Different cultural perspectives

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Not every Westerner likes a hangover and not every one of them has been to Las Vegas,” exclaims an indignant Anjali Chakraborty from SRM College, reacting to the notion that an expatriate is just out to have fun. With the city welcoming people from all over with open arms, it’s not only about foreigners learning about us, we too, have a lot of cultural learning to do.
From food to music to tradition, youngsters are going all out to make the most of this experience; trying to make sense of the West’s fascination for elaborate reunions, loud music, turkeys and pies. “Hanging out with cultural exchange students can be entertaining. The way they freak out about the traffic and obsess over something as simple as Indian bangles is so endearing. My friends from the US are actually taking courses and, even went to Varanasi to learn Hindi. They love attending Indian functions, showing genuine enthusiasm,” she says. She has learnt that the rudest thing in American culture is to pinpoint somebody’s physical appearance — “Something we do all the time,” she quips.
Arun Mukesh from JNTU, was able to break free of colour-barrier. “My friend Emanuela is from Nigeria. When I met her, she was lost and needed help to get back to her place. Living in Hyderabad had not been a good experience for her. She felt that people gave importance to skin colour and she felt left out most of the times,” he says. He found it surprising that petty issues like colour could lead to a divide in these modern times. And that foreigners, no matter how confident they appear, are uncomfortable about standing out in the crowd.
For Kanna Bhiram, an ex-student of Loyola College, the experience has been positive. He is a DJ and got to sharpen his skills, interacting with DJs from other countries. “A couple of them had come down to the city for a show. It was amazing — learning the tricks of the trade. People say that it’s good to study music abroad because that's where it originated. But for me, that knowledge came by interacting with the expats,” he says. He feels that before rushing away to study or work abroad, interacting with foreigners can be an eye-opener.
“I have met people from different races and ethnicities. I was able keep an open mind and formed good friendships with many of them. It helped me develop an American and an Indian perspective of things,” recalls Nikita Kumar, who has studied in New Jersey.
After all, the most important aspect of life is to take in good experiences and evolve accordingly; with instances that have reshaped our thinking and outlook on life. And it looks like the youngsters are doing just that.