Someday...

My dream is to go to Europe (and specifically Norway) sometime in the middle of May.  Like during this time.  I have reasons!

First reason is that the 17th of May is Norwegian Constitution Day (or Norway Day!) and I want to experience it in Oslo.  My dream is to see and be a part of the festivities that occur in Oslo on this day.  They have parades and people have flags waving everywhere and many people dress in traditional clothing.  It just seems really cool and I would love to experience it.  It is a big part of Norwegian culture and national pride.  I've wanted to celebrate for years but here I have no one to celebrate with.  Hopefully someday I can go celebrate with my Norwegian friends!

The second reason is because my favorite competition happens this time of year in Europe!  That would be the Eurovision Song Contest.  People can say what they want about it, Eurovision is great!  There are some really bad songs, but there are some good ones, and it's not just about the music.  Rant over.  Relatively short compared to how much I normally rant about it.  Anywho... Last year I watched the final with a friend.  This year I'm back to watching it on my own since she's busy.  I was introduced in Eurovision after Norway won.  A Norwegian friend told us about it as well as my friend who watches Eurovision with me.  In 2010 I meant to follow it but didn't so officially I started following in 2011.  I love it and think it's great!  Anywho I have a dream to go.  And it normally falls in mid-may (being around the 17th of May.  What a coincidence!  The only problem is it might be difficult to do both.  So maybe Norway will win again soon so I can do both.  I at least want to be in Europe while it's going on.  I want to watch it on a real TV (not just my computer) and with people.  I'm sure it's not as big of a deal as I imagine it to be but I want to experience the Eurovision season in Europe.  It may be a bit weird but it's a dream!

Well I have my list in order of my favorites!  1-39

1. Denmark
2. Norway 
3. Spain
4. Germany
5. Azerbaijan 
6. France 
7. Italy
8. Belgium 
9. Israel 
10. Estonia
11. Ireland
12. Iceland
13. San Marino 
14. The Netherlands
15. Moldova 
16. United Kingdom
17. Serbia 
18. Slovenia
19. Sweden
20. Cyprus 
21. Switzerland
22. Albania
23. Greece 
24. Malta 
25. Russia
26. Latvia
27. Austria 
28. Georgia
29. Armenia
30. Montenegro
31. Croatia
32. Bulgaria 
33. Hungary 
34. Ukraine
35. Lithuania
36. Belarus
37. Finland
38. FYR Macedonia
39. Romania

I came up with it fairly quick but that's my official list for this year!  If anyone reads this a disagrees, get over it.  I'm not even able to vote.  It's just what I like.  Denmark is usually up there on my list.  Back in 2011 I decided to make a tee-shirt (yeah a bit cheesy but still) for my favorite country.  It was Denmark and I'll be wearing it again for the finale! 

Chao

It feels a lot different leaving Uruguay is a lot different than it felt to leave England.  After England I had Uruguay to look forward to.  After this I have Abilene to look forward to.  Another thing is leaving England was okay because I felt like I'll probably go back someday.  I don't feel so certain about Uruguay.  I've loved living here in Uruguay and these 4 months have been incredible, but I feel like when I leave tomorrow morning it's going to be for good.  I could come back someday maybe, but I feel like it's more realistic that I return to England.  At the same time though, I feel like I have done Uruguay.  I've done a lot this semester in the country and in Montevideo so I'm content with leaving and don't feel like I have anything unfinished.  The only reason I would come back is to see the friends I've made here.

Tomorrow I board a plane and return to the States.  I'll be able to communicate with people how I want to.  That's a plus.  But it's just going to be weird.  I'm ready to go though.  A couple weeks ago I didn't feel like I'd be ready, but I am.  I had a great semester, made some great friends, and though I'll miss this experience and my friends I'm ready to be back.  This just has been such a big part of my life, it'll take some readjusting.

The friends I've made here have been incredible.  When I found out there were only going to be 7 of us I honestly thought that this semester could be rather bad.  I mean with having 27 (or whatever the number was last semester) you could escape from some people when you needed a break from them and you didn't spend all day, everyday, with the same 6 people.  When you have class with, eat with, live with, hang out with, travel with, etc... the same few people it can be a bit difficult.  But I wouldn't trade any one of these people here and I'm so glad I've gotten to know each one of them.  We were talking one day and if one of us weren't here it would really be a completely different experience. I absolutely love these people!  I have gotten to know them so well over these last few months and I will miss them terribly over the summer.  I can't wait to see them again in Abilene and we can hang out and talk about our adventures in South America.

My Spanish has improved a lot over this semester and I hope to continue improving it over the summer, especially since I'm taking Advanced Spanish Conversation next semester and I don't feel like I'm ready for that at all!!!

I guess I don't have too much more to say right now.  I've been warned about re-entry adjustment.  It's just going to be weird and I'm going to miss Uruguay and I miss England, but I'll be great to be back in the States.  Thursday morning I will be back in Texas!

Florianópolis, Brasil

This semester our group went on a trip all together for 10 days to Brazil.  We went to Florianópolis, or Floripa, a beautiful town on an island in the state Santa Catarina.  It was a great week being in beautiful Floripa, doing rather crazy things (sand boarding and windsurfing, they're rather crazy for me at least), attempted to speak in portuguese, and eating really good food.   

The Friday we left we got up early and flew from Montevideo to São Paulo to Floripa.  Once getting settled into our hotel near the centro in Floripa, we all went out to eat as a group.  Saturday we went on a bus tour of the island.  They took us around and stopped at a few places along the way including a beach and a sea turtle rescue and research (I think) center.  We road on the top of the double decker bus.  It was bright and sunny and we often had to duck to avoid tree branches and the like.  It was fun but exhausting to be in the sun that long.  Sunday we went to church and got to meet several people.  It's cool to get to go to churches all over the world.  I've done that a lot this year (UK, Norway, Germany, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, and now Brazil) After church we took a bus down to Plaia Joaquina and went sand boarding.  Which really is interesting.  There are some sand dunes close to the beach and it was so much fun to go down the dunes (back up, not so much). We did that for a hour and after we were properly worn out and covered in sand, we walked down to the beach and washed off in the ocean.  The water was so much warmer than in Punta or even in Montevideo.  But some of the locals we talked to thought it was cold.  

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we went to UFSC (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) and listened to lectures by the professors and post grad students there about subjects pertaining to anthropology.  Yeah we had to do the school/educational part somewhere.  Wednesday we went on a boat tour.  The only thing really exciting that happened there was a dance contest that a couple of the guys were more or less forced to participate in (one even one!) and I jumped off the ship.  I didn't just jump ship but they had it set up so that we could jump into the ship and swim around a little bit.  It was really fun!  A bit terrifying to jump off even though it wasn't that long of a jump.  

Thursday we changed hotels from our hotel in the center of the city to another part of the island.  It was more secluded but we were right across the road from Plaia Mole.  But the restaurants and grocery stores were about 2 km away.  Friday we windsurfed.  Our visiting professor does actually windsurf so he taught us.  It's hard! But I more or less did it.  Saturday we went on a hike to a secluded beach the hike was a bit harder than I (or any one else for that matter) had bargained for but I did it.  The beach was so pretty and there were some amazing views!!!  The rest of the trip we relaxed at the beach.  We didn't spend as much time at the beach as I thought but that's ok.  The weather was so nice in Floripa.  Floripa is just really nice.  Apparently it's a lot like Hawaii.  Or at least that is what the people who have been there said.  

I don't remember what night this was but we went to a churrascaria (brazilian steak house).  There was so much food!  They would bring around meat to the table and you could eat as much as you want!!!  It was all so so good.  Well at least everything I had.  Oh it was amazing!!!

Portuguese (as I briefly mentioned) is similar to Spanish but at the same time quite confusing.  I had learned a little bit and have studied a bit even before but still it's hard to be dropped in Brazil and have to communicate.  It was nice to get back and speak Spanish here.  To communicate in Brazil I would try the few words I knew in Portuguese and if I didn't know it I would just say it in Spanish and hope they understood.  And I could understand a little bit especially if people were talking slowly.  

It is gorgeous and I loved Brazil!  I hope to go back someday!  

¿Comó?

The last week or so has been super busy!!! Or has felt busy.  To catch everyone up, I turned 20, went to a Uruguay/Paraguay soccer match (world cup qualifier match!!!), went to El Prado (which is a fair), and the usual stuff (beach (though not for much longer), park, learning how to properly kick a soccer ball, etc.)    

So I thought I'd give an update on something and figured since we're at the half way point I'll talk about Spanish.  Yes, that language I've been trying to learn.  First off, learning a language is hard.  There are days where I am honestly exhausted and have a headache just from being more exposed to Spanish than English in a day.  I guess it's good but not too much fun.  Spanish isn't going as well as I could have hoped but at the same time I've learned so much!  But the more I learn the more I realize I don't know anything.  When I first got here I had to first get use to the differences between "southern cone Spanish" and what I had learned.  First off, pronunciations.  Words like: yo, ya, pollo, calle, ayudar, llamar, well anything that has a "y" or a "ll" sound very different.  Instead of a "y" sound it is...not anything like a "y" But I've learned it crazily enough.  Now that sounds natural and when I hear it the other way I get thrown off.  Every once in a while I'll revert to the "y" sound but for the most part I've converted.  Not sure if that's a good thing or not but I think it sounds cooler now!  After that I had to figure out "vos".  It's a different tense.  It's like a more informal "tú".  At first people would ask "¿De dónde sos?" and I had no clue what they meant.  So I had to learn how to understand different conjugations.  I normally use "tú" for verbs but I'll say "y vos" every once in a while.  Makes me feel cool, I'll be honest.  Like I actually know what I'm talking about.  I've learned a lot in general too.  So thats been really good.  And I'm understanding more all the time.  I still have to ask "¿Comó?" a lot because I rarely understand people the first time they say anything.  Mostly because I don't realize that anyone is talking to me.

While I was in Argentina I bought a book.  It's about violence in soccer, really interesting stuff.  But it's in Spanish.  I've been reading that.  It's not really an easy book to read.  I mean I could have read a kid's novel but this was cheap and sounded like fun.  It's been really good for me though.  At the beginning I struggled to read it.  It would take me forever to read a page and I would finish and have no clue what it all meant.  Now I'm reading faster and understanding a lot more.  Comprehension is one of my big problems.  Both in reading and listening.  I can listen to a sermon at church and understand the words that they are saying, and sometime even put it together in phrases and sentences, but then after church I can't tell you what the service was exactly about.  I can say it was something about this or that but I don't know.  Even reading I can understand it but I can't retain it.  I'll have to work on that.  I also bought Narnia in Spanish but haven't started reading it.  I'm going to finish my soccer book.

A while back I had to watch a movie for Spanish class.  She said we could use English subtitles and we might not have but the a couple of the guys wanted to watch it and didn't know Spanish very well so we used them until the disk messed up.  Luckily there was another disk but that one had just Spanish subtitles.  I was really proud though how well I did.  When I read a book I can take longer on a sentence, phrase, or concept, which isn't a bad thing, but watching this made me think faster.

Spanish music too!  Especially "La Oreja de Van Gogh" and "El Sueño de Morfeo."  :)

So yeah there is a little bit about how my Spanish is going.  In some ways I wish it could have been a complete immersion program (that'll make you learn) but it's not... I don't regret that though.  I've made great friends and have developed great relationships with the people here I'm living with.  I wouldn't trade the friends I made.  And I have learned a lot of Spanish. They have also pushed me to do better.  We're all in this and use each other for support and help.  Now that I've talked about Spanish...I'm going to Brazil this Friday!  Where Spanish isn't going to help me... Não falo português.

Spring Break: Patagonia

I’ve been a lot of places and have seen a lot of amazing and beautiful things, but some of the things I saw and places I visited last week were some of the most amazing things I have ever seen and experienced.  Last week was Spring Break and the guys and I went down south.  Really far down south!!!  Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, El Fin del Mundo!  We left Montevideo and went down to Ushuaia.  All the way down to Ushuaia!!!  It’s crazy to think that you’re so far away from home.  It’s almost 6500 miles from home which I think is officially the furthest I’ve ever been away from home.  When we got to Ushuaia I don’t think any of us could be believe how far south we were but we were in the southernmost city (debated but still) in the world!  Ushuaia itself is nothing too special.  It is popular for tourist because of its status as the southernmost city and it is a port for anyone wanting to go to Antarctica.  The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains.  

The first full day in Patagonia we went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park.  There we did a couple of hikes.  They were both easy but we walked quite a lot so we were still a bit tired.  One hike was around a lake and another was to the Chilean Border.  Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the border because we had to go back to catch the last bus back to Ushuaia.  We were so close though and a couple of the guys did make it but had to run.  I would have gone with them if I knew that we were that close but whatever.  Everything was so beautiful!!!  Everywhere you looked was just phenomenally beautiful!!!  It was so much fun to just hang out and go on a couple of relaxing hikes around one of the most beautiful places on the planet! 

The next day we went to Lago Esmerelda with some girls we met in the hostel.  We were told that the hike would be muddy but we had no clue how muddy it would be.  Most of the hike was through peat marshes.  Needless to say our shoes were filthy after the hike and basically destroyed.  There were a couple of harder parts but mostly it was just trying to find where to step or jump to without falling down...  We made it to the lake and it was beautiful!!!  It was a very interesting yet beautiful color.  We ate our sandwiches there but it was so cold so we were anxious to get out of the wind so we headed back and had hot chocolate!  

Monday we rested a bit from the hiking.  We didn’t want to spend money either because everything is so expensive.  So we explore the town a little bit.  Nothing too much.  We thought about doing a boat down the Beagle Channel but we had talked to people who had done that and everyone said that it wasn’t worth it.  So this day was rather uneventful but it was some rest.  We did cook dinner in the hostel that night (and most nights) in order to save money.  

Tuesday we wanted to do something free so we went on a hike to a glacier.  (which wasn’t really that cool but the hike was fun)  We were told that it was a 45 minute walk to the start of the hike and from there it would be a two hour hike.  We could have taken cabs to the start but we didn’t figure that there was a point in spending the money if we could just walk it.  Well the 45 minute walk ended up being a 1 1/2  hour hike in itself.  Then we started the real hike.  There was a chair lift to a point further into the hike but again we were going to do it for free so we walked (hiked) it.  I thought that would be the hard part of the hike.  I was wrong.  The last bit of the hike was very steep and very icy.  There was a lot of slipping, almost falling, sliding, etc.  Fun fun.  But it looked incredible.  (not the glacier, the glacier wasn’t worth it so I didn’t risk my life going all the way do it.  It was beautiful looking out and we could see the city.  It was crazy to think that we had walked from that.  The hard part was descending and going down without slipping and falling.  We got down to where the hike began and couldn’t find a cab, so we walked all the way back down.  That was a pretty difficult hike...very difficult.  But good and a lot of fun (well after the fact) 

Some of the guys went back to the national park to hike up a summit.  I wanted to but was pretty tired and done with hiking.  I would have but the description said “strenuous” and I had no clue what that meant and wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to find out.  I wished I would have gone until the guys got back, and they were so worn out and looked a bit miserable so then I was ok staying.  I just went to shops and a book store.  There are apparently some great museums in Ushuaia that I went to check out but they all were 90 pesos (about $18!!!) and I didn’t feel like it was worth it.  

Thursday we went to El Calafate.  Our plane was delayed for about 4 hours.  The Ushuaia airport is rather boring.  

Friday we were in El Calafate and this was our only day here.  I didn’t know what this place was before this but was super glad we went.  We could add the flight for only $5 which isn’t too bad. Since the plane was delayed the previous day we didn’t get there in time to reserve our seats on a bus to the Glacier park so we took cars instead.  Which ended up being nicer because we weren’t bound by the bus and could stop and take pictures on the side of the road and take our time.  We went to the Perito Moreno Glacier and it was fantastic.  We saw it from up about 7 km away then moved up closer.  It was so cool!  We watched it for a while and saw pieces fall off.  We walked around there and then as we were about to leave we saw a HUGE chunk fall off into the water.  It was so cool to see and just completely crazy!!!  We were so blessed to see that.  The glacier was huge!!!  

This whole week was great and a lot of fun!  We spent a lot of time getting to know each other even better (as you do on vacations), cooking good and bad meals, hiking a lot, being very sore, etc. It was great and I was a bit sad for it to be over.  This week will be pretty busy!  But good!  We have some exciting things coming up.  We’ve past the half way point of the semester (which is crazy!!!) but there are some great things that have yet to come.  This week I’m going to start leading an English “conversation club” to help people practice their English, go to see the Uruguay Soccer team against Paraguay and more!!! 

Rocha

Last weekend we went to Rocha.  Which didn't actually mean the city Rocha but La Paloma and some surrounding stuff.  Close enough.

Friday was pretty hectic.  We got up and drove to Pirapolis and saw a view of the city then continued driving and went to Casa Pueblo which is outside of Punta de Este.  It's pretty cool!  It is a museum/resort where an Uruguayan artist keeps his collection.  We went to the museum part.  There were some I really liked!  Besides it looks really cool!  We had a picnic and then continued onto Punta and went back to the fingers sculpture and took pictures. Then we continued onto La Paloma.  But on the way there is a cool bridge and we crossed over it.  And then turned around to do it again! As you can see why!

We arrived in a small beach town that afternoon and then went to the beach!  This was actually the Atlantic so it's a lot colder than the water in the Rio de la Plata in Montevideo!  But it really wasn't that bad.  We went out and "body surfed" for a while.  It was cold but whenever you got use to it, it wasn't bad at all.  So we hung out there for a while and then went out to eat that night.  It was someone's birthday so we went out for ice cream!

The next day we were suppose to go to the Ombú forest and then to Cabo Polonio but that morning it was raining and there was apparently a cyclone on the way and thunderstorms.  So plans got canceled.  The guys had already rented a body board so they went out to the beach in the morning to get some use out of it before the weather got really bad.  The rain let up and I decided to go on a walk thinking that I'd get out while I could if I was going to be stuck in the hotel the rest of the day.  And it didn't rain again...So we went back out to the beach, they got some more use out of the body board, I met some people from Quebec, and we got pelted by blowing sand.  It hurt a bit...Again the water was cold until you got use to it.  Apparently that morning it was colder and you didn't get use to it because it was still raining outside.
That afternoon I went up the lighthouse in La Paloma and decided that it was going to be a goal to see how many lighthouses I can go up this semester.  Because lighthouses are cool!  Power went out in the whole city...and as soon as I told someone that the power was out in the whole city it came back on. That night we went out to eat and ice cream and then hung out for a while on the porch.  La Paloma is a small town and there are stars and the air is fresh and it was just really nice to get out of the city.  It was cool to see a small, even though it was touristy, town in Uruguay to get a different impression.  We've mostly been in the city so it was interesting to see how other Uruguayans interact.  I really liked La Paloma.  It was really chill.

Sunday we did what we were suppose to do saturday.  We went to the Ombú forest which is a forest of Ombú trees.  Well obviously but ombú trees are really cool.  So we saw that and then went to Cabo Polonio.  Cabo Polonio is a hippy town (for lack of a better description).  It's actually a natural park but people already lived there so there is a small town.  They don't have electricity or running water and very small huts for houses.  There are dunes around and so we had to ride a truck to get out there.  It was quite a ride!  After there the beach was fantastic! And really clean!  There was one that I really wanted to get on but we didn't have a lot of time and there was a red flag because the waves were pretty dangerous so we couldn't swim.  We went to the other beach.  We swam, walked around, went and saw sea lions.  And I went up another lighthouse (that makes 3 this semester!) So that was fun!

Casa Pueblo

Lighthouse in La Paloma

Ombú tree

Lighthouse in Cabo Polonio

We headed home and got back later than we expected but we still got to do a lot and it was a lot of fun!  I love travelling with the group because you get to know people better when you travel.  It was the same in Oxford, the only difference was that in Oxford while travelling I would get to know people who I hadn't really known well before and in Uruguay we're so small that we know everyone well.  So we get to know each other better.  Like this Friday 5 of us are going to Ushuaia!  How crazy is that?!!! I'm so excited!!!

¡Un Partido de Fútbol!

Last night we went to a football (soccer) match! There are two main football teams here and where I live is a Peñarol neighborhood.  Most of our friends cheer for Peñarol.  Last night a couple of our friends took us to a Peñarol match.  They were playing some team from Argentina.  Unfortunately in the last few minutes the other team scored and we couldn't come back so we lost 0-1.  I have been to football matches in England and Spain but we were just going, didn't know anyone who were fans, so we basically just chose a team (basically whichever people around us were cheering for).  This time we were with fans and they were getting into it so we got into it.  I don't get the people who get crazy into it.  I actually bought a book about football politics and violence while in Argentina.  There were only 150-200 people there who supported the other team.  I don't know how many I'm not good at estimating.  Basically the whole stadium were Peñarol fans.  It was fairly full and full capacity is 65000.  So they were outnumbered by quite a lot...I'm not sure how many people were there but there were a lot. Still the Argentines were outnumbered.  And they were frankly a little stupid.  They had barriers to separate them from the Peñarol fans and they knocked them down.  If you knock down the barriers set up to protect you what do you expect to happen.  The police came and took some away... There was a lot of smack talk and singing.  It was really fun!  I mean Peñarol should have won but it was still fun!  It was also a cool experience to go with Uruguayans and they could explain stuff to us and gave us a bit of an insight into Uruguayan football.
I think we might go to a Nacional game later this semester. That's the other team and quite the rival of Peñarol.  I have a friend who won't choose between them because it's kinda a big deal.

Colonia & Buenos Aires

So last weekend we went to Buenos Aires (and spent a little time in Colonia on the way).  Friday morning we left and took a bus to Colonia.  Colonia is the first settlement in present day Uruguay and it was actually a Portuguese settlement.  Basically for smuggling.  After the Portuguese settled there in Colonia the Spanish soon settled in Uruguay and created Montevideo.  There isn't a lot to do in Colonia but it's a nice, relaxing, quiet town.  Outside of the town there is a place where you can go see the largest pencil collection and the second largest keychain collection.  They also sell jams so we got to try some, and some interesting flavors.  After that we went into the city and saw the old bull fighting arena which actually was only operational for a month.  So it's kinda falling apart and you can't go in there.  Some people wanted to make Colonia a big tourist city and so they built a lot including this bull fighting area and a month after it opened Uruguay outlawed bull fighting so it's been sitting there decaying.  After lunch we went around town and saw some museums (the first one was the only one worth going to, it had a fossil of a 4 ft armadillo!!!) We also went up the lighthouse! And from the shore in Colonia we could barely see Buenos Aires.  We took a ferry there!

The first night in BA we just went out and found a place to eat and then walked along 9 de Julio, which is one of the widest avenues in the world.  Apparently there is one that is about an inch wider in Brazil. (there competition between Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay is hilarious)  We walked down to the congress building and back.

Saturday they took us around.  We went to Plaza de Mayo and saw the Casa Rosado and Cathedral and then we went to La Boca and Recoleta.  In the cemetery in Recoleta we saw the tomb of Evita, as well as some other tombs.  It was very interesting.  After that we had lunch and then went to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and stayed there for about an hour.  There were paintings of Monet and Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, and a lot of Latin American artist.  Unfortunately only one floor was open because they're doing some remodeling. After we looked at some of the markets.

Sunday we went to church and stayed for lunch.  We met a lot of people there and then we hung out with one of the guys that afternoon.  We wanted to go to San Telmo but by the time we could it would have been pretty late so we just walked around.  That night we went and got pizzas at a place that the guy said was really cheap and then we went by the obelisk and ate.  Monday the other girls went to a zoo that was 2 hours away and they had a lot of fun petting tigers and lions and feeding elephants and crazy stuff.  I thought about going but it sounded really sketchy.  I just hung out close by in Buenos Aires.  Unfortunately everything closes on Mondays in BA.  We went down to the park and the rose garden was closed, and the planetarium was closed, and the zoo was closed, and the japanese garden was open but we were cheap and didn't want to pay 25 pesos ($5).  So we went back to Plaza de Mayo and nearby was Tortoni's which is a pretty awesome (but expensive) cafe.  Then we went to an awesome book store!!! It was an old theatre which had been changed into a bookstore and it was huge and fantastic!!!!  I bought a book!

That's about it...It was a lot of fun and I love Buenos Aires.

So here are some upcoming activities.  The first of March we're going to Rocha and then that next friday the 8th we're going to go to Ushuaia! That's our Spring break and yesterday we bought tickets to go to Ushuaia and El Calafate and booked hostels!  I'm so excited!!!  I probably should have brought a better coat...but yeah so that's super exciting!!!  In the meantime I have a lot of homework to get done this week and next week.

Carrasco and a nice relaxing weekend

So later Saturday a group of us ended up going to Carrasco.  We hung out in the beach, played in the water, and it was awesome!  The water was a great temperature and was so much fun to play in!  I think it's more fun to play in a river like than than the actually ocean.  For me at least.  There are waves which are fun but you never feel like you're really fighting the water.  It's pretty nice and fun!  Carrasco is a really cool area too!  Not like normal Montevideo.  There are a lot of big houses and some are huge!  I guess it's kinda like a suburb style.  But really nice!  There are some houses are are average and then there are some fantastic ones.  It was about a 45 minute bus ride away but it wasn't bad and only was 20 pesos.  ($1)  We just went to the beach and walked around.  We thought about going out to eat there but it's kinda expensive so we headed back to Montevideo and found a restaurant before returning to Casa.  It was a whole lot of fun!!!  A great day!  I hope we can go out to the beach in Carrasco soon.  It's not as crowded.

Sunday we continued our church project and visited a Pentecostal church.  After church we changed and went to the feria.  It was so cool but unfortunately just about as soon as we got there it started raining so we went into a bakery that some people had already visited and really liked so we went and ate a cheap lunch!  And good!  After that I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and then went to the church next door with a friend.  They were really happy to have us there and really friendly.  They talked to us a bit and one of the guys asked us if we knew "the yellow rose of Texas"

Oh and yesterday (monday) we watched Evita, in preparation for going to Argentina.  It was very interesting.

I guess that's all for now. Carnaval is going on so there are a lot of businesses close.  And bus schedules are weird but I don't think I'll have to worry about that but a friend of mine who lives in a different part told me she had some problems getting here because she couldn't find her usual bus.

This week!

So we kinda enjoyed learning how to tango so we went for another lesson Wednesday night.  We reviewed and improved what we had learned Monday and learned another move.  We're talking about going every once in a while!  

Most of what's going on now is classes and studying so that's a bit boring...but last night we had another party.  Several people from a youth group in town were invited and some missionaries came too.  Most of the kids were Americans who are living here for some reason or another.  We might go join them at their youth night.  There were a couple other kids from here.  It was a lot of fun though!  We ate a little bit and talked then we went and played cheesy games.  But it was fun.  

This is going to be a short one but I just wanted to update.  Today we're talking about going out to Carrasco to go to the beach there.  Just have to get everyone up and make a plan!  I guess that's all.  

Super Bowl and Tango

So Sunday I said we were going to have a Super Bowl party and now we've had it.  So basically we're 4 hours ahead of Texas so the Super Bowl was kinda late for us.  But Uruguayans like to stay up late.  Our director said the only time she's had to wait for a table at a restaurant was at midnight and birthday parties here basically are an all night deal.  But yes they invited several Uruguayans and a couple Americans who live here.  They were really into it.  I basically ate and talked with some of the girls.  They had no clue what was going on and I don't know a lot about football so imagine how hard it is to explain football to people, in spanish.  Not easy.  I didn't try.  I thought about it and tried to think what I might say but it just wasn't happening so I didn't try.  They hadn't ever seen American football before and one of the girls told me that she thought it was strange.  She also wondered why there were so many commercials.  After half time the girls left so I cleaned up a bit and went to bed.  But the guys stayed up to watch it all.  And apparently it was excited because there was no yelling the first half but there sure was the second (the one I was trying to sleep...)  Luckily it didn't keep me up all night.  It was a cool experience to get to watch it with Uruguayans.  But they got bored pretty fast.  Frankly I did too.  I've never been much of a fan of American football.

Monday night we had a Tango lesson.  Tango is a style of dance that comes from the Rio de la Plata region (not just Argentina).  So they had a couple people over to teach us the basics of tango all in 1 1/2 hours.  We kinda got the hang of it.  But not really.  It was really fun though.  We learned how to walk right in tango.  Unlike swing where you keep low to the ground in tango you stand tall on your toes.  Swing's more fun but tango is cool.  But it's kinda slow...but it's a really important part of the culture of the Rio de la Plata region (Montevideo/Buenos Aires) and the lesson was a lot of fun.  We talked about going and taking a lesson or two from the people who came because they teach weekly classes at El Mercado de la Abundancia.

Good news today in Spanish class I understood a lot more!  But for some reason I can never understand when she asks me a question directly so I think she thinks I can't understand her at all and that I'm lying when I say I can.  But I'm getting more and more use to the accent so that it is normal and when I see a word like "yo" or "playa" or "calle"my first instinct is to say it the Uruguayan way.  Which is pretty cool! Some still confuse me especially if I'm hearing it and it's a word that isn't as common.  And for some reason "ayer" messes me up.  You don't realize how many words have "y" or "ll" in it until the sound changes.

Well there's not a ton that's going on this week that I know of.  Maybe another party this weekend, and next week being carnaval we don't have Spanish classes and then we go to Buenos Aires a week from Friday!  Time's already flying!

Yemanja, Church, and Super Bowl

So I've grown up in the Bible Belt and haven't had a ton of experience with different religions.  I mean I know a bit about the other major ones but still haven't had a lot of experience with them.  Uruguay is the most secular South American country and 2nd most secular Latin American country (after Cuba).  One of the religions practiced here is an Afro-Brazilian religion called Candomble (not related to the dance candombe) Well anyway yesterday was the festival of the sea goddess Yemanja so we went to see what that was about.  Basically people gather at the beaches and release their offerings and pray to Yemanja and are blessed and light candles, chant and such.  It was really quite strange.  But good to see.  It made us see how much the people of Uruguay need Jesus.  It was so sad to see how many people were paying tribute to this false goddess and we were told that more usually are out there each year.

As a part of one of my classes (Ministry in Latin America) we have to visit a Catholic church and a Pentecostal church.  Today we went to the Catholic church.  I had been to a Catholic church before in Spain but it was still interesting to see the differences.  Mass at the particular place we went to in Spain was more formal this was a bit more laid back I felt like.  I mean they still had many Catholic traditions but it wasn't as (for lack of a better word) ceremonious at the one I had gone to before.  We're going to that one one more time for a mid-week service and next week going to the Pentecostal church.  Which I'm pretty excited about!

After Church today we met back up at Casa and went to a Chinese restaurant.  It was pretty nice but a bit pricy so I can't imagine going there a lot.

So yesterday I found out that the Superbowl is today (funny how being out of the country makes it easy to forget about stuff like that.  Well anyway we are going to have a Superbowl party and the youth from the church next door were invited and I think a few of them are going to come and some other various people.  I'm not a big fan of American football but it'll be good to have a time to hang out with people and there will be snacks (and I'm out of food and Cofa's is closed.)  So I'm kinda looking forward to that.  But I'm going to want to rest up before because it'll be a bit late.  So we'll see how that goes.  I mean it's kinda crazy for me to look forward for a football game but I guess I'm mostly excited about the food (I think they got dulce de leche ice cream) Haha!

Cofa's (since I mentioned it) is where I buy most of my groceries.  It's kinda sorta like wal-mart.  But not really.  I mean I go for the food but they also have some other stuff like clothes, school supplies, hygienic supplies and stuff.  Wal-mart is the best thing I can think of but at the same time it's not like Wal-mart.  There is a nice grocery store by the university where my spanish classes are but I've only been there once and then there are a lot of small ones.

Llamadas

I started Spanish classes this week.  It's going to be very hard!  But it'll be good (hopefully)  She doesn't talk in English at all and I have a hard time understanding her most of the time...but she says that I'll understand better soon.  Hopefully!  The classes are interesting though (when I can understand what's going on that is.)

Earlier this week we had a Candombe workshop.  Candombe is a type of dancing here.  It's roots are in the slaves that came from Africa.  Well we learned (or tried to learn) Candombe and learned a lot about it.  Thursday we got to go to a parade where all the groups were Candombe groups.  It's called Llamadas and is a part of the Carnaval celebrations here in Uruguay.  It was a cool parade but I was sure tired after it was done.

I'm not sure what all super interesting has been going on other than that.  I mean they're school and homework and friends.  We did have a movie night last night!  I mean we're getting to know each other better all the time.  We had a very interesting discussion the other day about whether we would do Sing Song or not.  Sing Song is a show that the university puts on every year and study abroad groups can send in a video.  At the beginning we were a bit more excited about it, had it written, and were going to film it in the airport.  Well sleeping seemed like a better idea than filming a video and since we've been here that's not what we've wanted to do.  Lyrics were due so we had to decide if we would do it and let's say not everyone wants to do it.  So there was an interesting split between the ones who wanted to and who didn't and it was quite funny.  I mean all in good fun.  I don't think we'll do it.  We have to have the video sent in by the 11th and I don't think we're going to get on that.

Today is going to be homework day for me.  I want to get caught up and don't really have anything to do until tonight.  Most people are needing to catch up on homework anyway.

I guess that's it for now.

First Week

I've been pretty busy so far this semester and my spanish class hasn't even started yet!  I have been trying to use that time to remember what I may have forgotten.  I'm definitely ready to start Spanish class though.  I've been practicing a lot on my own and with people and have learned a lot and picked up some more but mostly I've been trying to remember stuff and trying to figure out the accent here.  We've also been busy with various activities.

Last Sunday we went to church next door and then after several of the youth from that church came over for lunch.  That was a great experience because we got to practice conversation and get to make some friends.  I talked to this 6 year old girl for a while.  She was cute but very hyper and a bit sassy too.  I had a lot of fun that day.  We started classes Monday and they're pretty good.  I'm taking a photography class which so far has been really interesting,  a class on Latin American ministry which I think is going to be very personally challenging but rewarding, and a class on Latin America.  We had gone out as a group and been shown parts of the city before but we got to see more Tuesday when we went on a bus tour of the city.  We got to go to the main cemetery, see the port, go onto the cerro "hill" and get a cool view of the city, see the neighborhoods where the current and last president live, go to a museum and see Uruguayan art, and go to a Japanese garden.  It was really cool and informative.  Wednesday we went to Pocitos beach after class and also went Friday.  It was really windy and a bit chilly Friday though.  Thursday we were going to go to the Carnaval parade and we were there and ready and just as it was about to start it began to pour so we waited it out in an ice cream shop then went home.  But they rescheduled it to Friday and we got to go then.  Uruguay has the longest carnaval season  in the world starting with a crazy long parade.  It started at 8:45 and we left at midnight and it wasn't close to being over.  We only saw about half of the acts.  The kids run wild during carnaval.  They run in the streets and spray silly string on the people in the parade and one of the main things they do is lie down when people are carrying banners and let the banners pass over them.  It's pretty entertaining to watch them play around.  But they also mess up your pictures a bit...

Saturday, yesterday, we went to a popular beach resort in Uruguay, Punta del Este.  This is where a lot of the Uruguayans, Brazilians, and Argentines, go on vacation.  We just went for a day trip but being a saturday during summer it was pretty crowded.  We hung out on the beach, played in the water a bit (but it was very cold) and read a lot.  We might go back when school starts back up so that there will be less people there.  It might be a bit nicer though colder.

Today we went to church in a different part of the city.  We went to a smaller church about a 15 minute bus ride away.  It's where our cook Raquel goes to church.  The people there were really nice.

I don't know if I've mentioned it but Raquel and Mariella are the sweet ladies who cook for us during the week and they can cook that's for sure.  They've made empanadas, chivitos, milanesa, and other fantastic local food for us.  We had a Brazilian dish too but I can't remember what it was called.  It was good though.  The local food here is very good.  Better than English food.  Still kinda bland and they don't like hot and spicy stuff here but it's still really good.  And they're really sweet ladies!

This week should be exciting!  I start Spanish classes (so we'll see how that goes, they're going to be a challenge but challenges are good).  We're going to have a Candombe workshop.  I'll explain that when I know more.  Basically dancing, drums,  etc.  And I think we're going to have a party this weekend.  So I'm excited!  I absolutely love it here in Uruguay and love it more and more every day.  I've got a great group of fellow study abroaders and we've grown closer and it's been great to get to know them.  The people here in Uruguay are great too.  They're very friendly.  Not to say that the British aren't but the Uruguayans are more friendly and more willing to become your friend.  I mean I love the British but the Uruguayans are easier to talk to.  Well other than the whole language barrier thing.  We will sometimes go into a store and people just start talking to us wanting to know where we're fun and why we're in Uruguay and if we like it, etc.  Plus the program here encourages intercultural interaction more than in Oxford but it's also set up so it is easier to have that.

View of Montevideo

 kids lying on the street during carnaval

Carnaval 2013

 Punta del Este

I feel like I haven't been very diligent about posting here and pictures on facebook but I really haven't been here that long, though it feels like I have.  I will try to be more diligent. So here are some pictures.

Estoy en Uruguay

I'm in Uruguay!  Crazy, I know.  But great!  I got here Thursday afternoon but I've been busy.  The last few days here have been pretty cool!!!  There are 7 of us studying abroad (so about 20 less than last semester), but it means that we're going to get really close.  Last semester I got close to people but I didn't get to know everyone really well.  I will this semester.  We've been hanging out all together quite a lot these last few days.  We've had orientation and have all been together during that as well as touring the city a bit, eating together, and going to the beach together.  I think it's a great group of people and I'm excited to spend my semester with these people.

So here is a recap of the last few days.  Wednesday afternoon we drove to Dallas and got on a plan to Santiago that night.  We got to Santiago the next morning and then had a layover and took another plane to Montevideo. We arrived and our program directors greeted us at the airport, and got a bus to take us around the city a bit and then to our Casa.  We got into our rooms, took showers, and then went out to eat at Mercado de la Abundancia. We also saw some of the stuff for sale.  We ate at about 8 and that is early for Uruguayans.  We're trying to get use to eating on Uruguayan time which is hard when in the States I usually eat around 5 or 6.  Here we eat around 9 which is still pretty early.  Ten to Midnight is more typical but that's bedtime for me.

Any who...the next day we got up and had breakfast and went on a scavenger hunt around so we could find stuff and see where things are.  We went around Tres Cruces (the bus stop), and 18 de Julio which is a nearby street.  Later we had orientation and went to get groceries and all had dinner together and it was South African style curry and it was really good.  Apparently you put bananas and pineapples and stuff in it which i thought was weird at first but it was really good.  I very much enjoyed it.

Earlier today we went to Ciudad Vieja, and Punta Carretas (a mall) and they showed us around there.  We saw some cool buildings, the ashes of José Artigas, who is the national hero of Uruguay, the Teatro Solis, and stuff like that.  We also went to a couple Ferias. After that we went out to eat and then went to a beach!  We went to Pocitos and I thought since it was a Saturday that it would be crowded because earlier when we passed by Pocitos it was, but it was nice.  The weather was good and there weren't many people so we laid in the sand and then played in the water.  Later we went back to Casa, cleaned up, and went to go get food for dinner.  And then later we cooked and ate together.  It was great!

Like I said earlier, there are only 7 of us, which is crazy but I really like it.  We can all go out somewhere and don't overwhelm any restaurants (well at least not too badly).  I'm really excited to get to know everyone better and I feel like we are already getting closer and getting to know each other and we're getting closer.

Tomorrow we have church with the congregation next door and a few things but Monday we start classes.  I'm kinda ready to get on a schedule but at the same time today we were at the beach talking about how nice it was go not have homework so we could stay at the beach for ages and it wouldn't be a problem because we didn't have any thing to get back to.  But classes I guess are important for study abroad...haha!  Well I'm excited!  This semester is going to be great and I can't wait to see what all I get to experience and how I'll grow.

Month in the States

So I've been back in the States for just over a month and now I'm preparing to go to Montevideo, Uruguay.  I'm back and school and it's been great to see my old friends and see my Oxford buddies around campus!  It's been good seeing those people but I know I'm going to miss them terribly.  Some of my close friends are studying abroad too but in different places.  It's been good to see people and meet people I'll be spending the rest of my semester.

I'm really excited about going to Montevideo!!! Nervous but still excited!  It's a bit more intimidating than Oxford because it is going to be so different and the food and culture is going to be a bit more drastically different.

So everyone knows about England but a lot of people ask more questions about Uruguay.  The truth is I don't know a lot either.  I know that It is in South America and that the people are really calm and relaxed.  It'll be interesting actually living there and really seeing it.  I hope to work on my Spanish which will be hard living with Americans but I've been told that I should get involved with the youth at a local church and meet people and practice and get out and talk with Uruguayans and make friends.  Which will be hard for me but I hope I will actually do it and get the most out of my time so I can actually maybe be conversational in Spanish by the end of it.  

I'm really excited about getting to know the people on my trip better.  Which by the way we are a group with a grand total of 7 students.  Yupp there are just 7.  So a very, very small group and we will be living very close and spending a lot of time with each other.  We might get our own rooms though which might be nice for getting homework done.  I am really looking forward to it and hope that we can all be good friends in our small little group and get to know each other really well.  There were people in Oxford that I wished I could have gotten the chance to know better but it was hard even though we weren't all that big of a group.  So hopefully that seems good.  I haven't really gotten to talk to anyone but the two other girls seem nice and I know one of the other guys from previously classes.  

Speaking of Oxford it kinda just feels like a dream at this point.  It doesn't seem like I was actually there sometimes if that makes sense.  But I miss it and want to go back.  I'm a bit jealous of the people going this semester because I know they're going to see and do some many wonderful things and get to go to some of my favorite places.  Ali's, On the Hoof, G&D's, Primark etc. 

This month is the states has been good.  Not as restful as I would have liked and not super eventful but good.  I got to work and when I wasn't working I sometimes got to hang out with some of my best friends from back home and that was great to see them and get to spend time with them.  It was weird being back in the states after not being there for even just 4 months.  It must be crazy for people to return for the first time after a year or even years of being abroad.  But it was good to be back and seeing people.  It was sad to leave them and now sad to leave my college friends but I'm ready to move to this next chapter of my life and to experience Uruguay.  

Well I don't know what else to say for now.  I leave Wednesday and will get to Uruguay Thursday so I'm looking forward to being there and sleeping on a real bed (I'm crashing on the floor of my friends' dorm room right now.  At this point I'm just ready to be there and to see what God has in store for these next few months.