Semana Santa

The past week I have not had any work or classes because it's "Holy Week" here leading up to Easter.  Therefore, I went on several mini trips with Shamari and Jenny, the other two Fulbright ETAs.  First, I moved my belongings into the apartment in which I am living last Saturday and promptly left the same day to take a bus to Salto (the city where Shamari lives).  I arrived to find an asado (barbecue) and a bunch of students from Shamari's school waiting (below).

The next day we went to the "termas" which are very close to Salto and are basically like a bunch of very warm swimming pools.  It was very fun and relaxing and felt like summer, especially because I got sunburned :)

 Also, we made many ice cream excursions because I'm basically obsessed with dulce de leche ice cream (and dulce de leche in general).  Especially because I'm officially not sick anymore and am hungry again!

 After hanging out and exploring Salto for about two days then left on a night bus to go to Rivera/Santana, which is on the border between Uruguay and Brasil (we went to Brasil!!)

 I obviously had to do a few dance moves and cartwheels across the border :).  We also went to a Brazilian buffet, where for about $10, you got as many side dishes as you want and the servers would walk around with skewers of meat for as long as you were sitting down.  I don't speak Portugues well (or really at all) but it was delicious and I learned how to say "thank you" (obrigado!).
After our brazilian adventures and bus ride back to Salto, we were going to go to Argentina but the plans fell through because of passport complications, missing keys, and exhaustion.  So we hung out with our friends in Salto for another full day and left for Paysandu (my city!) the next day all together.  We all stayed in my new apartment (I'll post some pictures of it later) together thanks to my gracious host mom, Alejandra.  We went with my mentor, Carla to the little town next to Paysandu called Casa Blanca to watch the sunset over the river.  The four of us are below.

The sunset was beautiful, and right across the river is Argentina, so I'm sure I will go very soon :)

Shamari and Jenny left the following day to return to Salto and Montevideo.  Now I am adjusting to the apartment and life in Paysandu.  I need to make a boatload of powerpoint presentations before Monday haha

First week in Paysandu

Hello everyone!
I realize I have not been great about blogging.  I apologize, but I was actually sick.  I got to Paysandu last Saturday, and I honestly haven't felt normal since before I left the states, but I thought I was fine.  Well, I'm staying in a hotel right now and I went to some of the first classes I'll be helping with on Monday.  After that class, I met with my mentors and they made me go see a doctor because I hadn't stopped coughing, they were worried, and I felt warm.  Well, my fever was 104 degrees (40 Celsius) and I'm on antibiotics, cough medicine, and have medicine in case my fever comes back, but I'm much better now! And I've also gotten more insight as to how nice, caring, and helpful the people are here.  My mentor took me home with her, called various doctors until she found one whose house we could go to instead of waiting at the emergency room for three + hours.  Then, the doctor was the nicest woman ever and inspected me and gave me all the medicine for no charge.  I also spent that night at my mentor's house so she could make sure I was definitely ok before I went back to the hotel (Mom and Aunt Dell will be proud that I wrote them both thank you notes with chocolate :)
My students also seem awesome so far.  All of them are really interested in where I'm from, why I'm here, and want to show me around Paysandu so I can get to know the culture better.  I have all of next week off (so I'll actually have time to explore more), and I'm meeting up with the other Fulbrighters for part of it, but we'll also be in Paysandu for part of it because it's "Beer Week" and there are huge parties and live concerts every night.  When I better know what we're doing, I'll let you know.   Also, here is a picture of me in Montevideo on my first day in front of Rio de la Plata!

Also, here is a picture of one of my classes and I that I just took because I was showing them some pictures of my life on my computer.  I'm on the far right, and my mentor, Adriana, is on the far left.

Orientation Week

The other Fulbrighters and I (Shamari and Jenny) have just finished our week of orientation in Montevideo.  Jenny is going to stay here and keep looking for housing, while Shamari and I are off the the provinces (He is going to Salto and I am going to Paysandu).  There are also three Fulbrighters here on research grants, who will all stay in Montevideo.
There has been a lot of information and a lot of Spanish that I have learned in the past week, which is a little overwhelming because I´ve been kind of sick (I guess your body reacts poorly to too many life transitions at once...), but I´m still very excited and looking forward to the days to come.
Some orientation highlights: running on the rambla in the morning right next to the ocean (that was when I was less sick), dulce de leche, dulce de leche, dulce de leche (I missed that just a little and you can bet I´ll be bringing a vat back with me), the awesome, motivational, and supportive people I´ve had the priveledge of hanging out with all week, chivitos (a giant uruguayan sandwich with lots of meat and lots of other things, as well), visiting the US embassy, really strong coffee, lunch with one of the previous ETAs (super helpful and reassuring), exploring the city and discovering more about a culture that I will be integreted into in the next eight months.
I´ll try to post more when I´m settled in Paysandu with internet :)

Successful Arrival!!

I made it to Montevideo!!  My flight was not delayed, but the other two candidates were.  We did all end up meeting in Miami and all got a shuttle together to the hotel where we will be until Saturday.  I'll be heading to the interior after that.  It's so warm and sunny here!! I just want to go to one of the many beaches we saw on the drive from the airport and go swimming.  I'm kind of delirious from jet lag right now, though, so I might save that for tomorrow.  I'll post again soon especially after tomorrow when I know more about orientation and the program.  Love you all :)

Home Life (in Pittsburgh)

Well, I successfully quit both of my jobs in Colorado, got in one last day of skiing, and made it home (despite some delays) to Pittsburgh late Monday night (slash Tuesday morning).  Shout out to mom and Aunt Dell who picked me up at the airport.
Since then, I have been frantically trying to pack my life into bags that I will survive on in Uruguay for the next eight ish months while also eating all of the delicious food that my mom has been making for me.
My flight leaves tomorrow at 5:35pm from Pittsburgh, and I arrive in Miami, Florida at about 10:30pm. My flight to Montevideo leaves Miami at 11:15pm and I should arrive at 9:25am.  The two other candidates and I are all on the same flight from Miami.  On Monday, I just have to find my way to the hotel (http://www.hotelurbanexpress.com.uy/index.html) where the Commission is paying for us to stay throughout orientation.  Orientation is Tuesday through Saturday, and I should know a lot more about the program in general, Uruguayan culture, and the expectations the program has for me afterwards.  (The hotel also has wi-fi everywhere so I should be able to communicate then)  After orientation, I will be going to Paysandu, Uruguay, where my first placement will be (I believe I'll switch and be in Montevideo for the final four months).  I'll stay in a hotel the first few days while I find housing, but after that I should start on my work for the program in earnest.
Right now, I'm extremely nervous and excited at the same time.  I'm anticipating a lot of those "life crossroads" moments within the next week or two.