If you somehow still thought that being in Santiago meant being worlds away from civilization, think again. And Michael Jackson's death is a great example not only of how well connected I am here to what's happening in the world, but also to how global of audience he managed to reach.
How I heard: Thursday night I finished my Ethnolinguistics test, walked into the hallway and was greeted with the news by 2 of my classmates. Now my head was already spinning because it was 7:30 pm and that was no easy exam, so when they told me I didn't quite believe it and it took until I arrived back to my apartment to actually wrap my head around it. Once I did get back, it's the first thing both my host mom and sister said to me.
How I would have figured it out anyway: This whole weekend, he/his music have been everywhere, as I'm sure is the case back in the US. MTV, Vh1, and E! have been playing tributes all weekend long, ditto local radio stations here, and even the news and music on the Metro has been MJ themed.
How I know people here care: In addition to the daytime media coverage, the nightlife has also been all about the music of Michael Jackson. Friday night, we went to a new club as part of an end-of-the-semester evening, and the electronica/remixes and reggaeton music returned multiple times to a Beat It/Billie Jean/Don't Stop Til You Get Enough sequence. Then last night we hit up a nice salsateca (club specifically for salsa dancing) and about 2 am they jumped from salsa into Thriller and Black or White, followed by Madonna and some reggaeton before moving back into salsa.
So from South America and the rest of the global community, descanse en paz Michael Jackson. Le echarémos de menos.
Hi, we're sitting around the office with Karelia; she's back from Brazil! We're missing you and looking at the great pix on your blog.
ReplyDeleteAnup wants to learn how to sandboard. Will you teach him?
Let us know when you're back in town!