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.
Even my grandfather, who grew up without much money in Brooklyn, NY, is driven crazy by my grandmother’s excessive spending of money. I can certainly understand why it might be difficult for someone from Argentina to adapt to life in the US. It’s cool that she came to visit you though! I’m glad you’re still in touch with your host family.