From The Peopling of New York City

I interviewed a young adult South Asian that I met hanging with some of his friends outside the movie theater.

He's actually a political science major at Hunter College, coincidentally enough.

The interview really confirmed what we said in class about the importance of family in South Asian culture. The interview shows how close they are to their family as they grow up. It also answers the questions that my group for the social map had. We were confused when a shop owner was so surprised that Beth didn't live with her parents. Here we see it is because it is custom to live with your parents until you are married.

How old are you?

-I am 22

Where were you born?

-I was born in Nepal.

When did you move here?

-I moved here, uh, ’91. That was when I was 5 years old.

Who do you live with right now?

-I live with my family.

Which consists of…?

-My mom, dad, brother, and sister.

When do you plan on moving out?

-When I get married. Probably 3, 4 years from now.

Do you spend a lot of time with your family?

-Yes.

What do you do with your family? Like activities.

-Well, we have dinner together.

You eat dinner together every night?

-Yeah. And we watch, uh, movies together as well.

So would you say you’re really close to your family?

-Yes.

How old are your brother and sister?

-My brother is 24. My sister is 16.

Do you spend time with them because you want to or because you have to?

-Like, am I being forced to spend time with them?

Do your parents expect you to?

-No.

So you hang out with them because you want to?

-Yeah.

Ok. Thank you very much.

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Amelia Blackwood