Every time I travel outside of the U.S., it amazes me just how big our cultural footprint is on the rest of the world. Many of my conversations with natives include questions about American movies, politics (if something really good is going on) and music.
I cannot tell you how many crazy American songs that I hear in stores, on public transportation, and in people’s homes. (I don’t think I have ever gone to someone’s residence without them showcasing their knowledge of American music via playlist! For the record, many of the songs can be caught on one of those throwback VH-1 countdowns..)
So it only makes since that Michael Jackson show up somewhere, right? Well, I guess but in Colombia this dude is in such random places. On my very first bus ride to training, I see a wall tag that read, “Michael Jackson Lives.” I made a mental note and thought to myself, “It’s good to see the respect is here in Barranquilla.”
Last week, my trainer and I took my laundry on a tour of the city. (I will explain in another post.) As we were riding the bus, I hear some notes and told my trainer, “I think this is Michael Jackson.” My trainer was a little unsure; but as soon as the beat played, it was confirmed that someone did a Spanish cover of I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. Now, I had to start laughing because this is the second time the Pop King has appeared, and I am a believer in the 3 incident rule.
What could possibly be next? A t-shirt? An album? A painting?
Well, a week later I received my answer. At my trainer’s birthday party, my trainer was the DJ/Selecta/Turntable Master (via computer). About halfway into the evening, We Are the World begins blasting through the subwoofer on the patio. I wasn’t expecting it, but maybe MJ wasn’t either. What if he would’ve headed south to Colombia for a little R&R? I still might be watching him live on the concert channel in Barranquilla….
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