El Caminito

El Caminito is a famous tourist destination in Buenos Aires for the brightly colored houses that line this tiny little street in an area of town called La Boca on the mouth of the Rio de Plata. There were tons of tourists, restaurants offering free tango shows while you dine and alleyways lined with artisans selling Argentine souvenirs. Lots of vendors selling leather bags and shoes, mate cups and trinkets with the Argentinean flag. The street were really beautiful and I enjoyed walking by the different dance performances going on in each of the restaurants.

Casa Rosada

This is the "Casa Rosada" ("the Pink House") where the president of Argentina, currently Cristina Kirshner, lives. The government building is located in the Plaza de Mayo where thousands of mothers gathered to protest the "disappearances" of their sons and family members during the military dictatorship in Argentina between the years 1976 to 1983. During this period, known as the "Dirty War," it is estimated that anywhere from 9,000 to 30,000 people "disappeared." Las Madres de la Plaza Mayo held protests against the dictatorship and their violence. To this day, members of the Association for the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo gather on Thursday afternoons to march in commemoration the disappeared and the mothers who opposed the regime. I was there the other day when they were marching around and I got a few photographs. The original mothers dressed with scarves tied around their heads with the names of their missing family members embroidered on the cloth. The image of the head scarf is iconic and can be seen around the city in graffiti art. You can kind of see the bonnet image on the flag that they are waving.

Luis Maria Campos

This is the tomb of Luis Maria Campos, who also happens to be the man for whom the street I live on was named after. I'm not sure what he accomplished in life as a General, but he has certainly been celebrated quite grandly in death.

Cementerio de la Recoleta

I spent the morning before work today wandering around the beautiful cemetery in Recoleta. Though packed with international tourists taking guided tours in a variety of languages, it was easy to shed the crowds and get lost between the aisles of tombs. The surrounding city architecture made for an interesting combination, displaying the contrast between the classical style of the cemetery's tombs and the surrounding high-rise apartment complex and mall billboards. Every turn presented a new spectacular view. And there were cats--shabby old cats that seem to have claimed the cemetery as their home. Here are just a few pictures:

Floralis

This amazing aluminum flower sculpture opens and closes in accordance to the movement of the sun. In this picture it is open to the morning sunshine, while throughout the day the petals slowly close as the sun goes down. Apparently it adjusts to the changes of the seasons too.

Facultad de Derecho

Facultad de Derecho--Universidad de Buenos Aires. This building is the law school branch of the University of Buenos Aires, which boasts the largest student enrollment for any university in Latin America.

U.S. Embassy

Today I had a meeting at the U.S. Embassy! The building itself was actually really ugly and industrial looking compared to all the other embassy's which are in old grand mansion like houses. The embassy house (where the embassy guests live I guess) was much more appealing, it is located just around the corner from the embassy on John F. Kennedy St! Anyway, for my work at Ciudadnos del Mundo my boss made an appointment for me to visit the embassy. In the past they have worked closely with the U.S. embassy when they have interns who are U.S. citizens. After a security check and getting a visitor badge I was taken to one of the resource offices that deals with U.S. related relations with Argentinean based NGOs. They let me use a database that keeps track of U.S. based philanthropic organizations based on their geographic area of interest and focus of grant giving. This database is a goldmine for any NGO seeking grant assistance. It allowed you to choose a geographic location (Argentina) and a area of interest (such as Immigration and Refugees) and then it would give you a rundown of all the donor organizations that give based on that criteria. It was a pretty amazing database! Good news: I found lots of organizations that offer grants to similar causes such as the work done here at Cuidadanos de Mundo. Not so good news: now I have to start applying for them all! (this is the picture of the embassy house, not the ugly embassy itself)

Hipodromo Horse Track

About a 15 min walk from my house is a major street known as Av. del Libertador where the Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo is located. The European influence in the architecture here is very apparent, especially in this grand building at the entrance of the horse racing track. The basement of the building is a Casino! There are about 5 or 6 other similar style buildings along the track with fancy restaurants and viewing decks that look out over the 2400 meter (1.5 mile) race track. Today when I walked past there were hundreds of people milling around the track sidelines placing bets and waiting for the next round of jockeys to take to the track.

TOMS

Ever wonder why the TOMS logo looks a lot like the Argentinean flag? That's because they were modeled after the Argentinean style of shoe known as the alpargata. I started to wonder why everyone seemed to have knock-off TOMS here, until I made the connection that it was I who was wearing the knock-off brand and everyone else was wearing the original alpargatas style of shoe made in Argentina.

La Oficina de Migraciones

4 bus rides + 5 subway rides and 2 taxi rides = an exhausting day of traveling. On Tuesday I spend the day tagging along behind my co-worker Manuel as we traveled all over the city meeting with different migrant families about their specific concerns regarding their immigration status. First we went to the Office of Migration near the port where as early as the 1800 immigrant families were detained upon arrival and made to stay in a hotel facility for up to 3 months before being allowed to enter the country. Now the buildings are used for the offices of immigration. La Fundación works with families and individuals trying to navigate the complicated process of obtaining residency papers. As we walked around Manuel seemed to know a lot of people and we had to stop and greet many families and individuals as they waited with number tags to be called for their turn to speak with an immigration official. First we met with a woman from the Dominican Republic who has been living in Buenos Aires for 4 years. After waiting for quite some time Manuel helped to explain her status to the official and to turn in a signed document that she was asked to provide, only to be given another document and told to return ten days later! Then we met with a Korean family who had also been living in BA for 4 years and was having trouble getting papers because their son had just turned 18 so they had to change his status so he could apply as an individual.

After meeting with a couple other families we took a break and walked along Puerto Madero. It was hard to adjust to the contrast of the immigration offices and the ritzy port and tall condominiums. Here is a picture of the "Puente de la Mujer" (bridge of the woman) in the locks of Puerto Madero.

La Fundación Ciudadanos del Mundo

After almost a week in Buenos Aires I am starting to feel pretty comfortable at navigating my way around the city using public transportation. I use the bus at least 2 or 3 times a day to get to and from one area of the city to another and now that I have my SUBE card I don't have to worry about having correct change. So convenient! To get to work I take a bus on the corner of the block near my house to the downtown area, which takes about 40 minutes.

Today at work I spent the majority of the day reading publications and reports that La Fundación Ciudadanos del Mundo has published in relation to Argentinean immigration law. The reports were pretty heavily laden with terminology that I am not very familiar with, so it was slow going, but I'm learning a lot of new vocabulary. One of the projects that I will be working on soon will be to help with the translation of their newsletter. One of my employees has already done the majority of the translation, but because he translated it literally (word for word) it needs a lot of corrections to make it readable.

After completing all the readings I feel a lot more familiar with the Argentinean policies which many of the immigration cases I will be dealing with pertain. In 2010 the government of Argentina passed a law that made it illegal for refugees and immigrants to be deported or discriminated against for lacking identification papers. All citizens--and non-citizens--are legally granted free access to hospital care and education. But a big issue has been that hospitals have been denying immigrants access to medical care when they are unable to present their papers.

Today I worked with my co-worker Juan on a current case of a woman who has been denied access to a heart procedure which she desperately needs. The woman is from Paraguay and had been to the hospital to be examined for her heart problems and was told she would need to undergo a procedure for further analysis, but the hospital refuses to provide it. First they told her it was because she didn't have identification papers and then they told her it was because they didn't have the correct machinery to conduct the tests. If this were so the hospital would be obligated to give the woman a referral to another hospital, which they have not been willing to do. This case, like many others is part of what La Fundación deals with regularly. Sometime this week one of the Social service providers will accompany the woman to the hospital to put pressure on them to provide a referral for the woman to receive the care she needs. If they still refuse to cooperate as a last resort La Fundación will have to notify the police. Juan said I might get to go with the social worker to the hospital if I am in the office when they plan to make the visit.

Tomorrow I am going with the director of La Fundación to the Office of Immigration and Migration to deal with another case and observe the procedure immigrants must take to obtain naturalization papers. Super excited! Sorry for the long post, but I hope this gives a better impression of what my internship is all about. More info to come!

San Telmo

Today I went to an area of town known as San Telmo to go to la feria, an outdoor market held on Sundays. There were vendors selling all sorts of antiques, art and empanadas on the streets to crowds of people enjoying the sunshine. My favorite part were the dancers! In one corner there was a couple dancing la Milonga (a style of Argentinean folk dance similar to the tango) with the accompaniment of a few musicians. On another street there was a man dancing away to the tango tunes from his boom box.

The Widest Road in the World

With 7 lanes in both directions, la avenida 9 de julio is the widest road in the world! It took me at least two pedestrian lights to get across. At the intersection of 9 de julio and avenida Corrientes is the Plaza de la Republica where the iconic Obelisco is located.

El Microcentro

Yesterday I took the subway down to la Plaza de Mayo and spent a few hours wandering the streets of the "Microcentro." The building with the big pillars is the Catedral Metropolita and the building cut off on the left is called Cabildo. More pictures to come...

My roommate Froy

I live with a miniature Schnauzer named Froy. Yesterday it rained in the morning when Melina went to take him for a walk, so he got to wear his rain jumper.

Consumer Culture Shock

Yesterday was my first full day in Buenos Aires and I think I am starting to get oriented. Apart from thinking it was an hour later than it actually was (ALL DAY) I am doing ok. For some unknown reason, if I set my computer clock to Buenos Aires time on the map it adds an extra hour. So I missed an appointment with the repairman to fix my blinds and arrived an hour early to my internship orientation. Not to worry though, at least I was an hour early to my orientation rather than an hour late.

Anyway, I spent a lot of the day walking around different areas of the city. The stark contrasts between one street to the next was really fascinating. Mini fruit markets are squeezed between banks and car dealerships and there is a mall within 6 blocks of my house that is full of glitzy boutiques. I took the bus to a part of town called Palermo where I met for my orientation and found even more boutiques. Along the main roads are mostly tiny convenience stores and small fruit shops, but along the cobblestone streets of Palermo there were rows of designer shops and trendy bars and restaurants. The cafe that we met in had a little gadget glued to the table with three buttons on it--one for calling a waiter, one to call for the check and one to cancel your request. I was informed however this is not a common technology in most restaurants.

One thing I have learned very early on is never to be caught without change. The bus costs 1.25 pesos and as I walked to the bus I realized I only had 1.10 pesos. After asking in 4 or 5 shops I finally was able to get change for 5 pesos (the equivalent of about $1.50) from a generous man standing in the line for the bus. As of 6 months ago, Buenos Aires began a bus card program so that you can put money on a card and use it to pay your fare. I think it will be a good idea for me to get one as soon as possible. Also, all the buses are privately owned by different companies. So each bus number is owned by a separate company, which is why it was so difficult for the government to install a bus card system that would work across all bus lines.

Today I have another meeting with the repairman, since I missed the one yesterday. Then I think I will go and track down a post office to apply for a bus card. It doesn't feel as hot today, as it was only 79 degrees when I woke up today as opposed to 85 yesterday. But I'm sure it will heat up throughout the day. Tomorrow is my first day of work! I can't wait to find out what I will be working on over the next three months. Anyway, thanks to all who are keeping up with my blog-- I love and miss you all!

Llegé!

I made it! After more than 24 hours of travel time I finally made it to my apartment. Not without some confusion along the way though. The flight from Houston to Buenos Aires took about 10 hours and luckily since it was overnight I managed to get at least a few hours of sleep. In the airport American and Canadian citizens have to pay a incoming fee of $14o USD. Unfortunately for the Canadians they have to pay this fee every time they enter Argentina, while US citizens only have to pay it once every 10 years.

Anyway, after paying my fee and picking up my bags I left to find a taxi to take me to my apartment. Stepping out of the airport was like getting punched in the lungs, as the hot humid air engulfed me. According to my Taxi driver the last few days have been unusually hot for a typical BA summer. They have been having lots of thunder storms as well and as I write this I can see the menacing clouds rolling in to cover up the blue sky. The airport is located about 38 km outside of the central city, so I had plenty of time to chat with my talkative taxi driver. He pointed out different landmarks along the way and explained to me the soccer team rivalry between the two most popular city teams: River Plate and Boca Juniors. We passed the River Plate stadium and it was HUGE! The taxi driver informed me that it can set 60,000 people. The current situation is that River Plate has been placed in Division 2 instead of Division 1, so the intense rival game between the two teams has been effectively eliminated. Exuberant River Plate fans are not to happy about the step down and it has increased the animosity between the already fiercely opposed teams.

Anyway, moving on. My taxi driver took me to the address I had been given and I went up to ring the doorbell for my floor. A man answered and didn't seem to know anything about me or the roommate I was informed I was to have. But I checked with the Taxi driver and the address I was given matched exactly with the apartment number I had rung. The guy finally came down after I buzzed again and let me in to figure out what the problem was. He said he had talked to the lady who I had been arranging my apt with, but she had not confirmed that she had a student to rent one of his rooms. I managed to email my program director here in BA to find out what the problem was, however I could tell that this other guy didn't really want me to find my other living accommodation, as he would rather secure someone to rent the space in his apartment. He was nice and helpful though in getting my actual apt situation figured out. After being thouroughly confused for an hour or two on where I had gone wrong, I finally received an email from my program director informing me that I had been given the wrong address. My actual apartment was 6 blocks farther down the road. Relieved I got a taxi and arrived at my apartment to meet Melina, my roommate--who was actually there expecting me! Whew!

The apartment is on the 7th floor of a tall white apartment complex. To get in I have to use three different keys. One for the front gate into the complex, one to get through a glass door into the elevator room (then I have to get into the rickety elevator with a manual accordion style door) and then another key to get into my apartment. The apartment itself is wonderful! I have my own room with a little balcony. There is a spacious living area and a nice open kitchen. The refrigerator in the kitchen is so cool! Its an old retro fridge that I have been informed never to touch without an oven mitten otherwise I might get an electric shock. The front patio has a great view of the apartment complexes across the street. Along with Melina I share the apartment with a miniature Schnauzer with bad breath named Froy (inspired by Freud). Across the street from my apartment there is a Hyundai dealership and three banks along the block.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my apartment:



This is the view from the balcony--where i am sitting writing this blog post :)










Here is the living room:































This is the view from the street.



And here is the kitchen with the retro fridge (complete with blue oven mitten for protection)