Wednesday, October 29, 2008

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!

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