Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

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The initial “Ohmigod, I’m in Argentina” feeling has left me long ago. Some days are excellent and some just plain stressful. Here’s one that had the best (and worst) of both worlds: I was invited to go ski at Penitentes, a ski station right near the Chilean border and the highest mountain in all of the Americas: Aconcagua. I hadn’t planned to ride anymore due to a little thing called money; however I was invited by some locals here, and couldn’t pass up my first invitation to spend the day with only Argentines.

After renting some excellent skis and boots for just 120 $AR on Friday night, I contemplated the utter infallibility of my plan. Saturday morning dawned without a cloud in the sky and I met a new neighbor, who literally lives across the wall from me (I had no idea she existed). Thank god for friends who can introduce me to my own neighbors. The crew was Juan, Marcos, Florencia, and myself. Penitentes beckoned after the series of storms that moved through last week. What could go wrong?

I saw my first Andean Condor on the drive up, taking it as another good sign. We arrived only to find that the ski rental place had literally unscrewed the heelpiece on my skis for the boots to fit. After renting some smaller boots (80 $AR) and buying my ticket (100 $AR), I was more than ready to shred. First run was amazing: amazing weather, good people, and excellent snow. Sadly, my first run was my only run. I got to the bottom, but my lift ticket did not. The staff would not give me a new ticket (even with the receipt) and instead wanted to search for it up on the mountain. Paying 300 pesos for one run, put me in quite the mood. The free beer at the bottom was taken advantage of. Not the best day fiscally, but being in the mountains with good friends was enough for me.

Classes have officially started at Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, and let me say that college is not easy in Spanish. My courses are Psychology of Personality, General Theory of Education, and two classes with the IFSA-Butler program: Spanish and Regional Development.

Despite some ill-spent money and difficult adjustments to university, I am finally realizing what it means for me to be here. In this world, 77%!o(MISSING)f human beings live in poverty. 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day. What an amazing opportunity and privilege it is to be here! Argentine has shown me how amazingly lucky I am to live in America and have the family that I do. But it has also revealed to me America’s serious faults. People forget to enjoy absolutely every moment of the blessed lives they have. Constantly being focused on consuming and material success has taken the joy out of many, and erased the beauty of human interaction, food, music, and nature.

Argentina has shown me poverty like I have never seen before although it is not a third world county by any means. I believe I remember reading that 30%!o(MISSING)f the population of Mendoza lives in poverty. That is a lot of young people who don’t have a lot of options. Where do people turn when there is no education? To the guns, the crime, and the drugs. If people want to eradicate crime, they first must address poverty. Imprisonment has never worked and never will. The issue is unbelievably complicated and although religion and government have tried to find a solution, they have all failed. As a single human being, I feel lost and helpless when contemplating poverty on such a huge scale. In a few decades, the world will have 1 billion more people, but the same amount of resources to offer. I’m no economist, but the future seems quite bleak to me. People must change radically and consume less if there is to be any hope for humanity. If we don’t destroy ourselves, nature will inevitably reply to our exploitation and destruction of the Earth.

But, as Capleton (the prophet) says, “as long as I live I give and forgive… never forget to do the good I can.” I will try to do the little good I can, and work with some youths here in Mendoza. Through the exchange program, I have the opportunity to do volunteer work, and I plan to take full advantage of it.

You all have taken a little time out of your lives to read my blog, and so I only ask for a little bit more. I would highly recommend watching the following video...

...and reading the following speech (shared by Garrett, a good friend):

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/notes.php?id=701747618

Think about the amazing lives you all have, and everyday strive to be a more conscientious human being.

My mother here gives her “saludos” to everyone out there in my life!

BIG UP, PAZ Y AMOR

Cameron

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Comments

[Uncle Jim]

Yo Cam
I love the Dickens reference on your blog entry title.