Hello out there
Well, well, well, I guess I decided to join the blogsphere to see what's out there. As a self-proclaimed lurker of blogs, I thought on this lazy Thursday morning at work (yes, I'm here even though it's a holiday week) why not start this out. Not too sure if anyone would read this, but hey, at least it'll give me a space to record my thoughts and maybe even develop my skills as a writer.
A lil about me. I'm in SF and trying my best to love this city. Why do you ask? It seems as though no matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the Bay Area. I grew up around here, so that made me stuck here until 18. Went to a local UC (more closer to Sacramento but still within close driving distance). After I graduated, I joined Teach for America as an opportunity to get outta CA, and they put me right back into the Bay (lived in Oakland, which I must say is CA's biggest secret-more later about that). Went to graduate school in NYC, fell in love with a boy who became my world so much so that when we broke up, I realized that I didn't know a soul in the big apple and came back here. Don't get me wrong, SF has it's charms (no snow, cool summers, great food), but there are some not so great things (bad public transportation, being stuck around the same people, etc.) I guess one of the biggest perks is that I have a job at a lil nonprofit working with kids that I adore. Yeah, I said I was bored at work, but hey, don't we have some down time. Also, I'm blessed to have a great family and friends but won't bore you with that yet.
I guess another reason why I thought, why not record my thoughts in cyberspace is that, like I mentioned earlier, I'm a total lurker. Actually, the only blogs I tend to lurk are the South Asian ones. As you might have guessed, I'm Indian and in spite of growing up in this multicultural mecca, I have no South Asian friends. I have friends from all different backgrounds, ages, etc, but can't seem to manage to get SA friends that I trust. Maybe it comes from years of being tokenized, or maybe because I'm not a doctor or a lawyer, or maybe because that SA's are so similar to me that I need to differentiate myself. Who knows? I guess their blogs about being South Asian give me some insights into some of my own cultural dealings I'm going through (I should mention that I'm a trained therapist although I am not working as one now). I guess it helps me cope with the "bicultural strain" (like that word-it's actually a clinical term) that I'm feeling. I'm not expecting that the blogs I lurk to read this, but hey, who knows.
So begins this journey. Let's see where this ride takes me...
A lil about me. I'm in SF and trying my best to love this city. Why do you ask? It seems as though no matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the Bay Area. I grew up around here, so that made me stuck here until 18. Went to a local UC (more closer to Sacramento but still within close driving distance). After I graduated, I joined Teach for America as an opportunity to get outta CA, and they put me right back into the Bay (lived in Oakland, which I must say is CA's biggest secret-more later about that). Went to graduate school in NYC, fell in love with a boy who became my world so much so that when we broke up, I realized that I didn't know a soul in the big apple and came back here. Don't get me wrong, SF has it's charms (no snow, cool summers, great food), but there are some not so great things (bad public transportation, being stuck around the same people, etc.) I guess one of the biggest perks is that I have a job at a lil nonprofit working with kids that I adore. Yeah, I said I was bored at work, but hey, don't we have some down time. Also, I'm blessed to have a great family and friends but won't bore you with that yet.
I guess another reason why I thought, why not record my thoughts in cyberspace is that, like I mentioned earlier, I'm a total lurker. Actually, the only blogs I tend to lurk are the South Asian ones. As you might have guessed, I'm Indian and in spite of growing up in this multicultural mecca, I have no South Asian friends. I have friends from all different backgrounds, ages, etc, but can't seem to manage to get SA friends that I trust. Maybe it comes from years of being tokenized, or maybe because I'm not a doctor or a lawyer, or maybe because that SA's are so similar to me that I need to differentiate myself. Who knows? I guess their blogs about being South Asian give me some insights into some of my own cultural dealings I'm going through (I should mention that I'm a trained therapist although I am not working as one now). I guess it helps me cope with the "bicultural strain" (like that word-it's actually a clinical term) that I'm feeling. I'm not expecting that the blogs I lurk to read this, but hey, who knows.
So begins this journey. Let's see where this ride takes me...
20 Comments:
At Tue Jan 02, 09:04:00 AM PST , tamasha said...
I am totally using "bi-cultural strain" from now on. Awesome.
SF seems to be a whole city full of SA bloggers - it's insane! I'm psyched to have another one who seems to be in a similar field. I'd love to read about your TFA experiences.
Happy New Year!
At Tue Jan 02, 09:04:00 AM PST , tamasha said...
P.S. My blogger account is wack, so it doesn't show my profile, but you know where to find me. ;)
At Tue Jan 02, 09:10:00 AM PST , Ganesh said...
welcome to blogging! as someone who often thinks of moving to the bay area (most likely) oakland, what's the desi progressive scene like in the arts or in activism? is it pretty small (which i've heard) or fairly robust?
At Tue Jan 02, 10:52:00 AM PST , brown sugar said...
Ohmigod-my two favorite bloggers actually commented! Thanks guys for making my morning :-)
At Tue Jan 02, 11:47:00 AM PST , tamasha said...
Brooklyn Brown, we're on a roll!
At Tue Jan 02, 01:24:00 PM PST , brimful said...
The best guarantee to getting readership is to comment on blogs, so that we know you're out there. And since you have, I'm lucky enough to discover another Bay Area South Asian! Welcome!
By the by, I personally think the Desi Progressive Scene in the Bay Area is pretty small, but I would love to be proven wrong.
At Tue Jan 02, 03:33:00 PM PST , brown sugar said...
Totally true Brimful, not much as far as Desi progressiveness here in the Bay, but working on changing that...
At Tue Jan 02, 06:11:00 PM PST , mariposa said...
Hello suga,
Welcome to blog-o-land! Yay, another SA blogger to add to my daily reading. I'm in SF too - I don't see too many desis around, except when I'm on the Fremont BART train :)
At Wed Jan 03, 12:20:00 PM PST , brown sugar said...
Thanks all for writing-it means a lot. Let's hope that I can add to this wonderful blogging community :-)
At Wed Jan 03, 03:34:00 PM PST , chick pea said...
welcome miss sugar.. the blog world is fantastic.. it truly made these past 2 years simply incredible...
At Tue Jan 09, 03:53:00 PM PST , IslandGirl said...
I'm a little late, but just discovered your blog. Welcome! I just started blogging as well =)
At Sun Jan 21, 03:41:00 PM PST , Anonymous said...
that's what u get for going out with a white boy.
At Thu Jan 25, 09:32:00 PM PST , Anonymous said...
hi! well, i actually think the bay area progressive desi scene is not that small ... i know a TON of south asian people in SF who are involved in non-profit work and who can wear the "activist" label way better than i can. i just think they/we aren't well connected -- there's a need for better networking. every time i meet another cool progressive desi, they say, "i thought i was the only one!" i do agree, though, that it seems like there aren't really many desis around. can't be true, though, judging by my acquaintance list. :) anyhoo. i've been here 5 years and it still doesn't feel like home ...
At Wed Jan 31, 04:03:00 PM PST , Chai said...
hey! just found your blog..and wanted to give you delayed welcome. am excited to read your haps in sf.
At Tue Feb 06, 04:34:00 PM PST , Anonymous said...
Well it seems like you've been welcomed to the blogsphere by fellow SF SA bloggers. And I'm another one although a lil south of SF... although originally made my home in Noe... which I miss much.
Anyways I'll keep reading, and hopefully as time has it hopefully all of us will get together :).
At Thu Feb 08, 12:27:00 PM PST , brown sugar said...
agk:
I agree with you. There is a Desi Progressive scene here, but it's a little hard to break into sometimes when you don't know the right people. I wish there were more networking opportunities here...
chai:
Thanks for stopping by. I've actually lurked your blog, too. Love reading about my favorite city NYC :-).
LS:
Thanks for stopping by, too! It would be great to meet up with other bloggers! I LOVE Noe Valley, especially the cute little bead shop, Lovejoys, all the restaurants, and of course the view of the city on the J.
At Thu Feb 08, 12:31:00 PM PST , brown sugar said...
Oops, forgot about anon:
Actually I've never been out (or actually have done anything) with a white boy (white girls-different story).
At Thu Feb 08, 01:38:00 PM PST , ma said...
Hey! Just found your blog through chai. I'm in SF too, glad to find you.
At Sun Feb 25, 10:13:00 AM PST , confused, single and brown said...
hey, came across your blog very randomly. its somewhat comforting to know that there are other canadian/american born indians out there who are going through similar issues (as terrible as that might sound!)
welcome!
At Sat Mar 17, 10:41:00 AM PDT , raghu said...
you have another loyal reader :D
yes I'm very loyal a reader.
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