Holiday!

Okay, so it's time to revisit that holiday thing I mentioned before. Today is "un día feriado," meaning a holiday. There are no classes or work for most people today, which is basically the Uruguayan Independence Day. But, it's actually a false independence day. It is the anniversary of Uruguay's independence from Brazil, at which point it became part of Argentina...it wasn't until a few years later that the country became fully independent. So, for Uruguayans, today is a day to sleep in, visit with family and friends, and relax. In my opinion, the most interesting part of this holiday is actually its "eve". The night before August 25th has been dubbed the "Noche de Nostalgia," or Night of Nostalgia. On this night, Uruguayans go out dancing to oldies. Yes, like ABBA and Michael Jackson and the Beatles. Also some Latin oldies, but for the most part, American and British. I'm not really sure why this has become such a phenomenon, but almost all Uruguayans go out on the Noche de Nostalgia (it is the biggest night to go out along with Christmas Eve- which you'll hear about later). I went to a huge outdoor party next to the Velodromo (cycling stadium) last night. It consisted of a bunch of tents, each with a different style or era of music. Totally crazy but tons of fun. I was there from about 1:30 to 7:00 am, after the "previa" with friends (previa = pre-game/pre-drink), where I got myself 80's-ed up to go out and learned a new drinking game! (I'll teach you guys when I get back. It's super easy.)

No me Gusta el Grande dolor en mi Garganta

First of all, I did receive the package from my mom, including my camera's memory card. Unfortunately, it came up with a card error and I'm pretty sure the problem is the camera, not the card. So, for now, still no pictures. There should be another camera in the mail tomorrow so I can finally start taking pictures, a month into the trip...hahaha. Good thing I've got the memories.

This Wednesday I went to Punta Ballena and Punta del Este to see where I'll be teaching. My starting date has been delayed until next week because of a teachers' strike (if I understood right) and the Uruguayan independence day on Wednesday (more on this holiday later). So, I have the coming week to prepare more, which I think will help immensely. The area is quite beautiful. The bus stop, about 10 minutes walking from the school, overlooks the sea (or estuary/river; I believe the ocean officially starts right about there), where I have heard you can sometimes see whales, Ballena meaning whale. The view is absolutely beautiful and the town quite tranquil this time of year. It is very tourist-y in the summer, but I will probably miss the worst of it, which is in January and February. The population is a mix of classes. Nearby in Punta del Este are the vacation homes of rich Argentinians and Brazilians, mainly. In Punta Ballena, there seems to be a mix of the middle and lower classes. Many of the people work in the houses in nearby Punta del Este and similar tourist-related jobs. Some live in quite terrible conditions; some of the children at the school and their families occupy abandoned buildings. I did not meet many of the children while I was there, but I did see the school. There are two main rooms, one for the older children and one for the younger, as well as a kitchen and dining hall (literally a hall). There is a nice little greenhouse in the yard as well. I stayed in the house of Alejandra and Guillermo, who have two children at the school. They were very kind and helpful and I got to spend some time with their three kids. I also met my host whose house I will stay in while I am working. I don't think he speaks any English, but he seems very nice and his house is small but charming. I will have a sort of loft room, very nice. So, I have a lot of preparing to do before next week, but I think I will be receiving some materials from the previous English teacher, an old woman who has not given classes since a year or two ago. I think I will be taking some more Spanish classes this week, but not as many as previously.

This weekend was quite a fun but exhausting one. I am a bit sick and can't seem to get enough sleep to recover fully. On Saturday I had my first "drinking on the rambla" experience. It's totally allowed to drink on the street here, so since the weather was good a few of us went down to hang out on the rambla and have some beers. A game of "never have I ever" quickly turned when a mob of drunk 14-year-olds crashed our party. Quite funny but also very strange... On Sunday, I didn't make it to the feria...again. But apparently there is one on Tuesday, which I think I'm much more likely to make it to tomorrow. And I did make lunch for a few friends and went to play futbol again. Always fun, even if you take a shoulder to the jaw.

Full days of Fun, but still no Feria

This weekend I went to Colonia del Sacramento! It is the oldest city in Uruguay, originally a colony of Portugal. I went with 6 other foreigners for the day on Saturday. The city is small but pretty, located on the coast of the Rio de la Plata, a huge estuary that connects with the ocean between Uruguay and Argentina. The seven of us, hailing from 5 different countries, were obvious tourists, but that was the case with nearly everyone we saw as well. We walked the city, went to a restaurant overlooking the river for lunch (chivitos and pizzas), visited a river aquarium, some museums, an old church, and the Plaza de los Torres, the only bullfighting ring in Uruguay (which is not used anymore). The day was long but fun and we had very good luck with the weather. It was chilly but very sunny and we got to enjoy walking the cobblestone streets without the rain we encountered on the bus ride there. After a siesta on the bus ride home, we still managed to go out drinking and dancing in the night, and my return home at 7 am was quite exactly 24 hours after I left in the morning for the bus station. Maybe I'll make it to the feria next week...

I start my job teaching English in one week. On Wednesday I will go to Punta del Este to see the school, the area, and meet the children. I am excited but nervous. I don't know what exactly to expect and I have a lot of planning to do. I've also agreed to write a blog for the school about my volunteer experience in exchange for a free Spanish conversation class per week.

I took my first tango class last Tuesday and went to a tango club. It is difficult but I have some kind of a grasp on what I've learned so far and I think if I continue classes I will do well. I did not dance much at the club, mostly watched the experienced dancers, who are quite impressive, and the band that played. It was an interesting experience and I am looking forward to continuing with lessons.

On Friday night I went to a spectacle of Uruguayan music. The performers (a group of about 15 men) mainly sang, with some drum and a little guitar accompaniment. They are one of many groups which perform shows during carnaval, two of which they performed. Each performance lasts for about an hour and consists of some kind of themed performance, sung in Spanish and often very locally relevant. As a result, it was very difficult for me as well as my French and Czech companions to understand, but still entertaining. The costumes are absolutely spectacular, I think my favorite part. After the show, on our way out, a journalist tried to interview me. Let's just say that didn't go very smoothly... You get used to being embarrassed frequently though when you can never understand what people are asking you.

Pictures should be forthcoming soon. The package I have been waiting for arrived this weekend, but I have to go to the post office between 7 am and 1 pm to retrieve it. Not so easy when I have class from 9 am to 1 pm all week. I guess tomorrow will be an early morning for me...

Episodes in Eating

So, apologies for the long silence, I´ll make up for it now. I´ve been without internet for the past 9 days at the school. I suppose a lot has happened. First of all, when I moved into my room here, there was a leak in the ceiling after the heavy rain...so I was promptly moved to a different room, which also has a door to a (much smaller) terrace, which I can actually open! The weather has been getting better, actually quite pleasant during the day. My first week of classes went well, I feel that my Spanish is improving little by little each day. I have made some wonderful friends from Couchsurfing who have been really helpful and made this whole experience much more fun and comfortable than it would be otherwise. I sometimes feel stupid and alienated still, but I know that will get better with time. Last Friday, I went horseback riding in the campo (country) with my classmates. Such a beautiful and tranquil place, even though my horse was not terribly fond of me. He could probably tell I hadn´t ridden in about 10 years... Saturday was my first real night of partying Uruguayan style. Let´s just say I walked in my door at 9 am...and I did not end up going to the fería (market) as planned at 9:30 am. Rather, I slept until 3 pm and went to play fútbol with some friends. Very fun despite my ineptitude.

So, let´s talk a little about food. First of all, going to the supermarket is a rather unnerving experience. I have no idea what about 30 to 50% of the things are. There is a huge meat counter which I would have no idea what to ask for. Milk more or less only comes in bags. Yes, bags. And you have to weigh your produce before you go to the register. So, things are a bit different, and when you can´t read most of the packages or ask someone (actually asking is much less of a problem than understanding the response), it´s kind of like going grocery shopping as a 4 year old. Only you don´t just want to buy candy. Then, of course, there is eating out. Pizza is a common thing for people to go out and eat. Only make sure you ask for cheese, because if don´t, you will get bread with tomato sauce. There is a very popular dish called a chivito, which Uruguay is famous for. Basically this is a vegan´s worst nightmare. From the bottom up, it consists of steak, mayonaise, mushrooms, onions, olives, and a fried egg. This comes either as a sandwich or on top of a whole lot of french fries. And if you order it canadiense (I did), it has some kind of bacony hammy thing too. Intense. It seems all the really famous or popular foods are really bad for you. Dulce de leche, for example, is milk and sugar boiled down to a sort of caramel-like delicious thing. They put this on crackers, pancakes, and in bizcochos (a type of croissant-like pastry), among other things. There is also a thing called milanese, which is a huge, thin piece of meat, breaded and eaten kind of like a hamburger or with french fries (or both). As for beverages, the most famous drink in Uruguay is mate. It is common to see someone walking down the street with a cup made from a gourd filled with yerba mate and a thermos full of hot water. It is a very interesting ritual, and absolutely Uruguayo. Apparently most non-natives are not too fond of it, but I rather like it. Aside from that, most people drink Coke or beer with meals. I tried an interesting drink called grappamiel. Essentially this is liquor (distilled from grapes but much like whiskey), mixed with honey. Extremely sweet and extremely strong, be careful...

That´s all for now, but I´ll be back sooner than last time. ¡Adiós!