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| This is what it means to be from New Mexico. | | |
| Has anyone else been keeping up with the recent and insane ruling by the Supreme Court? My favorite quote: House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California says she is opposed to any legislation that would withhold federal dollars "for the enforcement of any decision of the Supreme Court, no matter how opposed I am to that decision." Well done, Ms. Pelosi, well done. I'm sure most of us would prefer to see Grandma Smith's house of 57 years razed to build that new Holiday Inn anyway. | | |
| Even though I'm nearing the end of my stay in LatinAm, I continue to be stymied by the issue of my nationality. 'American' is a loaded word that raises the ire of lots of people in all over this continent because they see everyone in the western hemisphere as 'American.' I really can't fault them since, well, it's in the name. North America. South America. Central America. I've tried to be sensitive to this, so when people ask me where I'm from I say 'los estados unidos.' But then the other day this man I was talking to objected to that as well because, as he said, 'There's a United States of Brazil, a United States of Mexico...' So this means that America, and now los estados unidos and los estados unidos de america are all out. He told me that I should itentify my country as 'los estados unidos de norteamerica,'--quite a mouthful--whereas he could identify his country as 'chile.' This seems a little unfair to me. Why does he get to be Chilean AND American while I have to be an estadounidense norteamericana from los estados unidos de norteamerica? As a result, I'm trying to think of a completely new moniker. So far I've come up with this list:
1. Number One (that's it--Number One, as in 'Oh, you're Argentinean? I'm from Number One.') Pros: reinforces national pride, rolls off the tongue, doesn't infringe on pre-existing names. Cons: perpetuates unfortunate stereotypes, has connotations to bodily functions.
2. Awesomania. Pros: Would work well as a foreign country name in Spanish-speaking countries, along the lines of Alemania, Eslovenia, Francia... Cons: Again, may be construed as egocentric by some.
3. Robland (or in Spanish, Roblaterra) Pros: extremely convenient for me and other like-named people. Cons: none come to mind.
Okay, that's it so far but I'm open to suggestions.
In other news, I spent 3 days at Iguazú visiting the famous waterfalls before coming to Buenos Aires. The falls were incredibly, incredibly beautiful. Along with Machu Picchu, they comprised some of the most amazing landscapes (waterscapes?) I've ever seen.
Despite the rainy glumness, Buenos Aires is a...corker...of a city. I've kicked around the botanical gardens, cemetary (crypts sort of like New Orleans, plus it's where Evita is entombed...muah!), and quite a few other parts of the city. Because of the economic problems they've had, every once in a while I have this really cool sensation of walking around an Italian city circa 1960. For example, there's one metro line where the trains have completely wooden interiors and these old-fashioned lights, and you have to manually open the doors when you get to your stop. It's great.
Today I visited the Teatro Colon, whose opulence makes Versailles look like a bus station restroom. Well, not quite, but it was impressive. Pictures to follow once I'm reunited with my computer.
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Last night as I sat in the plaza I was thinking about what I wrote
yesterday. I don't believe I accurately convey my first
impressions of Argentina. I should've started off by saying that,
from what I've seen so far, it's extremely prosperous by South Am.
standards, the people are stylish and well-dressed (much better dressed
than I am), the commercial centers are modern and full of
activity...But at the same time there is evidence everywhere of a
downturn from an even more prosperous period. Didn't mean to
over-generalize.
Also, this is a good opportunity to post this link:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2005/06/07/yale_grades_portray_kerry_as_a_lackluster_student?mode=PF
Bwah hah hah! Irrespective of your political leanings,
you've gotta admit that this is one of the best yearbook photos
ever. |
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This is the end...dum dum dum...I forget how the rest of the song goes.
Finished up in Santiago on Friday, went skiing on Saturday, and
bused over to Mendoza, Argentina on Sunday. The skiing was a
little slushy, but fun. The resort was above the treeline, so the
views were spectacular. The only mishap (read: crash) of the day
came as I tried to commandeer one of those mutant rope-bar lifts that
drag you up the mountain. It was one of the tensest experiences
of my entire trip, especially after I was bucked off and had to flail
out of the way of the Chileans bearing down on me.
Nyahhh...(shaking fist)
Argentina has been loads of fun so far. Beautiful scenery,
laid-back vibe, generally friendly people, and all the steak I can
eat. It's so cheap! Unfortunately, at the moment I need a
Pepcid AC, but it was worth it.
Mendoza has wide tree-lined streets and a gigantic park in the
middle of town, beautiful even in winter. Now I'm in Cordoba for
a couple days before heading on to Santa Fe and Iguazú. Cordoba's
a college town and a pretty hap'nin place, though at times I still
can't understand these folks. Enunciate. Por favor...
And as for the economy...well, here's a story: My little
pueblito back in New Mexico experienced a sort of renaissance in the
late 60s--there was a building boom, a little industrial growth, the
construction of a few parks, golf course, etc. Since then, not
much has happened, and we've watched the burg gradually decay.
Argentina evokes the same nostalgia in me, and I've never even been
here before. I've passed by countless dilapidated mansions,
statues, monuments...and a lot of cars from the 60s.
The phrase 'genteel poverty' comes to mind. Here's hoping they
can bounce back from the economic problems they've experienced, most
notably the financial crisis of '01. Apparently the GDP's grown
between 7% and 9% annually over the past 3 years, so hopefully they can
keep that trend going.
Today's highlight was a visit to Che Guevara's childhood home in the
nearby town of Alta Gracia. Definitely interesting to see him in
his formative years, and to see that his initial motivation was simple
outrage at the tremendous gap between rich and poor in Latin
America. Even today, the income disparities in Latin
America are some of the widest in the world: http://www.undp.org/hdr2003/indicator/indic_126_1_1.html.
While I don't think his methods and ideology were the right way to go
about fixing the problem, I can't help but admire his grit.
Okay, time to go eat an empanada... |
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