HOLA! Today was a very interesting day in Buenos Aires, because we thought there was going to be a strike, but there did not end up being any sort of large demonstrations around the city.. I will say, it was very exciting to know that we were a part of Argentine culture, as we were well aware of the strike, and so were many people in the city. To start the day, we went back to IES to have a Q/A about everything we have learned so far in our trip. However, in our conversation, we ended up having a very nice talk about some of the concepts discussed in a class I took by Prof. Martsolf titled “Happiness and Human Flourishing”. This all stemmed from one of the main values of Argentine culture which is solidarity. The people have a very strong sense of unity and believe that everyone should be working as a collective. By participating in a general strike, the people were showing that they will all continue to fight for a unified objective, and support each other. This is especially prevalent in the healthcare system as healthcare is a universal right to anyone on Argentine soil, no questions asked. I think this is one of the most interesting things I have learned so far on this trip, as it’s not something we see very often in the United States. The unbiased appreciation of company and other people is very noticeable from the local people, and is something that I have greatly enjoyed being a part of in my time in Buenos Aires.

After IES, we walked through a new neighborhood of Buenos Aires, known as Puerto Madero. This was a really nice area that was right by the water, and was a really nice place to walk around. We wanted to walk through the nature preserve, but ended up getting swarmed by a large amount of mosquitos. Dengue fever is a large problem in Argentina, so we wanted to avoid any chances of contracting that. However, we ended up walking on the side of the preserve, where we saw a lot of different plants and native species that filled the lakes. We proceeded to return back to the Plaza de Mayo where we watched the weekly March of the Mothers. This is a movement that started back in 1977 by mothers to show resistance to the military dictatorship in Argentina and to protest for the return of their missing children who disappeared at the hands of the government. Every Thursday, the mothers and other citizens will come to the Plaza de Mayo and walk around singing different songs or chanting messages, to continue holding the government responsible for the disappearance of their children and major violation of human rights. Something that made this event more significant was the fact that there were still two mothers who attended the original march who still walk and chant today. These women are reaching older ages, and their dedication to the movement is awe-inspiring.

We then walked back to the San Telmo district where we went shopping and ate a late lunch. There were so many different small businesses and local creators selling their work, along with a bunch of antique stores that had a variety of different items. It’s very fun to interact with the local people of Buenos Aires, and here how much they appreciate us coming to their city and enjoying the culture. We are also excited to return to the market on Sunday, where there will be hundreds of vendors that line the streets of San Telmo to sell their different creations. This is a historical market that draws many people, both tourists and locals, every weekend. I am very excited to go see the Universidad de Austral’s main campus tomorrow, and their hospital in a more rural area. Stay tuned for Friday!