3 ms·

How would you compare your experience of being Asian (granted, American-born) in California versus Carnegie Mellon/adjacent cities? I'm interested to hear more

• bobbiechen 3y ago
  At CMU, I was really in a student bubble and spent almost all of my time on campus or with other students. Within that bubble, it was very similar indeed. There is significant opportunity to hang out with mainly-Asian groups/student orgs, and even to primarily speak Chinese (mainly among international students), etc. The article mentions apps like Fantuan, but even before the apps, there were WeChat groups where people would group order Chinese food from a restaurant, and it was delivered by van directly to campus. I hear from friends in places where Asians are a much tinier minority (e.g. Duke in North Carolina, the Midwest, or Texas), and it sounds like a very different experience - lonelier, being othered, harder to find e.g. Asian groceries, etc. I can't speak from personal experience, as I've only lived in more mixed metros (LA, NY, and SF). I think the article contains accurate descriptions of students being curious and taking their opportunity to explore in the US. Mainland China has a very different culture from the US, and it is hard to adjust (in both directions). Vincent's story feels more dramatic than average, but it's still believable.