Today, we had the opportunity to visit the neighborhoods of La Boca and Palermo. We traveled to La Boca first, and our first stop was at the La Boca Junior team stadium. We got to walk around the area surrounding the stadium, and see all the different artwork. Surrounding the stadium were multiple murals capturing some of the most well-known Argentine soccer players, Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. Palermo was very similar to La Boca, with artwork surrounding the streets from block to block. There was much more graffiti in this area. We were also able to walk around a flea market in the neighborhood. We also visited two other sections briefly today, San Telmo and Plaza De Mayo. In San Telmo, we were able to walk around a huge market in Buenos Aires with lots of shops and restaurants. In Plaza De Mayo we saw many government buildings and a huge Catholic church.

The main difference that I saw today between the United States and Argentina was in religion. So far, I have been to a few Catholic churches, and the religion dominates the Argentine population. Compared to the U.S., where it is much more spread out. It is also extremely close to many of the major government buildings, including the Bank of Argentina and the Casa Rosada. I thought this showed how involved religion is within everyday life for the population, whereas in the U.S., it is not as extreme.

One similarity I saw between the history of the U.S. and Argentina was the impact that sports had on the population. Today, we learned about the lasting impact of Maradona on many generations of Argentine citizens. Currently, Messi is doing the same. Both were huge global figures at the top of their craft. There are more than just players the country cheers for; they are a symbol for them. This is very similar in the U.S., with many athletes being idolized throughout its history, especially with Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan, who had similar lasting impacts on the community. One final similarity I noticed was the large prevalence of graffiti and murals in both the U.S. and Argentina for spreading messages and awareness. I thought many of the pieces we saw today were very similar to what is seen throughout the U.S., communicating a similar purpose.