Anyone know whats with the Indian (Asian) culture in Morrisvile? And what do people generally think about them? (Cary: condo, tech jobs)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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My husband is Indian. He moved here in 1998. He is also now a US citizen and embraces American culture, he does not speak Hindi or any other dialect, he speaks English. Some of the generalizations here are ridiculous.
The Indian community is also growing in Apex. My neighborhood is approximately 1/3 Indian and I would say they are just like our other, non-Indian neighbors in that some are very nice and will go out of their way to wave, say hello, or stop and chat if walking by....others will never turn your way. They do seem to have a tight network and will usually only socialize within their nationality/culture but I do understand it is probably hard living in a country very different than your own.
The two neighbors next to us are Indian and our interactions have been very different. One family has been in the U.S. a lot longer than the other. They waived and said Hi, etc. pretty much since day one. The wife works and wears western clothing. The husband would wave or say Hi to me (a woman) even if my husband wasn't around.
The family on the other side has only been in the U.S. for a couple years, I think. The husband was very nice to my husband when we first moved in but wouldn't even look at me. I was nice and would say Hello or wave when I saw him and he would ignore me. The man seems to have acclimated and has gotten used to me saying hello so he will now respond and talk to me even if my husband is not outside with me. The neighbor's wife is much more traditional in dress and behavior and doesn't work. She spoke to me once, and I think only a few words, so she may be shy in addition to not being used to our culture. If my husband sees her outside with the kids and waves or says hello she still ignores him and will usually turn around and walk away even though her oldest son will run over and start talking to my husband. My husband has worked with several Indian women over the years so he was really confused and thought he had done something to make her mad but then I explained her behavior is much more traditional to their culture at home.
You will find people who do not like foreigners living and working in the U.S. but I would say that is pretty rare in this area, or at least rare that they would voice their opinion out loud.
Edit: I just re-read the examples of my neighbors and had to add after thinking about it...they aren't much different than the women I encountered when traveling to India for work several years ago. Some dressed very traditionally, were soft-spoken, and would not interact with my male co-worker. Other women wore western clothing and were very outgoing and had no problem talking to my co-worker. The same for the men; some would shake my hand and talk to me (a woman) while others kept their distance. If I really thought about it I could probably think of similar examples of people I've interacted with in other countries. Maybe it just boils down to some people don't want to interact with people they don't know. oh well!
Last edited by fly_widget; 12-29-2017 at 08:29 AM..
My husband is Indian. He moved here in 1998. He is also now a US citizen and embraces American culture, he does not speak Hindi or any other dialect, he speaks English. Some of the generalizations here are ridiculous.
The Indian community is also growing in Apex. My neighborhood is approximately 1/3 Indian and I would say they are just like our other, non-Indian neighbors in that some are very nice and will go out of their way to wave, say hello, or stop and chat if walking by....others will never turn your way. They do seem to have a tight network and will usually only socialize within their nationality/culture but I do understand it is probably hard living in a country very different than your own.
The two neighbors next to us are Indian and our interactions have been very different. One family has been in the U.S. a lot longer than the other. They waived and said Hi, etc. pretty much since day one. The wife works and wears western clothing. The husband would wave or say Hi to me (a woman) even if my husband wasn't around.
The family on the other side has only been in the U.S. for a couple years, I think. The husband was very nice to my husband when we first moved in but wouldn't even look at me. I was nice and would say Hello or wave when I saw him and he would ignore me. The man seems to have acclimated and has gotten used to me saying hello so he will now respond and talk to me even if my husband is not outside with me. The neighbor's wife is much more traditional in dress and behavior and doesn't work. She spoke to me once, and I think only a few words, so she may be shy in addition to not being used to our culture. If my husband sees her outside with the kids and waves or says hello she still ignores him and will usually turn around and walk away even though her oldest son will run over and start talking to my husband. My husband has worked with several Indian women over the years so he was really confused and thought he had done something to make her mad but then I explained her behavior is much more traditional to their culture at home.
You will find people who do not like foreigners living and working in the U.S. but I would say that is pretty rare in this area, or at least rare that they would voice their opinion out loud.
Interesting. This definitely answers both my questions. Thank you!
My husband is Indian. He moved here in 1998. He is also now a US citizen and embraces American culture, he does not speak Hindi or any other dialect, he speaks English. Some of the generalizations here are ridiculous.
Many of the generalizations we bump into are ridiculous and often the product of a lazy mind.
It is a shame that we work so hard to find specious reasons to divide ourselves.
I live in a neighborhood that is >50% Indian. My take is they are essentially just like everyone else. Some are friendly and some aren't. Some take care of their yards and some don't. Some neighbors wave/talk and some don't. They hang out with people that are like them more than people that are not but I guess I do too.
ETA: Many have their parents living with them and assisting in the raising of their kids. I've found that the grandparents rarely speak english. Good to know when your greeting isn't met with your expected response that an ederly Indian in traditional garb likely doesn't understand what you are saying.
I live in a neighborhood that is >50% Indian. My take is they are essentially just like everyone else. Some are friendly and some aren't. Some take care of their yards and some don't. Some neighbors wave/talk and some don't. They hang out with people that are like them more than people that are not but I guess I do too.
ETA: Many have their parents living with them and assisting in the raising of their kids. I've found that the grandparents rarely speak english. Good to know when your greeting isn't met with your expected response that an ederly Indian in traditional garb likely doesn't understand what you are saying.
I have seen it really mess up some kids learning English; the immigrant-grandparents let them watch cartoons all day long.
Elementary school teachers have told me this.
Well now...
Cartoons? Ain't that what grandparents are for, stuff like that?
If I had continued to eat cookies and drink sody pop at the pace my grandfather gleefully fed them to me, I'd be big as a bus.........
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