Month Two in the Books

 Monday came and went without much excitement.

Tuesday we went to Teatro Solis to watch a Gershwin concert. Teatro Solis is the second oldest theater in the city. It was gorgeous. We sat on the ground floor and tickets were $10 which was crazy because in the states for something like that would have been over $100.

On Wednesday, I went to the University early because I had a meeting with my language partner. This is a program arranged through the University. They match international students up with an Uruguayan student who each want to learn the other’s native language. We met in the cafeteria and talked for a while. Normally, the program works were he speaks to me in English and I respond in Spanish but for the most part, we were only speaking Spanish. Turns out he is an amazing partner. He was helping me with my vocal sounds and teaching me how to speak like a local. He also took me to the shopping center really close to the University. It was weird being in a mall. For the first time since I left, I felt like I could be in the United States. It was just like any other mall I had ever been it. It was really fun but also an extremely weird feeling to be somewhere so familiar. We walked back to the University after 20 minutes because I had class.

Later that day I went to the Museum of the Gaucho for my Culture class. 

It was really interesting and fun. I had the privilege of dressing up as the Gaucho. 

The Gaucho is comparable to the cowboy from North America. It was interesting to learn about their life styles and also to learn tidbits about life back then. For example, I learned that girls would prepare mate differently for different people to send different messages. If it had honey in it, it meant one thing but if it was cold it meant another. To me, this seems like an extremely inefficient way to tell someone something but the secret code is pretty fun. 

The museum also had an exhibit about women which was interesting. 

Roughly: "When she combed, it gave her a smile that lasted for 5 seconds with an effect that will last for life"

The last floor was a money museum. It was really interesting and interactive. They had a giant safe which I swear was right out of Gringotts. There are 3 keys needed to open it and all the key slots are hidden. To access the first key hole, you have to push up one of the metal circles, and then push another one to the right and finally, another one down at the same time.

After the museum, I went back to the University to attend a new class, Ecoturimso. I decided to take this class instead of Camping because it’s not at 8 in the morning two days in a row and we are going to take a field trip! Oh yeah, and I can get credit for my minor with this class (but mostly the first two reasons :P).

Thursday in my recreation class we played a game and needed to distinguish between the two teams. I only wanted to put a little bit of green paint on because I still had classes that day, whereas the rest of my classmates didn't. However, they made sure that didn't happen.

Also, this was the board for the day's lecture. Yeah, those are words, apparently...

My last class of the day was cancelled. Not wanting to waste my newly free afternoon, Garrett and I walked to the Montevideo sign and enjoyed the beach.

Later, we had people over to hang out and then went to a dance club that just opened. Once again, it was fun to hang out all together outside of school.

We didn’t really do much Friday. Melissa and I walked around a bit in our neighborhood. It was nice to get to know our area a little bit better. We also did a little bit of homework (I swear a do schoolwork here too… sometimes). Then, we all got ready to go to a Tango show at a local bar. They have shows every week with live music and dance partners to demonstrate Tango. Tango originated here in Uruguay. We got off to a late start and there was no space at the bar for us to watch. Instead, we went to a friend’s house that was really close by and hung out.

On Saturday, Melissa, Alex and I went to the Feria. I love them too much to stay away. It was a gorgeous day and I didn't want to waste it inside. 

There are a ridiculous amount of old vehicles here

This is a view "muy Uruguaya" a tree lined street

After the Feria, we split an ice cream.

After we finished the treat, I met up with my language partner, Santiago, again. We met at a different shopping center to buy sushi. Melissa came with me and we also met Garrett there too. The four of us bought sushi at the “English store” and then walked to the beach for a picnic. We spent 3 hours at the beach, eating, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. 

We ended up  speaking a lot more English this time but I didn’t mind because we were in depth talking about the cultural differences between America and here. It was an extremely interesting conversation. We talked a lot about human rights (like my favorite subject ever). Uruguay is a really progressive country. They were one of the first countries to pass a law giving women the right to vote (200 years ago), giving them the right to divorce without reason and things like that. They also just recently passed a law legalizing same sex marriage, abortion and marijuana. There seems to be a great divide in public opinion on these new laws. I was told that the government usually passes laws that aren’t really the popular public opinion but after a year or two, the public supports them. This is fascinating to me. The government is more progressive than its habitants. In the United States, its seems like we need to beg for these things and even then, they don’t become a law but here the government does it before the public is “ready”.

 Santiago spent a lot of time explaining the Uruguayan culture. Much like the United States, Uruguay is a melting pot. The country was founded on immigration. There is no native tribe or people from this area. From Santiago’s perspective, instead of embracing all of the cultures, everyone tries to form the main stream. No one wants to stand out here. The rich hide their wealth; the poor pretend they have the same amount of money. It’s okay to be gay as long as you don’t act too flamboyant. It’s okay to be black as long you do the same cultural things as everyone else.

For me this begs the question, if Santiago’s perspective of his culture is accurate; if there are all these equalities here for everyone, but they aren’t socially allowed to embrace what makes them different, are they really better off? They are free to be who they want to be by the laws standard but are they really free? I would say no. For this reason, it seems like Uruguay really isn’t that much more ahead of the U.S. in that regard. Sure, it’s legal here but not there but if you can legally do something that you are still going to get persecuted for, things aren’t much better. However, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

I’m not sure if I am articulating my thoughts clearly on this. I’m not saying everyone walks around acting exactly the same, wearing the same clothes and being like everyone else. On the other hand, people aren’t as free as I once thought they were to act however they wanted. In that regard, here is not so different from the U.S. everyone is just trying to find a way to fit in with the world they live in.

I found this simultaneously discouraging and encouraging. I was discouraged that in a country with laws I would love to see in the States, the same problems still exist. However, I was encouraged to know that the States aren’t alone in these problems and thing will get better.

After the beach, we took a leisurely walk back to house. We ate dinner and headed out to a Uruguayan friend’s house (YAY URUGUAYAN FRIENDS!) We finally had a true Uruguayan experience and returned how at 9:30AM.

I spent most of Sunday sleeping but I didn’t feel too guilty because it rained all day. We spent the rest of the day hanging out together and doing homework. It was nice to have a bit of a lazy day because usually, I’m just running around (which I am so thankful I can do).