On a more serious note, Argentina is a very complex and interesting place. One of these complexities is the fact that poverty is very apparent in Buenos Aires specifically. About 40-45 percent of the population lives in poverty. Part of the reason is due to the economic crisis that occurred in 2001. Families who were middle class were critically affected and they became impoverished. With a population of 40 million you can imagine how many poor that would be. A consequence of all these poor people are the "villas miserias".
The villa miseria literally translates to misery village. The best explanation for it is a shanty town. They are sometimes set up in areas where poeple normally wouldn't live. One of the biggest is near the domestic airport on the highway. This defintely explains why I saw some rundown areas when I first came to Buenos Aires. Supposedly these places are havens of crime and should never be entered. Also many people from these shanty towns come into the city to work. Many have carts and dig through garbage to find recyclables for money. It is an oddity, since wealth and culture clashes with poverty and desperation-especially in historical areas. Very close to the national house of government I snapped this picture on a bus tour of the city:
It says Guerra Social, or Social War. It is very apparent that many Argentines are not satisfied with the government and the current administration. Signs of politcal disatisfaction are very apparent in the graffitti, and it is extreme in my mind becuase sometimes the graffitti is on various historical statues and even some buildings.
Despite this there is alot of history. Here is the national house of government Casa Rosada. Many events happened here and many times in the past politicians, like the famous Juan and Eva Peron, spoke from the balcony for poltical rallies. The other picture is the House of Congress.
The next pictue is the nighborhood of La Boca. There are many colorful houses, and art galleries, as well as some tango performances. However, on the coast is the river Riachuelo, which has been polluted greatly by factories up the river. This causes a bad smell to be present in the barrio. Also, it has caused many of the poor to take residence in La Boca because the rich do not want to stay near the river. However, there are plans to redevelop the area and to clean the river.
On a more personal side, there are two things that I am becoming aware of. The first is the realization that I have never had an expereince like this is regards to my race. In the US, I am looked at as being black but people ignore me and go about their business. Here in Argentina, I get stared at contsantly with a look of curioisty. I was taking the subaway two days ago, and this older lady was standing in front of me. While she stood there, she glanced at me for a second, and then she glanced again for a little longer then usual and stared at me in the face. I mean yeah, it is only staring, but it does make one feel uncomfotable. However, it doesn't stop me from doing what I need to do-it is just very different since I am an "oddity" here in one regard.
The other is my use of Spanish. I can understand alot of what is said if it is said at a moderate speed. I also can also read and write it decently. However, I never realized how uncomfortable I could when I need to speak in Spanish and I don't know the person. I think it maybe the fear of making mistakes. And the last strange part is when I need to talk about something important that I feel passionate about, I can speak without really thinking too long about what I need to say. It's kind of weird, but I hope I can quit worrying so much and just say what I need to say.
Anyways, I have my last orientation tomorrow and I will see where I will be taking my classes. Right now though, I am abit tired so good night!
-Hasta Luego
