bust out your barbijo, here comes la gripe porcina!

So it seems la gripe porcina - swine flu - is on the rise in Argentina. According to the New York Times, 35 people have died "locally", which I assume means the entire province of Buenos Aires. It was announced yesterday that schools and universities will close starting next Monday. Normally, the last two weeks of July are winter break, but the government has decided to start the break early as a precaution. One of my students is a doctor, and according to him, the current situation is much worse than the media and government would like us to believe. When I mentioned the death count, he said that in reality the figure is much higher. Well, isn't this magical?

Oh, and Happy Canada Day! Here's a little piece (from the NY Times, again) about what some Canadian expats miss about Canada. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/opinion/01canadaday.html?pagewanted=1

What do I miss about Canada/Montréal? I would have to say Jean-Talon market, the biggest open-air market in North America, is up there on my list. And the bizarre/ugly/awesome québécois accent. Loonies and toonies are great, especially because they are easy to come by - imagine not having to ration your change! And the obvious, "eh?" It's such a great and versatile word, eh? (Wow, I'm clever.)