Birds of same Feather Flock Together

I always thought that if I had not entered the engineering field I would have been in the field of human psychology, knowing how interested I am in observing people's behavior. I have been lucky enough to visit a few countries around the globe and notice the behaviors of people of different origins. Basic human psychology made me find the similarities between all these people and astonishingly there are many traits that are common to one and all. Even though we belong to completely different races (I am not a racist!), different backgrounds, different geological locations etc, I guess there are a few things which are human(e) and nothing can really change these traits.

I used to think that it was just Indian mentality to search for fellow Indians as soon as he enters foreign land. But, I noticed in many gatherings that people belonging to the same nationality flock together and have a tendency of forming individual groups. These groups usually do not allow many foreigners (people whose motherland they are occupying) to enter unless they are married or are really really close to one of the group members. This is just a rare occurrence.

I have found that these groups sometimes get divided into sub-groups with members who consider themselves next to kin and want to always hang out together. The similarities occur by consequence of either the husbands or the wives working together or if not either of the 2 then the kids going to the same school. It is interesting to also note that once these members come together (by way of one of the above stated reasons) the rest of the consequences happen as though they were meant to be, and intensifies the closeness of the relationship further.

Some of the things that these groups commonly indulge in:
1) Weekly Friday night get-togethers at one member's place with the rotation happening every week. These get-togethers are meant to be stress-relievers for the breadwinners in terms of catching up with their close ones (away from home) and having a complete night-out. The men get their favorite wine and the women are able to display their culinary skills by trying out different dishes and getting appreciative words from co-members.
2) Sometimes the Friday night get-togethers extend to Saturday night if all the members find themselves free and are ready to play a game and have gourmet dinner prepared by the excellent chefs at home. The menu usually changes to different international cuisines each week to have a variety on everybody's platter. If not a game then maybe a Blockbuster movie that requires unanimous votes from all the group members (otherwise the person who chose the movie might get beaten up).
3) During the week, the men and the women get to meet each other at work if they are in the same company. The women exchange recipes they found really interesting over the phone and the kids get to play with each other once in a while. There are email forwards to show that each person has not forgotten the other.
4) If there is a long weekend coming up in a particular month, there are huge plans made in advance, only to find that when the long weekend does come, the members' routine doesn't change one bit. Even if it did, there would probably be short trips to "beautiful" locations, in which case each family would carry their part of the lunch with them and once the location is reached, a nice spot is chosen for the food to be laid and attacked upon. After that a few games are played and the luggage is packed to drive back home.
5) Birthdays are another common meeting occasions. Most times the victims (person whose birthday it is) are given a surprise by other members and have to act as if it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him/her. How many times can you surprise a person with the same reason!
6) Ethnic festivals, even if not celebrated back home, are celebrated with grandeur. It is an occasion for each member to boast about how they used to enjoy the same festivals with their parents while they were kids (Come on! Grow up people!). The new generation kids are given a historical explanation of what is supposed to be done so that the tradition carries on.
7) If any one of the families is going back to visit his homeland, then it is party time for the rest of the group. They can get all that they wanted from their real relatives back home and this person is obliged to get it all (isn't that part of the closeness they have shared). Besides the individual items, there are sweets and savories that he must get for each of the other members.
8) The group grows by spreading their wings farther. New members having similar backgrounds are added once in a while and are introduced to the basic rules. These new members are made comfortable pretty soon by the veterans and it is made sure that they enjoy the gatherings, so that there is no shortcomings.

Having said all that, I must say that these micro-groups are much better than relatives. They share a relationship that is beyond give and take and also doesn't involve much expectations. Even if one member is ill or is any trouble, everybody else is there to help. That is the basis that these groups really carry on. The help and the understanding is mutual. They are all-weather friends unlike some relatives who are just fair-weather friends.