You don’t know what you’ve got till you’re in South America
Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina!
Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a city with so much European influence it’s unlike any other city in South America. So far I’ve gotten to experience great soccer, amazing tango shows and incredible food. It truly is an unforgettable experience and yet… I find myself realizing how good I have it at UM. First of all, we don’t buy books here in Argentina, we go to a small store on campus and pay incredibly low prices for a photocopy of the entire book. While the idea of not having to purchase books seemed great at the beginning, I’m getting a little tired of missing pages and illegible chapters. (I mean, it is a whole book, so they’re bound to make mistakes.) Printing is not free and you don’t realize how diverse the food selection is at UM until you come across the menu at your new school.
I used to complain about commuting for 20 minutes everyday in my own car to UM, but now my commute consists of a bus, a train and a 30-minute-walk. At this point facing a parking problem seems like no big deal. We also have class for four hours straight. I usually start fidgeting after 1.5 hours so getting used to this schedule is taking time! The point is: I think these experiences serve to show us that we don’t know what we have until we lose it. I’m glad I came on this trip, I’m trying to enjoy every minute of it and I’m learning a great deal about other countries and cultures. All I know is, next semester when get back to Miami I’m going to appreciate every little thing that I’m missing here in Argentina.
– Natalia Yepes
Sophomore
Abortion hoax believable, not funny
Last Friday morning, a scandalous story spread across the Internet: a Yale student named Aliza Shvarts had repeatedly impregnated herself and induced abortions as part of her senior art project for the purpose of “provoking discussion.” Several hours later, the story was revealed to be a hoax.
I have to admit, I’d been fooled. I was, of course, relieved that no fetus had actually died and that no woman had needlessly put herself at risk. But at least one part of the story held true: discussion was provoked. In various forums, people from all political backgrounds wrote that the mantra of “my body my choice” had gone too far. Many who were once apathetic about abortion, or vaguely pro-choice, gave their beliefs serious consideration for the first time.
Ms. Shvarts has been widely criticized for trivializing the emotional pain of miscarriage and abortion and this concern is undoubtedly valid. But she did succeed in making people think – and that is what art is all about.
– Kelsey Hazzard
Sophomore
UM Respect Life, President