18th week--

Welp folks, this past Wednesday marked four months in South America. That means 4 months of personal growth and adventure have passed, and I have 8 more months of personal growth and adventure to come!

Tonight I thought to myself: Self, you are really starting to feel more confident in expressing yourself in Spanish. And it's true! The more and more time I spend with Uruguayans, the more and more comfortable I feel sharing my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. My young-adult group at the church I attend and the pastoral office within my University have been particularly helpful (and unbelievingly patient) throughout this growth.

Moving on to this week:

Monday-- One final exam 'Idioma Español', one final exam 'Pensamiento en América Latina y Uruguay,' study for my final on Tuesday.
Tuesday-- One final exam 'Cultura Uruguaya,' teach English, study for my final of Wednesday.
Wednesday-- One, AND LAST, final exam 'Literatura Uruguaya.' FREEDOM!

So, as you can see ^^^ my lunes-miércoles was not very fun, but all is well because I am now done with school for practically four months. That's right. Four... months...

Thursday-- Thanksgiving. This day was tougher for me than I thought it would be. I found myself really missing my family, friends, and (obvio) food. But mostly family and friends. My friend Lindsay lives with a Uruguayan host-family and four other American exchange students, and she kindly invited me to join her host-family and some others for an 'American Thanksgiving dinner.' Everyone cooked something which made for quite the feast. : turkey (which I haven't eaten in four months), potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberries, bread, salad, apple-pie/crumble, pumpkin-pie, and my host-mom's chocolate-dulce de leche cake (explanation to follow). I was going to make a pie for dessert, but after trying for a bit to explain that I was looking for 'pie-crust' to two guys at the supermarket ('...ehmm la base del pie por favor?'), I discovered that they didn't sell it. Due to my inability, or rather impatience, for making things from scratch in a foreign language in a foreign kitchen...not that I have the ability or patience to do that in English...I decided to settle on boxed brownies. Classic. I did buy some dulce de leche to be creative and mix it in the batter. I seriously improvised when it came to the materials in the kitchen, as I couldn't seem to find the tools I needed and no one was home to preguntar (ask). I'll go ahead and confess to self-timering the top-right pic below. Anyways... I made the brownie batter, mixed in some dulce-de-leche, and waited for my host-mom to get home to help me with the oven. I normally know how to work ovens, but I swear this one is different! She showed me the ins-and-outs of the oven, and I placed the brownies in to bake for 15 minutes. 15 minutes = enough time to go upstairs and start an episode of How I Met Your Mother. Within 10 minutes I smelled smoke. At least I tried?...

Baking brownies for our Thanksgiving dessert. They turned out quite lovely, I must say.

 

After the whole 'brownie-incident,' I ran to the store to pick up some flour, cocoa, and eggs. My host-mom whipped up a new cake in about the same time that it took for me to burn my brownies. I headed over to Lindsay's, cake in hand, and was welcomed by a warm house full of warm people and warm food. It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving and re-emphasized how thankful I am for this experience and all of the people in my life: the old and the new. Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias, everyone!

 



Día de Acción de Gracias--the bottom left corner = host-mom's brownie-replacement cake.

Friday-- My friend Alyssa's parents were in town this week, and they graciously allowed me to tag along on their day-trip to Colonia del Sacramento. I had been to Colonia already, but, as you may remember from week 4, it had rained practically the entire time. This time, I hoped to see Colonia in a new light. Get it?...light? ...sunshine?... It didn't rain, por suerte, which indeed made Colonia seem like a completely different place. Colonia is really such a charming town, and I loved spending the day wandering around the historical plaza, through the streets, and around the artesian feria. We ate a scrumptious lunch, browsed through the quaint shops, and climbed the steps to the top of the lighthouse. We treated ourselves to ice cream que estaba muy rico, stopped by the new aquarium (very different than my expectations), and slid down a grassy hill on cardboard boxes. We also took pictures with a random mime--I was instantly reminded of Mary Kate and Ashley: Mystery Cruise. Kinda creepy... BUT our time in Colonia was lovely, and I am thankful for the generosity of Alyssa and her parents.

Colonia del Sacramento--sin la lluvia, por suerte.

 

Saturday-- One of my friends from the retreat I went on in August, reference week 5, invited me and Lindsay to spend the day in Floresta, about an hour 1/2 ish bus ride out of Montevideo. I knew a few people from the retreat, and others became fast, new amigos. We began our day on the beach, relaxing and playing a game called tejo. Then we returned back to my friend's summer house there to have lunch and spend more time with one another. While we waited for the hamburgers to cook on the parrilla, we talked, hammocked, and sang along to the guitar. The singing and talking continued all day long. At one point we were all just sitting in a huge circle chit-chatting for hours. No one was on their cell phone, no television, nor any other piece of technology. We were simply a bunch of young-adults and our priest hanging out, chatting about life. I genuinely had such a good time. Those are three things I love: good people, good discussions, and good ambiance. I feel blessed to have met this group of people, as they help me to grow in the language, in my spiritual life, and as a person in general. It is nice to feel like I have real, local (woo!) friends with whom I can be myself.

 

Un día en Floresta con buenos amigos.

 

Sunday-- Just a normal ol' Sunday. Woke up, went to the feria in Parque Rodo (in place of running along the rambla), had host-family lunch, worked on some stuff, went to Mass, went to my young-adult group after Mass, came home and had dinner (at 11 pm might I add, normal), and now I'm writin' my dear ol' blog.

 

On Thursday I leave for Mendoza, Argentina for a week and then I move on for a week in Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, y Santiago, Chile. I will try to blog on Sunday when I am in the hostel, but I can't make any promises. Please pray for a safe journey (20 hours in bus to Mendoza and 30 hours in bus from Santiago back to Montevideo...oh boy...), for good weather, and for a fun/safe time. Let the traveling begin!

 

You are all, como digo siempre, in my thoughts and prayers. Feel free to come visit [insert winky face]!

 

Sinceramente--

 

Courtney

17th week--

 

Estudia! Estudia! Estudia!

Study! Study! Study!

 

^^^ Welp, that pretty much sums up my week!

On Thursday I finished up my classes (canNOT believe that this semester is wrapping up already), and I have my final exams Monday-Wednesday of this coming week. Eek! I am particularly nervous for Pensamiento en América Latina y Uruguay simply because it is quite a lot of information to remember, and for Cultura Uruguaya because we have to stand in front of the professor and a group of 10 students and just talk without PowerPoint for 5-6 minutes about our experience here (which will be easy topic-wise, but I HATE public speaking... so...) 3 out of the 4 of my finals are oral exams, which will be new for me. I'll let you know how they go; thoughts and/or prayers are appreciated.

 

Amidst the studying, I have found time to spend amongst friends. It is so strange because a majority of them are leaving in less than a month! But seriously, where did the time go?! I have been blessed to meet such wonderful people during my time here. They have truly been an integral part of my growth as a young woman. As Thanksgiving approaches, I would just like to say how thankful I am for all of my fellow exchange students. Ha sido un placer, en serio.

 

On my way home from a 'cena de despedida' ('farewell dinner') that a few of the exchange girls (from the US, Finland, Austria, and Germany) had together this week, I passed some graffiti that said:

 

                                                                                                  Todos somos familiares.

                                                                                                         = We are all family.

 

Funny how thought provoking graffiti can be. Although it is sad to think that I may never see some of my new friends again in the future, I find comfort in the fact that we are all related, as this graffiti helped to remind me. I have learned from them, as I hope they have learned from me. No matter where we are in the world, we were (and are) an intercambio family.

 

Speaking of family... and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I have been thinking of and especially thankful for my family back in the EEUU lately. I received a nice lil' care package from my Aunt Jo and cousin Laura today, and it made my week. They are simply so thoughtful. Also in little ways this week, I have been reminded of how blessed I am to have parents with hearts of virtue. Their love for my siblings and me is unbelievingly evident. So thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything you do for us and especially for supporting me throughout this and all of my years. I love you!

And for that matter, for all of you reading this--'somos todos familiares.' I am grateful for you all too.

 

Time to estudiar más. Wish me luck on all of my exams!

Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias (temprano)!

 

Con mucho agradecimiento--

 

Courtney

Pensamiento en América Latina y Uruguay-- yes, Uruguayans eat dinner late.

Una siesta en Parque Battle... una clase más...

'El Living' para pasar tiempo con amigos.

La cena de despedida-- foto de Lisa.

Care package from Aunt Jo and Laura!



16th week--

A little quote to start off my blog post this week: 
         
         "I thank You God for most this amazing
         day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
         and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
         which is natural which is infinite which is yes" --e.e. cummings

This week I experienced God working through nature. I saw His beauty, His love, and His goodness while surrounded by the little town of Cabo Polonio, Uruguay.

My friends and I had originally planned on taking this trip to C.P. during the weekend, but due to the pretty high possibility of rain on Friday afternoon and Saturday, we decided to be spontaneous and head out for a quick Wednesday-Friday trip. We had already experienced Colonia del Sacramento/Suiza in the rain (reference: 4th week), and--as interesting as it was-- we did not want to experience that again. On Wednesday morning we hopped on a bus at Tres Cruces and began the five hour drive up the east coast to Cabo Polonio.

Cabo Polonio is not your ordinary beach town. The town has very little electricity, no roads, and a population cerca de 90 people. Drinking water comes from a well and shower water = the rain water collected with huge jugs on top of the little houses. It truly feels like an escape from the 'real world.' In order to arrive in the town itself, you either have to walk or take a little truck (I prefer to call it a buggy) through the sand. Even before I had set foot in the town and was bobbin' up and down along the dunes in the buggy, I knew I would love Cabo Polonio. I couldn't wait to soak in the beauty of the nature surrounding me. I was eager to feel the peace that often comes when I shut off technology for a while and allow myself to experience God's creation without distractions.

The young woman who worked at the hostel, Gabi, met us at the buggy's drop off location. Although there is almost a 0% chance of getting lost in this place, it is a little difficult to give directions without roads or signs. Turn left at the brown rock and right at the large dune... We walked for about 4 minutes until we came upon our quaint hostel in which we were the only guests. In front of the hostel was a square of four hammocks, a porch with a big family table, and a wooden swing. Our room had three bunk-beds and a nice, big window to let in the sea breeze. It was simple; it was perfect. We quickly changed into our trajes de baño (bathing suits) and made our way down to the ocean. That first day was spent relaxing in the sun, in the sand or on the hamacas, and taking a little walk around the island. While we were laying the hamacas, Gabi told us that the sunset was starting on the south beach, so we crossed the island to see sky change colors until darkness fell.

Whenever I see a sunset, I always seem to say: "This is how I know there is a God." Along with many other things that have helped me come to the conclusion that God is quite present in this world, sunsets always help to remind me how real He is. Something that beautiful just can't be an accident.

Before it got too dark, my friends and I walked down to the most darling hotel/restaurant for dinner. Even the restaurant had hammocks on the porch and outdoor couches to sit in. It was charming. The restaurant served us delicious food--milanesa, pasta, y pescado--and we enjoyed our meal under faint electricity (aka, wee bit pricey... BUT soo worth it). With the help of Molly's cell phone flashlight, we made it back to the hostel without a problem. Almost as soon as we returned, Gabi motioned us all down to the ocean. She then started stomping/dancing around saying "Mira!" This is when I experienced God in a whole, new way:

NOCTILUCA's! Noctiluca's are little micro-organisms that glow in the water, especially when you dance around. With every little tap-dance-type move you could see them light up in streaks across the sand. We all danced around in the water, marveling at these tiny creatures. I felt like a little kid, which always feels wonderful. Gabi says that in the summer, when the air and water are warmer, you can fully submerge in the ocean and the little lights will be all on your body and in your hair. She said it is an incredible sight to see. I can only imagine, for just the lights in the sand alone seemed almost magical--a gift from God.

However, the most breathtaking aspect of the night was, without a doubt, the stars. I have never seen anything like it in my entire life. I can say sincerely that it is hard to describe the night sky in words. There were thousands of star--so bright and clear! I could see every constellation. I was even blessed to see a shooting star. The three of us lay in the hammocks, until we all drifted into a little sleep. As I lay, I admired God's gift and wondered at what my eyes were seeing.

It seems to me that the world is too complex, too perfectly ordered to have happened on accident--with a bang. I'm not saying that everything is perfect in the sense that nothing bad ever happens. I am not ignorant to the existence of evil in this world--sin and evil are very real because freewill and Satan are very real. However, I mean 'perfectly ordered' in the sense that the world works: that we, as humans, can breathe and interact with one another and have thoughts and feelings, that the animals have instincts to help them thrive and survive, that the location of the earth allows us to live without being burnt to a crisp, that atoms and molecules and cells are so complex but somehow work together to compose living things-- it all just seems to work too perfectly well to have been formed by accident, by a mixture of particles and elements that somehow managed to blend perfectly together to create earth and the universe, without a Creator. Anyways...that's what ran through my mind as I admired these stars. So perfectly placed and ordered.

On the second day we walked, stopped, admired, walked stopped, admired...pretty much all day. We began walking among the rocks until we came upon a colony of lobos (sea dogs). Sea dogs are quite interesting to watch. Their bodies are just so strange and silly. They are very good at stretching their necks back very far, like little gymnasts...except not so little. The next couple hours were filled with more rock climbing adventures, a trip up to the lighthouse, and lunch on the south beach.

The day before, we had heard about a walk to one end of the town where you could see 'una vista espectacular' (a spectacular sight) of the other towns across the ocean. We asked Gabi how long it would take: 1 1/2 if we wanted to walk 'tranquila.' So we set out on this journey. OH MY GOSH. The way there felt unbearable--walking across the sand, against the wind, under the sun to this place that felt like it was not getting any closer. About half way through the complaints started flowing, but we did not want to stop walking. We were 'so close,' entre comillas. After 2 hours, we finally made it to our final destination, only to find that clouds had collected overhead and we couldn't see a darn thing. But, as my friend Alyssa says: "It makes for a good story." The view that we did have actually was pretty, and the place had some pretty cool rocks, but it was just kind of funny that we had walked for so long and it wasn't quite what we had expected.

On our way back we decided to put it all into perspective and cut the complaints-- Alyssa pointed out that many women have to make such a walk multiple times a day just to get water, and many of them do so on empty stomachs and with fear of being attacked along the way... like in the book of true stories, Half the Sky (shout out to CORE, Global Citizenship). We did have food in our stomachs, had zero fear of anyone in the town, and did not have to complete the trip again after we finished. I was reminded of Blessed José Sánchez del Río as I walked across the shells in my bare feet. José Luis was a 14 year old Mexican martyr. The bottoms of his feet were sliced off and he was forced to walk in those conditions to his grave because he would not denounce the Lord. He could have been saved and set free if he rejected Christ, but instead he continually shouted "Viva Cristo Rey!" I had NOTHING to complain about.

We wrapped up the day with a pleasant dinner at Lo De Dani--we ended up talking politics with Dani himself--and with great conversation with my friends back at the hostel that lasted for hours. As the conversation faded, I faded into sleep with the sound of the ocean outside our window.

This week was a good reminder of: 1) God's presence always surrounding me 2) The peace and goodness that comes with living a simple life. Two things for me to keep in mind as I make my way into the future.

Ok-- this blog post got a little long. Lo siento. If you made it this far, thanks for stickin' with me. Now you can just enjoy some photos!

'Bout to board the buggy.

Beautiful buggy ride to the beach!

Solamente para un efecto artístico, obvio.

Las hamacas en el hostel.

El atardecer.

Where's Courtney?

El faro.

View from the lighthouse.

Las dunas eran enormes!

 

Tu amiga--

 

Courtney

15th week--

Week 15, what a week! Little logistics reminder for Skyping purposes: you all, back in the States, fell behind an hour (as I'm sure you've all realized by now...) BUT, that means we are now three hours apart (for all those living in Eastern Standard Time). Now enough with logistics...

This week started out a little insane. My 7-14 page paper on Conjugal Life and Fertility in the Uruguayan Society in the 20th Century: a Vision Through Demographics, The Rhythm of the Clock: Uruguayan Adolescents in the 50's, and  The New Intimacy was due on Thursday, so Monday-Wednesday night was dedicated to finishing up the readings and the paper. I felt like I was back at Queens, staying up late reading/writing. But all ended well--I finished and turned it in, feeling proud for having accomplished such a task.

Halloween is not really a big thing here in Montevideo. Some participate in the 'holiday,' but I feel like those who do are definitely in the minority. While I was busy writing my death-of-a-paper on Wednesday, I heard the doorbell ring and little voices outside my window: Trick-or-treaters! I allowed myself a little treat (pun intended) and took a break to go see their costumes, talk with our neighbor, and snap some photos, of course. Happy belated Halloween everybody!

Trick-or-treaters! Prize goes to the girl on the far-left ∴ girl on the far-right is ticked.

Once my paper was turned in on Thursday, I felt so incredibly relieved. It was a great feeling to have the paper off of my mind as I entered into the weekend. Speaking of 'weekend,' let me tell you about mine. Por favor, sigue.

The re-occurring theme for this weekend = fellowship. Thursday night four of my friends and I went to two of our other friends' apartment for dinner. These two friends are here for the year with the ministry Campus Crusade for Christ. They have a team here on most of the different Uruguayan college campus, getting to know the students and spreading the Lord's Word. In addition to enjoying some delicious pasta, we also enjoyed hours of both deep and silly conversation with lots of laughs in between it all--fellowship, if you will. And the fellowship continues...

We were blessed with the most gorgeous weather this weekend. After a run along the rambla, I met my friend Molly to spend a few hours on the beach. That night she, my host-sister, and my friend Alyssa met another Uruguayan friend at a basketball game. That's right... fellowship through sports! The basketball game was *CRaZyy* Uruguayans are quite passionate when it comes to their sporting events--there was homemade paper confetti, the loudest cheering I have ever heard at a basketball game, and gigantic flags/signs. Many of the 'barrios' (neighborhoods) have their own teams here. This game in particular was a 'classico' between two of the neighborhoods 'Malvín' y 'Unión.' I, living close to Malvín, rooted for them, which seemed to work until the last quarter in which we ended up losing by 4 points. Bummer, but great experience.

On Saturday, the brother of the woman whose apartment I stayed in during my time in Buenos Aires (Pepe) invited me to an estancia in the interior of Uruguay for a little get together with some of his friends. These friends were from all over the place--Spain, Italy, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay--and they were all part of a Catholic movement called Movimiento Comunión y Liberación. We all met in San José at the estancia Finca Piedra. It was beautiful, to say the very least. We began the day with a little talk and Mass, and then spent the rest of the time enjoying lunch (I tried my first asado!), conversation, and some singing. These people whom I joined in fellowship with were unbelievingly kind and engaging. It was great to meet so many new friends, from some many different places. I also loved the intensive Spanish speaking/listening aspect of the day. Even when I sat next to an Italian  at lunch who spoke hardly any Spanish, I could pick up on a few of his Italian words. ¡¿Q divertido, no?!

The ride home from San José was just was fun--full of singing and/or listening to tunes on high-volume. When we returned to Montevideo, I met up with my friend Alyssa, and we joined these new friends at one of their apartments for some mozzarella y fainá. Towards the end of the night, we broke out the guitar and sang and danced until it was time to leave. I hope to spend more time with them all, even the ones from Argentina and elsewhere, before I head back in July. The Lord has been so good in helping me meet genuinely wonderful people, who love Him to boot!

 

 

Esta foto no le hace justicia a la belleza de San José.

 

After Mass at la Catedral this morning, I met my friend Alyssa to walk to the Feria Tristán Narvaja. This feria has everything: from clothes, jewelry, and touristy gifts to meats, cheeses, and fruits. They also sell animals there--rodents, kittens, and puppies. We enjoyed a nice little stroll through the feria, and Alyssa got some shopping done. We parted ways half-way through the feria so that I could make it home for host-family-lunch (always ravioli with meat sauce, bread, coca-cola, and dessert) which I never like to miss. 'Obvio que sí.'

The most precious of puppies at la feria, Tristán Narvaja.

Later in the afternoon/early evening, my host-sister and I made our way out to El Prado in Montevideo to Parque Rosedal. It was my first time to see this part of Montevideo, and I fell in love with it. In fact, Parque Rosedal has officially made it to my list of 'favorite places to go in Montevideo.' The park has a little area with roses everywhere you turn--not literally, but basically. I felt like I was in The Secret Garden. I read some Uruguayan literature for my 'Literatura Uruguaya' class and then spent the rest of the time playing volleyball with my host-sister and some friends (some of these friends of whom I speak are more brand new friends, yay!). Just as I started my weekend with fellowship, so I ended it with fellowship. Told ya it was a re-occurring theme!

Vóleibol en El Prado.

 

I have two weeks left of classes, three days of finals, and then school's out for summer! It has been so strange actually, as most of my friends are heading back in not-so-many weeks. I feel confident in my decision to stay here for the year, to grow in the language and as a young woman--but it's still weird that everyone is leaving! I've said this two million-trillion times already, but where the heck does the time go?!

 

Please be sure of my thoughts and prayers for you all, especially those of you affected by Hurricane Sandy. I hope everyone is safe n' sound.

 

Hasta el domingo--

 

Courtney