May 12: Viva la Evita

The day started off at 9 am for a walking tour of the city. It was raining a little bit, but it was still a great way to start the day. Our tour guide, Patricia, was so kind and knowledgable, and I could tell that she was invested and passionate about her job a tour guide. My favorite location on the tour was Recoleta Cemetery, which is where most of the famous and historical figures reside in mausoleums with their family members. The most decorated mausoleum was Eva Perón’s, mainly because it was recently her birthday on May 7, as well as because of her great historical significance. We learned more about Eva Perón later that day at her museum. When we first got there, we ate at the museum cafe, and I had chicken with mushrooms and fries with flan for dessert. On the tour of the museum, we learned all about Evita’s life, starting with her acting career when she was known as Eva Duarte. After her acting career, Eva met Juan Perón, and that is how she became the first lady and gained the platform to have influence over the entire country. Peronism was widely popular in Argentina because it prioritized the working class and aimed to expand public programs including health and hospital systems. The Peronist Era provoked the construction of primary health facilities and public hospitals to increase healthcare access for the working class. Additionally, Juan Perón gave more funding to public healthcare, aiming to improve infrastructure, equipment, and staffing levels in public hospitals. This has helped to enhance the quality of care and reduce waiting times for patients. As well as increasing access, Peronism increased the campaign efforts in Argentina, encouraging people to get vaccinated. The health campaigns also encouraged maternal and child health initiatives and disease prevention efforts, which helped to educate the public and decrease vaccination stigma. After learning all about Eva Perón at her museum, I returned to the hotel and took a fat nap. Once I had awoken, I went to a restaurant where we sat outside. They had the outside heaters on, but it was still pretty cold. However, our waitress brought us all blankets to wrap up in. I ordered a chicken burger and it was delicious. Layered between a buttered sesame bun was a delectable grilled chicken patty, then red, sweet tomatoes, and after that, the crisp lettuce. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, there was a generous helping of limy guacamole. Today was great, and I can’t wait for tomorrow.

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