Member-only story
Why Christians may get along better with immigrants
Some cultural differences I’ve noticed
When I was at MIT, I had many friends from all over the world because MIT has a reputation and kids from far away places apply for admission. While I grew up in New York City, as a child of Indian immigrants, there were cultural differences between myself and many of the other American students.
For example, when it came to sex — I grew up with a very conservative mindset that few other Americans had. However, I found most of my immigrant friends were just as conservative. The only white Americans I knew who related to this were friends who were religious — orthodox Jews, devout Christians, Mormons, etc.
Or, hospitality… most immigrants, I discovered, had a different attitude towards guests and being hospitable than most Americans. On the one hand, Americans make friends quickly, but often the friendships seem superficial to those from other cultures.
This recently was brought home to me when I was diagnosed with cancer. While everyone expressed sympathy, it was mostly certain groups that went out of their way to help.
Again, it was in college that I first observed these cultural differences. I noticed that if a friend was sick, foreign students were much more solicitous. They’d bring food or…
