May 21, 2015

Much like the city of Buenos Aires, today was filled with many different things. Instead of having class like usual, we woke up a bit earlier than usual and went to the national archives. It was interesting to see how they took care of all the documents and how things like humidity could cause problems. I liked having the opportunity to read older Spanish primary source documents because it allowed me to see and compare how Spanish was once written and how it is written now. I feel that going to the national archives was one of the best ways to see first hand how a language can develop. The national archives also made me think about how open Argentina is about showing many of these documents whereas in Italy, the Vatican secret archives cannot be accessed by the public. I felt that this was a very important thing for Argentina to do because history should be shared with the public and not hidden in any way. I found it interesting that there were many younger people working at the national archives and it made me wonder if this was some kind of internship for them or if they were pursuing working there as a career. After going to the national archives we went to lunch at La Parolaccia which was very good and did not take quite as long as some of our other meals. After walking for some time and seeing dancers in the street, we saw people walking to honor those who were lost during the last military dictatorship in Argentina from government-forced disappearances. It was unexpected and really an amazing thing to see even though there was not a lot of people involved in it. It’s the kind of thing that isn’t just the sightseeing you can do when you visit any country, but something that is specific to Argentina and particularly Buenos Aires. I realize more and more each day how big this city is and how much it has happening within it. Although it may be exhausting, it’s amazing how much we can accomplish and see everyday.