La Plaza de Mayo and La Casa Rosada (Government Building). Evita among many other famous Argentinians have addressed the public from the balcony.
Other side of La Plaza de Mayo
Piramide de Mayo (Marks the date Argentina won its independence from Spain).
Close up of La Casa Rosada
Inside of the Catedral Metropolitana (located across from the Plaza de Mayo).
The Famous Obelisk.
Congreso National (Country's Parliament Building)
Not that I did not have a great time and not that the centro is ugly but I was a little saddened by what I saw throughout the day. Today I saw a little bit of the situation Argentina is going through.
I saw magnificent buildings and avenues. Buenos Aires is truely the "Paris of Latin America." But, to me, it seemed that I was viewing the bits and pieces of Argentina's former glory. I could imagine what the city must have looked like when it was at its most powerful point. It was obvious that they worked hard to make this city beautiful and impressive.
Now, everything is very dirty and sort of run down. I saw SO many homeless people sleeping and living in these beautiful plazas and squares. Trash was everywhere. Many things were chained up and there was a lot of graffiti on once stylish neoclassical pillars and walls. I think the city center reflects the difficult economic crisis the country is going through. The country is suffering from a HUGE federal debt that started in the 1980s. Other than that, the country has been through many tough times (dictatorships, disappeared people, etc.). I think Buenos Aires is a city where it is very easy to see the disparities between wealth and poverty.
Homeless people sleeping in the Plaza de Mayo
One the train ride into the city I see a variety of living situations: shacks, huge houses, and apartment buildings of all classes. In some of the other larger cities I have visited, I feel that poverty is less evident, almost hidden. It makes it easy to go about daily living. We can forget that other people are suffering while we have all we need and more.
I was expecting to go into the city and "escape" in a sense from the area I am living and the poverty that surrounds me. But instead I saw that this is something that is everywhere here. I also realized that this is not something that I should try and forget. We cannot escape it. Ever if we do not see it; it is still happening. I should be reminded that others have no food to eat and hardly a place to sleep safely. It makes me feel so thankful that I do not have to worry about how I will eat or where I will live. It also calls me to action to help those less fortunate than me. Let us not forget that others are suffering while we live comfortably and help us to help them.
I saw magnificent buildings and avenues. Buenos Aires is truely the "Paris of Latin America." But, to me, it seemed that I was viewing the bits and pieces of Argentina's former glory. I could imagine what the city must have looked like when it was at its most powerful point. It was obvious that they worked hard to make this city beautiful and impressive.
Now, everything is very dirty and sort of run down. I saw SO many homeless people sleeping and living in these beautiful plazas and squares. Trash was everywhere. Many things were chained up and there was a lot of graffiti on once stylish neoclassical pillars and walls. I think the city center reflects the difficult economic crisis the country is going through. The country is suffering from a HUGE federal debt that started in the 1980s. Other than that, the country has been through many tough times (dictatorships, disappeared people, etc.). I think Buenos Aires is a city where it is very easy to see the disparities between wealth and poverty.
Homeless people sleeping in the Plaza de Mayo
One the train ride into the city I see a variety of living situations: shacks, huge houses, and apartment buildings of all classes. In some of the other larger cities I have visited, I feel that poverty is less evident, almost hidden. It makes it easy to go about daily living. We can forget that other people are suffering while we have all we need and more.
I was expecting to go into the city and "escape" in a sense from the area I am living and the poverty that surrounds me. But instead I saw that this is something that is everywhere here. I also realized that this is not something that I should try and forget. We cannot escape it. Ever if we do not see it; it is still happening. I should be reminded that others have no food to eat and hardly a place to sleep safely. It makes me feel so thankful that I do not have to worry about how I will eat or where I will live. It also calls me to action to help those less fortunate than me. Let us not forget that others are suffering while we live comfortably and help us to help them.
No comments:
Post a Comment