Closeness and distance

It is not the first Central Market that I have visited in a city, nor a contemporary art museum that I have entered inside. In fact, I can boast of the CAC and Pompidue a few hours by plane from this place. It is not the first library I have visited and even though it has most of the same great works at its core, I also do not find similarity between walking through a corridor of Powel Library or others.

Nor the first tram or funicular that I have ridden for only a few meters as a tourist attraction; far from it the first skyscraper that I have climbed to its terrace, purchasing a ticket to contemplate the views from its roof. However, in all cities I disperse in the same way along their sidewalk (looking up and down their facades) while I ignore that time passes and places close. In America the time is really an important change for Europeans. Even more so for the Spanish. In my country, local stores close between 8 and 10 pm. Shopping centers and main streets at 10 pm. Normally business (brand stores included) do not open on Sundays.

Housing could also be understood as just a place to sleep but in no country that I have visited is it. In Bali everyone lives together, in Spain it depends on whether the next street is considered living with your family or not. But in America, everything is really huge and it's something they take for granted and it's a fact: space. The model home, as shown in the movies, is a very spacious house.

Perhaps this information about breadth is related to privacy and personal physical distance from others discussed at other times. Grocery stores are terrific. Lots of hallways competely full of stuff and people apologizing for passing behind you who are a meter away from you. In Spain, my local supermarket is half the size of any other store at UCLA. So, imagine how many times we would have to apologize to each other. There is one important difference: we all know each other - not just our name, but also our family names -. Who are you, who your friends are, what your interest are it’s no secret in small town of approximately 2000 inhabitants.

One feature that I love about apartment blocks in America is their emergency stairs. It seems to me something iconic and that in itself is the co-star of a shot in a movie. What about driving on wide and endless roads? Same.

In relation to taking an emergency EXIT, I have really felt Oatkland as an unsafe place last weekend. It is difficult to feel insecure in Spain. It is hard for anyone to get used to that uncertainty about whether there will be a shooting in your neighborhood today or not, and the police sirens in the streets. I honestly believe that the gun culture is a red flag of The United States.

However, people come here, emigrate and overcome contradictions on a daily basis. The challenge is not only to leave your country but to adapt to the new one.

Something that seems curious to me is that some of them become more patriotic when they go abroad. In Spain, flags are hung on balconies or facades of houses to support soccer teams. The linkage with the flag is different. In fact, politically there are those who want to make it more of one party than another. In America the flag is hung not on every corner but on every building facade - McDonalds included -.

Personally, I believe that everything is far from home for those who do not transit their area often and are lazy. The modus operandi is repeated outside the home. There are immigrants who are within this country without knowing the meaning of the American flag, nor the origin of the bagel or fried chicken. Understanding the world as something global allows you to travel through places appreciating them instead of comparing them. We should hang the flag of peace in every corner instead of creating political speeches and merchandising. It would be more effective.

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