Word: spain
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...were peacefully sitting in the bus going to Leon, a city in northern Spain, when someone suggested we all sing songs to pass the time. There was one catch: The students from each country had to sing a song distinctive of their homeland. The Russians went first and sang an old folk song. The Germans followed with a rendition of their national anthem. The Americans were next. What would we sing...
This incident evoked one of the two major epiphanies I've had while studying in Spain the last few weeks. The first had to do with those roundish sinks you find in every bathroom here (they're not for washing your feet, I learned). The second, which happened on my bus trip, had to do with what it means to be American. The two happen to be (somewhat) related. Seeing the vast differences between the United States and Spain has made me realize how alike we Americans are, whether we like...
...from a cultural divide. Americans don't have a common culture, they say; the American people comprise too many different cultures and possess too little national sentiment to sustain a single perspective (or even a single song). Certainly, something of what I've seen among my fellow Americans in Spain supports this argument. We come from very different communities; we represent different regions and ethnicities and viewpoints. My own perspective as an Asian-American male from New Jersey, for instance, is distinct from that of a fellow student in my program, who is white, bisexual and from Texas...
...diversity of the United States might seem a reason for pessimism at times: How can we communicate and live with one another when we are so different--or when we have nothing in common? This was one of the questions I pondered before going to Spain, and one which I still think about now. But my time in Spain has given me new hope that Americans can maintain a common ground on which to rest their nationhood. Ironically, going to a foreign country has taught me a great deal about...
...Francisco Giants baseball team is already using L-VIS (Live Video Insertion System, pronounced Elvis) on this season's home-game broadcasts, placing logos and ads behind home plate. ESPN is also hoping to use the system for this fall's college football games. Stations in Spain and Mexico are experimenting with even more dramatic effects, such as showcasing sponsors smack in the middle of a soccer field...