How can a person live with so much pressure you say? Well it all adds up when you live in an Indian community like mine. We all make mistakes, we all do things that make us regretful, but no. These Indians do all that for you. It’s not a punishment to live in a place like this, and if you think about it, it makes you think 10 times before you make a choice. Yes there are limitations, and yes there is gossip. I’m not saying the Indian culture is based on gossip. It is actually quite beautiful if you don’t know. What I’m saying is that a person should not have to live with so much pressure in there homes, and community. An ideal Indian cultured girl is shy, knows how to cook by the age of 15, listens promptly to her parents and elders, and gets married by an arranged marriage of her parent’s choice. I myself do not believe all this due to my upbringing in America and not India of course. But if you think about it, did this stuff ever even happen. I mean, was there ever really an “ideal Indian cultured girl.” We all say nice things about other people, but no one is ever going to be perfect. So why are we pressured to live a “perfect” life based on your culture? A relationship with what we call an “aunty” or an “uncle” for friends of our parents is something in between complicated and careful. They expect you to be a well pmannered cultured person, for the fact that they are not well mannered and cultured. A relationship with our parents is even more complicated due to what they want us to be and who we really are. Now you might say why is that so, when a parent should know their children better then they know themselves? Well, they see their children from the community’s point of view (the Indian community that is). If a friend of theirs says “oh! Your son/daughter is so mature and well mannered” well then think of it as you will get whatever you want the next day. As for if an uncle or aunty say to one of you parents “I have seen your daughter with a boy’s arm around her neck!” well than you know that the next day, your getting a one way ticket back to India. Relationships with other Indian guys or girls are also something difficult because, if they have drama well than so do you. It all depends on how your appearance is or how you talk to them. If you get one of your Indian friends mad about something, you will be getting a lot of messages from your other friends regarding the issue. Now I know this is probably just a normal teenage thing, but it works differently. A sagacious mind figures out all the ways to avoid drama, well as for another person would love to see the drama happen. Lastly you have the relationship with an enemy. Your probably wondering how it’s different from a normal relationship with an enemy, well it works differently in Indian terms. An enemy usually stares you down at gatherings hoping you do something stupid to bring shame upon yourself. They just wait for a moment to look more honorable or bigger than you. Enemy relationships work like best friend relationships. You might ask how that is possible, well it is. The Indian way of approaching an enemy is with a smile and saying hi! How are you? It’s because you know you both hate each other but to the community you’re a nice person and never had an enemy. This is just a start to a journey as an Indian-American. Benevolent, but vicious communities that will make you wish there was no more Indians left in the universe.