Today was bittersweet, as we had our last hospital visit of the trip in the morning. We visited Hospital Paroissien, a public hospital in the county of Matanza. Out of the three public hospitals we have visited, this was definitely the most interesting looking one. The building had two floors, the top being for outpatient offices, and the bottom for inpatient beds and the ER. Instead of being laid out like a traditional hospital in wings, there were various hallways separated by green spaces. The walls of the outside were also painted vibrant colors, making it more reminiscent of a primary school than a hospital. We started our tour walking through some of the different outpatient clinics, and it was very different from hospitals in the US and private hospitals in Argentina. Although the building may not have been the nicest, all of the staff were exceptionally kind and very capable of performing their jobs. After seeing the top floor, we headed down to the inpatient area. Here, we got to walk through the OB, pediatric, and surgery wards. The other major difference between the public and private hospitals are that in the public hospitals, people are crowded throughout the hallways, usually family or friends of patients, whereas in private hospitals the hallways are clear except for healthcare workers. We finished off our tour by walking through the ER, which was a lot less chaotic than I would have expected it to be given the large demand for care. While they may not have had all the fancy equipment that places like ICBA had, they had all the basics they need. This hospital is in the poorest county we have visited so far, and there was definitely a difference between public hospitals in more wealthy areas like San Isidro.

After the hospital visit, we headed to Universidad de la Matanza, a public university in the same county as the hospital. Walking through campus was a very different experience from Pitt to say the least. The main pathway through the academic buildings was shaded by palm trees and many students were sitting outside hanging out or studying. We walked through the library, which had a plethora of books about any possible subject. Just like Hillman back at Pitt, there were almost no seats available. We continued to the gym, where we learned that the university is one of the best in terms of sports. They were very proud of this, and I can confidently say that Pitt doesn’t differ much in that regard. Our next stop was the innovation lab, a place where students can go to work on technological projects and use tools like 3D printers. We have a very similar setup to this in Hillman at Pitt, but at Matanza, many of the students in the lab actually work for companies that were founded by alumni. We finished up our walking tour by visiting the theater, which, in addition to putting on school events, collaborates with community members to provide them with a space to perform or see the arts. After this, we headed to the nursing simulation lab, which was very similar to Pitt as well. We got to see a group of third year students working on a case where an adolescent went into anaphylactic shock during a blood transfusion, and seeing them work was amazing. We finished the visit with a short lecture about how the nursing degree works in Argentina, and then we had the opportunity to meet with nursing students at the university. They were all very welcoming, and I’m very grateful that they gave up time out of their busy day to talk with us. During the lecture and mixer, we learned some more differences between Pitt and Universidad de la Matanza, the biggest one being that the university here (being public) is completely free for undergraduate programs. Also, almost all students live at home with their parents, as dorms are not really a thing in Argentina. Usually, students don’t leave their city to go to school, they just go to whatever is local to them and live at home while getting their degree. There are definitely some people that do this in the US, but it is a much smaller percentage than it is here.

We wrapped up the day with a street art tour in the Palermo neighborhood. There were so many hidden gems in the streets that would be easy to miss if you are just driving by. One of my personal favorite pieces was a mosaic on the wall of a historical house that was a mix of different media. The artist used a special technique to print directly onto some of the ceramic pieces, so many had pictures on them in addition to the overall shapes created by the mosaic. There was also a piece of writing printed on of the tiles that was suggested by one of the children of the family that lives in the house. We also saw a lot of art done with the paste up technique where artists prepare prints at home and then use a special glue to paste it to walls. There was a collective of different artists who collaborated to create a wall filled with these paste up prints, and it was really cool to see a mix of different styles from each of the artists. We also learned that in Argentina, as long as the building owner agrees, street art doesn’t need any prior permission from the city. This is one of the reasons why there is such a vibrant street art culture in Buenos Aires. After seeing many more beautiful murals, we headed back to the hotel to end another amazing day in the city!