Series: This NRI Life Post:4

Note: I requested some of you to write a guest post on the topic:This NRI Life. If you are not an NRI please feel free to pick your own topic. If you are interested please feel free to contact me at nrigirl@hotmail.com I will be glad to publish your guest post in NRIGirl blog.

About the Author: SG blogs about almost everything under the sun that he comes across ... One of my favorite of his post is: "I love you" where he describes his "love at first sight". Feel free to visit his blog Shoot the breeze for a leisure reading.

Here he attempts to clarify some of the NRI myths non NRI's have... Ladies & Gentlemen! Let's welcome our guest blogger SG!
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What do people in India think about NRI’s in USA?

Many people in India have stereotyped or generalized Indians living in the USA. I want to give my own personal experience regarding these generalizations. Again, I want to emphasize these are my personal experience.
Generalization: 95% of NRI’s work in restaurants as dishwashers or do petty jobs.

My Experience: This is not true. Many students work in restaurants temporarily to pay for their education while in college.

Generalization: The other 5% work very hard to satisfy some white guy…you know THE MAN.

My Experience: At my workplace, white guys work to satisfy me. At my workplace I AM THE MAN…and I am not WHITE.

Generalization: NRI’s are treated like slaves and they put up with it because of the money.

My Experience: NRI’s command the highest respect wherever they work.

Generalization: NRI’s are discriminated by white people and they put up with it.

My Experience: I have never come across discrimination in the USA. The closest that I ever came to being discriminated was during an interview I had soon after arriving to the USA. I was interviewed for a first line manager job that would involve supervising 18 clerical staff. The interviewer asked me if I have supervisory experience. I said, YES. He then asked me if I have supervised Americans before. My first reaction was to say NO. But I held back my answer and thought about it for 30 seconds (while staring at the interviewer.) Finally I broke the silence and said: Why are you asking me this question? Are Americans very difficult to supervise? The interviewer laughed out loud and then said, I am offering you this job…which I eventually accepted.
Generalization: NRI’s have lost their cultural identity

My Experience: People in India should have seen last week’s kumbabishekam at the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Livermore, California and the cultural activities associated with it. Or, they should be in Salt Lake City during Navratri celebrations. Then they will run and hide…and never think this again.

Generalization: They have no morality and always display their wealth and style.

My Experience: Buying a car or a home is a necessity in the USA. Also, while travelling and visiting India, spending a little extra money to have a comfortable vacation is not a bad idea.

Generalization: NRI’s forget about India quickly when they return home.

My Experience: They do not forget India. Most of the NRI’s regret that they can only go back to the place…but they can not go back to the time. India changes rapidly but in the NRI’s mind, India was frozen in time the day he/she left the country. They want to go back to that place…and that time.

On the other hand, there are “sellout” stories that I am aware of. This is a true story of a guy who grew up in Chennai and got his college degree from Chennai and then came to the USA for 2 years. After he returned to Chennai, his friend took him to Woodlands Restaurant in Mylapore. His friend ordered a Masala Dosa. The guy who lived in the USA for only 2 years then asked “How do I eat this?” “What is a sambar?” Yes, there are some people like that. Very, very few.