Every tourist who has ever been to Buenos Aires no doubt has done two things....See those pretty colored houses(which I have yet to successfully do).....and go to the San Telmo Street Fair. The San Telmo Street Fair is actually a lot of fun. You find it by going down this small alley right off of where the Casa Rosada is located so it is perfect to see the house and get a glimpse at some real touristy culture here in Buenos Aires.
The fair is basically a big conglomeration of all of the street vendors in Buenos Aires that occurs every Saturday and Sunday. I actually was able to buy quite a few souvenirs there, but I do suggest shopping around as some are really good quality and a good price and others are cheap and made to just gouge the tourists. The hint is to walk the whole thing. Yes it is enormously long and you will be tired when you are done, but you will undoubtedly find what you were looking for in the best quality at a good price from a really friendly local.
Hints to the San Telmo Street Fair:
1. Don't pay more than 6 pesos for a glass of jugo expremido. No doubt you will see lots of people peddling fresh OJ but don't give in just because you are thirsty give it two seconds and undoubtedly you will find someone at the right price. Also, the concept of ice here is foreign so look for someone who keeps their oranges in a bath of ice water!
2. Pay attention to make sure you don't get pick pocketed. It is a very busy area and there are always people in any country looking to steal from you....I realize that is a fairly pessimistic view of the world, but whatever.
3. Do not hold on to your bag like you are trying to kill a wild animal. Yes I said to watch out for pick pockets but this does not mean that the 6 foot tall blonde lady needs to grip her bag like Rose holding onto Jack after the Titanic sank. Not everyone with an accent is trying to rob you! Calm Down!
4. If someone is trying to sell you their product be wary. There is a word here in Buenos Aires, called a chanta. For lack of a good translation think smarmy used car salesman. People who make and sell quality things at this fair are not trying to sell you anything because they know there stuff is good and will get bought eventually.
5. Don't wander too much off the beaten path unless you really know where you are going. Because the fair is so big and closes off so many streets I think the bus schedule and where the buses stop changes so it is best to just leave the same way you entered, like most things in life.
6. Bring a bag. This may sound stupid because everyone will give you a little plastic bag for you stuff but trust me your own bag is always a plus. Two reasons I suggest this: one is that its hard to carry all of those little bags and two is that if you are carrying a bunch of little bags you are a prime target for any chanta with a brain to take advantage of, no matter how smart you think you are.
7. Be prepared with small bills and centavos. There are a lot of street performers and if you take pictures they will expect some sort of payment. Also a lot of the vendors are not going to have change for a 100 pesos, so just better to be prepared.
8. Last but not least, wear comfortable shoes. It is definitely a hike from one end of the fair to the other and on cobblestone street. If you have a pair of running sneakers it is definitely the day to put them on your feet.
Now for what you have all been waiting for.....Picture Time:
This is a church/school you will find in the midst of the fair. Awesome statue!
The next set of pictures that I have are actually of some of the many musicians you may see on a typical trip to the San Telmo Fair.
Come on this kid is sooofriggin cute right...his father used him to clear a path throughout the fair...Genius!
They were playing some Tango music.
San Telmo Fair is also swarming with all sorts of different street performers. They are everywhere....seriously....here are just a few to give you an idea of the different types of things you can see!
That's right it is Capt. Jack Sparrow...in Argentina...whatever its an easy costume I guess....
This man did amazing acrobatics on his balls. That orange one and the silver one...really really impressed with his ball skills.
This is by far my FAVORITE street performer at the San Telmo Fair. He is there every single time I have been and literally is what you would expect and Argentine clown to be like. He is handsy with everyone...male, female, and those who are somewhere in between by the looks of them. He is also really just sort of a goofy clown with kids. Gets a laugh for a peso from everyone.
I actually have two singers this time one female and one male....I personally like both of them and it is sort of an accident how I found them. So let's start with the first one.
Her name is Marcela Morelo. She is an Argentine born singer and does a lot of American covers. Her picture is here...
Now that you have seen her let me tell you how I found out about her. I was working at one of my co-op's, Ciudadanos del Mundo actually when I started to hear really loud music coming from my boss's office. This is not at all uncommon and usually it is all Spanish and I don't know any of it really. Well this time I was sure I knew the song, it was Believe by Cher. Then it got to the chorus and I started to sort of hum/sing-along and I realized what I was singing and what was playing were not the same. The song was in Spanish. I didn't realize at first because I don't really know all the words anyways until you get to the chorus part that EVERYONE knows....do you believe in life after love....I know you just sang that in your head.....
It was actually a really weird experience. Luckily, I was not in the office alone and didn't get the silent joy of enjoying my mistake along but rather get to show it off for the other two people I was working with who proceeded to laugh at me. Realizing the song wasn't in English I of course stopped and when my co-workers were done laughing they explained to me that this Argentine singer Marcela Morelo does A LOT of covers of American songs in Spanish. I then went home and youtubed her....(I don't know if that is a verb yet but googled is so I assume youtubed must be too).
Now I present you with the version of Creer that brought me to Marcela Morelo....see if you get confused too....you probably won't, I'm just an idiot.
In listening to her music I have found that I do like some of her covers...not all of them, but some are pretty good. But I have also found a few original songs that she sings that I really enjoy so I thought I would share one of those with you too!
Now that is Marcela Morelo. While watching some of her videos on youtube I found this next singer. He is fantastic and actually had a concert where he sang with Marcela. So without further ado to help make the transition I provide you with a video of both singers Marcela Morelo and the male singer I will write more about after the video, Abel Pintos.
Now Abel Pintos is a singer that is more traditional Argentine in terms of his music. While Marcela is as close to a pop star as I think Argentina really gets....Abel Pintos is sort of like a John Mayer(minus the racist penis) meets Josh Groban kind of singer. What I find really funny is this guy's hair....I know that sounds ridiculous but he had really curly very Josh Groban like hair and then I guess he just shaved it off.....and was completely bald...here are pics of before and after....
There are a lot of songs that I really enjoy by him. They tend to be a little more laid back and mellow which is great when I am trying to write the blog or am working on something else like my embassy presentation (hint hint nudge nudge to the future blog post and what I have been busy doing). I guess I will end this one with a song that I found and played on repeat the first time I heard for at least a good 15 minutes....
Well hello Everybody.....let me start with saying that I amSOsO So soSOOO sorry for not posting for so long. Life here in BA has gotten a little hectic for me. Good news is that this week I am determined to get up as many blog posts as I can....so be ready.
Today's post is actually about a conference I was able to attend thanks to my co-op at Ciudadanos del Mundo. Buenos Aires hosted a large immigration conference to discuss some of the issues that immigrants here in the city experience. The NGO was asked to go and have a table. Then when I was working they realized I had a camera and might be interested in going to hear the speakers and offered me the chance to go. I figured what would it hurt I really wasn't planning on doing anything crazy that night anyways. So I got in a cab with my boss and headed to one of the private universities here in BA that was hosting the event.
Immediately when I got there I realized that I was invited for more than just my camera. One of the other groups who had been asked to have a table was the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS. I was quickly introduced to their point person who was interested in looking at my women's health curriculum and if it may be of use to their organization. That was sort of exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. All in all, I gave them my e-mail address and they gave me theirs and apparently I may be asked to a meeting before I leave to discuss some details further.
The actual conference itself was fairly interesting. It was panel style and in about 4 parts. I managed to see and listen to the last two parts. The speakers came from all over South and Central America. Some of the speakers I heard were fromMexico, Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina. It was very interesting to hear all of the speakers for a number of reasons. One reason is that I loved being able to hear the difference in dialect in an hour span. I got to hear Spanish from Mexico, Bolivia, and Argentina and really contrast the different sounds with certain letters and words. I was actually amazed at how different they all sounded. The other thing that was interesting is that a common point that every speaker made was about the difficulties of immigration in the US.
I was fascinated honestly. The US was the butt of more than one joke at the conference. All of the speakers seemed to have the same opinion that when it came to immigration it was all fine among Latin American countries, but the minute any Latin American tried to immigrate to the US it wasn't possible. It was baffling to hear about the US immigration issues outside of our own country. The speakers were all fantastic and truly believed in a person's right to immigration. But to hear them say that norteamericanos, didn't understand that truly brought home to me just how screwed up our immigration system in the US is.
Here in Argentina immigrants are allowed to move and regardless of their immigrant status receive most of the government benefits of a citizen. This includes a right to healthcare and education. Immigration here is something that the Argentines value. Having a diverse set of people from Lebanon, Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, China, Germany, and the list continues really has provided Argentina with the rich culture they have today.
The most striking thing to me about the immigration conference were the number of people who came up to me to ask me about Herman Cain. Yes, seriously he has become a major point of contingency here in Argentina. More than one person on more than one occasion has come up to me to discuss his ideas and beliefs about immigration. Most of the people I speak with believe he is the Republic nomination for President and I have to explain that he is not. I then further explain that I don't believe he will be the Republican nomination either. Truthfully this is the first time that I realized how American politics really play out internationally.
Here is a video of what they asked me about
The idea that some of Herman Cain's comments about an electrocuted fence to keep out people from Mexico has become a regular talking point about the United States abroad worries me. News and media organizations that choose to take one comment from any candidate and play it repeatedly to create a dialogue or persona really don't think about the implications outside of the US.
I truly feel most people in the US hear something like that and blow it off as some candidate preaching to get votes, but people abroad hear that and think it is something US citizens are taking seriously. It makes me worry about the impression the US gives abroad. If a news or media organization is going to distort a comment or have some sort of values that they choose to let guide their reporting then I think there needs to be more responsibility in terms of the international consequences.
OKay! Sorry about that....it just was sort of in my head and needed out. I'm better now. So here are some pictures of the conference. ENJOY!!
This is me and one of the social workers Veronica, before I left for the conference.
This weekend I ended up taking a trip outside of Buenos Aires for the first time since being here. I know that I am lame for not having done this yet but I've been busy.....I will let you all know with what later this week...I promise its exciting!!!
Back to my trip. This weekend I decided I needed to go to the beach since it is so warm and nice here. That meant I was either heading to Uruguay or Mar del Plata.....well since part of me still wasn't ready to leave Argentina.....Mar del Plata was my destination of choice.
For those of you who are geographically stunted allow me to point out where this is.....
The red dot at the top with the black center is the city of Buenos Aires and the part that says Mar del Plata is obviously Mar del Plata. Let me assure you that while it looks rather close it is actually more of a 5 hour bus ride....so do not be deceived. For the my people from the US it is basically the distance from where I live in Massachusetts to New York City....more or less.
Anyway....the beach is exactly what I needed. I had a lot of work to do last week and I have a big event coming up this week (I promise I will have a blog post about this!) so I needed a little break. Shout out to Pinkie because I decided to take your advice about taking care of myself to take care of others. So I got a bus ticket for 1AM on Saturday and a return ticket for 9:30PM that same day and just went for it.
I LOVED Mar del Plata!!! Let me just start with that. Seriously it was the perfect combination of South America, Buenos Aires, Cape Cod, and Martha's Vineyard. It wasn't a small town and beach but a big city and really big beach. Cleanliness wise I would rank the beach somewhere around Revere Beach without the same number of homeless people that live there.
It was a pretty typical beach experience. But a few things did happen. We, myself and another student from the Connect-123 program named Julian, got there early and stopped to have breakfast. I seriously had the best medialunes since coming to Argentina. They were covered in honey and just so what I needed to go with my cafe con leche. Then we headed to the beach where we were surprised by the set up. The beach was public but there were tons of cabanas near the back that people could rent out see below for pictures.
The beach itself was actually fairly nice really big! Here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasures:
So that was the beach in the morning....we then left to go and grab some lunch. We stopped by a small grocery store, bought some homemade bread, some ham, some cheese, and some drinks and then decided to eat in the shade of a nice park fairly close to the beach.
After lunch the beach got CRAZY!! When I say crazy I mean it was like July on Cape Cod....there were just people everywhere and this was there slow season. There were also a ridiculous number of hawkers selling everything: ice cream, soda, water, corn, sunglasses, camera cases, jewelry, fruit salad, renting umbrellas, renting tables and chairs, pens, and other assorted tchotchkes. Then someone started to drown...and by started I mean started and finished. It was actually pretty insane. All of a sudden the lifeguard noticed this guy just floating really far out and everyone started running to save him. I stayed where I was. I mean too many people just causes more of a problem then solves one. But I did have Julian, who is much taller than me, venture into the crowd to get a picture. I actually sort of felt bad since I don't think the guy made it. But it was interesting to see how the situation was dealt with here. I mean first of all, they don't have any sort of oxygen or resuscitation equipment handy. Which surprises me mainly because of the large number of people at these beaches, I mean statistics are just simply not on their side here. Eventually an ambulance was called and the paramedics did come and take from the looks of it a very gray man from the beach. I'm pretty sure the man was dead since I didn't see him breathing and they stopped CPR, and that the whole chaos around the ambulance was to keep the beach goers calm which is pretty interesting too.
Anyway here are some pictures of the beach busy and the guy right after they pulled him out of the water....sans guy...I thought that would be inappropriate.
After the harrowing events on the beach in the afternoon, we began meandering around the rest of Mar del Plata. We ended up finding this great area to shop and I actually bought stuff to bring home....some stuff for me and maybe something for Jonathan....We also saw a pool. Yes that is right. The beach is so very busy that if you have enough money you can actually pay to swim in a pool that is located on the beach....If this ever happens in the US I will probably be forced to move, just sayin'.
Again here are some pictures from the afternoon:
Yes this is it the infamous pool on the beach......Ugh!
Then we headed out toward the bus station in order to grab dinner and then go back to Buenos Aires. What did we happen to see on our walk back you ask.....oh that's right I almost forgot....a concert for Christian Rock Music.....
I'm not going to lie I was really excited. I mean how many times in your life do you get to see a Christian Rock contest in the middle of a park in Argentina? I'm thinking not many.....anyway I took pictures here they are!
That's right it was called "Yo Creo" in other words "I believe"
Quite the crowd...surprised since if this happened in a park in the US I'm pretty sure someone would have a problem with it.
This actually made me sooooo happy! Argenitnes in traditional gospel choir robes!!!
The bus ride home was actually really nice. Buses are definitely the way to travel around this country. So comfortable and so easy to navigate. The only thing is the snack food on the bus was a little questionable.....I took a picture so you can decide for yourself.
For those of you that can't see....That is ham flavored snacks, an alfajor, an apple lollipop, and one of those cracker wafer things with vanilla filling....just odd! Hehehehe....but I ate it all and it was actually pretty tasty...so maybe I should just keep my opinions to myself.
This is me sitting on a Sea Lion statue....I have no idea why it was there but here I am ....I figured I at least needed on picture of myself at the beach right?!? Oh and by the way.... I am Northeastern...hahahaha!!
Since I have the day off Monday because of holiday here I have decided to use the time I would have spent working at the hospital writing a blog about the fundamental differences between the American and the Argentina health care systems. I know I am just so fascinating aren't you jealous?? No well that's okay because I am going to go read and tan in the park when I'm down writing this so.....HA. HA. HA! I also realize some people get scared by a lot of words on a page so I have added two youtube videos with music to break it up...they have nothing to do with the content of the blog.
What is it that is so very different about the two different health care systems? Well first and foremost here in Argentina there is a UNIVERSAL health care system. And when I say universal I mean it. Anyone, man, woman, child, illegal immigrant could go into a hospital and get treated for whatever illness they may be afflicted with on the government. In Argentina, healthcare is a right afforded every person regardless of any other factors. If only everyone in the US would get on this bandwagon. I just don't understand how anyone could think it was okay to deny someone health care simply because of their immigration status or the insurance they had. Seriously as a health care provider didn't you go into thinking you were going to help people and make a difference? [Steps off SoapBox to continue blog post]
Now that I have gone on and on about how wonderful it is that everyone gets care lets talk for a second about quality of care. Much like in the US quality of care if based on the amount of money that you have. The major difference though is in the US, in my opinion, the minimum standards of care seem to be much higher. So while everyone here in Argentina has access to care, I wouldn't necessarily say they have access to high quality care which really does in the grand scheme of things make a HUGE difference in terms of patient outcomes and morbidity and mortality rates.
The next most stunning difference between health care in the US and health care in Argentina is the technology. In the states I feel like every hospital bed has a computer within two maybe three feet of it. All of the diagnostic imaging, blood test results, vital signs, patient history is all located right on the computer, or in some cases the smartphone the doctor is using. Here paper charting is still a way of life. Everything is handwritten. Any sort of diagnostic scans, think MRIs and CAT Scans, or blood analyses are handed to the patient who is then responsible for getting them to the appropriate doctors. I can't even imagine what it would be like in the US if we made patients hang onto their own stuff. It would be a range of ridiculousness from people like me who would forget to bring them to the doctor and people like my mother who would look up stuff on the internet and convince herself she was dying.
Beyond the technology difference there is also a difference in the way the hospital system and patient doctor relationship functions. When I say this I am referring directly to HIPPA. I am amazed at what doctors will say about their patients in front of other patients in the US, but at least they don't use patient names and identifiers when they do it. Having a doctor walk into a consultation of another patient to ask another doctor about new information Joe the construction worker who lost his left foot in the war in the next room just told me XYZ do you think I should change the course of treatment is a regular occurrence here and no one has an issue with it.
The other thing that is greatly different about the doctor-patient relationship in Argentina is sort of a double-edged sword of good and bad. Basically if a doctor is treating a patient the patient's entire family is allowed to be involved in the care. I think from a wellness holistic sense this is a great thing. It is really hard in the United States to communicate personal information about a health topic to family members sometimes who feel because they are not the patient it is not their business. Families here are really involved. I find that family members actually ask more questions of the physicians about the actual diagnosis, what it means, and what the course of treatment is than the patients do. However, all that glitters is not gold. Because the Argentines are so willing to treat an individual patient as a family I have also seen doctors have consultations with patients without the patient there. Literally, a doctor has discussed health care decisions without the patient and only spoken to the loved one of that patient. Then proceeded to give the prescriptions and receipts to that patient. Now I know there are lots of times in the hospital, especially with some geriatric and pediatric populations, that it would be SOOOOOOOO much easier to just talk to the person you know is going to help make the decision anyways, but there is just something about it that doesn't sit quite right with me. I think that no matter if a person is going to undergo some type of treatment or procedure they should be the ones having the conversation with a doctor. The doctor needs to make sure the patient understands what is going to happen regardless of a loved ones feelings. I honestly have not seen this abused here yet, but there is such a high potential for it I can't believe that it is a socially accepted part of medicine here. As I said before it really is a double edge sword. Ultimately you are getting the family oriented care that for a truly holistic approach to healing is necessary for the patient, but sometimes you lose sight of the patient and their actual wants and wishes in doing that.
Maybe the next difference I have seen is because my true hospital experience has really only been in Boston, but it's a difference that stands out either way. Medical research here has NOTHING on the United States. When I say medical research I mean the research doctors do, the research they present, and the research that they read. When I was Singapore I really didn't notice this difference because the university in Singapore emphasized research. But that is not the case here in Argentina. Research takes a major back seat to actual patient care. Honestly there is a huge potential for all kinds of research here in Argentina because of the access to care for all people, but it is not something that is exploited because the country has not yet invested in the idea of research. There are really no hospital research facilities. Publications are read by physicians, but only the very good ones and even they, I think, struggle with understanding many of them because they are not written in Spanish but rather in English. Research is definitely a daunting part of the medical field in the United States. There is the old motto that seems all to true with doctors, especially in Boston, of "Publish or Perish" which just simply does not exist here in Argentina. The oncologists I work for actually held a symposium about kidney cancer last month. It was the first and only type of presentation of a disease, new line treatment options, and other educational materials I have seen to another group of physicians. Working in Boston it seems like every week someone or some team of doctors or nurses is pitching some meeting they're having to discuss their research about [insert weird medical topic here]. I think the lack of research is honestly part of the reason why you see such a difference in the quality of care. Because there is no research in this country about how to carry out treatments for successful patient outcomes there is a gap in the knowledge as to how to make every physician successful at curing patients.
The next thing I am going to talk about is only because I LOVE public health so much, so a lot of you probably won't care about it. Here in Argentina they have social program that work as incentives to get your kids vaccinated. The government actually has mini vaccine clinics in every neighborhood where any vaccine you could think of is available for patients. Patients who are children and follow the government checklist for yearly vaccines and attend school actually are given I think its almost $200 by the government. Not a bad deal for protecting your own health. I do find that there is a great misunderstand about what a vaccine is in this country and therefore in some of the more vulnerable populations, that actually could use certain vaccines, a fear to get vaccinated or get their kids vaccinated. To me though this really isn't any different from the people on the Jenny McCarthy train who don't want to vaccinate their kids from terrible diseases.
I thought a long time about how to end this blog. It just seemed like I could go on forever and ever and ever.....but I won't. Instead I thought I would end with a story that I think illustrates the struggles and benefits of the Argentine health care system perfectly.
The doctor always gives me a quick run down of the patient’s history before they enter the room and what exactly he will be discussing with them today. Well he began telling me the patient’s story and I was preparing myself for the worst, I won’t lie. ”Well she had polio as a child and now she has a weird gait, she’s 45 and this was a diagnosis of stage 2 breast cancer so…” This was my warning. I was expecting the absolute worst to walk through the door. A young woman, tired, worn down, hobbling on some old Tiny Tim crutch, to come through the door. I could not have been more misguided. This woman walked through the door on what looked to be new crutches, dressed nicely, with a decided polio weakness, but her nails were painted and she required absolutely no help sitting down and taking out all of her necessary medical documents. On top of how great she looked, she was the most pleasant patient I think I had seen all day.
I couldn’t do anything but smile. This was the perfect example of how a system can work. How someone with a devastating diagnosis like polio as a child can grow up and be successful. How someone with a complicated medical history is not completely devastated by a cancer diagnosis. This woman was amazing to me. Clearly she had a physical therapist, access to assistive devices, and she was able to catch Stage 2 breast cancer at the age of 45 because of a routine mammogram. I am still blown away. This is what I want for the United States, well without the polio diagnosis (as a future public health nurse I would like to not have that any where in the world).
