question7588
New Member
First off, thanks to all who responded to some of my earlier posts when I
was waiting for my permanent residency status. Now that chapter is behind me and I am paying attention to other aspects of life, some of which have been on my mind for a while now.
I\'d like to hear from other professionals who might be in my situation. Thoughts from anyone else are welcome too:
Some background first that is essential to understanding my situation. I am a nephrologist (for the unfamiliar: kidney transplantation, kidney diseases and dialysis). Originally from India (look unmistakably like an Indian) but born, raised and trained in Finland with a Finnish wife and mixed-race children. When I visit India, which is every two years or so, people (strangers) on the street uncannily seem to guess my occupation to be a surgeon and I am treated as such. In Finland, the locals appear to perceive me to be a very well-paid executive and I was treated as such.
I have generally been treated well in America too (although I can hardly say the same about my life in Canada). However, here in this all-American state that I recently moved to, which shall remain nameless, people appear to think I work in the janitorial profession. I have often been asked if I am the janitor, most recently by four different people at my church and a couple of individuals at the hospital. There are no other people who look like me working as janitors either at the church or the hospital, so people mistaking me to be a janitor is disturbing and puzzling at the very least. (I never had this experience when I lived in California, Texas, Utah and New Jersey, where most people perceived me to be a successful immigrant speaking with a strange accent). I was never stopped by the police all these years but in this state, I have been stopped seven times in the last four months on a technicality and received six tickets.
I have also been questioned by hospital employees acting as self-appointed security guards when I am on my way to my office (e.g. by stepping right in front of you with a "May I help you!" and a should-I-be-calling-security expression on their face). At the hospitals in TX, CA, UT and NJ, I never had such problems.
What is happening here? Why am I suddenly running into these problems of often being mistaken as a janitor? More importantly, why didn\'t I ever run into this in UT/TX/NJ/CA? Why not in Utah? Thoughts?
was waiting for my permanent residency status. Now that chapter is behind me and I am paying attention to other aspects of life, some of which have been on my mind for a while now.
I\'d like to hear from other professionals who might be in my situation. Thoughts from anyone else are welcome too:
Some background first that is essential to understanding my situation. I am a nephrologist (for the unfamiliar: kidney transplantation, kidney diseases and dialysis). Originally from India (look unmistakably like an Indian) but born, raised and trained in Finland with a Finnish wife and mixed-race children. When I visit India, which is every two years or so, people (strangers) on the street uncannily seem to guess my occupation to be a surgeon and I am treated as such. In Finland, the locals appear to perceive me to be a very well-paid executive and I was treated as such.
I have generally been treated well in America too (although I can hardly say the same about my life in Canada). However, here in this all-American state that I recently moved to, which shall remain nameless, people appear to think I work in the janitorial profession. I have often been asked if I am the janitor, most recently by four different people at my church and a couple of individuals at the hospital. There are no other people who look like me working as janitors either at the church or the hospital, so people mistaking me to be a janitor is disturbing and puzzling at the very least. (I never had this experience when I lived in California, Texas, Utah and New Jersey, where most people perceived me to be a successful immigrant speaking with a strange accent). I was never stopped by the police all these years but in this state, I have been stopped seven times in the last four months on a technicality and received six tickets.
I have also been questioned by hospital employees acting as self-appointed security guards when I am on my way to my office (e.g. by stepping right in front of you with a "May I help you!" and a should-I-be-calling-security expression on their face). At the hospitals in TX, CA, UT and NJ, I never had such problems.
What is happening here? Why am I suddenly running into these problems of often being mistaken as a janitor? More importantly, why didn\'t I ever run into this in UT/TX/NJ/CA? Why not in Utah? Thoughts?
Downright waste of time.