Speaking with Ruxana in class was an interesting experience.
I was relatively uninformed when I walked in to class, so imagine my surprise when we begin talking to a woman, not much older than we students are, that lives in Romania and has a deep passion for telenovelas.
I had been prepared to speak to Hispanics, Latinos, South Americans, and the like.
I must admit: I wasn't expecting Romania.
We had been speaking again and again about how telenovelas travel to non-Latin countries. We had examples in all our presentations and lectures (the "Betty La Fea" of Greece and Norway, for instance).
But I suppose it never really sank in just HOW MUCH the telenovela can travel until Ruxana spoke with us. It was then that I truly got the picture:
Telenovelas are EVERYWHERE.
They're more than entertainment. They're more than a force localized to the countries of origin. They're a global force that travels far and doesn't stop, reaching all corners it can.
And it's fascinating. I may never fully understand why telenovelas spread to so many varying countries, but I'll never ceased to be amazed by it either,
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It WAS really crazy to talk to someone about our age and see how they consume television. I was so surprised to learn at the end of the conversation that she was so young! She seemed a lot older to me, maybe because she seems like she has been following telenovelas for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting that she watched each and every episode, not the abridged ones. Shes really devoted to the genre. A lot of her interest could stem fron the fact that she speaks Spanish, and has a liking for the culture. I'm so jealous that she gets to interact with so many cultures in Romania, and that so many countires around her speak different languages. It's so cool.
I was not expecting someone from Romania either. To be quite honest, I wasn't even sure where Romania was located. I had to go home and look it up on a map because I am HORRIBLE with geography. I did know that it wasn't a Latin American country and the fact that she was that in touch with telenovelas was fascinating. One thing that I have learned from this class is that most of us live in our happy little American bubble and forget that these other parts of the world exist. It truly does make you take a step back and examine how big the world really is. It was interesting to hear her opinions on Romanian television and how different it is over there. I have always thought of culture as a word that merely existed to explain why people are the way they are. Talking with Ruxana taught me that culture takes an active role in everyone's life and our personal American culture can have a tendency to capture us in a bubble if we aren't careful. For Ruxana to be so educated about telenovelas from so far away does reinforce the fact that they have a global presence. I love being able to think about these things from time to time and take a deeper look into the true meaning of culture. I agree with Zak that it will never cease to amaze me!
ReplyDeleteWhat I wonder, however, is why are they not here? Do we, as Americans, lack the self discipline to watch a show EVERY night? That's the only thing I can think of. I think I would be able to do it; I have shows that I watch nearly every night, they're just different shows rather than the same one. Would they work if there were here?
ReplyDeleteI'm so amazed by it too! I just posted my experience in France where I met a lady from Mexico who was so excited about talking about telenovelas with a Chinese person!
ReplyDeleteI love how I just integrated 3 completely different cultures into one relatable thing--telenovelas!