The political sphere is a highly turbulent and largely debated one no matte which country you are in and Argentina is no exception. Immersing yourself in a new country is an intensive process in some regards, and learning and understanding the political system that surrounds it is a large part of that process. Learning about the technical rules and aspects behind the system is interesting, but a larger part of it, that contributes more to the culture of the nation, is the public opinion surrounding the governmental system in place and the their politicians. And that takes time and careful listening to a number of people with diverse views.

But first, the technical clear understanding. The Argentine government specifically, is much like that of the United States although much less stable and the socio-economic situation that interwines with it is much worse off. When argentina was establishing their independent government they actually based a lot of it off of how the U.S. government is, so there is an executive, legislative, and judiciary branch. Their current president who is voted in, is named Mauricio Macri (more about him later). They have a senate and a second part of their congress that is similar to the house of representatives. And then they have a supreme court and many national judges. They have a decleration of independence, similar to our own, and hold presidential elections every four years. One big difference between their government and our own is that voting is obligatory for all citizens older than 18 years old, and from the ages of 16-18 you may vote if you want to. This dramatically changes the political landscape, largely because people are forced to vote or are fined, but this leads to uneducated voters who vote for whichever name they like better or solely basing their vote on the billboard outside their apartment. And if they choose not to vote, or are unable to go and vote, the cycle of poverty is reinforced, as a large group of their population lives in poverty.

This fact plays a role in the large level of political discontent that exists in Argentina. There is a large divide between the wealthy and the poor within Argentina, and a very large ‘middle’ class that sits just above the poverty level. This socioeconomic environment sows seeds of clashing political opinions. There is also a sadly high level of governmental corruption and distrust. The argentine citizens believe that each of their presidents manipulate the nation and steal funds from the national government, which already doesn’t have enough money to support the nation.

There are two large and main political parties that have existed in Argentina through the years, but unlike the U.S., there seem to be new political parties each election cycle and these parties have just as large a chance to win as any other. The two main ones are the Justicialist Party or Peronist Party which was started by Juan Peron in 1945 and the Radical Civic Union (Union Civica Radical UCR) which was founded in 1891. Macri is from the PRO party, the Republican Proposal Party and is a newer party. His largest opposer is Cristina, who was the last president and largely more liked.

Now all of this information just brushes the surface of the political situation in Argentina, but when you live abroad there or anywhere you pick up on what the system looks like and how it appears in the public eye. And then in turn you are often asked about your own country. I was an unofficial ambassador of the U.S. while abroad, as are each of us when we travel, and the perception that we give off is important, especially under a system that we don’t always support. Just something to keep in mind the next time you talk to a foreigner or travel.

 

One U.S. dollar is equivalent to 37.22 Argentina pesos.

37! To give any of you a reference point, when I first arrived in Argentina in August of 2017, the ratio was 1 dollar to 17 pesos, meaning that over the last year the Argentina peso has depreciated in value to half its original worth!

As citizens of the United States we often find things to complain about in terms of our nation; our government, our school systems, or lawmakers, and often our economy. And although some of these complaints may be warranted we often forget to put our circumstances in context and be grateful for the level of stability we do have.

While in Argentina my host father accumulated U.S. dollars whenever the exchange rate was slightly more beneficial because he knew that having their savings in dollars was safer than simply allowing their wealth to depreciate each time the Argentine poilitical and economic system shifted. Due to government debt and instability as well as the poverty and unemployment rate, the economy is in seriously poor condition for such a somewhat developed country like Argentina. Over 27% of the population lives in poverty, the majority focused in largely urban areas and the job market is not strong enough to combat this statistic, neither is the level of education and necessary learning support available.

These realities result in slum neighborhoods such as what is shown above where generally health and violence statistics are not favorable, and the conditions create a cycle. My house while in Argentina, was roughly 10 blocks away from a neighborhood very similar to the one shown above. And the economic level of my host family was very different from my family back here in the U.S. Honestly though, I never gave it much thought, I saw it as simply another part of the new culture that I would assimilate into and was excited to get to know my new Argentine family in close quarters. The would always say, “Nuestra casa es chiquita pero nuestros corazones son grandes(Our house is small but our hearts are big).” Their kindness and love made me feel so welcomed and we quickly became close. But living at a different level of the socioeconomic ladder, especially in a foreign country, helped me to better understand national economic situations and appreciate that of the U.S. a little bit more.

My host sister recently visite me here in the States and she had a hard time adapting to our way of life here in the U.S., the space we have and the money we spend. The awareness this gift of cross cultural relationships has given me is invaluable…in any economy.