On the go!

I'm determined to get in another post before the month is out, so here goes.  I've been traveling quite a bit this month it feels like.  I wanted to get in one more trip to Buenos Aires, plus I needed to renew my visa, so I took myself for a long weekend to BA.  I had the good fortune of staying with an Argentinian friend and her mother, who I met through a very beloved long-time friend from the states.  I had a lovely, relaxed weekend with them, clearing my head and trying to just enjoy these last adventures.  I also was able to have dinner with a friend from Vassar who is studying there abroad, which made it even more worthwhile. Another, although somewhat minor highlight, was getting to have my first soy-chai-latte in 6 months (thank you, Starbucks-Argentina!!!).  Soy milk is a lot harder to come by in Uruguay, and since I am lactose-intolerant, I usually have to drink my hot beverages black.

It was also the Jewish holidays, but for a variety of complications I wasn't able to attend synagogue, which was hard.  I felt a bit let-down about it, and like I was missing out on something that is genuinely important to me, since I always go.  But I felt like I tried to celebrate and reflect on the new year in my own way though.  In other news, I've been trying to run a lot on the rambla (boardwalk) now that the weather is getting better.  I'm up to about 5 miles, which for me is a lot.  I even went to a kick-boxing class at my gym with a co-worker, which was very fun, and really tough!  I've also been plugging away at applying for jobs, looking for some sort of work with women either in the social work field, or more international women's movements (like international health groups, or advocacy)... my fingers are crossed...

As for work here, I've been doing a lot of editing on a publication that the department is putting together, and having fun with my conversation groups.  For a while it seemed like the groups were dwindling, but after a bit of a party with home-cooked treats two weeks ago, I think we've revitalized things a bit.  I was also finally able to make contact with a women's domestic violence network, and I will be doing a small project with them in my remaining time, so that is exciting.  I'm continuing to go to hebrew class, and continuing to be surprised by how much knowledge I can actually manage to dredge up from my memories of hebrew class as a kid.  I guess Noam Chomsky was right (thank you, Professor Baird); we really do have the ability to retain language far better as children.

Then, although my office did not actually have the week off, last week was the vacation week for public schools here, so I went on a trip with the other female ETAs (Meara, Beth, and Elizabeth) way up into the northern interior.  We spent a day and stayed overnight in the city of Tacuarembo, taking fun pictures and seeking out all the places that we'd seen in the fabulously kitschy, tongue-in-cheek movie that came out earlier this year, 'Miss Tacuarembo.'  Then we continued on to stay at the posada Lunarejo (a rural inn) way out in the province of Rivera, closer to the city of Artigas, which is approaching the border of Uruguay and Brasil.  The posada was so lovely, and the landscape much more impressively varied (hills, mesetas, etc) than anywhere else I've seen in Uruguay.  And of course, we went horseback riding again; for the second time in a row now, horse-bite free.  The only downside was that I got really sick with some sort of flu-like virus.  We came back mid-week, and I spent the next few days resting, but finally took myself to the doctor when I developed a raging case of pink eye in both my eyes.  Now I'm doing a lot better though, and gearing up for my next trip; I leave Thursday morning to visit the waterfalls at Iguazu, on the Argentinian side.  So exciting!  I will post about that with pictures next.