An Indian man narrated his experience in New Zealand with racist comments and behavior, saying that, for a country he thought was multicultural, he had not felt very welcome.
A post appeared online by an Indian man who shared his terrible experience with racism in New Zealand two years after the man shifted to this country. The 29-year-old man has said that he sought a fresh start and had the “ideal image” of New Zealand.
“I had the ideal picture of NZ as welcoming and multicultural, but unfortunately, experience has not yet been very far from that. I wished to share my story and listen to others who may be in the same boat,” he wrote.
In a detailed post on Reddit, the man said he felt unwelcome in the country despite finding some good people and cited that his time here in New Zealand has been marred mainly by racist comments.
“I’ve faced more racism than I expected. From random strangers yelling stuff at me on the street to getting weird looks or rude comments at work because of my accent or appearance,” he shared.
But if he, for instance, left the house to mingle with other residents, he said people “avoid” him or treat him differently.
“Sometimes it’s subtle like people talking over me or excluding me from conversations. Other times, it’s blatant—like being told to ‘go back to where I came from,'” he added.
To acclimate himself to the local culture, he said he tried to understand Kiwi slang and be as open-minded as possible about how things work in New Zealand.
“But there are moments when it gets exhausting. I never felt like an outsider growing up in India, but here, even after two years, I feel like I don’t fully belong,” he said.
