Around BA by Denzel

 Wednesday June 11th,



    Today was an eventful and informative day. To start the day our group was split up. Some went and taught an English class and the other half sat in the cafe and partook in a delightful culinary experience (got kicked out of our class and were sent to cafe). Around 9 am alongside the Gonzaga students we took a sightseeing trip and visited many political buildings and historic statues/ monuments. The first monument we saw was a replica Obelisk created after the republic defeated the dictatorship in Argentina. One thing we noticed however were portable protest fences scattered around the monument. This was due to the fact the previous day the ex president and sent to arrested on counts of corruption and government fraud. Similar to America, Argentina is strongly politically divided.


    After the monument we walked to plaza de Mayo. In the plaza their: executive building (casa  Rosada), national bank, Metropolitan Cathedral, and more. In the Metropolitan Cathedral we saw the tomb of General José de San Martín who was a national hero who helped Argentina gain their independence. The tomb is guarded by soldiers similar to Buckingham Palace soldiers. We where lucky to be able to witness the changing of guards.


    After the Chapel we went to a museum (nothing interesting happened). After the museum we visited two other churches. One church was called the “Convento Santo Domingo”. The Church was built in the 17th century and famous for being a fort where the people fought off the British, housing the tomb of Manuel Belgrano, as well as belonging to the Dominican order who where crucial in spreading Catholicism in South America. The other church we visited was the “Parroquia San Ignacio de Loyola”. This was the first jesuit church built in Argentina and the oldest surviving church in Buenos Aires. Comparing these churches to the churches in America is disrespectful and to the churches here. All 3 of the churches we visited were fill of different cultures, architecture, paintings, and styles. All of them had their own personalities whether  being vibrant or subtle.


After our tour a handful of us had the opportunity to go to their soccer practice; However, I was the only Boston member in the practice with them as well as participate in their scrimmage.


Concluding my 5th day here in Buenos Aires one thing I have noticed is how deep their culture and art is. With the help of French Architects with a spin off of their own style, Argentina has really blown me away with its beauty.


-Denzel 










 








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