Uh oh. So here we are, June has practically come to a close and as the firsts of the good friends that I've made here in the past couple months begin to leave, whether I like it or not I am being forced to reflect even more on my time here than I have in the past.
My classes have pretty much come to an end - all that remains is to turn in one final paper for a seminar on Argentine political history, one of my favorite classes due to the insight that it offered on the society in which I've been living for the past 5 months. Following the history and the political development of this country through this class has been extremely interesting, especially when through detailing some past conflict, our professor can help shed some light on the issues that are plaguing Argentina today, most especially the distrust of the economy and of the executive branch of the government. These are things that I never would have been able to gain a reasonable understanding of before.
I've decided that these were the classes that were most worthwhile - the seminar, my class on political economics, and my Spanish class. These were the classes that either through the subject matter (economics) or the mission, were able to truly enrich my experience by reaching out to me and letting me understand better Argentina and its people. The best advice I can give for future USAL exchange students is to get a feel for the professors of your prospective classes. The university is good enough to give you a period of several weeks in which you can test out various courses - during this time, the best thing to do is to take into consideration which of the professors are truly interested in you as an international student, and in what they as professors and sometimes mentors can do to truly maximize your experience but, perhaps more importantly, your understanding of that experience and its context.
The past months have been amazing in so many ways, and while it is sometimes difficult to look past the thrill and the spectacle of whatever trips I've taken (truly wonderful and eye-opening experiences), when I really think about what the best part of my time here as been, I have to say that it's been the opportunity to get to know the people with whom I am sharing this experience. Discussions with not only Argentine friends and acquaintances, but with the other international students as well, have provided a really invaluable opportunity to analyze and compare outlooks, customs, and ways of life from a great, wide variety of perspectives. The ideas of why things are the way that they are, or how they came about or how they could be improved vary greatly based on where people come from and what they know - I have found that the sharing of those opinions has been truly worthwhile.
And it is through that sharing that I have been able to make some of the greatest and most fulfilling friendships of my life (I am beginning to worry that this is starting to sound like a study-abroad brochure, but it is the truth). Perhaps this all sounds extra-cheesy due to how sentimental I am now that all of the friends I've made here are beginning to head back to wherever they came from, but the seemingly endless despedidas combined with all the extra time I have on my hands now that classes are ending makes it nearly impossible not to be reflective. One of the things that I have learned here has been to never underestimate how much you can learn from somebody, no matter what your first impression of them may be. When you are going through an experience like this one, I honestly believe that meeting as many people as possible and listening to as many of their stories as you can shoud be of the highest priority - it is through this that your experience can be truly life-changing.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Argentina: Striking sense of political responsibility
Farmers renew protests
Looking back on the last few months, one of the most striking differences between Argentina and the United States is the amount of protesting that goes on, and how completely dedicated the Argentine people seem to be when it comes to showing their government how they feel. It's been said for a while that in the United States we have a huge problem of political indifference, and that indifference is easy to see when you look at statistics such as voter turnout, etc. But after coming here, the difference has been blown into surprising contrast.
Maybe I would have a different perspective if I lived in DC, and was close enough to the seat of the federal government in the United States that I'd see more of the political activity that goes on. And legitimately, the differences between the two countries - in government, in infrastructure, in armed forces - all play a part in this difference as well. But it is a truly affecting thing to be walking through the city and to be able to hear the banging together of pots and pans from a mile away simply because of the amount of people that are participating, and then to hear the protest spread as the drivers in the streets take up the cause by sounding the car horns, and before you know it the entire city is full of noise, and completely immersed in the demonstration.
I was lucky enough that while I was here, I was in 2 classes that helped me to understand better Argentina as a country and how it worked. I have a better understanding now of Argentina's tumultuous (understatement) political and economic history, and at least a basic understanding of the differences between how their government and our government work. For example - the problem that we have in the United States with low voter turnout is something that here doesn't exist - voting in all elections is something that is obligatory for every person of age. Maybe this has something to do with the greater sense of political responsibility.
Effects of farming strikes
I don't know if it would right to say that I am "fortunate" to be in Argentina now and know the country and the people at this particular time; because right now is certainly a rough time for the country and its people. Inflation and taxes are rising at record levels and the peoples' salaries can't quite keep up, and the government and the Central Bank seem to be proving themselves over and over again to be not quite competent when it comes to handling the current problems of the country. But I do definitely appreciate the experience and the perspective it's offered.
Looking back on the last few months, one of the most striking differences between Argentina and the United States is the amount of protesting that goes on, and how completely dedicated the Argentine people seem to be when it comes to showing their government how they feel. It's been said for a while that in the United States we have a huge problem of political indifference, and that indifference is easy to see when you look at statistics such as voter turnout, etc. But after coming here, the difference has been blown into surprising contrast.
Maybe I would have a different perspective if I lived in DC, and was close enough to the seat of the federal government in the United States that I'd see more of the political activity that goes on. And legitimately, the differences between the two countries - in government, in infrastructure, in armed forces - all play a part in this difference as well. But it is a truly affecting thing to be walking through the city and to be able to hear the banging together of pots and pans from a mile away simply because of the amount of people that are participating, and then to hear the protest spread as the drivers in the streets take up the cause by sounding the car horns, and before you know it the entire city is full of noise, and completely immersed in the demonstration.
I was lucky enough that while I was here, I was in 2 classes that helped me to understand better Argentina as a country and how it worked. I have a better understanding now of Argentina's tumultuous (understatement) political and economic history, and at least a basic understanding of the differences between how their government and our government work. For example - the problem that we have in the United States with low voter turnout is something that here doesn't exist - voting in all elections is something that is obligatory for every person of age. Maybe this has something to do with the greater sense of political responsibility.
Effects of farming strikes
I don't know if it would right to say that I am "fortunate" to be in Argentina now and know the country and the people at this particular time; because right now is certainly a rough time for the country and its people. Inflation and taxes are rising at record levels and the peoples' salaries can't quite keep up, and the government and the Central Bank seem to be proving themselves over and over again to be not quite competent when it comes to handling the current problems of the country. But I do definitely appreciate the experience and the perspective it's offered.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Oops.
Well guys, clearly I haven't proven extremely regular with the blog thing - I've started a couple posts here and there, on various things, but things here have been a little bit crazy after the semester finally warmed up and so it's been a little bit difficult to just take some time and write a post.
It's been about four and a half months now that I've been down here, and although when I left the States in January I thought that the beginning - the first month or so - would be the most difficult, I think that this title belongs to the period I'm going through now. It's reached the point now where the spring semesters are over in the States, and a lot of friends are home for the summers now, doing various combinations of work and enjoying themselves, and while it would be ridiculous to complain about how I'm missing out on just hanging out, making trips to the beach, etc, that is the part of home that I tend to miss the most. It would appear that the real homesickness has finally set in.
But - it's a complicated feeling. I miss the States and my people there, while at the same time knowing that I am in no way ready to think about leaving here yet. The people that I've met here have made this easily one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I am not even close to prepared for that to be over. It's difficult to think that starting in just a couple weeks, I'll begin to be separated from the people that have been a fairly constant part of my life since February. Knowing that this is true makes us want to go out and celebrate every day we have left in Buenos Aires, and really seize the last of the time that we have, but this too is frustrating, because now is the time when the semester is coming to an end, and most of us are too swamped with work to be able to go out without at the very least feeling guilty about spending the time doing something other than studying. I even feel guilty about working on this post instead of studying.
So, because of the fact that I haven't written in a while, and how because of this, this blog is missing out on a lot of details/opinions of my experiences here, the next few entries are going to be relatively short ones on some of the things about Argentina that are different from home, whether they be things that I'm going to miss or just simple observations. Some of them will be the ones that I've started but not finished in the last month or so, and then maybe some new ones as well. Sorry for the long delay.
It's been about four and a half months now that I've been down here, and although when I left the States in January I thought that the beginning - the first month or so - would be the most difficult, I think that this title belongs to the period I'm going through now. It's reached the point now where the spring semesters are over in the States, and a lot of friends are home for the summers now, doing various combinations of work and enjoying themselves, and while it would be ridiculous to complain about how I'm missing out on just hanging out, making trips to the beach, etc, that is the part of home that I tend to miss the most. It would appear that the real homesickness has finally set in.
But - it's a complicated feeling. I miss the States and my people there, while at the same time knowing that I am in no way ready to think about leaving here yet. The people that I've met here have made this easily one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I am not even close to prepared for that to be over. It's difficult to think that starting in just a couple weeks, I'll begin to be separated from the people that have been a fairly constant part of my life since February. Knowing that this is true makes us want to go out and celebrate every day we have left in Buenos Aires, and really seize the last of the time that we have, but this too is frustrating, because now is the time when the semester is coming to an end, and most of us are too swamped with work to be able to go out without at the very least feeling guilty about spending the time doing something other than studying. I even feel guilty about working on this post instead of studying.
So, because of the fact that I haven't written in a while, and how because of this, this blog is missing out on a lot of details/opinions of my experiences here, the next few entries are going to be relatively short ones on some of the things about Argentina that are different from home, whether they be things that I'm going to miss or just simple observations. Some of them will be the ones that I've started but not finished in the last month or so, and then maybe some new ones as well. Sorry for the long delay.
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