India vs US

Growing up in Nigeria and going to college in India, America to me was the land of freedom, the land without boundaries where one’s possibilities were endless, where truly if there was a will there was definitely a way. There was awe and glamour attached to the way of living in America. I left my friends and family to embark on my journey to the land of opportunity, California. I learnt from my experiences and if you want the short cut approach to make yourself adapt to the way of living and culture of America even before going there… then look no further, you are reading the right article.

The first thing a new comer will notice on the way from the airport to wherever they are going to is that there is one person per car and that is the norm. To encourage commuters to share a ride most freeways have something called a carpool lane which can only be used if there are two or more people in a car. The carpool lane is fast and passes the single person driven cars in a breeze. One can only imagine what a car pool lane in India would be like, where in a 5 seated car 10 family members can be squeezed with space to throw in the neighbor’s kids as well.

Due to the busy life and schedule, weekends is the only time people get to go grocery shopping, clean the house, pay the bills, do household chores etc. so if you happen to drop by at your friends house without prior notice don’t be surprised to hear “you should have called before you came”. In US you have to be respectful of ones time and not barge in on someone who you consider a close friend. In India we can barge in on our friends’ house at odd hours, what is all this prior notice when we want to visit and honestly if our friend was to ask us to call before we drop by their house that would be a huge insult and the friendship is likely break.

Equality at least in theory exists in the American workplace. Everyone in the workplace is on first name basis, regardless of title, superiority, and/or seniority. If you call your Boss, “Boss” or “Sir” often they would think you are being funny on purpose. And don’t you dare call an elderly person Uncle or Aunty, not unless you are related. Calling your Boss by his or her first name in India would mean disaster for your career, it would mean that you are disrespectful and you might even get fired and not calling your friends parents Uncle and Aunty is the same.

Making friends is not easy especially if you are straight out of India. The desi youngsters hang around with similar Indians who have been born and raised here and a desi out of India is tagged a FOB – Fresh off the boat. Which I do not understand. Would they rather someone put a fake accent on and act all American when obviously they have lived in India and will have Indian mannerism in them. It’s probably easier to make American friends or friends with desis of similar backgrounds. Try social networks like orkut, friendster,etc. participate in locale events. A newcomer going to India for the first time is embraced into a group much easier than here.

Any one viewing American Idol can quickly feel the tension and fierce competitiveness and rivalry between the contestants. When someone is eliminated the remaining contestants are relieved and view the elimination as one person less to compete against. They openly express their happiness at staying on for another episode and who has the time or energy to mope around for the eliminated contestant. On the Indian Idol when a contestant gets eliminated, fellow contestants are in tears, audience is in tears, and even at times you will see the judges trying hard to keep the tears from falling. As Indians we are generally sensitive and feel the person’s pain even if they are our competition.


Modesty is a virtue versus confidence is a virtue………..and no guessing which country represents what virtue. A modest person here is mistaken to have a low level of confidence. While a person who shows over confidence is interpreted as to know what he/she want in life. In India some of the few fundamentals that we are brought up with are “self praise is no praise” and “simple living, high thinking” just to repeat a few. But if you want to succeed in the American workplace one has to speak up and let your voice be heard. You have to blow your own trumpet sometimes and learn how to take compliments well, (something which most of us are bad at receiving).


The topic of this article suggests that all this is gathered from my experience. Your experience might be different or varied with a different flavor to them. Coming to America the most difficult part for me was learning to do every thing on my own with no domestic help, but now I proudly claim that there is nothing that I cannot do. I work a full time job, go to college part time, and go home to my Family that consists of my mom-in-law, sis-in-law, husband and three year old son to cook everyday, and I still found the time to write as this is my passion. No one country or culture is totally flawed or perfect. It is up to the individual to use their judgment and pick what applies to them and drop the rest. Take the opportunity to blend in the best of both cultures, to make a blend that is truly yours and applies to your life in a way that is meaningful.

America is truly a land of opportunity but newcomers beware she will test you in every way possible to make sure you are worthy, throw hurdles in your way and when you show perseverance she will open her arms and embrace you.