Being accepted as Americans...
After the whole Sen. Allen and Macacagate issue (especially his "Welcome to America" comment), sometimes you really wonder when we (as minority or immigrant communities) will be considered in the same light as our fellow Americans, on the basis of our citizenship, and NOT the color of our skin or our race.
Here's a great op-ed by an Indian-American in the Washington Post discussing: "On Becoming A 'Real American' ".
From the op-ed:"From adolescence on, I heard a constant refrain from my Indian father: "Don't ever believe that you're really American." I found his advice peculiar, especially as I had been living in America since age 8 and had largely forgotten my time in India. To him, it didn't matter that the only language in which I could think a complex thought was English. It didn't matter that the only music I listened to was Michael Jackson, the Bee Gees and Billy Joel."
What do we do now?:"The Allen incident offers evidence that America is not now or likely to ever be a color-blind country. How are South Asians to live with this truth? Resignation is not the answer. Vigorous political participation is. My youthful intuition that what makes me as American as any Mayflower descendant is citizenship -- not race or ethnicity -- was only partly on the mark. The piece of paper that validates our identities as American citizens can do only so much if we do little to struggle for recognition."
Of course, while engaging in political participation, it would help to look somewhat fashionable;)
Desi?!
Ever wonder what to mark on applications when the section for "Race" comes up?
Well, my friends. let this
T-shirt right here be the solution!
That's where my next checkmark and well check is going:)
And on that tangent, via SepiaMutiny, I found out about this hilarious, and well if i must say, very true site:
www.indiansareasian.comI especially love the facts and updates section. Check it out!
A New Buddy!
So in this new, lovely little city I am no longer alone! Almost all the people I have run into in my apartment complex are med or dental students. And then some others are professionals who actually have to go to work (haha) and others are graduate students in other fields. So turns out, today, I just happened to be sititing next to this girl today in my lecture, and realized that both of us had all of our classes together, we were both from out of state, we both LOVE Dr. Pepper, and we both live on the same floor in our apartment building! Yay! I now have a new study buddy:) Funny how the saying goes, when you least expect it, expect it.
Lost
Sigh. I have a confession to make. I have a new addiction. And it's quite serious. It's forced me to forget eating, to stop sleeping, to procrastinate on homework, to keep phone conversations to a minimum, to not turn on my television, and the worst of all...it has inhabited my dreams!
Yes, yes. It is none other than my completely farfetched, mysterious, deliciously obessive DVD of LOST!
Damn you J. J. Abrahms. You have now made me add another addictive show to my already "I don't have time to do anything else but study, eat, and sleep" schedule!
I just finished watching the first season on DVD. And now I am literally counting the days until the second one comes out
on Sept. 5th. Can't Wait!!!!!
Hmm... Gayatri and Tanvi---What did you do to me!!! :)
Pakistani community on Devon St.
I read this today in the NY Times and I wanted to share this article discussing the Pakistani community in Chicago's own Devon St. : Pakistanis Find U.S. an Easier Fit Than Britain .Check out the article. It's pretty interesting and wonders whether South-Asian communities in the U.S. are prone to become breeding grounds for terrorists much like those that are currently under scrutiny in Britain. From the Article:"Similar enclaves in Britain have been under scrutiny since they have proved to be a breeding ground for cells of terrorists, possibly including the 24 men arrested recently as suspects in a plot to blow up airliners flying out of London.
Yet Devon Avenue is in many ways different. Although heavily Pakistani, the street is far more exposed to other cultures than are similar communities in Britain.Yet one major difference between the United States and Britain, some say, is the United States’ historical ideal of being a melting-pot meritocracy.
“You can keep the flavor of your ethnicity, but you are expected to become an American,” said Omer Mozaffar, 34, a Pakistani-American raised here who is working toward a doctorate in Islamic studies at the University of Chicago. "
...And I'm Back!!!
Sorry, sorry.
I know, it's a while. A LONG while.
But I'm back. So what, you ask, took me away from this blog for so long?
Well, lots of things. But mainly I moved and there have been some personal and professional changes, leading to many stressful moments and challenges, and leaving me little time to blog.
But fear not, for the one thing I've not forgotten to do my dear readers is to PROCRASTINATE!
So, here's a cute little story (well, at least I think so):
I recently moved to Indianapolis, from my beloved Chicago, and found myself in a small city with very few friends (um...more like acquaintances, but little do they know that my lonely butt will be calling them up nonstop and turn them into friends! Muhaaaaa!) and really, wondering what in the world I got myself into and when would I be getting home to the windy city.
Orientation, or what was more like the calm before the storm was intriguing and at times even fun. However, the initial "networking party" made me a little worried/anxious when I kept bumping into small town white folks who couldn't pronounce my name and seriously were a little in awe of me. Of course, don't get me wrong, I met extremely intelligent, diverse, accomplished people as well. But, well, was I really going to have to be around some of these people who had little idea of my culture and found my name exotic for the next XYZ years?? I mean, we all have gotten our share of "No, really, where are you from?" and "Wow, what a pretty name!" questions and comments before, but to be asked and told that a number of times in one evening was a little unsettling. BTW, I wasn't shocked that this happened. I mean this happens anywhere you go (hell it even occasionly happens to me in Chicago and recently in NJ (NJ, capital of Desiland of all places!!!But let's face it. This is a small city. And well, unlike Chicago, at times, you may actually find yourself the ONLY desi there.), no matter what city or place, but to be suddenly faced with it all over again, in a matter of minutes, was a little unnerving. Besides, I also met many other Asian-American/Middle Eastern-American/African-American people who were asked similar questions. Funnily enough, we all usually took a sip of our drinks, smirked, looked XYZ in the eye, and proceeded to give him/her/all of them a straight answer. "Um, no, my name is P-A-Y-A-L. No, not Kyle. P-P P-A-Y-A-L. Yes, that's exactly how you pronounce it. And, yes, it's an Indian-Hindi name!"
So, after our lovely little party (which BTW got better, when I ran into 2 Indian guys--very funny story, and a whole another post!) I'm walking back to my apartment. I was actually kinda missing home, missing home-cooked food, and missing my friends who could pronounce my names correctly! So low and behold, as I'm walking, I hear Carnatic music coming from the distance. WTF??? This is downtown Indy and I'm near a park, What in the world is going on?? I start walking towards the music, seeing "apna lokh", aunties with sarees and punjabis, a man in a dhoti, and little girls in Bharata Natyam costumes! And guess where I found myself. That's right. Right across from my little WASP party, was the Indian Association's India Independence Celebration event. With FREE FOOD:)!!!!! There was a huge park across from my little partay and a large stage with a stone roof was in the middle of it. And the desi community had taken it over. There were tables of food, trucks loaded with more food, a made-up playground for kids, port a potties, little sinks reminding me of Taste of Chicago, pamphlets of India and its independence, posters and signs for particular communities (ie the Sikh Association, the Gujurati Samaj, etc). Little girls were doing a Bharata Natyam performance, some older girls did a dance to some Bollywood song, little boys danced to a patriotic song from the movie "Mangal Pandey", and Indians were all different communities-Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, etc were all sitting together, eating, talking, and having a grand old time in the middle of the day, in the middle of a random park, in the middle of this state, and in the heartland of our good old U S of A. And I found myself, a lonely student, out of nowhere, in the middle of a small, but cozy Indian gathering in the heart of the city. And all of it unexpected. Very suprising, and very nice. Just when you think you're all alone, some how, your community just shows up at your doorstep, somehow finds you, to let you know, that there still others who can pronounce your name. It was so much fun to see all these kids and adults proudly celebrating their culture in this small town, enthusiastically dancing and eating, and bringing visitors, and even local political candidates (yes, I saw people representing a local candidate there, trying to get votes:)) to their lovely mela. And, finally, after a weekend of parties and get togethers, and angst, and worries of moving, I realized, I was going to have a lovely time in this small city. Because, no matter where I went, and who met, or how many times I had to repeat my name and describe my background, somewhere, somehow, there will always be someone who knows exactly where my name came from and let me know that I am not alone.
