Unfortunately, today our event was canceled due to a nationwide strike.  Luckily, we were still able to learn.  We began our day by holding a discussion with our professor Grant Martsolf.  We discussed what we have learned so far about the health care system of Argentina.  We discussed a lot about the differences between the worker’s unions in the United States and Argentina.  In the United States, workers unions have much less power than in Argentina due to the economic structure of our country.  Historically, workers unions in the United States have been suppressed in times of economic growth, which relates to the concept that as unions get stronger, the economy becomes stagnant, and vice versa.  We also discussed how the concept of solidarity is very important in the policy of the Argentine political and economic structure. Solidarity is the concept that the people stand together and stand up for each other no matter what their differences are, whether it be in socioeconomic status, origin, profession, or anything else.  Solidarity is especially important in the healthcare system of Argentina because people stand together to fight for their right to healthcare, which is defined in the constitution of Argentina.  The current president of Argentina, Javier Milei, is a neoliberal, which is a pro business model of economics, keeps the workers unions in a chokehold, as he wants to limit the power of the unions in order to promote economic growth.  The nationwide strike is an example of solidarity of the Argentinean people, as no matter what their profession, they all expressed their distaste for Milei’s policies together.  Many stores and restaurants were closed and many city services were stopped for the day, which unfortunately meant that our boat tour of Tigre was canceled.  After a wonderful lunch of empanadas, which Argentina is known for, we decided to go to Plaza de Mayo, which is in front of the office of the president.  We were lucky enough to witness the weekly protest of the “Madres de Plaza de Mayo,” which are a group of women who come to the plaza every Thursday to memorialize their children, who were taken by the communist rule of Argentina in the 1970s. I was able to be involved with the protest, as the people united to express their outrage with Milei and to continue their tradition.  They have not missed a Thursday since the 1970s, which is very impressive.  Overall, even though our day did not go as planned, it was very interesting and informative.