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...