Comparisons
So my natural inclination is to compare my experience to that which I had in the Dominican Republic. Wow, quite a difference. Given my interest in race relations, one of the first differences I honed in on is that Argentineans are, for the grand majority, white. As I’ve learned from some history lessons, this is for two reasons: one, because Argentina abolished slavery early on in the 1800’s, and many Africans were sent to Brazil; second, because Argentinean Africans were sent off to battle in the 1860 war with Paraguay. In effect, what we see here are principally Argentineans of European descent.
My impressions are skewed by the fact that I have only been exposed to the wealthier areas of Buenos Aires thusfar; nonetheless, the high level of education and the quality of the infrastructure here impress me. I got a chuckle out of my host family when I asked if they have blackouts here. Extremely rare. The University of Buenos Aires (la UBA) is free for all and has a reputation as a top university.
I have found an interesting irony, as it seems to me. It has become "vogue" to regularly visit a psychologist or psychiatrist. Young people proudly decline an invitation to a social event because they have an appointment with a mental health professional. At the same time, there is a suffocating focus on physical appearance here. Argentina boasts the 2nd highest rate of plastic surgery in the world, and rates of anorexia and bulimia are also towards the top of the charts. The congress recently passed a law requiring clothing stores to carry all sizes. Nonetheless, a "normal" size woman still feels she cannot shop in the "best" city shops.
And there are many little things that peek my anthropological curiosities: the passing of the mate (tea ritual), seeing the dog walkers "paseadores" who are employed to exercise as many as 15 dogs at a time, the various styles and locations of toilet flushers, the fun-sliding elevator doors, and the use of "vos" instead of "tu."
There aren’t near as many catcalls as what I experienced in the DR. Besides the fact that I simply don’t stick out as much as I did there, I am more likely to have a person turn to me to talk politics, of which there are strong opinions against the US for sure. Not to mention the graffiti scattered around the city.
There are many points of comparison and I try my best not to let the emotions enter in, because the DR always will have a special place in my heart as my first out of US living experience. Being here in such a different context—grad school vs. Peace Corps—creates different realities, and I often think of and long to see my family in La Yautia again. But slowly this new family forms, and slowly I will venture out of this upper class section to find the simplicity that Argentina’s campos surely offer.
My impressions are skewed by the fact that I have only been exposed to the wealthier areas of Buenos Aires thusfar; nonetheless, the high level of education and the quality of the infrastructure here impress me. I got a chuckle out of my host family when I asked if they have blackouts here. Extremely rare. The University of Buenos Aires (la UBA) is free for all and has a reputation as a top university.
I have found an interesting irony, as it seems to me. It has become "vogue" to regularly visit a psychologist or psychiatrist. Young people proudly decline an invitation to a social event because they have an appointment with a mental health professional. At the same time, there is a suffocating focus on physical appearance here. Argentina boasts the 2nd highest rate of plastic surgery in the world, and rates of anorexia and bulimia are also towards the top of the charts. The congress recently passed a law requiring clothing stores to carry all sizes. Nonetheless, a "normal" size woman still feels she cannot shop in the "best" city shops.
And there are many little things that peek my anthropological curiosities: the passing of the mate (tea ritual), seeing the dog walkers "paseadores" who are employed to exercise as many as 15 dogs at a time, the various styles and locations of toilet flushers, the fun-sliding elevator doors, and the use of "vos" instead of "tu."
There aren’t near as many catcalls as what I experienced in the DR. Besides the fact that I simply don’t stick out as much as I did there, I am more likely to have a person turn to me to talk politics, of which there are strong opinions against the US for sure. Not to mention the graffiti scattered around the city.
There are many points of comparison and I try my best not to let the emotions enter in, because the DR always will have a special place in my heart as my first out of US living experience. Being here in such a different context—grad school vs. Peace Corps—creates different realities, and I often think of and long to see my family in La Yautia again. But slowly this new family forms, and slowly I will venture out of this upper class section to find the simplicity that Argentina’s campos surely offer.
posted by Amanda Joy at 10:46 AM
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