So much to catch up on! Where to start... first of all, I said I would post about the week with my parents, so I will start there. After some weather-related traveling snafoos they finally made it here, and we spent the week doing a lot of exploring. As for Montevideo, they were able to take a city tour while I was at work, we explored the Ciudad Vieja (the 'Old City'), as well as Pocitos, which is my part of the city, including the rambla by the water. We also did some shopping, and I got new gray boots to go with the beautiful gray bag I bought in Buenos Aires.
We also had a lot of culinary adventures... my dad seemed to enjoy the typical 'chivito' (steak sandwich piled high with everything but the kitchen sink), and even my mom was able to take part in some of the typical Uruguayan cuisine. We went to the feria on Tristen Narvaja, an outdoor market that sells a wide variety of things, and because it was rainy, we of course had to have some 'torta frita' (fried dough) and mate freshly prepared by me, both of which are the typical Uruguayan rainy day delights. We also ate out at some really great places, trying our hardest to discover some not-so-typical Uruguayan cuisine, which I admittedly am pretty tired of since I am not a big fried-food person, and I enjoy things with more spice, flavor, and vegetables than people do here.
As far as trips, on Tuesday we took a day trip to Punta del Este, which was incredibly beautiful, and very empty being the completely wrong season. We ate at the greatest, out-of-the-way fish restaurant, where the guy had a Connecticut license plate on his wall, was a Yankees fan, and proudly showed me the write-up of his restaurant in an American guidebook. He told us to friend the restaurant on facebook!
Then on Friday we made our way to an estancia (a tourist ranch) in the department Colonia, a few hours outside of Montevideo. The estancia was lovely, and there was hardly anyone there, since it's the off season. The first day was disappointingly rainy, but at least we got to relax with our books by a roaring fire and enjoy some homemade meals. The second day we went horseback riding twice... the first time, I seemed to get the slow horse. He was a very nice horse, but refused to keep up with the group, and our gaucho didn't seem too concerned that I kept getting left behind. Then my parents and I went out again just ourselves and the gaucho in the afternoon, and I asked for a different horse, which went more successfully. We really were just out in the fields of rural Uruguay, riding around, no trails... riding through vineyards, and pastures, through groups of cattle and sheep, who stared at us like we were the most excitement they'd had all day. It felt very... authentic. Then on Sunday we went to Colonia del Sacramento, which is a World Heritage site, so it is a beautifully preserved city with the remnants of its Portuguese roots. Then I left my parents to take their ferry to Buenos Aires, where they stayed for a few more days, and I went home to Montevideo.
This past week has been pretty crazy work-wise... I was asked to make a presentation at a teacher training next week, for over 200 teachers from all over the country. I'm speaking about using theater in the English primary classroom, and I hope to have a lot of fun with it. I'm nervous, but I think it'll go well. Then I had some difficulties and some serious mis-communication while trying to get my second placement under way... now it is finally coming together. I've also been learning a lot about how some things don't change, no matter what country you are in; for example, navigating workplace dynamics, tensions between people, etc. I just plan to stay as neutral, positive, and helpful as possible, while also looking out for my own interests and responsibilities.
Last weekend a group of us Fulbrighters also went to a Tabare Cardozo concert, he's a very well-known Uruguayan 'murga' singer (look it up... a very interesting genre), which was great. After, Elizabeth and I went to what essentially ended up being a house party at the family apartment of a student at the teacher's college where she works, which was amusing. Then on Saturday we had dinner and went bowling with Yosanna, our friend from Paysandu, and her boyfriend Emiliano, who lives in Montevideo. It was wonderful to see her and to feel reconnected with our life in Paysandu.
Now, after a few very cold weeks and some stressful situations the weather seems to be taking a turn for the better and I'm hoping to get back to a more positive attitude. I've still been going to synagogue and taking my Hebrew class and hanging out with the Fulbrighters and Jennie, my new American friend from Hillel; making some more Uruguayan friends now that I'm in Montevideo is slow, but steadily getting underway. Time is going by so quickly, and I want to be able to enjoy, or at least get a lot out of, each moment. I have so many plans left to do, between work, traveling, and volunteering, and hardly any time left to do them all, and that pressure is becoming a serious reality. I will keep updating as time continues to rush by...
