Misunderstandings due to poor Interpersonal Communication

My family and I live in Subang since i was a baby.. However, not that i am a student in Segi University college, Kota Damansara, my parents and I decided that it was best for me to stay in the hostel.. This was to avoid complications with my transportation to college, as both my parents are working and I cant drive..

I took the smallest room in the unit and shared the room with 2 other girls.. There are 8 people living in the unit i was assigned to.. when i first met my house mates, i thanked the segi admin for assigning me to live with Indian girls... im not racist in any way.. I just felt it would be easier for me to communicate with them since we share the same culture and such.. Boy was I wrong!

They weren't friendly or welcoming at all! I felt like such an outsider..I did not feel like i belong at all... the girls made it a point to show me how unwelcome i was.. the girls in my room constantly gave me the cold shoulders.... I talked to my mom about my problem.. and she suggested i try and talk to them.. see what it is that is bothering them..

So i straighten myself out and pushed myself with what little courage i have to confront these girls.. They were the same age as i was.. however they were a lot BIGGER then i am.. nevertheless... I confronted them... I asked them properly, if there was anything i did wrong, or anything i said to offend them... Their reply were so cold and short... One of the girl, Cassie, said "Nothing, whats your problem?" .. i tried to ignore the rudeness she showed and tried again.. i told her " look cassie, im sorry if my presence here is making you feel uncomfortable, i got the message that the both of you do not welcome me and do not like me here.. what i am trying to do is, figure out why?".. i said this calmly and politely, despite the fact she was talking to me so rudely.. I think i got through to her.. because she then replied.. "I have nothing against you, i just don't like the fact that you think your better then all of us, just because your father is a doctor, so you think you speaking in tamil is not good enough for you?".... Wow... when i heard her say that.. i was totally taken aback.. i had no intentions to make them feel like im superior and above them by speaking English... so i explained to them the truth... i do not know how to speak tamil.... i speak in English because that is the only language i know fluently... i did not want to embarrass myself by speaking in language that is so foreign to me..

After clearing the air with both of my room mates.. we finally were able to get along fine.. If there is one thing i will never forget while i am in college, its the fact that, when communicating with people, i need to understand that being clear and frank about something is very important to hinder misunderstandings or misconceptions...

-Gayathri-