Ola!
Fantastic, the internet is not crashing and I can update you with everything that has happened so far!
Well, after a long journey we finally touched down in Buenos Aires, where for me was when it all became a reality. You would have thought the 24hrs travelling would have done that wouldn't you?! On arrival we were given an incredibly warm welcome and then promptly split up, which was a suprise as we had expected to stay together for the first week. None the less I was taken to a place called Haedo Norte to stay with my host family Jorge and Laura and their children Bruno and Flavia. They have been fantastic and are helping me with my non existant Spanish. With the help of a massive dictionary, google translate (thanks Bruno!) and wild gestures we are making ourselves understood.
After arrival I went out to lunch with my family to a restaurant and ate milanese which is thin steak covered in bread crumbs, with a side order of grilled instestines, a local delicacy i'm told! I had read about them and was dreading it, but they weren't too bad. That evening the rest of the family came round for dinner which was fantastic if overwhelming.
I also got some amazing news. I sat my sergeants exam before coming away and found out I have passed with an exceptional grade, so I am one happy bunny!
The next day we again had seperate experiences and went on our vocational visits. I visited the Departmental Policia Cientifica San Martin which was really interesting. I saw where they analyse bullets and cartridges, how they collect and anaylse finger prints and so forth. They use the AFIS system like we do at home. They do not have DNA at the moment though as they are having some Human Rights debates about it. Which is in contrast to what I then saw at the next place I went. I went to a police station and saw where the women are held in custody. All of the women were detained for murder or other serious offences yet suprisingly the atmosphere was really calm. My translator Alex told me that it is hard to get excited by serious crime as it is so prevalent and the sentences are so light, for example murder carries an average sentence of 6 years. I asked how long the women had been held at the police station and was told some of them had been there for over two years, some without even having a court appearance. The reason they were there was because there was no space in prison. The other massive difference was that the women were held 5 to 10 to a cell, the exception being a woman who had murdered her 4 year old son and was held alone for her own safety. I also found out that the age of criminal responsbility is 18, and as a result they are having a massive problem with youth crime as they cannot be sent to prison. I was told it was common for 12 year olds to carry guns and commit murder. The police area I was in averaged 20 murders a month!! They said some of it was down to a drug called paco, which is the waste product of cocaine. It is so addictive that after 6 months on paco there is no turning back, you will die, which is a sobering and depressing thought.
I wasn't sure how I would be shown my vocation due to the corruption and levels of danger but it was amazing, really informative and enlightening.
That evening the group went to our first Rotary meeting. I was sat next to Melissa, a 16 year old who is on a years exchange from Illanois. She studied Spanish for two years at school prior to arrving in B.A and has been here for 8 months. Her Spanish was amazing! I also felt a touch humbled by a 16yr old leaving home for a year. She said she couldn't go back for visits as it would invalidate her visa. After dinner we were asked to give a very brief presentation, just introduce ourselves really, which was okay. My family told me off for not doing it in Spanish and have now helped me translate it so I can do it at the next meeting!
On Thursday we largely mooched about, visiting a shopping centre and so forth. In the evening my family had guests for dinner and i again did my best to keep up. I have a note book where I update my new words for the day, like 'court' 'prison' and 'judge'. When I get back from my days out my family and I sit down and I try to tell them what I've done. Bit by bit I am recognising more words and can make myself understood which is brilliant. At breakfast each morning I do a recce of words i've learnt to see if i still remember them, I must sound silly saying 'knife' 'fork' 'table' (in Spanish obviously!) as I try to get it right. Today nouns tomorrow the World!!
Today we had a really interesting day. First off we went to La Boca and visited the stadium of the Boca Jnrs football team, which i'm told are quite famous. We had a tour of the ground and even got to pose on the pitch with a replica trophy. We were told how they chose their team colours, basically it was because another team played in their colours and so they played a game and the team that lost had to find a new strip. Boca jnrs lost and so decided that as they were by the river, their colours would be the colours of the flag of the next ship to arrive in the port. It happened to be a Swedish ship so they play in blue and gold. Apparently it is rude to call it yellow. I imagine it would also be rude to suggest the stadium looks a bit like Ikea, but it does!! Considering i'm not a football fan it was still a great experience. Next we went to the town of La Boca Caminita which is name after the founder for want of a better word of tango or tango music. It is full of colourful buildings, restaurants and tango dancers. It also has a sculpture of an enormous spider, the reasons for which is not entirely clear.
After that we drove to Puerto Madero which was like another World. It is a bit like Canary Wharf with plush smart apartments, talls buildings and a Starbucks. It couldn't be further from some of the other areas, which are in effect slums.
So far it has been a whirl wind of a trip with so much to digest. Anyway, if you made it to the end of this epic entry, I thank you! Hopefully I will not have any further internet issues and will update you on a daily basis.
Anyway, it is nearly 9pm, so nearly time for dinner!
Write again soon,
Jerusha
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