One of the many reasons I love to travel is because it allows me to gain new perspectives — no matter if the travel is as near as the other side of Central Park or Long Island, or as far away as Tokyo. Two weeks ago, while I was in Seoul, the Oscars were taking place in LA. I don’t plan my life around the Oscars — in fact, as many of you know by now, I don’t even watch that many movies — but I do enjoy watching the production that is the Oscars. Due to the time difference in Seoul, I was already in a morning meeting while the stars were walking down the red carpet. I asked the client I was with (a young girl in her late twenties) if the Oscars would be shown on prime time TV that night in Seoul. She looked at me and asked, “Will the what be on?” I proceeded to say the Oscars, you know, the Academy Awards, movies, Slumdog Millionaire? With every word, she became more and more confused. I shrugged it off and went along with the day. No one in any of my six meetings that day had a clue as to what I was talking about. I figured I would at least find some information in the papers the next day; at least something — best movie, worst dressed — but nothing. I thought, well, maybe in Tokyo there will be more talk. Later that week in Tokyo — nothing. I was slightly stunned! This made me stop and think. Half a world away from where I was, the United States was learning Bollywood dancing and downloading “Jai Ho” faster than they could sing it. I know my friends in NY, and especially those in LA, would not be able to comprehend that the silver screen does not translate to every language. No red carpet, no anything. Perhaps the lack of Oscar fever is due to the fact that the big Hollywood releases come out much later in different parts of the world. Or perhaps, simply put, Hollywood and its blockbuster films are just not as all-consuming around the globe as they are in the United States. When you listen to the commentary at events like the Oscars or the Super Bowl, you begin to think that all the world leaders have stopped their lives to watch when, in reality, the whole world really doesn’t care what’s going on in Hollywood or other local communities. It also made me think of all the amazing events around the world that I may never experience — or even know about. But maybe, thanks to this new perspective, I’ll keep my eyes open to learn more about what’s going on outside my own sphere, and I’ll learn something fantastic! -Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher