Hey Friends, returned from Ulaan Bataar last week. I also stayed in Finland (Tampere) for a while. We had a project phase and a training phase (wait! we trained 
, we were not trainees!)
Haven't posted anything for a long time, but I see my bro has been using my forum account regularly!
It feels good to be back. I interacted with a *LOT* of students: Mongolians, Chinese, Estonians, Finnish and some Russians. Some incredible talent, amazing drinkers, dancers, programmers, stock traders and what not. Diversity is a teacher like no other.
Here's a quick blog:
In the eyes on most foreigners, the perception of a typical Indian is not good. Like it or not, people are prejudiced. And don't be fooled by the "ugly Indian"/"skin color" routine: from personal experience of almost 8 years now, citizens of the global village today do not care a rat's as.s about most people's looks. It's way more about manners, etiquette and demeanor. The way you carry yourself, the respect you show etc.
Somehow, we Indians are viewed to be lacking in those departments, quite badly. The kicker? If you DARE explain that most of us grow up in an environment of severe competition, constraints of various kinds, and conflicting cultural values, they’ll take that as a shoddy excuse.
But that is not to say people are all out ignorant. It’s just that there is an initial barrier to break. From what I’ve learned in the last few months, here are somewhat overly generalized perceptions regarding Indians held by various ethnicities:
Russians: "You people worship all things American, including the language!" – This is a tough one to break, but contrary to popular belief, Russians are very warm people once you can win their trust. I always used to explain how the British legacy influences India till date, and pros and cons of it. Still, I’ll say we’re disliked a lot because of our close ties with America. And yes, you’ll be AWED at how badly, severely and intensely America and Americans are hated by most Europeans and Asians. It’s obnoxious, it’s wrong. You’ll experience it if you interact closely with Europeans, beyond the fake corporate walls where good manners are a mandate.
Finnish: "Why are you all so violent and aggressive?" I explain that what makes the news headlines represent less than 0.00001% of the population, and not everyone is with similar traits. I had a tough time with one Finnish student: She knew EVERYTHING about the ragging culture in Indian colleges, and had a paper which she shared with us which outlined the deaths of students, the details of cases in institutes in IITs and Medical colleges. I was pretty sure it wasn’t hers because of the proficiency of the English language within the PPT, but throughout the presentation, I could barely defend anything.
Chinese: "America Worshippers." Need I say more?
Mongolians: Typically not opinionated, but they mention Gandhi etc. all the time. It’s almost as if I should be wearing a Khadi dress and demonstrating nonviolence, lol. Quite chilled out folks actually.
But one thing that was well apparent was that these misconceptions are not very close to the people who hold them, it doesn’t affect their behavior by any significant amount. And over time, people become likeable.
Adding a bit I just remembered:
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Almost all European ethnicities harbor a slight hatred for others: Russians think the Finns are cowards, the Finns think the Russians are wannabes and failures, the Chinese think Russians are no.1 traitors, Russians think Chinese are thieves, Mongolians dislike both the Chinese and Russians....... My my, I thought we Indians are the only ones with strong opinions about our neighbors!
, we were not trainees!)Haven't posted anything for a long time, but I see my bro has been using my forum account regularly!
It feels good to be back. I interacted with a *LOT* of students: Mongolians, Chinese, Estonians, Finnish and some Russians. Some incredible talent, amazing drinkers, dancers, programmers, stock traders and what not. Diversity is a teacher like no other.
Here's a quick blog:
In the eyes on most foreigners, the perception of a typical Indian is not good. Like it or not, people are prejudiced. And don't be fooled by the "ugly Indian"/"skin color" routine: from personal experience of almost 8 years now, citizens of the global village today do not care a rat's as.s about most people's looks. It's way more about manners, etiquette and demeanor. The way you carry yourself, the respect you show etc.
Somehow, we Indians are viewed to be lacking in those departments, quite badly. The kicker? If you DARE explain that most of us grow up in an environment of severe competition, constraints of various kinds, and conflicting cultural values, they’ll take that as a shoddy excuse.
But that is not to say people are all out ignorant. It’s just that there is an initial barrier to break. From what I’ve learned in the last few months, here are somewhat overly generalized perceptions regarding Indians held by various ethnicities:
Russians: "You people worship all things American, including the language!" – This is a tough one to break, but contrary to popular belief, Russians are very warm people once you can win their trust. I always used to explain how the British legacy influences India till date, and pros and cons of it. Still, I’ll say we’re disliked a lot because of our close ties with America. And yes, you’ll be AWED at how badly, severely and intensely America and Americans are hated by most Europeans and Asians. It’s obnoxious, it’s wrong. You’ll experience it if you interact closely with Europeans, beyond the fake corporate walls where good manners are a mandate.
Finnish: "Why are you all so violent and aggressive?" I explain that what makes the news headlines represent less than 0.00001% of the population, and not everyone is with similar traits. I had a tough time with one Finnish student: She knew EVERYTHING about the ragging culture in Indian colleges, and had a paper which she shared with us which outlined the deaths of students, the details of cases in institutes in IITs and Medical colleges. I was pretty sure it wasn’t hers because of the proficiency of the English language within the PPT, but throughout the presentation, I could barely defend anything.
Chinese: "America Worshippers." Need I say more?
Mongolians: Typically not opinionated, but they mention Gandhi etc. all the time. It’s almost as if I should be wearing a Khadi dress and demonstrating nonviolence, lol. Quite chilled out folks actually.
But one thing that was well apparent was that these misconceptions are not very close to the people who hold them, it doesn’t affect their behavior by any significant amount. And over time, people become likeable.
Adding a bit I just remembered:
------------------------------
Almost all European ethnicities harbor a slight hatred for others: Russians think the Finns are cowards, the Finns think the Russians are wannabes and failures, the Chinese think Russians are no.1 traitors, Russians think Chinese are thieves, Mongolians dislike both the Chinese and Russians....... My my, I thought we Indians are the only ones with strong opinions about our neighbors!
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