siguen las huelgas

The protests continue...

and there is no end in sight.

They're calling it a crisis now. There is hardly any meat in supermarkets in Córdoba, or in most of the country for that matter. Dairy products and vegetables are running low as well. Traffic jams and route blockades are going on all over the nation. Last night thousands of people poured out on the streets of Córdoba (and every other big city in Argentina) banging pots and pans for hours protesting the government. These kind of protests are called "cacerolazos."

quote from the Washington Post article:
"This government only takes. The money never comes back," said Ines Conelo, 60, who had joined the impromptu demonstration by beating on a pot from the balcony of her Buenos Aires apartment. "It has gone too far. I'm 100 percent in agreement with the farmers on this one."

I met an Argentine, Lucio, who studies at my university. He's from el campo; his parents live on a farm. He told me he was one of the people who drove a tractor all down Chacabuco Ave. yesterday. "Something big is going on in Argentina," he said. "This is a very important time." Lucio said this is such a huge, gridlocked issue that he doesn't doubt a civil war could erupt out of it in the next few years if a resolution isn't brought about soon.

So some of us extranjeros are a little nervous about what will come of our food, of the country, of the campesinos and this whole crazy deal. I'll keep you posted!