All things Political/Legal

So after numerous people have told me to be careful down here and have asked me whether I feel unsafe with regard to the "political situation," I thought it would be interesting to post about some of the realities and intricacies of politics down here in Argentina.

Probably about my second week here, I was sitting in CEDHA's office when I started to hear the beat of drums. I didn't think any more of it until I realized that the sound was getting a lot closer, and was now accompanied by chanting voices, fireworks, and honking cars. I went over to the window that looks out onto the main street in Cordoba and I saw a group of about 200 people walking down the middle of the street setting off fireworks (without the lights) and someone with a bullhorn yelling. I asked my co-worker Joni what was going on, and he said that some union group was protesting. I asked him whether they were allowed to just walk through they streets like that, unplanned, stop traffic and set off powerful fireworks without permission. He look at me like I was crazy, laughed, and said "Kate, this is Argentina." Ever since then, there have been no less than about 3 protests a week, and the cars have to just sit there while the protesters slowly pass by. (On a side note, the same thing happened at the main intersection of Córdoba when one of the cities beloved soccer teams dropped down a division. The police were even redirecting traffic so that the fans could show their team support!) Still, from what I have seen, these are very peaceful protests, and they always relate to the Argentine government.

I also got the unique opportunity to witness elections here in Argentina. According to the Argentine constitution, elections are to take place on October 28. Apparently, however, with all the current discontent surrounding President Cristina Kirchner, elections were changed to June 28. I was talking with some of the Argentine law-student interns at CEDHA and I asked them how such a flagrant violation of the Constitution was being allowed--or rather, sanctioned--by the government. Their response: "well, it's either change the elections or risk an outbreak of violence in Buenos Aires." That was definitely a wake-up call to the fact that I am living in a third-world country that was under the rule of a military dictator until about 30 years ago. At the time, I still had no clue what the elections were actually for. With all the intense campaigining and bashing of Kirchner going on, I just assumed that the elections were presidential. I actually learned, however, that they were just for the new Senators and Representatives, but they were such a big deal because people really felt like new political blood needed to be added to the mix to dilute Kirchner's ability to make decisions. The whole campaign and actual election process were fascinating: There are no less than 4 major parties in Argentina, and each had it's own (often several) candidates (women included!! yay!). Almost every Argentine person you talk to hates all of the candidates, but hates one candidate just a little bit less than the others. ALSO, the Argentine constitution makes voting mandatory for every citizen (I believe over the age of 18), unless you are living more than 450 kilometers from your home. Those people who don't vote often come home to find a nice little multa (fine) waiting for them. How crazy is that!! No "Rock the Vote" campains necessary down here...

The Police:

A lot of people talk about the corruption of the police force here. While it is a bit shady that you can become a police officer in 3 months, and that you get paid while doing so (talk about not working for the love of the job), it definitely does make me feel safer to see police on nearly every corner down here. Although, after seeing a police officer repeatedly shove up against a brick wall a suspicious-looking man who was jogging with a duffel bag in his hand, I did get the feeling that police brutality complaints are not so well-established as in the U.S. Nevertheless, I have never ONCE felt unsafe here in Argentina, though I continue to always be aware of my surroundings and walk with friends when I can (that's for you, Mom!).

Law School:

Law down here, as in pretty much every other country in the world, is actually a six year undergraduate degree. Can you guys imagine studying law for six years? Good lord!! The students here are pretty serious about their studies. After meeting people in Spain who had been studying their 5-year law degree for about 8 or 9 years, I couldn't believe it when nearly every person I met here was 23 or 24 and finishing his degree! (Then again, "Hi, I'm ___, I'm 23 and I'll be your lawyer" is also a bit frightening").

Well, I hope you guys find some of these observations as interesting as I have! Look for my post about my trip to the north of Spain and an update regarding my work within the next few days!

Kate

The Yanqui's Latest Adventures

For those of you who’ve been dying for more information, I am going to put up a monster of a post.

Let’s see: the last time I wrote I was heading out the door to Buenos Aires. Luckily my friend Martín (pronounced in the Cordoban accent as Maaaaarteen) came with my to the bus station, because without him, I probably would have missed my bus. Apparently, they were announcing over the loudspeaker at the bus station that everyone who was supposed to be traveling with the company with which I had bought a ticket was supposed to get on another company’s bus. About two minutes before the bus was supposed to leave, Martín actually listened to the announcement, ran up to the driver, and then told me I was supposed to be on that bus. So then, por los pelos, I was on my way to Buenos Aires in a Coche Suite bus, which I highly recommend to anyone traveling by bus in Argentina. For about 10 bucks more, you get hot food service and a seat that fully reclines 180 degrees, meaning I actually slept about eight hours on a moving bus!

When I arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday morning at about 8:30 AM, my friend Enrique was waiting for me at the bus station. It has to be interesting for anyone arriving in Buenos Aires for the first time by bus because the back of the station is right next to a really poor, makeshift little village. But then when you leave the station and begin to walk, you see beautiful buildings and lots of green (parks, trees, etc.). We walked to my hostel, which was in the posh neighborhood called La Recoleta,” (Evita is buried in this neighborhood) dropped off my stuff, and began exploring the city. We took the Subte (the subway) to the Obelisco (a big, Washington Monument-like statue) and then walked the length of calle Florida, which is a purely pedestrian street with tons of shops and restaurants. Then we walked along the river in Puerto Madero, which is full of new red brick buildings and even a Hooters restaurant!! Our plan was to eat at a restaurant called “Siga la Vaca,” which is basically an all-you-can-eat steak buffet for the equivalent of about 13 dollars (oh, by the way, Argentine beef is INSANE), but at 1:30 PM the wait was already super long.

Instead, we walked into the San Telmo neighborhood and ate at a restaurant there. Afterwards, we stopped by this museum where each floor shows what life was like in Buenos Aires at different points in history, but in the end we didn’t go in because it was really expensive. Then we took the bus to Enrique’s house, and that night a bunch of his friends came over and we hung out in the bar he and his brother built behind their house. At about 2 AM we all headed out to do some dancing, and by 4:30 AM (very early for a Friday night in Argentina) I was in my bed ready to get a good night’s sleep.

The rest of the weekend flew by. On Sunday, Enrique and I went to a neighborhood in Buenos Aires called “El Caminito.” It’s the principal tourist area in Buenos Aires because it is full of colorful wood houses and tango dancers in the street. I bought an awesome painting depicting the houses using real wood pieces for the equivalent of about $27 and I can’t wait to hang it up in my room when I get back. I also bought a necklace with a beautiful pink Argentine gemstone called “Rodocrosite” but I will just pretend it was given to me by a foxy Argentine man hehe. That night I treated myself to a fancy dinner of salmon ravioli with shrimp cream sauce, and two glasses of Chardonnay, all for less than $20, and I felt very Sex-in-the-City while doing so. Then I went out with Enrique and his friends to one of the largest dance clubs in Buenos Aires, but the combination of cigarette smoke, expensive drinks, and inability to move meant that I left after about two hours.

Even though I had an awesome time in Buenos Aires, I was definitely ready to head back to Córdoba Monday night. The coolest thing was that when I was on the bus, I felt like I was going “home.” Córdoba really is an awesome city in which to live because even though it’s the second-largest city in Argentina, it has a “small town” feel to it. Plus, the neighborhood where I live, Nueva Córdoba, is full of students, so there is a really cool vibe.

Since my trip to Buenos Aires I have stayed in Córdoba and had tons of fun. Last week I actually moved out of where I was living and in with some friends I met here and it’s great because I no longer have to eat alone and now have people with whom to watch movies and the like. I would have to say that my #1 favorite thing about Córdoba is the people. Everyone is so incredibly friendly, and I have already made friends whom I feel like I have known forever. One of my friends is actually going to come to William and Mary for a weekend in August because she’s going to be in Virginia visiting her Uncle, so I’m super pumped for that! I also love the tradition of drinking “mate” because it’s a chance to relax and spend time with your friends in a simple way that is rarely done in the U.S.

In honor of the 4th of July, some friends and I threw an American party at Martín’s house on Saturday (even though I’m the only American here). We had hot dogs, red and blue lights, and, of course, BEER PONG. Unfortunately, the spirit of beer pong didn’t take hold as much as I was hoping, but I did create a few fanatics. After the party we, or course, went out dancing. En fin, I went to bed at 7:30 AM. Needless to say, I had a very chilled-out (aka unproductive) Sunday, but it was definitely worth it.

A lot of people have been asking me about my job. First of all, I have to say that the people who work at CEDHA are some of the most incredible people I have ever met. They are so friendly, and are always interested in how I’m doing here and making sure I’m having a good time. Even though work got off to a bit of a slow start, I am now involved in two really cool projects as a member of the Corporations and Human Rights group. The project that I am working on with other people deals with developing a tool to measure corporate impact on Human Rights. The second project I’m working on is one that I basically created myself, and about which my supervisor very excited. I have been spending most of my time researching something called the Alien Tort Claims Act, which is an old U.S. statute that gives federal district courts original jurisdiction over claims of violations of the law of nations occurring outside of the U.S. Essentially, this means that people from outside the U.S. have a chance of suing a corporation in a U.S. court for violations of human rights that have occurred at the hands of that corporation outside the U.S. There are a lot of interesting things happening in the courts right now over the meaning and application of this statute, so it’s a really exciting project. Plus, it allows me to take work on something that is useful for Argentine (and all Latin American) NGOs, while also becoming familiar with a U.S law.

Thursday is the Argentine Independence Day, so I am taking a long weekend and going with a friend to the North of Argentina, which I’ve heard is absolutely gorgeous. Plus, I am super excited because I’ve been told that the best empanadas are found in Salta, the city where we’ll be staying!! I’ll make sure to post pictures as soon as I get back, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I hope all of you are doing well and that you’re enjoying Argentina with me.

Take care,

Kate

Some Pics from Buenos Aires

Most of these are already on Facebook, but for my family members who aren't on Facebook, here are some pictures from my recent trip to Buenos Aires, where my friend Enrique was my wonderful tourguide. Enjoy!

This building reminded me of New York

The Pink House (the central site of the Government but the President doesn't live there)

A famous immigrant neighborhood known as El Caminito; full of colorful buildings and tango dancers!

A typical Porteño (Buenos-Airean) danceclub.

Me in front of the Obelisco in downtown Bs As.