I have now been in Argentina for over a month, and all is going well.
Spring has sprung, and it came with a lot of rainfall, which is much needed in the interior of the province of Chaco where a drought has been killing cattle and other animals.
We are moving the church office to rooms in the church mission building that used to be a kindergarten. New alarms are being installed.
James, a volunteer from Milwaukee will be working with the children programs in at the church mission, recently arrived. One of the programs is one focused on the environment. The kids worked hard to plant over 20 trees on the church property. Last Thursday the children had a party to celebrate the first day of Spring (a little of an adjustment to see flowers budding instead of leaves falling). There were over a hundred kids there, and there were games like retrieving a piece of candy from a plate of flower, and a potato sack race. The kids are great and are always excited when we come.
Local elections for governor of this province, Chaco were held last week. The election was decided within less one percent of the vote, and with issues in the voting process, a recount was called for. It’s expected to take another week.
There was one rally that we saw that had buses full of people, and a lot of intensity. However, talking to many people, there is a deep skepticism in the political process, given the country’s history of political corruption. As my host mom said, “They’re all dirty.” Voting in Argentina is “mandatory,” and turnout tends to be 80 and 90 percent of the population. Although, I think the high turnout isn’t just because it is “mandatory,” but I get the sense that, despite much (quite justified) skepticism, voting is more ingrained as a part of civic responsibility.
It got me thinking about the poor voting turnout in the US. Part of that is that I think is the pervasive apathy. What if voting was mandatory in the US? What if it was more deeply engrained as not only one’s right, but responsibility?
Argentina’s presidential election will be in October.
I’ve been getting to know a lot of new places, and the best toppings for pizza. Pizzerias are abundant here, and typical toppings are ham, green olives, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Most restaurants don’t get going for dinner until after 9:00pm.
Often my accent will begin conversations about the US, in which strong opinions against the US government/president are often shared.
I have been observing that while some of the most visible and typical signs of globalization, like such corporate chains as McDonald’s aren’t visible, there is much US influence in other ways, like the entertainment industry. It is difficult to find videos to rent that aren’t from the US, and it is difficult to listen to the radio without hearing a song in English.
I have been using the bus to get around. The church mission is about a 30 minute bus ride. The fee is one Argentine peso, which is about 33 cents. There are many cars as well, but it is somewhat of a luxury. Many people ride bikes and scooters. It is not uncommon to see an entire family riding on a small bike or scooter. There are also a lot of horse buggies. There are some horses that graze near our house.
Spring has sprung, and it came with a lot of rainfall, which is much needed in the interior of the province of Chaco where a drought has been killing cattle and other animals.
We are moving the church office to rooms in the church mission building that used to be a kindergarten. New alarms are being installed.
James, a volunteer from Milwaukee will be working with the children programs in at the church mission, recently arrived. One of the programs is one focused on the environment. The kids worked hard to plant over 20 trees on the church property. Last Thursday the children had a party to celebrate the first day of Spring (a little of an adjustment to see flowers budding instead of leaves falling). There were over a hundred kids there, and there were games like retrieving a piece of candy from a plate of flower, and a potato sack race. The kids are great and are always excited when we come.
Local elections for governor of this province, Chaco were held last week. The election was decided within less one percent of the vote, and with issues in the voting process, a recount was called for. It’s expected to take another week.
There was one rally that we saw that had buses full of people, and a lot of intensity. However, talking to many people, there is a deep skepticism in the political process, given the country’s history of political corruption. As my host mom said, “They’re all dirty.” Voting in Argentina is “mandatory,” and turnout tends to be 80 and 90 percent of the population. Although, I think the high turnout isn’t just because it is “mandatory,” but I get the sense that, despite much (quite justified) skepticism, voting is more ingrained as a part of civic responsibility.
It got me thinking about the poor voting turnout in the US. Part of that is that I think is the pervasive apathy. What if voting was mandatory in the US? What if it was more deeply engrained as not only one’s right, but responsibility?
Argentina’s presidential election will be in October.
I’ve been getting to know a lot of new places, and the best toppings for pizza. Pizzerias are abundant here, and typical toppings are ham, green olives, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Most restaurants don’t get going for dinner until after 9:00pm.
Often my accent will begin conversations about the US, in which strong opinions against the US government/president are often shared.
I have been observing that while some of the most visible and typical signs of globalization, like such corporate chains as McDonald’s aren’t visible, there is much US influence in other ways, like the entertainment industry. It is difficult to find videos to rent that aren’t from the US, and it is difficult to listen to the radio without hearing a song in English.
I have been using the bus to get around. The church mission is about a 30 minute bus ride. The fee is one Argentine peso, which is about 33 cents. There are many cars as well, but it is somewhat of a luxury. Many people ride bikes and scooters. It is not uncommon to see an entire family riding on a small bike or scooter. There are also a lot of horse buggies. There are some horses that graze near our house.
There was a boy that came to my door asking for cardboard. People who are called “cartoneros,” go around the city looking for cardboard, in order to live on the few pesos they will receive for turning it in.
There was also a boy that came by my door and asked: “Tiene para el hambre?” which translates: “Do you have for the hunger?” That word “hambre” started buzzing in my ears and in my heart. I couldn’t think of a more grave injustice that the pain this boy is forced to feel in his belly.
I have been thinking about repentance a lot lately, and how it is often it is personalized. That is, I repent, I ask God to forgive me for my personal wrongdoings, like all the times I lied, etc. However, when we think about the gravity of the wrongdoings we do as a society, our “social sin,” like injustice, poverty, etc, is this something we repent for?
It would be easy for me to feel guilty about the ways I am implicated in a social structure that puts the pain in this boy’s stomach. This pain is not a cause for guilt, but it is a cause for repentance. Hopefully this sort of repentance leads to an honest pursuit of justice.
Anyway, I’ll leave it there for now. Thanks for reading.
