for the fact that you arrived in a sunny california and i in a gloomy snowed russia. Rest everything is same but the topic

AN INDIAN FIGHTS RUSSIANA

Hey Saril,

Chill out buddy! Like you said, you`ve been here only 6 months: jeez, you are an FOB!

it takes time to get used to ``Americana`` buddy, but trust me once you do, you dont wanna be going back......(from someone who came from India as a teenager and has been here thru college and is now working) and to add to all the advice you`ve been getting from the rest: remember, here, just like back home, to make friends, you have to be yourself. people will like you if you are a good guy; don`t try to be someone you are not. Americans will see thru it pretty quick....

KAPISH?

To Saril:

As a so called ``Yankee Girl`` I stumbled across this interesting page. Maybe my perspective will enlighten you. The reason why you cannot get a ``Yankee girlfriend`` maybe one of suspicion. It seems that many indian men come to America no doubt for economic reasons, but in the meantime, they feel the urge to have sex with an American girl for the pure purpose of getting experience for their ``arrainged marriages.`` American girls are not stupid and know that your parents would be yelling at the top of their lungs if you told them you were going to marry an American girl. We do not want to be your first sexual experience. Everyone demands HONESY and RESPECT. In essence, there is a common knowlede that most desi men(not all of them), will use an American girl for sex, lie to her about how there are no ``arrainged marriages``, and ultimately dump her when it comes time to get married. So one can only ask themselves who is the real rascist here. So in summary Saril, all indifferences will be overlooked only when honesty prevails.

Jamie

Saril,

My friend. Allow me to address the issues you raised individually, and assimilate you into life here in the US.

Keep your own schedule........Americans love to wait for people.....especially the Yankee girls. make them wait for atleast an hour.

Leave the lights on. Utilities are usually included in the rent.

Buger King is suicide

Bus Stop? Get a car.......another reason why the yankee girls arent looking at you.......and for the love of God.....no corolla, please

Brisk 40 Km/H.........what were you used to back in the motherland? A Ghadda Gadi?

Cricket is available via pay per view.....get cable first........pay the cable man off to get free premium channels and pay per view........disregard prior advice about not trying to cheat the system.........americans are easy to take advantage of.......abuse your power

You want a Yankee girlfriend? the first thing you need to do is get some deodrant. Fight the urge to save water.......remember......utilities are included.......also......toothpaste is your friend....

Remember my words. Youll be rockin and rollin with the best of them in no time at all.....

oh yeah.......wal-mart, no matter how good it may seem.........is Satan`s creation........leave it alone

Saril

Thanx to Kafir and all other guys for replying about my article. I think the part about `getting yankee girl friend` has irked up many guys. I just wrote this stuff for fun. Kafir(reply #1), your advice was superb. I will try to gulp in all of it.

I like Chowk because most of the articles, makes good reading. I would like to contribute more to it.

Re:

Coming from a famiy where there is a perpetual cold-war between the FOB and the ABCD cousins, - I`d like to relate some satirical observations.

FOB`s to ABCD`s

- Maturity get some
- Flexibility have some
- attitude loose some
- respect learn some
- humility acquire some

- Mission in life - ``Blending into main stream America`` :-)

ABCD`s to FOB`s

- Veracity get some
- subtlty acquire some
- hypocrisy loose some
- sense of humor have some
- assertivness learn some

- Mission in Life `` Avoiding mainstream Americana like the plague``

I think judging from my friends and peers, getting a yankee girlfriend was a trait in the 60`s and 70`s , nowadays getting a yankee boyfriend is more prevlant.

I feel for you Saril. My advice: Don`t try to rush it...Every thing will fall in place eventually...even a Yankee girlfriend (whatever you meant by that.)

Re: Kafir

Long time amigo... I just couldn`t help it...as much as I wanted to I couldn`t let it go. Your description of ``majority`` has a class bias in it. I believe there are close to 50% Americans living below, at or near poverty level. Their habits, lifestyle, environment and circumstances do not allow them to enjoy the ``American Dream`` as people so fondly call it. They are the reason why there`s low unemployment and still no inflation. If it wasn`t for Clinton, the minimum wage would still be 4.25/hr. I think the point is that to get the true picture of America one must move around in ALL classes and people and then make an informed observation about it.

Re: Zehra

OK I take your challenge. With what you intend to do in D.C., I don`t think what you implied is consistent with what you may be trying to do there. In other words, Yankee or not, (again Yankee does not mean what I think Saril and you mean by it) you ought to be a little carefull about what you do or say. It`s hard to explain and even harder to understand but that`s how it is. Politics for the sake of it lacks spirit and purpose. Your trust and honesty is questioned when you claim to be a democrat but follow Republican policies. I think you pretty much do know what I`m saying here.

Rehan.

Welcome to Chowk, Saril K !

Liked your work and hope to see more of your stuff on this site.

As to Yankee girlfriends, your chances depend on how much time and money you`re predisposed to squander on them. Think carefully my friend, before you venture down this road. Don`t misunderstand me. It is one hell of a ride, but you`ll still wonder what the hell was that all about !

How very true ;)))

your poem was lovely and simple, but i could not help feeling that your sentiments would be better expressed in an essay type format. i would like to read something of that sort. i was born here and even though i spent 7 years in pakistan, there are things here that i take for granted. it is interesting to see things through a different yet not so different (desi) prespective.

piece of advice. yankee girlfriends will be easier to get then desi ones( atleast for the next year or so). the yankee will be enthralled by your exoticness and the desi will just be reminded of home and people she no longer wishes to be reminded of. ( a VERY, personal general observation on my part oh all ye chowkwalay who will be jumping down my throat at my last comment).

good luck in cali.

z.rizvi.

Couldn`t help a chuckle. Simple yet appealing. It is more like an adorned text as opposed to a poem if I am correct.

Welcome to America, Saril! But I wonder, did you really not expect there to be differences like this when you decided to come here? Many of the aspects of American culture you find foreign are pretty trivial (pronunciations, driving habits, sports preferences, electrical wiring, etc.). You can deal with those easily. Others are more fundamental and reflect real differences in cultural worldviews: punctuality, littering, obeying the law, forms of socialization, gender/race issues, and the like. You`ll have a harder time adjusting to these, but keep in mind that many of these qualities are what make this country strong and successful.

I suspect you decided to move to the US for economic reasons, as most desi immgrants do. But I hope that living here will also allow you to question the attitudes and assumptions of your own culture and tradition so that you can see them with new eyes. See what makes America work so that you can absorb the best aspects of its culture into your own life and beliefs.

As for living here, here are some tips from an ABD (American-Born Desi):

1. Shower daily and always use deodorant. Americans are very particular about smells and can detect b.o. (body odor) a mile away. Avoiding personal hygiene is a sure way NOT to make friends.

2. Get a new wardrobe. For some inexplicable reason, most newly-arrived desis are a decade behind in fashion. Study the department store sales inserts in your local Sunday paper for sartorial tips.

3. Do not ogle women. This may be perfectly normal in South Asian environments, but it will get you nasty looks here and possibly even verbal and physical attacks. Remember, women here are equal and they`re always right!

4. Do not spit in public or litter. The appearance of public spaces is very important here.

5. Drive politely. Give people way and smile and wave when they do the same.

6. Don`t speak in your native language when there are non-natives in your social group. That`s very rude.

7. Don`t try to cheat the system. Be honest in all your business and personal dealings. Cheating the system may be acceptable or even admirable back in South Asia, but it doesn`t sit well with the majority of Americans.

8. Finally, try to make non-desi friends. America, and especially California, is already very balkanized into its ethnic groups. Having friends of different backgrounds will not only help in easing racial/ethnic tensions, but will also be invaluable in expanding your understanding of the world.

Good luck! :-)