Today, we had an off day, due to the city-wide strikes that were against the beliefs and ruling of President Melei. Although the strike was overestimated by the Buenos Aires citizens, there were still multiple closures and acts of protest that were being done by the workers. We headed over to the IES building around 10:30, so we got to sleep in. We had a lecture from Professor Martsolf, where we were supposed to review what we have learned so far. For the first 20 minutes, we did that, but it quickly sidetracked, and we got into a deep philosophical discussion about our world and the development of modern-day kids. It was a very interesting conversation, and it ended up lasting way longer than was intended. After the discussion, we headed to the Plaza de Mayo, which is the center of the city where the president works. The mothers of the Plaza de Mayo did their usual march; they have not missed a single Thursday since 1977. It is a very symbolic representation of the unity in this country. That is something that I have learned since coming to Argentina. This country’s citizens listen to and respect each other much more than in the states, and they can have many more organized protests and communities than in the United States. After the Mothers event, we walked over to the pier, and there was a really cool view of the skyline and the river. We sat at an outdoor restaurant for hours, and we had a really nice time. After a 40 minute walk back through the hotel, in which we walked down an alley with some really nice decorations and shops, we went to a local gym for only 6000 pesos. It was really nice to have the day off so that I could get back into my workout routine. After that, we went to a steakhouse and I got some really good filet for only 13,000 pesos! It’s amazing how cheap some stuff is here compared to the states. The day off really helped me relax after being busy and having early mornings the last couple days.
Strike Day
