Social life of Indians in the USA

For Indians moving to the United States, living in two different cultures could cause some kind of disorientation. New immigrants to the US must adapt to interact with Indians in the US, Americans in the US, and friends and relatives in India. In the United States, it is common to find people who belong to different countries, races, and cultures. Culture clashes can be avoided by changing from your dogmatic attitude to a more rational perspective.

When it comes to cultural differences, there is no right or wrong because each culture has its own attributes. For example, in American culture, it is acceptable to address an older person by their first name, whereas the Indian community considers it impolite. Indians tend to address an older person as an uncle or aunt, regardless of whether they deserve respect or not.

Among other notable cultural and social differences, Indians are more family- or societal-oriented compared to Americans who are individual-oriented. In India, everything a person does affects society’s perception of that person. For an average Indian man, balancing the paternal and maternal family is a major concern. In the west, a man usually moves out of the house and starts his own family.

Americans value time as they handle multiple tasks, ranging from daily housework to office work or going to college with additional part-time jobs. People pride themselves on being able to manage their lives with minimal dependency. This is a critical thing to understand before moving to the US to help you adjust to living an individual and independent life. Westerners are open to the idea of ​​taking any job to earn a living or improve their livelihoods. For example, students easily take jobs at shopping malls or restaurants to pay for their college tuition or save for a car. They are to be appreciated for their high self-respect, which is not impaired by accepting menial jobs. In India, society frowns at you when you opt for a job below your status and family members hastily turn around and create feelings of ostracism. In other words, the mindset of society influences your personal life.

The bottom line is that although the two cultures are polar opposites, each is uniquely rich and fascinating. In fact, they now overlap as people become more willing to become citizens of the world.