Boa Noite

May I reiterate that I am done? Obrigado. I am thrilled.

Today I went for a sad second to last trip to La

Alameda where I took cute pictures, ate battata, made a flyer, and played newspaper futbol with the kids. One last time.

Then it was home to drink my Frizze, watch Big Bang Theory and attempt to learn a little Portuguese.

The girls came over to watch Malaparida and an old school pirated copy of Sex in the City 2.

All around a good night.

TERMINO

I promised a post about my essays and now that I am down with EVERYTHING academic I will "cumplir" with my promise.

For my class in UBA I wrote a group paper of 25 pages about the current situation of systematic slavery of bolivians in textile factories in Buenos Aires. Our conclusion was that it was a system based in discrimination with the textile managers recruiting specifically bolivians, exploiting their countries economic situation, the large joblessness, the process of immigration, and their culture. Many of the managers currently are bolivians themselves who were formerly slaves and are rising to the power in the only system that they know.

Nota: 9

For my Castellano class I wrote a short 4.5 pager (1.5 spaced) about how Los Abuelos de la Nada was successful in the context of the change in the political environment in 1983 after the last military dictatorship

For my independent study for methodology I surveyed 20 people to learn more about their tendencies in giving money to beggers on the subway. In general more give than don't both in my non-empirical observations and in this study. When asking questions about their reasoning I found that no matter people's opinions about how to better help, their opinions about the role of the government in aid, or their knowledge of child exploitation in this context- they still gave. I came to the conclusion that the lack of thought or influence of thought in their giving meant that this action was a porteño custom.

From the prostibulo in Liniers

Jardin

Boo I couldn't wake up to go gardening! And I must admit I'd been looking forward to it lately. The thing is I went to bed at 2:40 (working on my essay- 9.25 pages down so yay) so waking up at 7:40 was just something my body refused me. O well, next week or the week after.

The garden grows lots of veggies and is grown as a continuous activity for local youth- to keep them engaged in something proactive. I don't think that many youth come... but I've met a few. You can kind of pick them out by their baby faces and tendency to only beso girls and handshake guys jeje

Usually when I go my job is to sacar yuyos (weeds = pronounced "shushos" with the silly argentine love of SHHHHH) I've also raked, prepared planting pots, watered, and drank lots of mate : P

P.s.
My mate addiction is getting out of hand. I now drink it EVERYWHERE I go. At home. At la alameda. At the jardin. Jaja next will be in class.

Sick= more blog posts

So, the first protest I went to was wednesday night. (I found out about it earlier that day) The goal was as a union to protest the dressmakers union SOIVA. Weird right? The reason is because SOIVA hasn't been acting on their workers behalf. The protest was asking for a 35% raise on salaries. The current salaries of the dressmakers are 1,800 pesos per month- 459.60 U$S. The 35% raise would bring that number to 650U$S... still not much to live on. And these numbers represent the legal textile industry here. The protest was really well run I think. We didn't cut off the street completely (Soledad directed traffick behind the group) and there were drums, chants, and banners- but no violence and anarchy (except for the lady next to me whos all bust in the door)

Should be Studying....

Instead I went to a PACKED cafe this morning to watch the Argentina-Nigeria game. I woke up a little late so was I walking toward the cafe when the first (and only) goal was scored. It was euphoric. There was a communal grita and the entire street harmonized. Women and teenagers ran out to their balconys and waved to me while jumping up and down. I turned a corner just in time to see a bottle rocket shot off from the sidewalk and appreciated waking up to a series of smiles.

When I got into the cafe there was barely any space but the waiter moved a table for me to join in and arranged it so that I was facing the tv. (without my asking, which amused me) They had GIANT mundial specials with orange juice, tostadas, cafe, and fruit salad for 18 pesos. It was mouthwateringly good but way too much food for my small cuerpo.

There were two televisions in the cafe- one slightly delayed from the other. I was on the side that was temprano and we got a good laugh hearing all of our reactions echoed. Every sigh, woooo, OH!, and VA VA VA, repeated a few seconds later on the other side. I enjoyed the company of the waitstaff, two girls behind me, and an older woman who also came alone. I didn't feel alone at all. We were all in this game together. Kind of the way it should be huh?

Sleepy Becca is Sleepy

Upcoming Attractions:

1. The Vestidora Protest at SOIVA

2. Becca learns to garden

3. Mundial GOLLLLLL

4. No Chains launch party o yeaa

5. Accounts from my ex-slave Bolivian friends

6. My essays

This/these post/posts will be written when I am not asleep and feel like putting off my final papers.

Protesting for Liberacion!

A protest I know that I am behind 100%. La Alameda organized a "liberacion" protest outside of an illegal whorehouse which contains enslaved women, some of whom are minors. This whorehouse was ALREADY denounced upon inspection and therefore should have shut down its operations by law. However, one girl escaped to La Alameda and informed them that it was in fact still operating. Now, considering that this location, a house btw, was already denounced, the heads at La Alameda informed the police so that they could handle it within in the limits of the law. However, knowing that the police would not follow through they also organized plan B: a "liberacion"protest.

This is where I was tonight.

The plan was to let the police go first and potentially do what they were supposed to do and shutdown the operations of the whorehouse. I think that this is fair. Then, we were to follow behind and if they did not comply we were going to protest outside of the whorehouse until 1 of 2 things happened: 1 they freed the girls 2 they allowed journalists inside to prove that operations were indeed shutdown and there was no reason to pursue the lucha (fight). Neither of these things happened.

Instead, 5 policeman blockaded the door to the whorehouse- blocking everyone who was inside... inside. Other policemen ventured inside the whorehouse. One of these proceeded up to the top window, opened it up, and started videotaping us

marching outside. I can't imagine what they would do with that footage- nothing legal thats for sure. This moment certainly sealed my understanding of the police corruption. The police were actively preventing the escape of women of an ALREADY LEGALLY DENOUNCED WHOREHOUSE. How horrifying to not be able to trust your

police forces!

I say this especially because both judicial support and police support is THE KEY to stopping the international slave trade. We can NOT do it outside of the law or without law enforcement's support. It's important to A. protect those who were liberated B. criminalize those who's wretched souls gave them the idea to exploit the life of a fellow human. Law enforcement and the judicial system allow for things like search warrants, and evidence collection. It allows for concrete recognition of this problem and concrete con

sequences.... assuming it's not corrupted.

And in Buenos Aires... it is DEFINITELY corrupted.

For more information go to La Alameda's website: http://laalameda.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling

Mala muy mala mala malparida

Dale:

-2 informes .... Make that 1 informe : )
-1 parcial
-1 monografia by myself w presentation
-1 monografia grupal w presentation
-1 6 pg monografia w presentation

Until the morning of Juen 29th

Then:

+free Andres Calamaro concert
+free trip to see Fuerza bruta
+my mom coms and we take on the town
+I leave for a grand grand trip to Chile!
+Back to the USA

Respira...respira....respira

My Playlist (more or less)

Besame
Que Suerte
Diego Torres- Guapa
Mundial en español
Celebra la vida
Parrappapa
La Pollera Amarilla
David Bisbal
Para tu Amor- Juanes

Conspiracy Theory's

I don't know if this is the norm or not, but in my experience I have encountered a lot of porteños with conspiracy theories.

My Castellano professor- To measure crime you first have to define crime, you would describe it as petty crime of robberies but I would focus more on the systemized crime of oppression through the government and businesses. While I agree with him- and he's right - that IS a crime, petty crime is ALSO a crime punishable by law. While the circumstances putting people in situations where they resort to these crimes should also be addressed you can't just negate our ideas of crime to fit your agenda. Also, how argentine to just want to overhaul the system to create change rather than consider how one can create change using the system of law already in place.


From the cutie studying to be a nuerophysicist on the 152- 9/11 was a hoax. That kind of damage can't be caused by a plane. He told me to go to a conspiracy website that I'd actually heard of before, but I forget now.

And Today from the magazine vendor who bought me a coffee: Three bombs were dropped in World War II, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Ogasawa. That's not what I heard...?

Poesia

Shopkeeper no point
washing sidewalks all morn long
Dog poop will return

Children scream bloody hell
Sitting this long causes death
all an adventure

Butterfly jumps off
Crashing waters snarl and hiss
Reappears, giggling

Already shivered once
No tengo ganas nada
Two winters is cruel

In news someone dies
every day. In novelas
more or less the same