# Do you avoid your peeps like the plague? If so why?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-your-peeps-like-the-plague-if-so-why/290547>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 17, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-your-peeps-like-the-plague-if-so-why/290547 "2005-02-17T15:20:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-your-peeps-like-the-plague-if-so-why/290547/101 "2005-02-21T08:09:40Z")

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My small input. I have spent a lot of time abroad, and I seem to have the same attitude too. I try to adapt to the local customs as much as possible and when I meet a group of American tourists I usually try to not speak English. If you are an American abroad and you speak English in front of other tourists then you immediately get hit up for a conversation. Not fun. I can understand your problem. Your peeps. Just because they are Korean doesn’t mean you have any kind of reason to hang with them. You seem to be American by cultural standards, so why pretend otherwise.

Put it this way. At least you don’t live in Korea. I know several Asians who are Amercian culturally but have gone to asia and they had a hard time. In China at least they didn’t understand how they didnt’ speak Chinese.

So I guess my point is to hang out with those you feel a connection with

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**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-your-peeps-like-the-plague-if-so-why/290547/102 "2005-02-21T13:16:20Z")

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I try to, but damn, there’s just so many of them here!

I’ve spent a few years abroad, in the UK and Germany, and in both places I conscientiously avoided my peeps, for pretty much the same reasons **anaamika** mentions. Most of those I met were nosy (why are you not married yet?), judgemental (why my _hindi_ is so bad is none of your bloody business) and irritatingly insular - if I’m going to be living in a foreign country for an extended period of time, I _want_ to assimilate a bit, dammit!

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**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-your-peeps-like-the-plague-if-so-why/290547/103 "2005-02-21T13:22:01Z")

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I should mention that I have a hard time here in India as well. My discomfort with social norms in India is probably a result of my upbringing, which was distinctly not traditional Indian. I don’t identify easily with most of my fellow citizens.

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