Hi Leila 🙂

You’ve already received a lot of advice, so mine will be short and sweet:

* At the same time you grind your teeth listening to strangers complain about immigrants and poorer people, you long for someone with views like yours that you could commiserate with about “snobby well-to-do” people. In that sense at least, these folks and yourself aren’t that different. Both of you turn to others with similar life perspectives to complain, which is a very human thing to do.

* Think about your goals with these people. You might be used to making friends at school, but that’s probably not your main reason for going. Consider the idea that you can make friends elsewhere in the city, and maybe find people more similar to you. Or, look for a club on campus that reflects your values. Maybe it’s okay for your peers in class to be just peers, nothing more. That might make things feel less personal for you when you’re around them.

* Some good mental-mantras for dealing with people you dislike, or disagree with:
– “I don’t have to agree with their opinions in order to appreciate other aspects about them, or for them to appreciate me. It’s okay for us to disagree.”
– “Opinions come from life experience, and ours has been different. I wonder we can be willing to learn from each other.”
– “It’s okay for me to ask for an explanation about cultural things I don’t understand, or to explain to them things they don’t understand, as long as I am respectful.”

Peace,
Jessa