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!