RACI Got it Going On

Discrimination in Latin America toward Bolivia can be a topic of deep discussion. This is why I will skip over it now until I have time to write about it with historical facts and whatnot. 

The projects that I will be specifically focusing on at RACI have just been revealed to me today, which is why I was not able to talk about them before. It's quite funny because the whole time I kept wondering whether or not I'd stay sealing envelopes and taking packages to places because that's what interns do. :)

Needless to say, I guess it was a matter of time and organization the RACI needed for them to know what tasks to assign each intern. I think the time was also more appropriate because some of us interns are already heading back to their countries. 

Regardless, starting tomorrow, as soon as I’m done scripting an interview about judicial cooperation and international coordination, I will start calling different NGOs to introduce them to RACI and tell them what we’re about before I invite them to take part of a breakfast presentation late August. This is extremely exciting to me because if anything, it’s the most realistic job I will be doing to incorporate me as a real member of this NGO. I am also excited to interact with people outside of the office who have been working in this environment for sometime now and will probably ask me questions regarding things I should know about RACI. Which, in fact, if you look at the big picture, this is exactly what I will be doing once I set up my own NGO.

The fact that I am finally partaking in an experience which could have interesting outcomes pushes me to publish a shorter blog this week, that way I can have an update next week to see how it goes. Also, I have met Neal Morris, unfortunately it was very shortly as he had only gone into the office to say goodbye to everyone, and therefore I did not get a chance to really ask him how he had liked the experience and what he had learned from it. I know from the RACI’s website he posted a blog regarding the time he had shared with them but I have not had the time to read, plus, I don’t know how accurate it is. Now that he’s been mentioned I will make sure to message him and ask him to share some details with me, not only regarding the RACI but also about how he handled the course content for George Mason. I know I have to update my learning objectives, I seriously thought I had already done it, but I will do that with no more delay tomorrow afternoon.

So far this is all I have. I am having a great time in this city. It really is quite beautiful and I have made some awesome friends with whom I plan to keep in touch. I think it is this group of people that count when you are trying to find a team of individuals who share the same ideals as yourself and want to change the world. J

Boludos, Gauchos y Demas

It has been one week since we started getting a feel of the environment at the office. Although we did not officially start until almost Wednesday, first impressions obtained in the meeting on Monday have been consistent with the reality of what working in RACI is like. Like I said, RACI (Red Argentina de Cooperacion Internacional) is as NGO that serves as the financial provider for about 40 different NGOs in Argentina. I think this is really important because these types of organizations thrive on a group like this to be sustainable in the market place. So it is important to know the work you do makes a difference out there.
I have to admit, my excitement the first week of working is not as fresh today. Especially because we have to work in a room with no windows. Nevertheless, I still enjoy the idea. Still, I think that more important than the usual research we do in the office, are matters outside of it that seem like the most relevant for my experience in Argentina. For instance, this weekend I had to move home stays because the family with which I was staying had complained about me. Why, you might ask. Well, because I wanted to do my blog outside of my room on Tuesday, and actually use the dining room when no one else was using it. The coordinator told me that it was better for me to move because they did not have the right disposition to deal with me. This is code to: They don't want you in their house because you are Bolivian. Yes, discrimination to Bolivians has been a fact for many years now in Argentina. I personally had never lived it, but now that I am a part of the discriminated group, I can tell you it sucks.
This is a very sensitive subject for me, because it goes back to the reasons why I began to study Global Affairs in the first place. Bolivian relationships with every other country have always been shaky. For a really long time, I have to admit, I have not been proud to call myself Bolivian, and now that I was exploring our neighboring countries, that desire seem to diminish even more so. This is kind of painful, in fact, this might just be the first time the feeling surfaces outside of my head. The problem is that when you have such negative connotation with the world when you share your nationality, obviously it will have some sort of impact on your patriotism.
This country is really beautiful and so are the people in it. I guess that actually depends on what you consider beautiful. There is a lot of racism, discrimination, and segregation here. There is also a lot of crime, which is scary. Everyone talks about how careful you have to be when you go out because someone they know, or themselves, has been mugged. Some in a more peaceful way than others, but mugged just the same.
Wine is really cheap here, and also really good. They are the country with the best steak in the world, too. Food is so great and relatively cheap.
I have many books here in my room, and I am really happy in my new place of home stay. I live with just one lady and she is wonderful. Although she admits that if she had known before hand that I was Bolivian, she probably wouldn't have taken me. This is funny, because the one thing that I specifically asked for in my housing preferences was that the people with whom I live do not discriminate against Bolivians. I guess the coordinator in charge of the matching did not even bother to read that request, in fact, she decreased her communication exchange with me once she found out I was Bolivian, too.
It's crazy to think how one little fact can affect the desire in someone else of getting to know you. I want to change that, so I don't tell people I'm  Bolivian anymore. Somehow I feel like that is not me, I would never deny who I am in order for someone else to like me, but I have to silence it for a bit for someone else to give me the chance to speak up and communicate my identity. This is sad, but it is the world we live in and we must deal.
That's all I have on my end. I am happy here, but it is a bittersweet happiness because of the things I sacrifice for it. Still, it is happiness just the same.

First Impressions

I am [still] so excited to be here. Buenos Aires is so beautiful. It definitely has become a bit of fresh air.

1) Relate the findings academically to the real world of globalization and how Latin American relationships with North America and Europe are affected depending on the region at question.

            a) Be attentive throughout the research processes and make sure to understand statistically the number of grants and awards devoted to Latin America from North America and Europe.

            b) Realize the impact of the international cooperation by asking those workers who have been in the arena for longer than myself, particularly those who started working on the NGO when it was first established because they had to pursue the foundation.

2) See how society is affected by the aid that each region gets through exploration of the area and comparison to the other countries visited on this trip.

            a) Evaluate migration patterns and economic stability as affected by grants.

            b) Analyze the involvement government organizations have in the processing of awards and grants handled by NGOs by researching rules and norms each government imposes of the handling of benefits.

3) Explore the interworking of an organization and how to better the interaction between workers to produce the maximum amount of progress and individual satisfaction in the workforce.

            a) Evaluate how much progress volunteers and workers get done in comparison to how employees are treated.

            b) Adopt good norms and costumes for future job settings, and or learn to avoid certain behaviors that would jeopardize me as a future professional, while at the same time understanding cultural differences.

 The people in RACI (Red Argentina para la Cooperacion Internacional) are wonderful. I feel like we share many of the same objectives as far as equality achievement and justice goes. There are also many volunteers who come from the US and other countries, which add so much to the mix.