Learning Cluster: Argentina 2012: La vida Argentina

by Norito Hagino

My photo essay is just a portion of the many photos that I took during my 19 days in Buenos Aires. When I first came into Buenos Aires, I couldn’t help but notice the tremendous difference between this city and other Latin American cities I’d been to. Before coming to Buenos Aires, I travelled in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Each Latin American country has a different face, and even within the same country, you can see outstanding differences in terms of development, language, and culture. Buenos Aires was the most developed city I had ever seen in South America; with huge buildings, wide roads, and paved streets, I was able to see the difference in one glance. However, the buildings and streets were so big that I could not fit all of them in my frame. The buildings in the city were amazing and I could not get my eyes of them. To me, it felt more like I was in Italy or Spain rather than being in a Latin American country. Of course, it is right for me to feel that way because there is a huge Spanish and Italian influence in the urban development of Argentina. Although I had a blast taking architectural photos while walking around in the city, I must say that the highlight of my photo journey was my encounter with Tango. I had a chance to see two shows, one in the Caminito (La Boca) and a street show on Florida Street. Both of them were amazing. The dancers were beautiful, their dresses were vibrant, and the dance was elegant and powerful at the same time. Their feet movements were so fast that I could barely follow them with my lens, and most of them did turn out blurry. I had a great time in Buenos Aires capturing the unique and vibrant culture in my frame, and now I am even more motivated to continue my photographic endeavors alongside my studies.