The end

Wow! I can't believe that my semester abroad is coming to an end. Its a bittersweet goodbye really. I've made so many friends here in Uruguay that it is going to be hard to leave, but I also can't wait to get home to my friends and family in Tennessee. All good things must come to an end I guess and I'm so excited to get back home for the holidays. The transition from nice, beach weather to cold, winter weather is going to be hard, but I'll endure it I hope!

Actually, one thing I've missed the most while being down here in South America are the Christmas festivities. The people, in general, here don't seem to celebrate it as much and its hard to image it being Christmas time with the hot weather. I can't wait to get back to the Christmas celebration! Alright, well my flight heads out tomorrow evening and I'll be back in the states Monday morning. Happy Holidays everyone and I can't wait to see you all!

15 days of non-stop travel!

Whew, these last 2 weeks have been crazy! I finished up with finals the end of November and since November 24th I have been traveling through parts of South America. I am traveling with a small group of girl friends and we started off in Iguazu Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The falls are located on the border of Brazil and Argentina and are truly awe inspiring. While there we went zip lining through the rainforest, rock climbing, rapeling, and took a boat tour to Paraguay. I had a blast.

From there we crossed into Brazil and headed for Rio de Janeiro. The city famous for the Christ the Redeemer statue, rainforests, and Copacabana beach (the picture above). We spent a couple days there laying out on the beach and shopping. Also, we took a train ride up the side of Sugar Loaf mountain and got to see an amazing view of the city and the ocean.

Paraty, Brazil was our next stop. Paraty was a little beach town and old colonial port. I loved the quaint little houses, shops, and restaurants. In Paraty, we took a horseback ride through the rainforest. For some of the girls, it was their first experience riding a horse and this, for me, may have been the best part haha! The trail took us through small villages and finally ended up at a waterfall. The following day some of the girls needed a break from the rough horseback ride, so we took a wonderful schooner boat tour. It took us to 4 deserted and private islands. It was so beautiful. Margaurite and I also ventured out on a kayaking one day. For some reason we just could not get the hang of the two person kayak. I am blaming the current. After a lot of aimless circling around in the ocean and a little embarrassement, we decided to cut kayaking short and spent the rest of the day reading on the beach.

Now, we are in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the last leg of the trip. Yesterday we went to the Museo del Arte de Sao Paulo and to a hippie fair. Today, we spent wondering around the shopping neighborhood of Vila Madelena and eating lunch in the Japanese neighborhood.

Today, we are boarding the 40 hour bus back to Montevideo. We stopped at a bookstore today though and supplied ourselves with lots of novels and hopefully there will be movies on the bus...otherwise, its gonna be a long ride! Only 6 more days until I leave for the states! I will try to update at least once more....chao!

Just to catch you up...

This weekend was great! Friday night, Claire, Abi, Monika, and I went to Carrasco (the ritzy part of town) to have dinner. We ate at this wonderful German restaurant and I'm not kidding when I say, I had the best pork chop ever...haha, it could be the fact that I haven't had pork in a while, but it was delicious! Then, Saturday evening we all went to this Arab/belly dancing show that was amazing. I was definitely impressed!

On Sunday, Maddy and I met up in Ciudad Vieja to go to Iglesia Matriz, the oldest church and building in Uruguay. We attended mass and it got interesting toward the end. Maddy told me that since neither of us were Catholic we couldn't take communion but we could be blessed by the priest. She just said that we needed to cross our arms over our chests and he would know that we weren't Catholic and would only give us a blessing. Well, easier said than done. He just looked at me like I was crazy when I did it and practically shoved the bread into Maddy mouth before she could get away. After, I think she felt a little bad for taking it, lol. So we obviously stood out as the two foreigners who had no clue what to do haha! Then, we headed to the market in Parque Rodo (neighborhood where I live) and tried to go souvenir/gift shopping, but didn't have too much luck.

So, this week is exam week. I had my Spanish exam on Monday, my Uruguayan Literature oral exam today, and another oral exam in Pensamiento on Friday. Let me tell you, taking an oral exam in a language you only halfway know is horrible! But, I'm almost done, yay! Going to Teatro Solis tonight to see a modern dance performace and then its study time tomorrow, boo. I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, though. This weekend I'm heading to Punta del Este beach with all the girls, about 15 of us in all. Then on Monday, I'm heading to on a 15 days South American adventure. First, we are going to see the largest waterfalls in the world at Iguazu, Argentina (the picture above). Then, we are heading on into Brazil to visit the cities of Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. Finally, we are wrapping up the trip with a stay on the island of Florianopolis, Brazil. I can't wait!!!

A little good with a little bad

So, today was wonderful right up until the point when I was almost mugged, haha. Today, a whole crew of us girls met up at the "Mercado del Puerto (Port Market)" to have a birthday lunch for Elsa (another exchange student from California). It was a delicious meal followed by a saxophone accompanied rendition of "Feliz Cumpleanos." The day was beautiful and so the short walk to get the bus would've been pleasant had we not have been followed by a couple of trouble makers. They started asking for money and we told them we didn't have any (total lie, Cat had just withdrew a month's worth of rent from the ATM). Then one of them told the other to circle to the other side, but I think the one was scared and backed off a bit. The other boy however, grabbed my purse and tried to run off with it. It was a good thing he was an amateur and I'm a tough cookie. I held on to my bag and although it now has a broken strap, the boys were easily scared off and didn't get anything. It was broad daylight with tons of people around, though! I was shocked! Oh well, no harm done. I'm definitely signing up for a self defense class when I get home though. When it happened I didn't even yell, I just kinda stood in shock and held on tight. Next time, I'll be prepared with some karate moves or tai chi tricks, or just some pepperspray would've been nice. And to think...I told Cat when we first arrived that I wanted to buy some pepperspray and she laughed and said I was paranoid...ha what now Cat?

The picture was taken earlier but is kinda where the attempted mugging took place, lol.

Bueno muy bueno

So, this past weekend was Halloween and for us in Uruguay that meant a crazy blend of nationalities and really fun costumes. Maddy, Catherine, and I decided to go in a Carnaval theme since we will probably never get the chance again! Thus, with various colors of eye shadow, feather masks, and bright clothing, we pulled off the Carnaval look pretty well. At the Halloween party, there were gauchos, "dead" people, rockers, gangsters, hippies, and various other costumes. Every party is really fun though when you consider the blend of people there: German, Austrian, British, Danish, American, Mexican, Spanish, French, am I forgeting anyone....oh yeah and Icelandic (can't forget Inga)!

The rest of the weekend was spent studying for my spanish and literature exams with trips to the beach thrown in every now and then. Its soooo hot here now. It went from freezing to super hot like that! It was probably about 90 today. Lately I've been getting pretty fed up with the bus, so Cat and I walked the 2 miles to school today. Its not so bad and its way better than being squashed on the bus and feeling like you're in a sauna.

Anyway, my spanish test went good (don't know about lit yet)....got a bueno muy bueno. Haha, yeah, the grading system here is a litter confusing here, but that translates to about a "B." The levels are ridiculous, they go; deficiente, regular, bueno, bueno muy bueno, muy bueno, y sobresaliente. Yeah, a little silly if you ask me and thats not even all of the levels, those are just the main ones.

Got a spanish presentation coming up and lots of exams...but only 1 week of class and 1 week of exams left! 37 days left in Uruguay!!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm thinking this is going to be a little different from my ususal October 31st back in the states, but i'm up for some Montevideo Halloween times. Tonight, a few exchange students from Spain are hosting a Halloween costume party! It should be fun!


On Wednesday night, us girls went to Azabache which is a salsa club here. Danced a little salsa and celebrated Tine's 22nd birthday. Tine is another exchange student from Germany. Catherine and I left pretty early because she has Thursday morning classes, but by early I mean we were in bed at 3 o'clock. Nightlife goes on till the wee hours of the morning here, and for us Americans/British, its hard to keep up sometimes!


Anway, also on Wednesday was our last community service trip to Don Basco school. It was a little sad to have to leave the kids. You hope that you have made some kind of difference in their lives. Its sad not knowing what will happen with these kids. What will become of each of them. They have such hard lives and I just wanted to grab them all and take them home with me! We had a wonderful day though full of fun Halloween activities. Before we left, they had prepared a little "Going Away" party for us with cookies, coke, and other treats. They also presented us with a group picture and a small gift. It was so sweet and I'm definitely going to miss them!

Uruguay has it all...gauchos and Carnaval!

So, today was fun. Catherine and I had breakfast this morning then I went for a jog on the Rambla. It was a nice, warm day outside and I have really started to enjoy my morning runs. There are always lots of people out walking their dog, bicycling, finshing, or just sitting with others talking. I love that about the culture down here! They have such a laid back way of life. People enjoy really being in the fresh air, socializing with friends.

Afterward, Catherine, Maddy, and I met up in Ciudad Vieja to shop for some Halloween costumes for a party this weekend hosted by some other exchange students. We had some luck when we found a shop pretty much devoted to Carnaval (the huge Latin America festival around Lent, kind of like Mardi Gras but a million times bigger). So after finding some really glittery masquerade accesories we hurried down to the "Gaucho Museum" of Uruguay to meet up with their spanish class for a tour. Gauchos are the uruguayan version of the American cowboy, more or less. A wonderful guide showed us around the magnificent 1800's mansion that is now home of traditional gaucho knifes, lances, bolas, lassos, and clothes. She explained a lot of the gaucho history and life to us, and it was really interesting. The picture that I've placed to the right is a view of the some of the buildings and streets of Ciudad Vieja.

This afternoon, I had the chance to talk to my granny, and Aunt Jona for the first time since I left in July. They came down to my house in McMinnville to have lunch with my mom and talk to me on skype. So our little chat made my day! Now, after a little studying, I'm thinking of eating some dinner and watching a movie. Yay for movie nights!

life since last time...

Hey guys! So, I haven’t written in a while…this last month has been crazy!!! Daniel was visiting from September 24th through October 9th, and then I’ve had a major book review due in my history class, field trips, beach days, and what not.

So, Daniel’s visit was great! The first weekend after he arrived we went to Punta del Este, a popular beach destination for Argentinean and Uruguayans. It was still a little chilly at that point, so we rented bikes and got a great feel of the peninsula. We spent two days there going out to eat, seeing the yacht harbor, and laying on the beach. Punta del Este was beautiful! That next Tuesday we traveled about 3 hours away to Colonia del Sacramento, which was the first Portuguese colony settled in Uruguay and is now a picturesque port town full of quaint museums and small cafes. We got some delicious ice cream, walked through the cobblestone streets, and saw the town from the top of the 200 year old lighthouse. Following Colonia we spent a couple days in Montevideo (as I had midterms and classes going on), then packed up once more and headed to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires was spectacular! Daniel and I saw all the major touristy sights such as Eva Peron’s mausoleum in the Recoleta Cemetery, the neighborhood of La Boca’s colorful houses, tango on the streets of San Telmo, and the Casa Rosada. My favorite part was our day trip to the Tigre, a Buenos Aires suburb located in the delta region. We took a scenic train ride out there and then a boat tour through the delta community. The houses line stripes of islands and the resident have to travel in and out by boat. Since it’s the only form of transportation they even have “taxi boats!” For the rest of his time here, Daniel and I walked around the sights of Montevideo, flew kites on the beach, and chilled out after a very busy two weeks. So, now he’s back in the good ‘ole U.S. of A, and I’m still here haha! Only 48 days left though!

So, today I turn in my ten page book review. Whew, what a weight lifted off my shoulders. I had to read and then summarize (all in Spanish) an 80 page book about the society and culture of Uruguay from 1920-1990. Definitely glad I’m finished with that! I only have four weeks of school left, yay! That means that for the next month I’m going to be loaded down with tests, papers, and presentations though. Not looking forward to that. Finally though, it has warmed up here…which mean lots of lying out on the beach! Hey, I can’t study all the time!

Peanut Butter and a Great Day

Oh, today has been great! First of all, today is one day before Daniel arrives, which makes it an awesome day! I can't sit still I'm so excited! It started off with a good workout this morning. Then, Laura came over and we worked on literature. For lunch, Susanna had baked some really good steak and also had a delicious casserole to go with it.

Next, since it is a sunny day out, I walked down the Rambla to the Post Office. They tried to deliver a package to me last week, but no one was home. So today I went to pick it up. My cousin, Sabrina sent me a wonderful little package filled with goodies. I was so happy. Peanut butter was my favorite item, but there was also Burt's Bees lip balm, fruit snacks, and a thoughtful little letter. So, needless to say, I had a totally great afternoon snack of bread topped with bananna and peanut butter. Afterward, I checked my facebook and someone responded to my marketplace listing for an old textbook I have. Cha ching! yay! And now, I'm listening to some Nickle Creek and about to start studying.

The day couldn't have gone any better. Looking forward to a fabulous two weeks with Daniel!

Embarrassing Moment of the Day

During my time here in Uruguay, I have decided that I can't go a day without getting thoroughly embarrassed. Yes, my days are filled broken Spanish senteces, a blushed face, nervous laughs, and nods. Whenever, I don't understand something that is what usually happens. Furthermore, I typically have one truyly embarrassing moment per day. I have come to accept this fact and am trying to deal with it.

So, today my embarrassing moment happened while taking the bus home from school. I was walking with Claire to my bus stop and right when I arrived, I saw it about to pass. So, I flagged the bus down and to my amazement it stopped. My lucky day, right? Yeah, so happy and smiling I look for my change. Oh what, I don't have any? Must have a small bill? Haha, no that would be too easy! I only had 500 pesos (which is the equivalent to $25 dollars) and everyone knows that you don't pay with anymore than a 100 peso bill at most. Yeah, so I had to stand there while the whole bus full of people watched and the conductor fished out all the money he had to give me. Needless to say, he was angry and I was really embarrassed. The picture below is of Maddy and I during happier times on the bus system. It was taken in Buenos Aires during a day of sight seeing. I guess with the good, comes the bad!

Oh well, just another day in Uruguay. A couple of weeks ago my Spanish instructor told us to write a paper about, "costumbres" in our country. So, assuming that "costumbre" meant costume in English, I wrote about the poodle skirt style of the 1950s and proceeded to present my paper orally in class. Come to find out costumbre means custom not costume. The word for costume is "traje." So yeah, some people were in tears after my presentation from laughing so hard and yet again, I was completely embarrassed. Who knew?

El Prado

So yesterday my Uruguayan Literature class took a field trip to, "El Prado" which is an annual fair that displays the culture, products, animals, and people of rural Uruguay. It definitely reminded me of the fair back home. There were vendors, cotton candy stands, rides, and lots of food. In the center arena they had a livestock auction taking place and all around the arena there were various lifestock buildings that showcases the animals of interior Uruguay. Beautiful horses, cute little goats, enormous bulls, and lots more. It was really fun! So a group of us spent the day walking around enjoying the atmosphere and buying things here and there.

One thing that stands out when you come to Uruguay (or Argentina) is the amount of people drinking mate. Half, no joke, of the people you see are carrying around a thermos and mate. Mate is a herb that when added with hot water makes a type of drink. I really don't know how to describe it. People carry it around and drink it from a bombilla (straw like thing). They are addicted to it here! There are signs on the bus that say, "No toma mate (No drinking mate)" because of the necessity to limit the drink on buses for safety hazards (like if the bus suddenly stopped and you had a metal straw in your mouth). There are many traditions about mate and drinking it is part of the culture down here. But anyways, enough description. Google it if you want! I tried mate the other day and really disliked it. It almost burns your mouth its so hot and the taste is very bitter. They say you get used to it after a while, I dunno though. I have my doubts!

3 more days until Daniel arrives! Yay! I'm using this weekend to study and get ahead a little before he arrives. Catherine has left for Mendoza for the entire next week and Anna (my host sister) is away as well. So right now its just Susanna and I. The picture is of her and I on my birthday. She had made me a cake and little card (their on the table). Alright, this blog is starting to be a distraction. . . back to studying!

Waking up on the wrong side of the bed...

So, today I was rudely awoken by the sound of construction outside. Drilling and hammering is the harsh reality I wake up to just about every morning. The picture below is of my room (after a nice little tidying up). Catherine occupies the other half. It leads out into a courtyard which is shared by the four other apartments in the complex. Right beside our apartment they are renovating a multi-level apartment complex so it always seems noisy. One morning, Catherine even woke up thinking that the house was being bombed haha! So yeah, needless to say, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed!

So, anyway I met my community service group about midday to head to Don Basco School. However, the usual bus we took did not take us to the usual location. Instead it stopped, basically in the middle of nowhere and everyone got off.

The place was eye opening. I felt like we were in one of those commercials where the guy is walking along with a child in his arms asking you to donate just 60 cents a day for the child to eat. RJ described it well when he said it was like New Orleans after Katrina, trash everywhere, houses near collapsing, shanties, and a bleak terrain with not many trees. We definitely got a look at a different side of Montevideo.

We really didn't know what else to do, so we got on the bus again once it started up and headed back into Montevideo. So I was really aggravated at not being able to see the children who were probably waiting on our arrival and also at the fact that we had ridden about an hour and a half on the bus by this point.

So, to sum it up...my day lacked purpose, but I guess its just one of those days. Sorry to whine, but I just need a little sympathy every now and then lol! I hope tomorrow is a better day! My class is taking a field trip so I'm excited! Bonnnie Kate (Daniel's sister) is also visiting me tomorrow in Montevideo. It will be fun showing off the city to someone!

Passing the Days

So, I have been trying to put up a new post for a week now and haven't gotten to it. It's not totally my fault though because the internet here hasn't worked for the past couple of days. Catherine and I whined about it for quite some time before deciding that our complaining really wasn't helping anything, haha. Its just that without a TV here, losing the internet really sucks! I have been trying to read "Orlando" by Virginia Wolfe, but as you can imagine, that is going slowly. So other than reading, planning trips, and talking with our host mom we have little else to do. Its so cold outside that we don't really want to venture out!

However, today I did catch the bus over to Laura's house in Pocitos. We did some studying for Literature class. The readings are so hard because for one, they're in spanish and two, they were written over 100 years ago. So just imagine trying to read Shakespeare in Spanish and maybe, just maybe, you can understand my frustration! Needless to say, it took us about 4 hours to read 20 pages of, "Barranca Abajo" a play about a gaucho's family troubles.

So let's see, oh yeah, about the soccer game last Wednesday. It was fun. Of course, I don't have much to say because of my limited knowledge of the sport or the teams here. Uruguay played against Ecuador, a supposedly worse team. The game ended in a tie, which meant there were a lot of sad Uruguayans in the end. I was happy though; one check off the ole list of things to do in South America.

So, lately I've been feeling a few pangs of homesickness. On facebook there are tons of pictures of Alpha Delta Pi (my sorority) recruitment. Seeing all my friends having fun and experiencing another exciting week of rush is a little sad. Not too much homesickness though. Actually, this Friday Bonnie Kate, Daniel's (my boyfriend's) sister, is coming to visit me in Montevideo. She has been doing an internship in Cordoba, Argentina for the past month and is stopping over in Uruguay before she flies back to the U.S. It's going to be great to see someone from back home...

and in one week, Daniel is coming! He is visiting me from September 24th until October 9th (so 15 days). We have plans to visit Buenos Aires and Colonia, along with a couple other day trips outside Montevideo. I really can't wait!!!

Time just keeps flying by though. Between salsa and tango classes, school work, get togethers with friends --the weeks go by so fast. I'm really excited because this week my literature class is taking a field trip to the annual arts and crafts exhibition. It showcases the works of people from all over Montevideo and the countrysides of Uruguay. I'll let you know how it goes!

Week Seven!

Well, this is my seventh week here! Wow, it seems like time has flown by! It feels like just yesterday I was boarding the plane and wishing everyone goodbye. I feel like I have done so many things in just seven weeks. I've traveled to Buenos Aires and around the city of Montevideo. I've learned to live with a new family, learned so much about the culture here, and learned a lot more Spanish. I've made a ton of new friends along the way, as well.

I still feel like I have a lot to learn about the people and the world down here. Pretty much everyday I am thoroughly shocked over something. You see kids here going though the gargage bins searching for clothes and food. Something that I definitely haven't got used to and hopefully never will. Also, buses crash a lot here and just the other day one hit a lady and she died. Completely shocked when I heard that! It feels like a completely different world down here than I'm used to in rural Tennessee. This experience, like my time in Costa Rica, is eye opening. It makes me realize just how blessed I am . . .

Anyway, I am getting excited because in two weeks exactly Daniel is coming to visit me. This was a kinda spur of the moment plan, but it all worked out and he is headed down here on September 23rd through October 8th. I can't wait for him to experience life down here and see what he thinks of it all.

Well, thats all for now. Tomorrow a bunch of us exchange students are headed to the big soccer game between Uruguay and Ecuador (man I miss football)! I'll let you know how that goes. . .

By the way in this pic are some of us girls: Amy, Laura, Abby, me, Maddy, Catherine, and Claire.

#1 Woo hoo!

Yay! So I finally have set up a blog . . .after only six weeks here, haha! I hope to keep in contact with you all as much as possible and this blog is a great way to do just that. I will try to write as much as possible, but I will tell you that I have already started to act like the Latin Americans. Procrastination and tardiness is definitely one of there short falls.

So, as you all know I am studying in Montevideo, Uruguay for the fall semester. Just to fill you in, I am living with a host family which consists of a mother, Susanna and her daughter, Anna. Susanna is a free lance architect, while Anna studies graphic design. I also live (and share a room) with Catherine, another exchange student. She's from England and studies French and Spanish.

Catherine and I attend the Universidad Catolica. UCU is a small, private university which offers special classes only for exchange students. I am taking Spanish Language, Uruguayan Literature, and History of Latin America and Uruguay. All of my classes are conducted completely in spanish. This can be tough at times, but is only challenging me to work harder.

I also participate in a community service class. Each week I go to the outskirts of Montevideo and work with a group of preschool children. I, along with a group of three other exchange students, come up with educational and fun projects for these children to participate in. This is a poorer neighboorhood and the children definitely need our help. They have the sweetest hearts and just need that extra boost to help them suceed.

So for the past six weeks I have been attending classes, getting to know the area, and meeting new people from all over the world. My classes are with students from everywhere: Germany, Austria, Iceland, Spain, Denmark, Mexico . . .you name it and they're here! It makes for very interesting times! Oh yeah, and a group of us went to Buenos Aires, Argentina a couple weeks ago so I will be putting up pictures of that soon.

Well, I guess that fills you in on the basics. I would love to hear back from you all via email or letters. Like I said, keep checking in as I will be updating every so often with pics and posts!

Chao!