4th week--
Four weeks. Four weeks! It’s already been a month!?
This week(end) I went on my first excursion outside of
Montevideo to two towns: Colonia del Sacramento and Colonia Suiza. The trip soon
became a wonderful exercise in maintaining a positive attitude, as almost
nothing went as originally planned. However, the saying “attitude is everything”
rang true, as our optimistic spirits still allowed the group and I to have a
fabulous time.
Our group of eleven had bus tickets
for 9:30 am to depart for Colonia del Sacramento from Montevideo on Friday. That
morning, when I arrived at my bus seat, a lady was already sitting in it. I
showed her my ticket, and she pointed to the time. My ticket was marked to
leave at 5:00 PM! This seemed impossible, as I had shown the woman at the
ticket counter when I had purchased my ticket my friends’ ticket, which was
correct, and I had asked her for the exact same times. At this point it was
9:25 am. My friend Leighton and I ran back inside to the ticket counter in
order to get a new seat assignment and switch my time. We were met with this response: “Está lleno. No
hay más asientos.” (It is full. There are no more seats.) Leighton and I
looked at the lady with blank stares. Was this a joke? She handed me a blank
ticket and said, “Run!” And so we did… and when we got back to the bus, it was
pulling out and away towards Colonia del Sacramento without us. We exchanged more
blank stares. After a few seconds, we asked a man if there was another bus to
Colonia. He pointed at another bus, and we climbed aboard. Neither of us had a
seat assignment, we didn’t know if the bus was direct or indirect, and to make
it more complicated, we had to figure everything out in Spanish. The ticket
man, however, was so kind. He made us feel safe and secure. After talking back
and forth with the man, along with a bit of broken English, he informed us we
were on the right bus and pointed us towards some seats. It hadn’t even been an
hour into the trip yet, and it was already an adventure! We wondered what was
in store for us in Colonia…
Rain. Lots and lots of rain. That’s
what was in store for us in Colonia. Nevertheless, we didn’t let it rain on our
parade! The town of Colonia del Sacramento is precious, even during a downpour.
Colonia consists of rustic stone streets, quaint shops, and charming
restaurants. The town, one of the first settlements in Uruguay, also has its
original ciudadela (door of the city) and el faro (lighthouse). If you climb
the lighthouse on a clear day, you are able to see Buenos Aires from across the
Río de la Plata. Due to the rain, we decided to start with museum-hopping. After
pausing for some warm drinks at a café, we continued on through the downpour to
some local artesian shops and to the local feria (flea market). We began to
wrap up our day with a scrumptious dinner at “The Drugstore,” a restaurant with
mouth-watering food and live music. That night, back at the hostel, we played
cards until we could no longer keep our eyes open. I think we all fell asleep
with satisfied stomachs and sueños del sol.
Our dreams came true, as the next
morning there was not a rain drop to be felt. After a hearty breakfast of
toast, fruit, and, of course, dulce de leche, we packed our bags and headed
into the sun. We were able to enjoy la feria, el faro, and la ciudadela all
over again in the new weather. Our time in the town ended with the most delectable
ice cream, eaten under the rays of the sun and on top of the ciudadela’s stones.
It was time to move on to Colonia Suiza!
Our group arrived at Colonia Suiza
around 3 p.m. We soon came to realize that it is not much of a touristy town—which
is both good and bad. Good because it is quite peaceful, bad because there is
not a whole lot to do around there. Our bus home wasn’t until 9:20 p.m. After
sitting around in the central plaza for a bit, we finally decided to walk to a
drugstore to get food and then continue onwards to eat in a park. We walked for
quite a ways, until we arrived to the park. It was under water… This is where
our group slogan was born: “It could be worse! It could be raining!” The flood
had covered the entire park except for a tiny area of grass just big enough for
our group to spread out and eat. All was right with the world until we started
to smell something foul. To be straightforward: it smelled like dog poop. My
friend Molly calmly spoke up, “I think I know why it smells. And I think I just
sat in it.” Let’s just say she was correct. It could’ve been worse… It could’ve
been raining.
After cleaning up that mess, the eleven of us returned back
to the plaza to talk and play a game of “Mafia.” I felt like I was ten years
old again at summer camp, which was a nice feeling. We moved the game into a
restaurant, Don Juan, where we proceeded to stay for four hours. The owner was
overly hospitable and we ate some of the best food I have ever eaten. As we
left we showered the owner, waitress, and cook with thanks. One of the women genuinely
answered, “De nada. No te
preocupes. Están en casa acá—You’re welcome. Don’t worry. You are home
here.” This brought a smile to lips. You are home here.
Although I definitely want to return to Colonia del
Sacramento when the weather is nicer and I have more time, I do not have a
single regret about making the trip this weekend. I spent time with excellent
company, ate marvelous food, and experienced Uruguayan life apart from the
bustling city.
And let’s talk about the fact that A WHOLE MONTH HAS GONE BY
ALREADY! ¡Que rápido!
Miss you all and sending mucho love and prayers your way.
Courtney
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