The Ups and Downs of being a Minority

Raise your hand if you are a minority in America.

Now raise your hand if you have ever had a conversation similar to this one:

Stranger: “Where are you from?”

Me: “A small farm town in Connecticut.”

Stranger: “No, I mean…where are you from?”

My initial reaction is to sarcastically repeat the word Connecticut. But 99% of the time I satisfy the question that is actually being asked. I politely state, “My parents were born and raised in India.”

These conversations did not frustrate me when I was growing up. I knew people were just curious about my background. Plus, I love talking about me; it’s my favorite subject.

This topic often sparked debates about how immigrants contribute to the changing perception of the average American. I was be happy to discuss what it felt like growing up in a Gujarati-speaking household and stepping out every morning into an English speaking America.

Sometimes, however, my heritage frustrated me. For instance, a few of my college friends referred to me as “the Indian” behind my back. Apparently my first name wasn’t good enough for them to use.

But that was in America. Now I am in Indonesia. This country is a whole new ballgame. When people meet me on the street, they speak very quickly. The only word I can catch is, “India.” I quickly use my broken Bahasa Indonesia to tell them that I was born in America, my parents were born in India, and I have only been to India 4 times in my life.  It is frustrating that they don’t immediately think of me as American. However, their only reference to American people is Bay Watch. I really can’t blame them.

Being Indian American does have its benefits, though. I can integrate easily into the community. Locals feel comfortable with me. I am also familiar with village life; there are many similarities between Indian and Indonesian culture. My trips to India have prepared me well for the two-year journey. But I must say, the best benefit from being brown is that I can sing along to the Bollywood songs that play at the local Internet café.  

Now raise your hand if you’re a minority and darn proud of it!