So now that my eight required blogs for class are completed and published I can blog at my whim, chatting aimlessly about whatever it is that catches my attention. Don't get me wrong, this country is amazing but I am getting the sense that Argentines, Or at least people from Buenos Aires have a tendency towards the dramatics. Nearly the entire city is shut down because of the swine flu (excuse me, H1N1, or as they call it here Gripe Porcina). And I am not talking about older people or children, young, (assumedly) healthy people wearing masks on the subte, buying [View Full Entry]

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Drunken Voting? The market at San Telmo is bustling, crowded and over flowing with tourists and locals (ok, mostly tourists) every Sunday. Every Sunday except this Sunday. While not exactly a ghost town, Buenos Aires was definitely a few notches lower on the volume and density, including the San Telmo market. Stores and cafes were all closed because it was Election Day. In the States the Presidential elections don’t cause this much of a change, especially not in such a large city. But this was only a congressional election and it looked at if the entire city had locked itself away. [View Full Entry]

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Somewhere In Between Latin America is a 2nd/3rd world continent. False. PARTS of Latin America are 3rd world. Absolutely, undeniably true. But strange that other parts are very 1st world. No one would deny that the Hotel in Buzios, Brazil was first class: pool, sauna, the functioning plumbing and everything. Modern high-rises in Rio de Janeiro, and the Copacabana Palace with prices my fat American wallet couldn’t dream of affording. And all of this is in stark contrast to the Favellas not a mile away. Even better, driving to our boat tour of the Buzios beaches in a Mercedes van, nex [View Full Entry]

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Taxis: Part Two If I had to make a list of my favorite things in Argentina I would include things like the Market at San Telmo, Buying fruit or pastries on the street, futbol games and probably most strangely, Taxis. My first time in a taxi was in Argentina and I wonder if these are a good representation of taxis around the world. What I do know is that they are a great way to explore both physically and theoretically a country that I continue to struggle to wrap my mind around. First would be that Argentina is a country of [View Full Entry]

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Perceptions in Latin America and the United States I saw a film at LASA about censorship in Cuba that actually talked very little about censorship in Cuba. Instead it explored the very nature of censorship, including the idea of self-censorship. This corresponded quite nicely with a conversation I had with Jake over dinner the night before about perceptions. I believe overall the film, Jake and I agreed that some degree of self-censorship occurs and should occur to maintain a balance within society. What we didn’t discuss was that perceptions are very much culturally based and theref [View Full Entry]

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A People Behind Bars Two things, soccer and politics, have appeared to shape the culture and city of Buenos Aires and seem to inspire passion and frequently violence among the people often leaving tangible impacts on the city. It should be noted that there are character traits of large cities that I am generally unaware of, and as such my ability to compare is limited to my brief time in Atlanta and years of suburbia. Visually what struck me first about the city was the jailed look of the buildings. There are bars on the windows, bars on the doors, even [View Full Entry]

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A new kind of Equation: If Fireworks=pride and pride=sense of identity then the Greater the fireworks the greater the sense of identity “Fireworks take many forms to produce the four primary effects: noise, light, smoke, and floating materials (confetti for example).”-A simple and effective definition taken from the ever-reliable Wikipedia, fireworks are just that and provide entertainment to people of all ages. Further more they are a nearly universal symbol of celebration, from China to the United States and yes finally to Argentina. For most Americans it is safe to say the i [View Full Entry]

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Taxi: Part One We talk about the lack of confidence the Argentine people have in the economy and the government all of the time. To the point that sometime we forget to recognize how far Argentina has come as a country. It would be easier to talk about tourism or exports as a sign of confidence and growth of the country. However it is my guess that most people, unless directly involved in said industries don’t know or care very much about these topics. Instead I think it would be interesting to do a study of something that relates to the [View Full Entry]

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Soccer as an Identity: Good or Bad This is a topic that deserves far greater coverage than a 300 word individual blog. However, my discussion of this question will be based purely on my personal observations or conversations and as such is inherently under informed. The club Ferro is not the most well known team and nor was their rival that day, and neither team was vying for a title r award. Rather this was an ordinary team playing an ordinary game. But you would not have known that from the fan’s section of the stadium. They sang and jumped and [View Full Entry]

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