Samantha Samuel

Living Two Lives and Two Cultures:: the Fight to Acculturate Among Asian Indian Adolescents Samantha Samuel

A qualitative project using in-depth interviews examined the acculturation trends of Asian Indian adolescents. The researcher interviewed eight Asian Indian adolescents living in Chicago and various areas of Kansas. All adolescents have either immigrated from India at an early age or are the children of immigrant parents. The adolescents were asked questions about the community they grew up in and the type of television they watched in an attempt to explain their acculturation experiences. An overwhelming theme among the interviews is the feeling of isolation and frustration. All Indian adolescents interviewed for this project said that they felt alone and that nobody understood what they were feeling. Their responses were used in writing a newspaper-style story about how these adolescents have adjusted to American culture, while still maintaining the Indian values and expectations being taught to them at home.