Dear Sir,
This is a correct observation about teenagers! But, I have seen Indian students who come to the US without aid
for studies, work in the supermarkets to earn a few bucks for their basic needs! How long can the parents in India
convert rupees to dollars (nearly 45 fold) and send to their children here? Really pathetic....
Raji Ram
raji,
it is not pathetic. this is admirable, i think. we need to look at this with a different lense.
many of these students come from middle class families, with parents taking heavy loans to fulfil their ambitions. or they do not have enough marks or brand name universities to qualify for financial aid.
these children have so much sense of responsibility for their parents, their own sense of duty, ambition, and above all an immense drive. the usa is a land of opportunity for anyone who is willing to work. and work hard. there is reward. immediately.
they not only have to study and get high marks, in order to maintain whatever financial assistance that they get from the university, but also to maintain their sense of self worth, and give them a heads up for eventual job hunting in the usa. the latter is a huge mountain to climb - not only due to the alien culture, but also their precarious visa situation and nowadays dearth of once plenty jobs.
maybe you are looking at all this from your experience - an outstanding iit graduate son, whose entire tuition fees and living expense all paid for by the university. but that is not the lot of all the students. it makes all types to make up the world and a great undergraduate degree is not necessarily an end in itself.
so, i think, in my eyes, those indian students, who handle a study life, along with working parttime, and having an active social life, are heroes and heroines. i have a few in my family, who out of a sense of pride and self determination, made it a point, even with rich parents in india, to shun the money from the parents and become self sustaining within 2 to 3 months.
let the give you the case of one neice: about 4 years ago. she had an eee degree from srm college. she got admission to a u.s. university. dad paid the first term tuition + gave her money to live. within the first month, she moved to an apt with 4 other girls, got a part time job, and was able to pay tuition fees from 2nd term onwards, pay for a visit home, and have some left over. today she is employed in google in sfo.
so, dear raji, i would request you to reconsider your judgement, that these are 'pathetic'. these are far from 'pathetic' i think. it is more our own handicapped views that views them such.
raji, as you yourself have indicated, there is a high respect and valuation, for the dignity of labour here. no matter what the job is, it is respected, and never considered menial, or a sole propriety of a single caste or race. truly an upwardly mobile society for the hard working.
thank you.