Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies for the lack of an entry this weekend! Things are getting pretty hectic for me right now and my priority is of course, finishing this semester!!!! So what's been going on in this great city? Let's see if I can relate with a hint of cohesion here.
Well on my part, I realized about a week ago that if I really try, I can be finished with the entire semester by November 25. Something that is absolutely astounding, considering the Gettysburg College calendar puts finals starting on December 13! But it's mostly because I am a foreign exchange student, and because Universidad Salvador (where I am taking classes) has students take their final exams the semester after, foreign exchange students OBVIOUSLY must take them before they leave. So, I have papers for my political science class and my literature class instead of final exams. And.....just about ten minutes ago I finished my final paper for Literature!!! The bad part about doing it this way is that, at least for Literature, I am going to have to defend my paper orally (almost like the thesis defense on a master's level, but I'm ASSUMING/hoping/praying that it's going to be a weee bit simpler because, well, they said it only had to be 8 pages!) in one week! But anyway...I'm hoping that I can get everything done, and realizing that I have only like 7 or 8 more weekends here! Where in the world did the time go???
My plans, you ask? Well next Friday afternoon will be some sort of Museum trip. Because lets face it, every tourist must hit up a few museums on the way and be cultured and classy and the like. Next Saturday and Sunday will be spent with my nose in the books. The NEXT weekend however, oh the next weekend. THAT will be spent at the RACETRACK!!!! There so happens to be a racetrack about six or seven blocks from my house WITH a casino. For anyone who doesn't know me that well, I'm an ace better and have had some pretty big victories at Freehold Raceway, not to toot my own horn or anything. But we shall see what Argentine Raceways are like! The weekend after that is Mar de Plata with the soccer team. The weekend after that is Iguazu!!! The following weekend is up in the air, the weekend after that will be homework, and the weekend after that is four days in Uruguay (if not more!!). Ines says I should go on to Montevideo and not stay in Colonia (where everyone from our program is going for Thanksgiving dinner and the director's ESTATE there), but lets face it... after 6.5 weeks of hell I'll need the beaches to relax me!!!
So, I'll be absolutely everyone wants to know what I did this weekend!!! Well, the majority of it I spent with my nose in the books, BUT...I did get out of the house! I thought it best I get some sun that did NOT come from a soccer field. So on Sunday Natalie and I ventured forth to Tigre, a town about an hour train ride from my house. Tigre, I believe, was the original site of the founding of Buenos Aires. When it failed, they moved the second site farther south. I BELIEVE, but please, don't hold me to that. It's famous for its proximity to the River Tigre and it's fruit market!! There was LOADS of stuff we could have done. Well, we took a forty five minute ride out on the river for the equivalent of 7 US $, and took lots of pictures of course. We walked around the huuuge market (but didn't see much, lets face it... we totally need a whole day to see everything. I kid you not it's just that huge), had a verrry luxurious lunch, and sat in the sun for a while. It wasn't much, but we definitely considered it a well deserved study break. I found a little shop in the market that sold old issues of the best sports magazine of the country (when I say sports, think soccer) called El Grafico, and I bought the issue when Argentinos Juniors was fighting for the Copa Libertador en 1985. I also picked up a couple of souveniers! Hope you like the picture!!
That said, my research has hit a roadblock and I'm fighting the lack of sources in this country to help me understand the development of the neighborhood. I've gone on several wild goose chases hitting up the two biggest libraries in the country and found 9 pages, a power point slide show, and a map with interesting points in the neighborhood along with several email addresses that have led to absolutely NOWHERE. My contact? The one that gave me the tour? It's been a week since he answered my email. Thinking about sending him another one. It's been difficult and really impeding my writing. I know I'll work around it somehow, though!
As for what's going on in this city? I don't know if anyone's heard about the situation with Terrabusi, the company that Kraft just bought. The situation is that, during the week this summer when much of the country shut down due to the rampant spread of Swine Flu, a portion of the workers in this factory started demanding better working conditions (b/c from what I've heard the conditions were horrible) and to be allowed the week off, just as other factories were giving their workers off. The company refused, and when those workers did not show during this week, they were counted as just not having come to work and they were fired accordingly. Now, in this country one cannot be fired without compensation of the equivalent of, I believe, two months salary. Terrabusi has ADAMANTLY refused to pay these workers there compensation and the 150 workers and their supporters have taken to the streets. Of course, they tried legal methods first, but as no one answered and the government has done nothing, the workers have begun periodically blocking the biggest route into the city, La Ruta Panamericana. It's getting critical here, people. I've been told that it isn't like the US when, if you get fired, you just look for and find another job relatively quickly. You get fired here, and you're out of work for a while.. if not permanently. This is a matter not just of principal, but it is a matter of whether or not these 150 families will be able to survive. To me, a sad example of greed on the part of Terrabusi and something the government should have been involved in a looong while ago. They intervene to bring the country their football, but not this? I have no idea where Kirchner's priorities are at.
So, that's how it is in Buenos Aires.
Well on my part, I realized about a week ago that if I really try, I can be finished with the entire semester by November 25. Something that is absolutely astounding, considering the Gettysburg College calendar puts finals starting on December 13! But it's mostly because I am a foreign exchange student, and because Universidad Salvador (where I am taking classes) has students take their final exams the semester after, foreign exchange students OBVIOUSLY must take them before they leave. So, I have papers for my political science class and my literature class instead of final exams. And.....just about ten minutes ago I finished my final paper for Literature!!! The bad part about doing it this way is that, at least for Literature, I am going to have to defend my paper orally (almost like the thesis defense on a master's level, but I'm ASSUMING/hoping/praying that it's going to be a weee bit simpler because, well, they said it only had to be 8 pages!) in one week! But anyway...I'm hoping that I can get everything done, and realizing that I have only like 7 or 8 more weekends here! Where in the world did the time go???
My plans, you ask? Well next Friday afternoon will be some sort of Museum trip. Because lets face it, every tourist must hit up a few museums on the way and be cultured and classy and the like. Next Saturday and Sunday will be spent with my nose in the books. The NEXT weekend however, oh the next weekend. THAT will be spent at the RACETRACK!!!! There so happens to be a racetrack about six or seven blocks from my house WITH a casino. For anyone who doesn't know me that well, I'm an ace better and have had some pretty big victories at Freehold Raceway, not to toot my own horn or anything. But we shall see what Argentine Raceways are like! The weekend after that is Mar de Plata with the soccer team. The weekend after that is Iguazu!!! The following weekend is up in the air, the weekend after that will be homework, and the weekend after that is four days in Uruguay (if not more!!). Ines says I should go on to Montevideo and not stay in Colonia (where everyone from our program is going for Thanksgiving dinner and the director's ESTATE there), but lets face it... after 6.5 weeks of hell I'll need the beaches to relax me!!!
So, I'll be absolutely everyone wants to know what I did this weekend!!! Well, the majority of it I spent with my nose in the books, BUT...I did get out of the house! I thought it best I get some sun that did NOT come from a soccer field. So on Sunday Natalie and I ventured forth to Tigre, a town about an hour train ride from my house. Tigre, I believe, was the original site of the founding of Buenos Aires. When it failed, they moved the second site farther south. I BELIEVE, but please, don't hold me to that. It's famous for its proximity to the River Tigre and it's fruit market!! There was LOADS of stuff we could have done. Well, we took a forty five minute ride out on the river for the equivalent of 7 US $, and took lots of pictures of course. We walked around the huuuge market (but didn't see much, lets face it... we totally need a whole day to see everything. I kid you not it's just that huge), had a verrry luxurious lunch, and sat in the sun for a while. It wasn't much, but we definitely considered it a well deserved study break. I found a little shop in the market that sold old issues of the best sports magazine of the country (when I say sports, think soccer) called El Grafico, and I bought the issue when Argentinos Juniors was fighting for the Copa Libertador en 1985. I also picked up a couple of souveniers! Hope you like the picture!!
That said, my research has hit a roadblock and I'm fighting the lack of sources in this country to help me understand the development of the neighborhood. I've gone on several wild goose chases hitting up the two biggest libraries in the country and found 9 pages, a power point slide show, and a map with interesting points in the neighborhood along with several email addresses that have led to absolutely NOWHERE. My contact? The one that gave me the tour? It's been a week since he answered my email. Thinking about sending him another one. It's been difficult and really impeding my writing. I know I'll work around it somehow, though!
As for what's going on in this city? I don't know if anyone's heard about the situation with Terrabusi, the company that Kraft just bought. The situation is that, during the week this summer when much of the country shut down due to the rampant spread of Swine Flu, a portion of the workers in this factory started demanding better working conditions (b/c from what I've heard the conditions were horrible) and to be allowed the week off, just as other factories were giving their workers off. The company refused, and when those workers did not show during this week, they were counted as just not having come to work and they were fired accordingly. Now, in this country one cannot be fired without compensation of the equivalent of, I believe, two months salary. Terrabusi has ADAMANTLY refused to pay these workers there compensation and the 150 workers and their supporters have taken to the streets. Of course, they tried legal methods first, but as no one answered and the government has done nothing, the workers have begun periodically blocking the biggest route into the city, La Ruta Panamericana. It's getting critical here, people. I've been told that it isn't like the US when, if you get fired, you just look for and find another job relatively quickly. You get fired here, and you're out of work for a while.. if not permanently. This is a matter not just of principal, but it is a matter of whether or not these 150 families will be able to survive. To me, a sad example of greed on the part of Terrabusi and something the government should have been involved in a looong while ago. They intervene to bring the country their football, but not this? I have no idea where Kirchner's priorities are at.
So, that's how it is in Buenos Aires.
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