Travel Woes: Consulate Edition

Massachusetts is a state with much to offer to tourists from foreign lands or neighboring states. However, as of late, residents have been exposed to increased air travel options to support tourism outside of our home state.

Starting with nonstop service to Tokyo with Japan Airlines in 2012 and continuing with the expected nonstop service to Beijing with Hainan Airlines this June. As the Globe has reported, "Logan has 36 international destinations, up from 26 a decade ago; the number of international travelers using Logan during that time has increased about 20 percent." In order to fit the increase in passenger rates, the airport has gone as far as expanding Terminal B. All of these changes, highly supported by Governor Patrick, are commendable but still insufficient.

In order to promote new destinations or encourage residents to visit their motherlands, foreign nations- or the official representatives of a foreign government- must welcome the idea too.

Just a week before a year-long planned trip to Peru is set to begin, a dear family friend, and law-abiding, tax-paying American resident, is still unsure if he will be "allowed" to visit the land of the Incas. At the beginning of this year he visited the Peruvian Consulate to ask for a visa, because he still holds a Salvadorian passport. He was told it was too early to request it, that he should return to purchase it two weeks before his trip.

Fast-forward to mid-April when he did what he was told, but only to receive a rude and discriminatory questioning by the consulate staff. After giving a brief description of his trip, an anniversary gift he is enjoying with family for two weeks, he was asked a series of questions about his job, his income level, his personal relationship status and his non-existent criminal past.

"How much was this trip?" "Who paid for it?" "You don't earn enough to pay for this trip, how can we make sure you won't stay in Peru?" While I understand the necessity of these questions, it is demoralizing and incredible to imagine other interested travelers endure this treatment. It is also hard to believe that consulates truly think American citizens and residents want to enter their respective countries and stay there illegally. 

American citizens or residents are not "better" than other nations at all, so I am not assuming we would not like to go live in foreign countries. What I argue is how real would the possibility of a 20-year resident, in the verge of citizenship, giving up what he has worked for so long, be? This can become a separate post, on migratory woes Americans must experience too, but I hope you can see my point in that a Latin American seen as a danger to visit Latin America by fellow Latin Americans seems senseless. If my friend had committed a crime and wished to escape the U.S., his cover would be a little blown by the fact that he would travel with his spouse, children, son-in-law and friends who are all American citizens and need to return to work after their 2-week vacation too. If the Peruvian consulate thought they were all going to Lima to throw him a grand exile party then I'd be upset I wasn't invited.

Consulates have to worry about drug or human trafficking, tax evasion, and more. It is completely logical. In hopes of appeasing these fears my friend also provided months-worth of bank statements, employee records, even tenancy contracts over three additional visits, only to hear that a Peruvian visa was not a right but a "privilege" people earned and the consulate is unsure if he should receive it. After the two-week ordeal, the consulate did offer him a six-month visa- barely five days before his scheduled departure.

It is very wrong to assume that Massachusetts only has blue passport holders. US Census Bureau estimates for 2012 showed that of the state's population of 6,645,303, 10 percent were Hispanic or Latino alone. A lower rate than the national average but still significant. Significant enough to engage in conversations with area consulates who can help residents visit South or Latin America for personal or tourism purposes. Let's remember, there are also residents from Asia and the Middle East, Africa and Europe who would like to take advantage of these new traveling options as well.

Not only that, if travel to the Middle East and Asia, and perhaps Mexico once again, are lauded as opportunities for people to reconnect or explore and commerce to grow, our local government and leaders must think of the solo traveler and the small business as well, not just the tour groups and million-dollar corporations that face very little if/and/buts to travel, when establishing new tourism business.

Our airport has welcomed the challenge of augmented service. Our state representatives must work with foreign nation representatives in Massachusetts to make sure we can take advantage of them.

Evita

Image via Wikipedia

After a wonderful weekend in Uruguay, land of chivito and Diego Forlán, I returned to Buenos Aires eagerly awaiting Monday. I am not a Monday-hater but I don't look forward to waking up early after the weekend particularly either. But this Monday I wanted to see a local Argentine tradition. It was July 26th and 85 years back Eva Peron passed away from cancer.

Her remains lay in the Recoleta Cemetery, five blocks from where I currently live, and since her death people have placed dozens of bouquets, roses and funeral arrangements by her tomb. Whether her body was there or not.

See, Eva Peron was a fascinating and incredibly powerful woman. So powerful in fact, that after she died and her husband Juan Peron was overthrown from the presidency by a military coup, her cadaver was removed from its display at the headquarters of Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT), a labor union, and ordered hidden under another name in a grave in Milan, Italy.

The CGT was the party led by Peron, the party of the workers and poor citizens that wanted rights and services from government. The party for which Evita, a nickname given to her by the people, became a mother- almost a saint.

Evita was born Eva Duarte in May of 1919, to an unmarried mother and into a humble family. At the tender age of 15 she moved from the rural village of Los Toldos to the grand city, Buenos Aires, to become an actress. Ten years after working in the industry and becoming a small star she met Juan Peron, a then colonel growing politically, and they married a year later. The second marriage for Juan, the first for Evita. Perhaps Juan saw potential in Evita, the eagerness to become somebody and be noticed, or perhaps they were madly in love, since many endearing love letters have been found from him to her.

Whatever the reason may have been one thing is sure, Juan hit the jackpot. He found a semi-famous, attractive, outspoken young woman who would look good next to him as president. But what he didn't know for sure was how his new wife would become bigger than him.

Evita assumed his role of first lady to a tee after Peron, as he is commonly referred to, became president in 1946. She would give political speeches, lobby for social justice, encourage women and the elderly to become politically involved, always looking fabulous. And I do think that this passion she showed for reinventing her country and helping those in need was not a complete act. Yes she lived in opulence, but she also met, and touched, and spoke with commoners and kings alike. I think Evita really had no consciousness of how her actions were shaping her image, she was becoming a princess of the people long before the concept became popular with Lady Di.

And so, by 28, Evita was adored by the proletariat who were supporting her husband to get what they rightly deserved and what she promoted. When it came time to battle critiquers she was the first to round the troops as well.  The most interesting story I've heard so far about her power to rally the masses was when Peron got arrested in 1945, when he was vice president of Argentina, by the opposing party who thought he was too socialist. Evita urged the "Peronistas," or followers of Peron, to take arms, rally for him, defend their country against the opposition and, in secret, asked for an arsenal from a neighboring country to fight for her man. The great thing is that people actually listened to her. Thousands took to the streets to protest Peron's arrest; they sat outside the jail where he was held; and Evita got her guns.

The opposition caved in and released Peron on October 17, a day now honored as Loyalty Day.  After this it was settled, Peron and Evita were the leaders of the nation and change was inevitable. Obviously opposition was still present, looking for a way to overthrow Peron. But it wasn't until Evita became ill with cervical cancer that his enemies found their answer. After a fast rise to fame and a dramatic goodbye to her people, the "descamisados" or shirtless as the poor were called, she passed away. She was 33 and her followers went as far as comparing her to Jesus, who also died at that age according to the Bible.

The haters went far too, posting signs saying "Viva el cancer," or hail cancer. Two years later, Peron was overthrown and the new regime wanted so much to leave no trace of Peronismo that they outlawed naming Juan or Eva Peron (a la Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter). They also took Eva's embalmed body from the headquarters of the CGT, since a tomb hadn't been built yet it was being kept htere, and sent it to Europe.

For 16 years the whereabouts of her remains were a mystery and until the military faced new challengers was her location disclosed. It turned out she had been buried in Italy under the name of "Maria Maggi" and  several wax sculptures had been made through the years to tip off those seeking her body. Weird right? This nation has a relationship with necrophilia, that in more ways that one I like... but that's another story. Evita was returned to Argentina, her embalmed body beat up and showing signs of abuse. Since the intended monument/tomb that Peron wanted to build for her was never finished, she was buried in her family's tomb in Recoleta and here's where we come back  the beginning of this post.

Every year the alley in which her tomb is found gets filled with flowers and visitors, the Recoleta Cemetery is like a little city invaded by mausoleums left and right so the "alleys" are like streets dividing sections of this city of the dead. Tourists, Peronistas and the elderly who still remember seeing Evita when they were mere kids stop by to say a prayer, to look at her tomb or to pass fliers proclaiming the eternal leader.

That's not what shocked me the most, even if I was expecting to see tourists invading the area and a few lowers here and there. The blatant inability or lack of desire to let go is what left me at awe. The people, her followers, her fans, still rave of Evita as if she had died yesterday. And in common chats people, my age not just older, are passionate when they talk of Peron and his magnificent wife. For all she did, she was and is still either loved or hated because of a possible hypocrisy in her agenda. However, people today have more tact than to say "Thank God she died of cancer." But the sentiment is still there. You either love Evita or you hate Evita.

In my time here I've noticed this is true in other subjects. People either love Maradona or they hate Maradona. They love Kirchner or they hate Kirchner. They love mate (a local tea drink) or they hate mate. There's no gray here, and for a person who always hailed being a "yes" or "no" decision maker...I gotta say this has changed my views. I suddenly like gray because there's so much to choose from here. In regards to comments or stands about politics, economy, futbol or art. Yet, I still wonder what Evita must have imagined.

Did she dream she'd be the icon of millions, even after her death? Did she dream she'd be known world-wide, not for her history but because Madonna realized hers was one hot story to tell? Did she even imagine that after almost 50 years, people would still compare her to a goddess or a devil and praise or curse her name?

I can only imagine being her, an being scared silly to go through what she went through. At my age (25) she was already in the public eye, and maybe I could deal with that but she was about to meet a very controversial man and become his woman. In two short years (28) I would have to be in a campaign, promoting ideas that maybe, or maybe not, were in cue to what I believed. Just two years after that (30) I would have to address my fellow citizens, neighbors, friends, frenemies, family members, church goers, day after day as a first lady. Finally two years after that (almost 33) I'd be dying.

Maybe it is because I've grown up, taught to enjoy youth and become "serious" until I know what it is I want to do with my life. But when do we really know what "it" is?  Why can't we join those few brave souls and live without a regular kind of job, facing what's in front of us and taking advantage of a bad situation, seeing it as an opportunity, more often?

I guess I see Evita as a mastermind, who took what was in front of her and seized the chance to make her dreams come true, slowly realizing that her dreams also affected the dreams of those around her. But maybe she didn't . Maybe Evita never really understood the wonder of it all, of her image, her power, what she left behind. Maybe she was just always dreaming.

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