Let the countdown begin

As usual, so much to catch up on! After my parents left, work got really busy... I helped run a country-wide training for primary school English teachers. I was also a presenter, and I gave an hour long presentation on using theater in the English classroom, which from the feedback I've been getting, was actually somewhat useful. I gave the speech twice, once to teachers from all over the country (which also gave me the opportunity to say hi to some teachers from Salto and Paysandu, in the interior, whom I had not seen in a long time!), and once to teachers from Montevideo. It is amazing how many of them I actually know now... I feel like I could at least recognize the majority of the English teachers associated with the department where I work, and that is a lot! Participating in this training made me really feel a part of things in my office, and definitely served as a turning point for solidifying my relationships and my role there. I also started visiting classes for my second Fulbright placement in Montevideo, which is a less involved role, but still gives me another perspective on education here.

In other news, we've just been trying to make the most of our time left here in Montevideo, and taking each adventure as it comes! We have gone to two concerts here in Montevideo so far, one which was Tabare Cardozo, who is a murga bordering on classic-rock singer, and then we went to an A Contramano concert, which was a traditional murga concert, complete with a male group of singers who dress up in elaborate costumes and sing/joke about Uruguayan society and politics. Most of it goes over my head, but it can be pretty funny when I catch on to something, and always entertaining. We also went out for 'Noche de Nostalgia,' which is the night before Uruguay's Independence Day. They throw huge parties and everyone goes out, and venues are obliged to play mostly 'oldies' music. Elizabeth and I went with our friends Yosanna (from Paysandu) and her boyfriend Emiliano (who lives in Montevideo) to basically the biggest party in the city. It was pretty crazy... it was at this huge entertainment complex on the outskirts of the city, with so many dance floors I don't even think we saw them all. I have to admit, I loved the music, and got a huge kick out of watching a room full of Uruguayans, most of whom don't speak a word of English, singing and dancing along to 'YMCA.' I had quite a few bar/bat mitzvah flashbacks. In true Uruguayan style, we didn't make it home until 7 am.

Then this past weekend, we took a whirlwind trip back up to Salto and Paysandu. First we went to spend the day in Chapicuy with a friend of the Fulbrighter's who lived in Salto. It was a small town in between the cities of Paysandu and Salto, and we spent the day with his lovely family, had lunch, went to the Meseta de Artigas (a cool natural monument to Uruguay's national hero, Artigas), and had a pleasant, truly Uruguayan day. Then we hopped on a bus to Paysandu, where due to some snafoos in our plans we found ourselves without a place to stay for the night. But we found a hotel room, ate in one of our old favorite restaurants, and stopped by our friend's birthday party, which was our main reason for coming in the first place. We also bumped into one of the teachers we used to work with, one who we were very close to, so that was awesome. The next day we just hung out around the city, reminiscing about old times, then met up with two of our mentors and their families for tea time. Seeing them and being with their families made the whole thing worthwhile, and reminded me of and made me nostalgic for the community I had there in the interior. Life in the city is more dynamic, but definitely more isolating.

Now, finding myself with 2.5 months left, I am scrambling to get everything done that I wanted to get done here, while also keeping one eye on the future (applying for jobs, etc). I'm trying to keep on top of everything I'm expected to do for work before I leave, as well as trying to find some volunteering work with a women's group to help out with in my remaining time. I also am planning the rest of my travels... trips in the works include going to Buenos Aires next weekend and visiting with friends, going to the waterfalls at Iguazu, having an amazing week when Al and Erbear come to visit in Oct (yay!!!), and one final trip to visit Chile before I leave, returning just in time for Thanksgiving.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

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...

The Uruguayan Curse

Once again, I am terribly guilty of neglecting this poor blog, but I will try to highlight all that has been going on over the past couple of weeks. I have been working at my new placement in the Department of Second Languages, which is a government group that runs all English teaching and Portuguese teaching programs specifically in primary (elementary) schools. I am running some conversation groups for primary English teachers, as well as helping out on any projects that they need a native eye for, etc. So far it has been really great. Last week I helped out at a teacher-training event and set up my conversation groups, which I started this week, and all the teachers in them are really interesting, motivated, and enthusiastic, so it should be lots of fun. My other placement is still a bit of a mystery, but I am waiting to look into it further until after my parents visit. THEN I will really put in some initiative to get started and find out what I'm supposed to be doing.

As for other news... through some contacts with our rabbi in Westport, I have been able to connect with a cantor here who invited me to attend his Conservative synagogue. Last Saturday, Kate (another Fulbrighter and, in my opinion, definitely worthy of being labeled an honorary Jew) came with me to attend services. Even though the cantor had given our names to the security guards, convincing them to let us in was quite a task (um, did we look like terrorists?). By the time the torah portion rolled around, I was feeling very at home; I was really struck by just how similar the service and whole setup felt. I finally met the cantor in person, and he introduced me to another woman who is involved with the Montevideo Hillel. Everyone was nice and welcoming. After spending 4 months trying to overcome feeling like a foreigner, it felt good to be in an environment and community where I knew I belonged.

Then on Tuesday night I accompanied Veronica, the woman I met at synagogue, to her Hebrew class at the Hillel. The class was really fun, and there is a new session starting in a few weeks, so this might finally be my chance to learn some Hebrew! Haha of course learning a new language in a language that is already my second language is a unique challenge. In a weird twist of fate, there was another girl from the U.S. in the class who works for the Hillel, she lives very close to me, and doesn't know too many people in Uruguay yet, so I'm looking forward to getting to know her better... of course along with the Uruguayans in the class.

This week there are also lots of visitors... friends, boyfriends, and this Saturday, my parents! I'm trying to plan some things so we won't be searching for things to do; tomorrow's task will be to buy a whole slew of bus tickets. I have been trying my best to adapt to life here: frequent food shopping, taking the bus, figuring out the quirks of our apartment (like discovering that the water was making us sick, so we need to drink bottled or filter it), hanging out with the other Fulbrighters, settling into my new job, getting involved in different activities, and just putting out my feelers for anything else that might enrich my life here. I still have a long to-do list of things I need to start to explore, but luckily I still have plenty of time.

I think those were some of the highlights for now... after my parents visit I will be sure to post again about the week with my family! And as for the title of this entry... a la when I left in March, just as my parents are preparing to leave to come here, there was yet ANOTHER huge storm (with hail, even in the middle of the summer), and it left many houses in Westport, including ours, without power. This seems to be an unfortunate trend!

Montevideo at last!

Greetings from Montevideo! It has taken me forever to get myself to sit down and write this entry, but I know it is time. During our last week in Paysandu we had a very nice time visiting with everyone and saying all of our goodbyes... it was sad, but I also felt fortunate to have the opportunity to express to everyone just how much we appreciated all they had done for us to make our time there so fruitful in such a short time. I will miss all the friends we made, the mentors and teachers we worked with, and especially all the kids at the elementary school. The last day we were there they had a party to celebrate the beginning of their two week winter vacation, and they were dedicating dances to us, giving us cards, hugs and kisses, and it was so sincere and loving. It was a wonderful way to say goodbye and a sweet last memory with them. We also baked up a storm and had a little party with some of our mentors to say goodbye, where we exchanged photos and reflected on the experience. We were the first Fulbright English Assistants to be placed in Paysandu, and it is my hope that they will continue to send ETAs there and the program will grow even more.

Then, with no more goodbyes left to say, we packed up our apartment and headed out to Montevideo. When we first arrived we checked into our hotel (one block from la Rambla, the boardwalk along the ocean), and then went over to another Fulbrighter's house for a late dinner. It has been especially nice this week to catch up with the three research-grant Fulbrighters that have been living in Montevideo this whole time, and learn all the tips and tricks they have learned living here, as well as share experiences with culture, work, research, social lives, traveling, etc etc. One of these Fulbrighters, Kate, is my new neighbor, and has been graciously showing me the ropes and has had us all over several times, including a great little pot-luck party we threw together for the Fourth of July.

After we arrived, the next day we had a meeting with Fulbright about our next placements as well as began our housing search. As for work, our placements here are very different from what we were doing before. Everyone has two placements; some people are working in the high schools, or in a teacher's college again, or in various government groups. I am working for the government's Department of Second and Foreign Languages. Through them, I will be running creative conversation groups for English teachers around the city, as well as carrying out various projects and helping out on anything else. My second placement is still very unclear to me... I am supposed to be working with teachers that are doing an English teaching certificate for primary schools, which is a new certification program in its first year of life, so it is still getting off the ground. This week is still vacation, so I won't really find out what I am doing for sure until next week and the coming weeks.

As for housing, the three ETAs from Salto signed a lease for a house they found, and it is really awesome... this sort of secret bungalow, ski-lodge meets Mediterranean style, loft-filled funky little haven. It is pretty sweet. Elizabeth and I ended up going with an apartment that a real estate agent that Fulbright set us up with showed us. She only showed us apartments in the most expensive, fanciest neighborhood, but I am very happy so far with what we chose. The building is a block from the ocean, in the safest, nicest neighborhood with lots of convenient buses and places to go right around the corner, floor heating, two bedrooms and two full bathrooms, a washing machine... a lot of luxuries that we didn't have in Paysandu (especially the heating! Our apartment in Paysandu was FREEZING!).

Also, as anyone who has been following the World Cup can probably imagine, there has been SO much excitement here! No one expected Uruguay to go this far, especially after barely qualifying in the first place, but with every game has come a ton of celebrating in the streets. It is awesome to be here during a time of so much national pride... it has definitely been infectious. Once the U.S. was out, I was rooting for Uruguay all the way. Yesterday we finally got out, but everyone was celebrating in the streets anyway. Gotta love Uruguay!

This week Elizabeth took a trip to the Jesuit ruins in Posadas and then is continuing up to Iguazu Falls. I am very jealous, I hope to get to the falls at some point, but I am enjoying our apartment, the free cable t.v. we have for the month before we cut it off, exploring the city, and just spending some quality time hanging out and cooking and chatting with the other Fulbrighters, their friends, and reflecting on all of our experiences so far. I also will be joining a gym this week, so that will be a positive addition to my life. I also decided to go on this weird yeast-eliminating diet that I learned about from one of the Fulbrighters in Argentina during our conference... from what I looked up online, I might be a good candidate for the regimen and I'm hoping it will help with some of the health issues I've been having for a while now. Unfortunately, I think I started off too strong; I started on Friday, and then on Saturday ended up with my head in the toilet, extremely ill for several hours. I've decided to ease into it, so I'm doing a modified version this week, and will get further into it next week. Wish me luck!

(by the way... more photos on Flickr to come!)

Goodbye, Paysandu!

Here I am during my last few days in Paysandu... it is hard to believe! Everyone keeps saying how we remember at the beginning how three months sounded like plenty of time, but then time just flew! (an expression which is the same, by the way, in Spanish and English).

But to back up a little bit, last week we finished up the conference with some interesting experiences and some eye-opening conversations. At the conference with all the other Fulbright English Teaching Assistants, we stayed in Buenos Aires for a week, and learned about our shared experiences, and how our experiences differed. I think we discovered that many of our obstacles were the same, but that our experiences negotiating those obstacles were very different. Some highlights of the second half of the week include our day at an 'estancia,' or a ranch where tourists can come and ride horses and eat traditional 'asado' (various kinds of roast meat). My story from that day was that I was in the first group to go horseback riding, and a few minutes after we left the barn, I discovered that a little brown horse had it out for my horse and kept going after him... not too long into the ride, my leg seemed to get in the way of his vendetta and the other horse bit me! It didn't break the skin, but now I am sporting a huge bruise to show for it.

We also took a tour of the city with an incredibly offensive tour guide who had some very choice things to say about immigrants to Buenos Aires from other South American countries... we were all completely shocked. I don't think she will be hired again by Fulbright! We also went to a tango class, which was, needless to say, very interesting. I definitely discovered that tango, even the basic step, is very, very difficult! Luckily I had some gracious older men taking the class who were willing to work with me and practice most of the time we were there.

Another overnight bus later, and we were back in Paysandu... this week has mostly consisted of going about our regular routine of lessons at the teacher's college, lessons at the elementary school, visits to other schools, and a few last things to cap off our outside research projects (I went to one last meeting with a gender-issues group that meets through the local government, and they gave me a wonderful packet of domestic violence materials), but everywhere we go now we have to do our round of goodbyes and thankyous.

Yesterday we gave our official goodbye and gratitude to our little family at the elementary school... today they are having a party to celebrate what marks the last day of class before their two-week winter vacation, so they warned us they will also be officially thanking us then. We planned to have a party to thank all of our mentors, but some of them can't make it, so tonight we are going out with two of them for dinner, and then we will still have our party tomorrow for those who can make it and their families. We also learned that we have to go to Montevideo on Sunday instead of Monday, so this weekend will be a scramble to get every last thing done and pack and clean the apartment. Once we get to Montevideo, we will learn more about our new placements there, evaluate our experiences in the provinces, and begin the search for an apartment while enjoying a few days of luxury in a hotel. Wish us luck!

Saludos de Argentina!

Well here I am, finally at my Fulbright Teaching Assistant conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Last week was pretty insane... knowing that we only have one week left in Paysandu after we get back from BA, Elizabeth and I spent the week gearing ourselves up for leaving. We assisted in several classes in the teacher's college as well as prepared our kids in the primary school for their final 'performance.' The show went great; on Thursday, the weather was in our favor as all the kids set up outside along with a good showing of parents. The first graders sang "Alice the Camel," the second graders sang "Five Little Ducks," the third graders sang "Make New Friends," the fourth graders presented on scenes from the school day as well as danced 'El Pericon,' a traditional Uruguayan folk dance that all primary students must learn, the fifth graders presented on topics comparing the U.S. to Uruguay (food, dance, sports, tourism, and important information), and the sixth graders prepared an elaborate dance with English banners to the World Cup National Anthem. It was a very proud afternoon to watch our kids feeling good about what they had done in English class with us, and getting the chance to show it off to the other students and their families. All of the pics are on my flickr site, so check them out!

I also was able to reconnect with one of my contacts for the domestic violence services scene in Paysandu, and she took me on several visits, which was interesting. Now for Montevideo, I have a much more developed sense of what I hope to get done; mainly, working on a specific initiative with a group in a more concrete way.

Speaking of the World Cup, we have also been witness to the madness surrounding the phenomenon... Uruguay qualified this year, which means for every match Uruguay basically shuts down. Kids leave school, stores are not open, you cannot think about doing anything in that time span. We didn't get to see much of the first game, but at least they tied 0-0, so they get to continue.

On Saturday night we were treated to a lovely tea at a tea room with our two mentors from the teacher's college, then at 12:40 in the morning we met our bus that would take us straight from Paysandu to Buenos Aires overnight. Beth and Wes, two of the ETAs in Salto, were also on the same bus, so we all hung out in the BA bus terminal for several hours until the sun came up after a pretty horrendous ride on which we all got very little sleep. Then we made our way to the hotel and dropped off our stuff, and had the rest of the day to kill. We walked around for a while, got some over-priced coffee and scones at a famous coffee shop, checked out some of the shopping areas (I treated myself to a gorgeous leather purse), and I was totally satisfied when we were able to get some middle eastern food for lunch (falafel with HUMMUS!!!! oh hummus it has been far too long...)

At 3pm we were finally able to get into our hotel rooms... we had some time to get settled and started meeting some of the other ETAs. We all checked in with the Fulbright Argentinian Commission at 7pm, and did our best to try to meet people. Everyone is from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, or Peru. We learned right away that each program has its own flavor and each set of ETAs a certain personality; I think we realized that we were perhaps the most cohesive group since we have spent so much time together, a more serious group, the ones who probably worry a bit more about things... some groups were more flexible, go with the flo, go-getter types, some more of the party types... quite the range to suit each country's program. It was pretty eye-opening for us. That first night a group of us we went for some amazing Mexican food.

The next day we had some introduction stuff and some presentations from the Argentinian Fulbright Commission. In the afternoon there was a huge storm, so instead of our city tour we listened to the first set of presentations about what some of the ETAs have been doing. Then I walked around with the ETAs from Salto and we had some wine and cheese, met up with Elizabeth, then got some tasty Moroccan food. (Sorry for the focus on food... after eating the same menu in all Uruguayan restaurants for 3 months, it is really, really exciting to get any other kind of international food!).

Today we had another series of presentations, including mine, which they began running out of time for so I really had to rush. Then we went on our city tour, for which I just ended up in hysterics a few times between my very funny seat-mate from Brazil and our ridiculous guide, who basically accused the Peruvian immigrants for causing all crime and drugs in BA, kept talking about 'colored' people, and had a very interesting, and basically just ridiculous set of opinions on the missing people phenomenon that the families are still protesting today. Then I walked around the city some more with Beth, and then a big group of us went out for Indian food with a friend of Elizabeth's who has been living in BA for the past few years. Tomorrow we are going to an estancia, or ranch, which should be lots of fun.

I'll be sad when the week is over, but I can't wait to come back! It has been fascinating to learn so much from the other ETAs, about the challenges they have faced, the things they have done, and just to get to know them as people... it has left me super-psyched for Montevideo, where I think we will have a lot more intellectual and social stimulation too.

Good to the last drop

Another week has whizzed by! We started off by visiting another private primary school, this one being somewhat bilingual, in which there was actually a little boy from New York. After our regular deal at the primary school, that afternoon we were invited to visit a CAIF where the social worker who I had met up with a few weeks ago to discuss the social services system here works. A CAIF is a government funded social services center, mainly for preschool children; this particular one housed a pre-school, some after-school enrichment programs, and all sorts of workshops for parents and their small children, or for pregnant mothers. I was interested to hear things from the social worker's perspective, since like places where I have worked before, she makes up just part of a larger team that runs the workshops and enrichment programs. It sounded like this program had much in common with some of the programs I am familiar with in the U.S., and operates under many of the same philosophies and strategies.

As the week went on, we continued to hold classes in the elementary school as normal, as well as gave quite a few lessons/assisted in classes in the teacher's college. One class we were actually left in charge of entirely, since the professor, one of our mentors, could not be there that day. We spoke about things ranging from opinion essays on global issues to the Great Depression and the New Deal. We also hosted our weekly 'Conversation Club,' this week having a bit of a lighter theme where we did a bunch of creativity exercises, like a charades competition and stories with holes.

On Saturday, I attempted to be productive by drafting out some ideas for the 15 minute presentation I have to give at our conference in Buenos Aires the week after next... the panel I am on is centered around 'Challenges', which I think is a great topic for me and my experiences, considering that all of the challenges we faced actually ended up being resolved quite positively. I also went for a long walk down at the beach, taking some of my last photos here. That night we went out to eat with some friends (after having a rather difficult time getting a taxi, since we couldn't get through the telephone line to call one, then were told to wait 20 minutes, then no one showed up, then we called and they sent the SAME taxi that had apparently been waiting for us way earlier than they told us and left... so an hour later we made it to dinner...), and then went out to what ended up being a really great pub that we wish we had started going to earlier!

This weekend also marked the beginning of the celebration of the founding of Paysandu, so on Friday we went to part of a choral concert, then this morning we went to the parade. The parade mostly comprised of different associations who ride on horseback in the gaucho tradition, many of whom dress in traditional gaucho attire, and the women in traditional peasant dress. I got a great photo of one of our mentors in traditional dress on horseback.

We then went for an absolutely scrumptious pasta and pastry lunch at a mentor's family home (she is in fact going to be in the U.S. next year on a Fulbright herself). Her family has had us over before, and they are just spectacular and pretty hysterical. Sometimes there is nothing better than to be surrounded by a family, them making fun of one another, being shown old wedding photos and photos of the kids as young children, playing with all the pets... they were also gracious enough to take us to a museum and to take us out for a bit of a 'paseo,' driving and walking around with one of their dogs, drinking mate, and enjoying the beautiful weather that has miraculously reappeared after a week of feeling very cold.

(The problem is not that it gets very cold here, but that nothing is heated, so you never get to go inside and warm up... though we DID make the happy discovery of finding a portable, electric radiator in our apartment, which we have thankfully been using to heat up our bedroom at night! Somehow we had been blind to it all this time... not too swift...)

Next week we will have our kiddies at the primary school present their final showing (songs, projects, and even a dance number to the World Cup Anthem), and take advantage of our second to final week here. Then Saturday we will travel to Buenos Aires for our Fulbright conference for the week, and come back for our very last week in Paysandu. I will be very sad to leave all of our amazing friends and mentors here, but I am also very excited for the new adventures we will find in Montevideo.