Rosario

So I am a bit behind on my blogging thanks to my midterms and the two-day trip to Rosario right in the middle of them, but I might be able to catch up this week.

The strike in UBA is still going on, and there is a chance that the students there may actually lose a semester. This is extremely rare even for Argentina, and hasn't happened in the past hundred years (we are talking through a military dictatorship here). Even if the semester does finish, it is possible that it might not happen on time, so our study abroad program has put a "plan B" into effect that will allow us to complete our UBA classes in the form of an independent study.

Anyway, on to Rosario...
The trip to Rosario was the first of two trips organized by our study abroad program. Rosario is the second largest city in Argentina (if you ask someone from Rosario, most other people will tell you that Córdoba is actually the second largest). The city is located on the Paraná river, which empties into the Río de la Plata (by Buenos Aires) and developed as a major port city. Goods would arrive by boat in Rosario, would be transferred to trains along the Rosario waterfront, and then be taken to all other parts of Argentina. This system, however, no longer exists. Today, the port areas, which are still active, are located upstream or downstream from the city, and the Rosario waterfront has been converted into public space with restaurants and entertainment facilities in former railroad buildings. It's a pretty cool place!

While Buenos Aires seems to still have the economic crisis of 2001 fresh in its mind, Rosario is growing and not really looking back. There is an incredible amount of new construction, and I have to agree that their slogan ("Rosario: el mejor lugar para vivir"...Rosario: the best place to live) might have some truth to it. The city has parks everywhere, a laid back atmosphere, and less-visible poverty than Buenos Aires. It seems to be a relatively wealthy city, but I couldn't tell how people make money. Virtually all of the buildings here seemed to be residential and not commercial...I guess it's possible that they business district is either nonexistant/very spread out or located away from the waterfront where I spent most of my time.

One of the most impressive/noteworthy things to see in Rosario is the Monumento de la Bandera Nacional (the monument of the national flag), which traces it's origin to Rosario. The monument itself looks like something that belongs in Washington, DC, but perhaps with a bit more "Third Reich" architectural influence. We were able to visit the observation deck, which gave a great view of the city and the riverfront.

I've uploaded my pictures onto facebook--enjoy:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2060862&id=1495500074

Jacob