Transcendental. It was an every day occurrence, I'm sure. The first time I've witnessed it though. Normally when I'm on the bus on my way to school I love looking out the window at everyone out on the streets going about their lives, shopping, working, strolling, whatever. It's very comforting in the morning, especially when I loathe the idea of going to school. Makes me happy.
When I got on the bus this morning most of the front seats were full, or had at least one person in the seat, and my lumbering backpack and satchel need a seat for themselves. In the back there was a seat facing backwards, I took it. Across from me in the large, four-seat area was a slightly big Latin American man. Behind him was a black man. Nothing special. Spain is full of immigrants and diverse cultures. One of the next stops a Spanish woman got on, probably in her 40s. She sat across from the Latin American man, in the four-seater. On one of the next stops a family of Asian background came in. They headed back to us, where there was room. The man sat next to me, and the woman propped up their baby in the seat next to the Latin American man. The baby was having some troubles sitting down properly. The Latin American offered to move across the way, right next to the Spanish woman, so the mother could sit next to her baby. My heart warmed up (and the baby was so cute too). So there was the mother, the baby, the Latin American, and the Spanish woman all sitting in the four-seater (two seats face forward and two seats face backwards⎯ ideal when you have a group and want to talk).
The Spanish woman abruptly gets up and moves to the front of the bus, where she takes a now vacant seat. The father who was sitting next to me moves next to the Latin American, to be closer to the family. The woman and the baby are eating some snacks. I smile. More people get on the bus. An American girl sits down next to the black guy. The front of the bus is full of Spaniards. We, the “foreigners,” all fill up the back.
I laugh but am also saddened by the Spanish woman. It is true, Spain is still a very racist, prejudiced country. My Spanish friends call the convenience stores (properly, in Spanish, alimentación) chinacos, since usually they are owned by Asians. I prefer the shorter, non-racist/generalizing term, ali. Many times I’d be walking with Monica and Kristine, both of Korean descent (Kristine actually having been born in Korea), and we received shouts of “ni hao.” Even better, as we ignored them and continued walking, “konnichiwa.”
I was in Carrefour once, a French-owned supermarket here, waiting in line behind two Romanians. The cashier had told them the total and they were gathering coinage to pay for it, but there was a misunderstanding, as the Romanians were speaking Romanian and not Spanish. They figured it out, rather easily, and the two men were off. Once they were out of earshot and the cashier was scanning my food, she was talking to the Spanish woman behind me. She complained, protesting that they should speak Spanish if they’re in Spain, that she can’t/won’t understand them otherwise. Then she proceeded to call them gilipollas (more or less, jerk/jack-ass). Everyone has heard this same tired rhetoric before in the States. Close minded people continually say “They’re in our country, they should learn our language” (for a perfect take on this, I recommend the wonderful season 7 Simpsons’ episode, Much Apu About Nothing⎯”You know what really aggrivases me? Is ‘dem immigints. They want all the benefits of livin’ in Springfield, but they ain’t even bothered to learn themselves the language.” “Yeah, those are exactly my sentimonies!”).
Alas, ignorance is every (at least from my experience, it’s definitely in both Spain and the States), and it saddens me to see such discrimination all around me. The more I stay here, I keep saying, the more liberal I get. By the time I return I’m sure I’ll be so far left I’ll be giving Gandhi a run for his money. But I don’t like to think of it in such crude political terms. I feel the more I’m here, the more I’m becoming a person, the most I’m creating my essence, as Jean-Paul Sartre would say. I’m shedding any prejudices or perceived notions I may have had. I’m being to understand the world just a little bit more.
In Casablanca (absolutely one of my favorite films of all time⎯if you haven’t ever seen it, go watch it now), Rick, Captain Renault, and Major Strasser are sitting at a table in Rick’s Café. Major Strasser is asking Rick about his history, and asks him what his nationality is. Rick replies “I’m a drunkard.” To which Captain Renault quips, “That makes Rick a citizen of the world.” Rick answers Major Stasser’s original question, “I was born in New York City if that will help you any.”
I was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin if that will help you any.
Like Rick, I’m a citizen of the world. I’m reminded of John Lennon’s ever-so-famous song Imagine.
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
I’m sick of nationalism impeding progress. We’ll never evolve as a species if we don’t realize that we’re all humans. People are so stuck up on being American or Spanish or French or whatever, to quote the greatest-comedian-to-ever-live Bill Hicks “It’s a round world last time I checked.” There’s nothing wrong being proud of where you’re from⎯don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Wisconsin⎯but the way people close themselves off from the rest of humanity because of their tiny minds, I just can’t stand it. It sickens me.
I’m disappointed in myself that it took me this long to actually come to this conclusion. Sure, I knew it in the back of my head all this time, and I’ve always believed in equality, but I suppose Spain has been my catalyst in forming my beliefs. It’s just a little depressing that not everyone gets these opportunities to see the world and have a greater understanding of what it means to be a part of the world community, what it means to be a human being, and not just an American, not just a Spaniard. I look forward, as Lennon did, to the day where there are no more countries, when we’re all one.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
⎯Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad
