I learned how to make a soccer ball yesterday. Yes, and my schooling did not come from Discovery channel’s How it’s Made, but from the vibrant streets of Montevideo.
My Uruguayan Culture class spent Tuesday afternoon walking the streets of a historic section of the city, and visiting museums and churches. When three friends and I had received all the “culture” we could withstand, we split. We walked 3 blocks to a lively plaza, bought ice cream and rested on a bench to talk. It was after this ice cream break and a little shopping that I found myself comfortably alone. I opted to stay in Ciudad Vieja instead of returning to Grandma’s apartment. I wandered to Plaza de Cagancha; it was there that I learned how to make a soccer ball.
I was sitting and writing 2 benches away from whom appeared to be three homeless siblings, two brothers and a sister. The oldest brother, whom throughout our interaction gained my respect, began constructing a soccer ball at the request of his younger brother. His materials included a plastic grocery bag and an old book. He was ripping the pages from the book, crumpling them up and stuffing them into the plastic bag. He packed the scrunched up pages very tightly into the small grocery bag, tied it shut and melted the plastic with a lighter to seal it. Meanwhile the younger brother was hunting for other plastic bags in the nearby trashcans. He returned after a few minutes, running and waving the bag over his head. The older brother placed the soccer ball inside the plastic bag, tied it and sealed it shut. They wrapped it and sealed it once more before the soccer ball was complete.
To my amazement, their technique worked marvelously. As I continued writing, they tested out their creation in front of me. I wanted so badly to ask them if I could join them in their game, but I chickened out when I saw how good they were. Nevertheless, I loved watching their game and was encouraged by their brotherly interaction.
This week I am going to try to make a soccer ball.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Cabo Polonio
Friday and Saturday I was in Cabo Polonio, one of the most beautiful, tranquil places in Uruguay. To reach Cabo Polonio, it is necessary to backpack the 7km from the closest highway or catch a ride on the Jurassic Park 4WD trucks that make the trip linking the village and the highway. I backpacked into Cabo along with 2 girls, while the other 2 girls went ahead to search for house to rent for the weekend.
We walked along the path that the trucks take, through the sand dunes and scrub and then along the beach for a few kilometers. Along the walk we met three sweet dogs that accompanied us for a while, a herd of cows and horses grazing. The latter groups did not accompany us like the dogs.
The village is settled on a point of land that juts into the ocean, complete with a lighthouse, sea lions, sand dunes, and a mix of natural rock pools and sandy beaches. The land is absolutely breath taking. There is a small cluster of buildings by the beach: a few places to eat, a market and two hostels, in addition to small houses scattered over the rocky, grassy knoll of the point. This town has no electricity, no regular running water (only what you pump), and no streets.
The stars are unbelievable; remember no light pollution!! Friday night, Ela and I slept outside on a large rock by the house. I feel asleep speechless, watching the stars and awoke to the sunrise and to the sound of sea lions barking. I was very content. While watching the sunrise over the ocean I was reading my Bible. Never has “the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge…” ever had such meaning and significance to me than after spending a night on a rock.
For those of you that want to know what is going on in my head, here is a glimpse… I’ve been contemplating this idea anew. It was shared with me shortly before leaving for Uruguay. –If I know Jesus and I truly believe my relationship with Him is the foundation of my life and also the determinate of where I will spend eternity, (putting aside whether Jesus is ultimately real or not) how much do I have to hate you, really hate you, not to tell you about the opportunity of Jesus and life with him? For if I believe it to be true and I withhold information from you, I am withholding from you, what I believe to be the source of life.
Exciting news: I have a niece! My brother and sister-in-law now have a beautiful daughter named Lydia Corinne. It is going to be very difficult waiting until August to meet her.
Sad news: I haven’t had very much time to knit, Grandma hasn’t bought figs recently and summer is disappearing.
As I post this, Grandma and Joaquin, her 4yr old grandson, are playing the piano together.
We walked along the path that the trucks take, through the sand dunes and scrub and then along the beach for a few kilometers. Along the walk we met three sweet dogs that accompanied us for a while, a herd of cows and horses grazing. The latter groups did not accompany us like the dogs.
The village is settled on a point of land that juts into the ocean, complete with a lighthouse, sea lions, sand dunes, and a mix of natural rock pools and sandy beaches. The land is absolutely breath taking. There is a small cluster of buildings by the beach: a few places to eat, a market and two hostels, in addition to small houses scattered over the rocky, grassy knoll of the point. This town has no electricity, no regular running water (only what you pump), and no streets.
The stars are unbelievable; remember no light pollution!! Friday night, Ela and I slept outside on a large rock by the house. I feel asleep speechless, watching the stars and awoke to the sunrise and to the sound of sea lions barking. I was very content. While watching the sunrise over the ocean I was reading my Bible. Never has “the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock in whom I take refuge…” ever had such meaning and significance to me than after spending a night on a rock.
For those of you that want to know what is going on in my head, here is a glimpse… I’ve been contemplating this idea anew. It was shared with me shortly before leaving for Uruguay. –If I know Jesus and I truly believe my relationship with Him is the foundation of my life and also the determinate of where I will spend eternity, (putting aside whether Jesus is ultimately real or not) how much do I have to hate you, really hate you, not to tell you about the opportunity of Jesus and life with him? For if I believe it to be true and I withhold information from you, I am withholding from you, what I believe to be the source of life.
Exciting news: I have a niece! My brother and sister-in-law now have a beautiful daughter named Lydia Corinne. It is going to be very difficult waiting until August to meet her.
Sad news: I haven’t had very much time to knit, Grandma hasn’t bought figs recently and summer is disappearing.
As I post this, Grandma and Joaquin, her 4yr old grandson, are playing the piano together.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Pobrecito
This ad litters the city and can be seen at nearly every bus stop.
But did you know that guinea pigs are eaten in parts of South America?
Yes.
Then what is this poor little fella doing on a cell phone advertisement? I ponder this every time I see these ads.
But did you know that guinea pigs are eaten in parts of South America?
Yes.
Then what is this poor little fella doing on a cell phone advertisement? I ponder this every time I see these ads.
Weekend in Montevideo
This weekend I took a break from traveling and stayed in the city. What a beautiful decision! I hit up not one, but two massive ferrias. I hesitate to compare them to flea markets because they are spectacularly better. (I know it is hard to believe, but trust me.) Blocks and blocks of the city shut down completely to host more vendors than you can imagine. You are able to find all types of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, as well as food in general, either to eat on the spot or buy grocery store style. There are sections of art, books, YARN, clothing, technology, antiques, jewelry, crafts, little trinkets, and more. The one I visited on Sunday covers more than 15km which makes it impossible to see everything. My friend and I went on to the 15km one on Sunday with a friend we met at church that morning. We succeeded in hunting for a novel we have to read for our literature class.
More tidbits of Uruguayan life…
1. Ice cream is eaten out cones, but one must always use a tiny spoon. On Wednesday, I ate an ice cream cone and I’m not sure the spoon made my experience any cleaner.
2. Grandma made spinach pie two times last week (4 meals total!). I conquered the spinach pie by: buying provolone cheese, melting it over the pie and drinking a lot of water.
3. I now have some Uruguayan friends. Holla
4. I attended a soccer game Saturday night during a thunderstorm. I’ve never been so completely soaked in my life. When it would thunder, the crowd would cheer louder so the officials couldn’t hear the thunder. (Thunder and lightning = a postponed game)
5. Big news! Montevideo is hosting a World Cup qualifier game between Uruguay and Paraguay. I will for sure be in attendance!
6. I have never liked tomatoes. This weekend Grandpa and Grandma made a dish that consisted of fresh whole tomatoes stuffed with a mixture of rice and either ham or tuna. I ate 4 whole tomatoes in one day. I haven’t converted, but a girl has to eat.
7. Grandpa and Grandma are on a date tonight-they saw a movie. It’s precious. I love it.
Upcoming plans…
Weekend includes a possible trip to Cabo Polonio, Rocha, and La Paloma
For Semana Santa (we have a week of vacation for Easter) some friends and I are traveling to Tierra del Fuego, the southern most tip of South America. It’s practically Antarctica :) We are also going to visit Iguazu Falls. Iguazu Falls, which ranks 9 among the world's top wonders, is where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet.
¡Feliz día de San Patricio!
More tidbits of Uruguayan life…
1. Ice cream is eaten out cones, but one must always use a tiny spoon. On Wednesday, I ate an ice cream cone and I’m not sure the spoon made my experience any cleaner.
2. Grandma made spinach pie two times last week (4 meals total!). I conquered the spinach pie by: buying provolone cheese, melting it over the pie and drinking a lot of water.
3. I now have some Uruguayan friends. Holla
4. I attended a soccer game Saturday night during a thunderstorm. I’ve never been so completely soaked in my life. When it would thunder, the crowd would cheer louder so the officials couldn’t hear the thunder. (Thunder and lightning = a postponed game)
5. Big news! Montevideo is hosting a World Cup qualifier game between Uruguay and Paraguay. I will for sure be in attendance!
6. I have never liked tomatoes. This weekend Grandpa and Grandma made a dish that consisted of fresh whole tomatoes stuffed with a mixture of rice and either ham or tuna. I ate 4 whole tomatoes in one day. I haven’t converted, but a girl has to eat.
7. Grandpa and Grandma are on a date tonight-they saw a movie. It’s precious. I love it.
Upcoming plans…
Weekend includes a possible trip to Cabo Polonio, Rocha, and La Paloma
For Semana Santa (we have a week of vacation for Easter) some friends and I are traveling to Tierra del Fuego, the southern most tip of South America. It’s practically Antarctica :) We are also going to visit Iguazu Falls. Iguazu Falls, which ranks 9 among the world's top wonders, is where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet.
¡Feliz día de San Patricio!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Just livin' my life
Here is a glimpse of my daily Monday-Friday happenings, with which I am completely satisfied. I will recount with details for those of you that would like a taste of my minute-by-minute activities.
Between 8:00 and 9:00, I wake up naturally to either construction noises from the apartment below or to Grandma cooking and rattling pots in the kitchen. I have finally adjusted to Uruguayan time, so waking up between 8 or 9 is leisurely and comfortable. Immediately, I migrate to the kitchen where Grandma is always cooking the meal for the day. I dance around Grandma in the small kitchen to boil water for my instant coffee and cut a few slices off of the loaf of bread for my daily breakfast of bread and fig marmalade. Each morning Grandma walks to the grocery store 1.5 blocks away to buy our fresh bread and whatever meats and veggies she needs for the daily meal. If I use yesterday’s bread for my breakfast, she scolds me for not eating today’s fresh bread. She loves me :) I love eating my breakfast and watching Grandma cook; she is a master in the kitchen.
After breakfast, I generally find myself in the living room doing the following: journaling, knitting, reading, homework and spending time with Jesus. I love the slower start of Uruguayan mornings. So far my earliest class begins at 13:30 (Uruguay uses the 24 hour clock) and I’m usually able to leave the university at 18:00.
This week was the first week of classes. After almost 3 months of vacation, I feel as if I’m readjusting to classes quite well. I’m taking a full course load while I’m here, but I’m able to understand all of the professors so I’m sure I will be fine. My courses, renamed in English, include Spanish language, Historical Process of Uruguay, Uruguayan Culture, Uruguayan Literature, Alternative Sports and lastly I’ll be volunteering/doing community service work.
After classes, Greg and I usually walk back to the apartment, hungry and tired. This week the evenings began with a snack and a nap, with dinner not eaten until 9:00 or 10:00.
I ate this for dinner tonight. It is an eggplant cut in half, then stuff/topped with meat and melted cheese. Delectable! My love for eggplant is growing!
Between 8:00 and 9:00, I wake up naturally to either construction noises from the apartment below or to Grandma cooking and rattling pots in the kitchen. I have finally adjusted to Uruguayan time, so waking up between 8 or 9 is leisurely and comfortable. Immediately, I migrate to the kitchen where Grandma is always cooking the meal for the day. I dance around Grandma in the small kitchen to boil water for my instant coffee and cut a few slices off of the loaf of bread for my daily breakfast of bread and fig marmalade. Each morning Grandma walks to the grocery store 1.5 blocks away to buy our fresh bread and whatever meats and veggies she needs for the daily meal. If I use yesterday’s bread for my breakfast, she scolds me for not eating today’s fresh bread. She loves me :) I love eating my breakfast and watching Grandma cook; she is a master in the kitchen.
After breakfast, I generally find myself in the living room doing the following: journaling, knitting, reading, homework and spending time with Jesus. I love the slower start of Uruguayan mornings. So far my earliest class begins at 13:30 (Uruguay uses the 24 hour clock) and I’m usually able to leave the university at 18:00.
This week was the first week of classes. After almost 3 months of vacation, I feel as if I’m readjusting to classes quite well. I’m taking a full course load while I’m here, but I’m able to understand all of the professors so I’m sure I will be fine. My courses, renamed in English, include Spanish language, Historical Process of Uruguay, Uruguayan Culture, Uruguayan Literature, Alternative Sports and lastly I’ll be volunteering/doing community service work.
After classes, Greg and I usually walk back to the apartment, hungry and tired. This week the evenings began with a snack and a nap, with dinner not eaten until 9:00 or 10:00.
I ate this for dinner tonight. It is an eggplant cut in half, then stuff/topped with meat and melted cheese. Delectable! My love for eggplant is growing!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Punta del Diablo
I have countless tidbits about which I could share. So I’ll make a list (check it twice) and then follow up with a short summary of the past few days.
1. The dogs that live on the streets of Montevideo know to only cross the street when the red lights say to cross. They will literally stand beside you and wait to cross the street.
2. For the first time in my life my ear peeled from sunburn, but just the left ear.
3. I bought a pirated DVD of Bob Espoja (SpongeBob) in Brazil.
4. For the last two weeks I’ve been eating sweet potatoes and liking them a lot. This is new for me.
5. On Sunday, I came as close as I ever will to having a fro as a result of: humidity, intense ocean wind all day long and ocean water. (I laughed out loud at myself when I looked in a mirror halfway through the day.)
6. I love figs! On average I consume two figs a day and eat fig marmalade with toast and coffee each morning.
7. By Your Side- a song by Tenth Avenue North has really been a blessing to me during the past two weeks. Oh how God loves us and wants to do things for us. It’s not just about how much we can do for God, it’s what He has done and wants to do for us. Marvelous!!
Last Friday, Molly, Brittany and I left class a few hours early to catch a bus to Rocha and then to Punta del Diablo. The interesting thing about taking buses is when I get on the bus it is rare that I know where to get off. It is always a nice mix of question asking, nerves and hoping that we get it right. We, and some other international students, spent the weekend in a hostel named El diablo tranquilo; a pretty little hostel a few blocks from the beach complete with areas to sit and get to know the other travelers and hammocks to take siestas in. The hostel was run by a young couple from the States and was filled with Canadians and Europeans.
On Saturday, 5 of us took a bus to Chuy, a border town of Brazil and Uruguay. One of our language professors advised us to visit Chuy because it is an unpatrolled border town (you can enter Brazil without papers or visas... regularly/legally visas cost $100 for US citizens and this rule was created because of the lack of hospitality of the US) We ate lunch in Brazil and spent a few hours wandering the streets and looking through the shops. Uruguayans flock to Chuy to buy clothes and supplies because everything is cheaper than most areas of Uruguay.
The rest of the weekend included an amazing meal of fish, incredible live music steps away from the beach, a day of relaxation on the beach, sharing a meal of crackers with a mama dog, and a 5-hour bus ride back to Montevideo.
Tons of pictures: El Diablo Tranquilo, map of eastern Uruguayan bus routes, Punta del Diablo, Brazil, my canine friend
1. The dogs that live on the streets of Montevideo know to only cross the street when the red lights say to cross. They will literally stand beside you and wait to cross the street.
2. For the first time in my life my ear peeled from sunburn, but just the left ear.
3. I bought a pirated DVD of Bob Espoja (SpongeBob) in Brazil.
4. For the last two weeks I’ve been eating sweet potatoes and liking them a lot. This is new for me.
5. On Sunday, I came as close as I ever will to having a fro as a result of: humidity, intense ocean wind all day long and ocean water. (I laughed out loud at myself when I looked in a mirror halfway through the day.)
6. I love figs! On average I consume two figs a day and eat fig marmalade with toast and coffee each morning.
7. By Your Side- a song by Tenth Avenue North has really been a blessing to me during the past two weeks. Oh how God loves us and wants to do things for us. It’s not just about how much we can do for God, it’s what He has done and wants to do for us. Marvelous!!
Last Friday, Molly, Brittany and I left class a few hours early to catch a bus to Rocha and then to Punta del Diablo. The interesting thing about taking buses is when I get on the bus it is rare that I know where to get off. It is always a nice mix of question asking, nerves and hoping that we get it right. We, and some other international students, spent the weekend in a hostel named El diablo tranquilo; a pretty little hostel a few blocks from the beach complete with areas to sit and get to know the other travelers and hammocks to take siestas in. The hostel was run by a young couple from the States and was filled with Canadians and Europeans.
On Saturday, 5 of us took a bus to Chuy, a border town of Brazil and Uruguay. One of our language professors advised us to visit Chuy because it is an unpatrolled border town (you can enter Brazil without papers or visas... regularly/legally visas cost $100 for US citizens and this rule was created because of the lack of hospitality of the US) We ate lunch in Brazil and spent a few hours wandering the streets and looking through the shops. Uruguayans flock to Chuy to buy clothes and supplies because everything is cheaper than most areas of Uruguay.
The rest of the weekend included an amazing meal of fish, incredible live music steps away from the beach, a day of relaxation on the beach, sharing a meal of crackers with a mama dog, and a 5-hour bus ride back to Montevideo.
Tons of pictures: El Diablo Tranquilo, map of eastern Uruguayan bus routes, Punta del Diablo, Brazil, my canine friend
Friday, March 6, 2009
This is not a funny entry
As I write this, I can hear dogs howling, laughter and loud conversations in Spanish outside my 3rd floor apartment window. I love it! The other day I woke up to a small girl yelling “Abuela, abuela, abuela!!!! Apparently she couldn’t locate her grandmother. How nice it is to hear Spanish all the time. I can’t explain my love for this language, but I’m okay with that. Oh how I wish to attain fluency in the next 5 months!
Food story: Up until Monday’s lunch I loved everything dear Grandma cooked for Greg and I. Monday was when things took a brief, but disheartening turn for the worst because Grandma cooked empanadas (perfect, delicious, dream-like) and a spinach pie (death). I never had eaten enough spinach to know that I really don’t like it. So when I saw the pie I felt no fear at all, especially because I didn’t know it was spinach. Haha It was Greg who kindly shared with me that it was espinaca. Never in my life have I ever struggled so hard to finish what was on my plate. Please let me remind you that what we eat for lunch is what we also eat for dinner. This spinach pie had a very thin crust on the bottom and the inside of the pie was a thick inch of spinach with cooked eggs floating on top. It was then covered with a thin crust. I am certain that I ate more spinach for lunch and dinner than I have or will eat in my entire life. Then freakin Greg, who also didn’t like it, told Grandma he did. So we will most likely have it again in the near future. Thanks Greg.
It is hard to imagine that I’ve been in Uruguay for 2 weeks. This week has passed quickly because I am in my pre-semester language class most of the day. On Wednesday the remaining international students arrived and we are 77 strong. The large majority is from Spain and other European countries. The students from the US and Latin America are the minority. I’ve been talking to two girls from Colombia. How reassuring it was that they also struggled with the Uruguayan dialect and Spanish is their native language.
On Wednesday it rained heavily all day long. How thankful I am that I spent money on a good raincoat. It made walking through the city and standing at the bus stop enjoyable. After class, even though the sky was dark with clouds, I decided to make the 45-minute walk back to the apartment. I love rain, thunder, wind, all things storm related. I love walking through the city (rain or not). I feel like I belong here. I’m not an outsider, although others may stamp me as one. Living in a city gives me a strong feeling of being part of humanity, interacting with people, riding the buses, walking the streets, being friends with the doorman. I strive to be a part of humanity/community; it is innate.
Once again, I plan on leaving the city for a weekend of backpacking/hostel hopping. Two other girls (Molly and Brittany) and I are going to spend Friday and Saturday in Punta del Diablo and then catch a bus to Cabo Polonio on Sunday. These are two very small fishing villages along the eastern coast of Uruguay, close to Brazil. Pictures and stories to follow.
No longer striving to earn grace, Erica
Food story: Up until Monday’s lunch I loved everything dear Grandma cooked for Greg and I. Monday was when things took a brief, but disheartening turn for the worst because Grandma cooked empanadas (perfect, delicious, dream-like) and a spinach pie (death). I never had eaten enough spinach to know that I really don’t like it. So when I saw the pie I felt no fear at all, especially because I didn’t know it was spinach. Haha It was Greg who kindly shared with me that it was espinaca. Never in my life have I ever struggled so hard to finish what was on my plate. Please let me remind you that what we eat for lunch is what we also eat for dinner. This spinach pie had a very thin crust on the bottom and the inside of the pie was a thick inch of spinach with cooked eggs floating on top. It was then covered with a thin crust. I am certain that I ate more spinach for lunch and dinner than I have or will eat in my entire life. Then freakin Greg, who also didn’t like it, told Grandma he did. So we will most likely have it again in the near future. Thanks Greg.
It is hard to imagine that I’ve been in Uruguay for 2 weeks. This week has passed quickly because I am in my pre-semester language class most of the day. On Wednesday the remaining international students arrived and we are 77 strong. The large majority is from Spain and other European countries. The students from the US and Latin America are the minority. I’ve been talking to two girls from Colombia. How reassuring it was that they also struggled with the Uruguayan dialect and Spanish is their native language.
On Wednesday it rained heavily all day long. How thankful I am that I spent money on a good raincoat. It made walking through the city and standing at the bus stop enjoyable. After class, even though the sky was dark with clouds, I decided to make the 45-minute walk back to the apartment. I love rain, thunder, wind, all things storm related. I love walking through the city (rain or not). I feel like I belong here. I’m not an outsider, although others may stamp me as one. Living in a city gives me a strong feeling of being part of humanity, interacting with people, riding the buses, walking the streets, being friends with the doorman. I strive to be a part of humanity/community; it is innate.
Once again, I plan on leaving the city for a weekend of backpacking/hostel hopping. Two other girls (Molly and Brittany) and I are going to spend Friday and Saturday in Punta del Diablo and then catch a bus to Cabo Polonio on Sunday. These are two very small fishing villages along the eastern coast of Uruguay, close to Brazil. Pictures and stories to follow.
No longer striving to earn grace, Erica
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Dancing with Miss Universe-Uruguay
Friday night we took a bus to Punta del Este, a touristy peninsula town filled with Europeans and Argentineans. Thankfully we were able to score some beds in a hostel not far from the beach and the bus terminal. The reason why Punta del Este is a go-to place is because it is the point at which the waters of Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean meet. So our hostel was on the Río side of the peninsula but if we walked three blocks we were at the Atlantic Ocean beaches.
Saturday we spent the day on one of the Ocean side beaches and now we all pretty sun burned. We can’t seem to learn that the sun is much stronger when you’re this far south. Where we were swimming was apparently a risk zone for rip tides or undertows, I’m not sure what they are called. Anyway, two of the guys were pulled out farther than they wanted and had to be rescued by some lifeguards. Not a big deal, but it made for a funny story. Oh and sadly the waves weren’t large enough to surf. Maybe some other time in March I’ll have a chance to try surfing. How sad that summer here only lasts for one more month.
Saturday night a few of us decided to go dancing at one of the hot spots. The Uruguayan nightlife is intense. Here is how it works down here… If you go out to a club or a bar before 2am, you’re not cool and you’ve just committed social suicide. And because the parties start at 2am or 3am, Uruguayans usually say out until 8am. That way they don’t have to walk home or travel home in the dark. I’m too old for this. So we arrived at Mambo, this supposedly nice club at 2am to find that the dancing didn’t start until 3am. Great, less sleep for grandma Erica. So we sat outside for a while and listened to the live music only to find that we were hanging out at the same club as Miss Universe-Uruguay. Apparently she was making an appearance with her posse-crown, gown and all. So there we were just dancing up in the same club as Miss Uruguay. To her credit, she’s a good dancer. Oh and a Rihanna song was played at the club along with some other random, old English music. Rihanna and her music seem to follow me everywhere.
Hostels are a bad place to sleep in if you so desire. There always seems to be people making noise. So this morning 5 of us packed up our bags and decided to check out one more sight before taking a bus back to Montevideo. We walked/bused to Casapueblo, which is one of a kind summer mansion built by Carlos Páez Vilaró, a Uruguayan artist.
It was a fun weekend, but certainly not very restful. It was surprisingly nice to come back to the apartment in Montevideo and see Grandma again. One more week of the pre-semester class and orientation before the semester officially begins. I’m looking forward to a steady schedule.
Here are some pictures of the weekend.
The hostel, the infamous hand reaching out of the sand in Punta del Este, two shots of Casapueblo
Saturday we spent the day on one of the Ocean side beaches and now we all pretty sun burned. We can’t seem to learn that the sun is much stronger when you’re this far south. Where we were swimming was apparently a risk zone for rip tides or undertows, I’m not sure what they are called. Anyway, two of the guys were pulled out farther than they wanted and had to be rescued by some lifeguards. Not a big deal, but it made for a funny story. Oh and sadly the waves weren’t large enough to surf. Maybe some other time in March I’ll have a chance to try surfing. How sad that summer here only lasts for one more month.
Saturday night a few of us decided to go dancing at one of the hot spots. The Uruguayan nightlife is intense. Here is how it works down here… If you go out to a club or a bar before 2am, you’re not cool and you’ve just committed social suicide. And because the parties start at 2am or 3am, Uruguayans usually say out until 8am. That way they don’t have to walk home or travel home in the dark. I’m too old for this. So we arrived at Mambo, this supposedly nice club at 2am to find that the dancing didn’t start until 3am. Great, less sleep for grandma Erica. So we sat outside for a while and listened to the live music only to find that we were hanging out at the same club as Miss Universe-Uruguay. Apparently she was making an appearance with her posse-crown, gown and all. So there we were just dancing up in the same club as Miss Uruguay. To her credit, she’s a good dancer. Oh and a Rihanna song was played at the club along with some other random, old English music. Rihanna and her music seem to follow me everywhere.
Hostels are a bad place to sleep in if you so desire. There always seems to be people making noise. So this morning 5 of us packed up our bags and decided to check out one more sight before taking a bus back to Montevideo. We walked/bused to Casapueblo, which is one of a kind summer mansion built by Carlos Páez Vilaró, a Uruguayan artist.
It was a fun weekend, but certainly not very restful. It was surprisingly nice to come back to the apartment in Montevideo and see Grandma again. One more week of the pre-semester class and orientation before the semester officially begins. I’m looking forward to a steady schedule.
Here are some pictures of the weekend.
The hostel, the infamous hand reaching out of the sand in Punta del Este, two shots of Casapueblo
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