Hello all -
Sorry I have not posted any journal updates for the last several days. There were long and busy days without much free time and by the time bedtime rolled around I was too drained to write.
Anyways, one of the things we have discovered here in San Salvador de Jujuy, the capital of the province of Jujuy, Argentina is...Winter is the time for Protests! It came as a bit of a surprise to us. It is cold, because it is winter. It does not seem like a fun time to stand outside all day and vent your protest! Nevertheless, protests abound here in the winter. I think I know why.
In the winter, there are less jobs. Less work = less money in your pocket (reason to protest) & more spare time to protest (availability to protest). I don't mean that to be taken glibly, but it does seem to fit the scenario. In the winter there is less tourism, construction, etc. There are more people out of work and they join in force to express their dislike to the masses & hope to catch the ear of the government.
Argentina is a socialistic leaning country. The taxes are high and the government hands out lots of benefits to people. I suppose that this can create a culture of expectation and entitlement. For instance, I was talking with a taxi driver about a group that was in the middle of a protest and asking him if he knew what they were protesting. He was not totally certain, but he thought it was because they received a 24% wage increase (incrementally over several years I think) but they wanted a 34% increase. Wow! I thought people would have been thrilled with a 24% increase, but I don't know all their thinking.
The favorite form of protest appears to be cutting off traffic. This could mean getting a bunch of people together to form a blockade (often aided by parking cars in the way, moving burn barrels in the road, or worst case scenario - they line up tires across the street & light them on fire. Sometimes they cut off streets in the downtown. Other times they cut the bridges (San Salvador is a city with several different rivers flowing through it) and severely hamper traffic flow. We live on the north side of the city and are divided from the downtown and the rest of the city by the largest river - El Rio Grande (The Big River). There are 3 different bridges. I have heard that at times the protesters will cut all 3 bridges simultaneously and no one can get out of the north side without a very long drive to a neighboring city. In extreme cases, they have even cut those at the same time. I have no idea what happens if there is a medical emergency.
I asked if they register their protest and get permission. I think the smaller ones do, but that the larger ones just do it. The police can't stop there as they are incredibly outnumbered and don't want things to turn ugly.
There are ways around the protests at times. For instance, the bridge over the Rio Chijra is very close to our house. It divides the north side of the city. Right next to it is the headquarters for the highway department. They have employees who have been protesting a lot lately. They flow out into the main road, cut it and the bridge. It is quite the show.
They have a "cannon-like" item that they load with an explosive and fire off. It does sound like a cannon. I think they use it to symbolize their "war" against whom or what they are protesting. They also make big drums out of 50 gallon drums and beat them all day long. War drums I guess. They have megaphones and shout out their frustrations and what they want. They carry signs and huge banners that display their feelings and desires. Our guys seem to be fairly amiable. The traffic waits patiently as the lines build and build. After a certain amount of time (1/2 hour for instance) they pull off the road and let the traffic through. (I suppose you want people to hear your gripe, but you also want them to be on your side). Then you repeat the process. It seems like they protest during "work" hours and then go home only to return and do it all over again the next day.
There are ways around it all to. They let foot traffic come through so many people take taxis or buses to the stoppage, walk over the bridge, and then catch a different taxi or bus on the other side. And, for the more adventurous, you can always drive across the river - at least during the dry season, which is now. The river is down to just a trickle and the bed is extremely rocky. It is doable, but most people prefer to just wait for an opening to get through.
Well, that is your NW Argentina life update for the day. Hope you have a good one. May you be blessed with open roads and no protests. : )
God bless - Peace
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