Again, I don't know why this picture won't attach to the blog post. Week 5 is posted below!



5th week--

If I could choose two words to describe this week, I would pick “change” and “sweet.” Upon reflection, I have found that these two words sum up my experiences this week in more ways than one.

Change. Well for one, the weather changed drastically this week. I don’t mean one simple switch from one type of weather to another. I mean multiple changes. The week started out cold and windy, as most winter days here tend to feel. However, on Wednesday and Thursday the weather was so warm and wonderful that I wore a short sleeve shirt. That’s a first in Montevideo! On Thursday it was almost 80 degrees; I really could not believe it. Then came the rain… and Friday was back to the numbing cold. But my friends and I took delight in those two rare, warm days.

Which brings me to the word sweet. Due to the warm weather, my exchange student friends and I spent every minute we could outdoors. We savored the sweet surprise of the sun with lunch in the University courtyard. Thursday was the sweetest day of all. After our meal outside, a small group of us walked through the traffic to Parque Batlle—a small park near the University. At the park, we bought and ate practically the best dessert I have ever eaten: Churros (más o menos fried dough with sugar) filled with dulce de leche (más o menos caramel, but a million times tastier and more addicting). Heads up: I may be twenty-five pounds heavier when I return…

Furthermore, this weekend I experienced a more profound change than the weather and more sweetness than dulce de leche churros can ever offer: a change of heart and the sweetness of God’s amazing love. I attended a Catholic retreat offered by my University in the hopes of meeting new Uruguayans who genuinely loved the Lord and His Word. The retreat exceeded my expectations. I entered into a group of about thirty Uruguayan students, from the ages of 18 to 26, with my friend Lindsay from North Carolina. The Uruguayan students and staff welcomed Lindsay and me without hesitation. I was overwhelmed by their kind and sincere hearts, not to mention their patience—so much patience—with our Spanish.

Not only did I meet wonderful people as I had intended, but I also met Christ on a deeper level. Although I had been on many retreats throughout my youth, I enjoyed experiencing this retreat as an adult. I found that I was able to reflect more intensely on my personal relationship with the Lord in my daily life. Through writing down my thoughts and prayers, I unmasked several characteristics or tendencies in my life that I hope to change (there’s that word again). Oftentimes, revealing such things, especially about myself, feels uncomfortable. But the first step to recovery is always recognition and acceptance of the problem, right? During my time in prayer and reflection, I also discovered/re-discovered many blessings in my life. My entire life I have been surrounded by people who have helped me to walk with the Lord, people who have taught be how to become a better person, and people who have held me accountable when I have veered off the right path. I have been blessed with a Father who has conquered sin and death by His death on the Cross. I am, without a doubt, so thankful.

I have really come to realize this week that some of what I believe might seem truly crazy to some people: that God, Creator of all things, came to earth as a man and taught, and preached, and formed a Church, and gave His Body and Blood, and died on a Cross, and rose again on the third day in order to save all of mankind from sin and certain damnation. I guess since I have always believed it, I have never thought of it as 'crazy' before. However, when I read what I just wrote, it does sound like a crazy notion! But I am happy to be ‘crazy’ and to believe in this ‘craziness’ because, after serious reflection, years of study, and a bucket full of faith, I believe it is the truth. This retreat helped me to grow in appreciation for the crazy sweetness of my Lord, my faith, and the Church.

As I was leaving the retreat house tonight, I went up to a nun, who had been preparing the meals for us throughout the weekend, in order to thank her. After I kissed her on the cheek goodbye (which, by the way, is a custom I want to bring back to the states…), she held my shoulders and spoke in Spanish saying, “I know hardly any English, but I do know how to say one thing: ‘God bless you.’” So now I want to leave you with this: although I don’t know a lot of Spanish (yet), I certainly know how to say one thing—Dios te bendiga.

Until next week,

Courtney

 

Here are some photos from my 4th week in Uruguay (described in the post below). I couldn't get the image to load on Sunday. No sé porqué. ¡Bueno, disfruten!

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

3rd week--

There were many firsts this week: First week of classes, first time we had beautiful weather, and my first time getting really lost. Like... really lost.

Let me start with my classes- This semester I am only enlisted in classes for international students, as I am still adjusting to the language. I am taking four classes this semester: Spanish language, Uruguayan culture, Uruguayan literature, and Thinking in Latin America and Uruguay. I like all of my classes, except perhaps one, and my professors are all really nice. They even slow down their pace a little bit for us while speaking, which I appreciate. Already, we have learned a lot about the culture, history, and language of Uruguay and Latin America.

In addition to starting new classes, we finally started to have nice weather! I hope it will last, as the rise in temperature lead to plenty of time spent outdoors. I spent this time under the sun writing, eating in the park, and riding bikes along the Rio. Friday was the most gorgeous day. On Fridays, my friends and I don't have class, so we decided to take advantage of our free day and the lovely weather. After attending a tango exhibition at the famous Teatro Solis in the morning, we grabbed some Chivitos for lunch, and meandered around the streets of Ciudad Vieja. Then, we headed for the Rambla. We spent hours walking down the Rambla, along the coastline, stopping occasionally to play on a playground or admire the Rio de la Plata. We finished the day with the best chocolate ice cream I think I've ever eaten, ever. The day was truly a treat! A blessing, if you will.

Then there was that time I got lost... On Tuesday, after a fun day of exploring and ice cream on the beach, it was time for me to make my way back to the University for my first day of Literature class. Unfortunately, this meant figuring out which bus to take, which stop to get off at, and then walking to the University alone. My friends helped me pick a bus, I boarded, and then departed from them to start this soon-to-be adventure. I asked the bus driver (in Spanish) to let me know when to get off at a certain street because I needed to go to la Universidad Católica. He answered (in Spanish), "You'll have to walk a ways..." But I didn't mind. When we got to the stop I asked (in Spanish) which way to go and he said (in Spanish) "a la izquierda," which translates, "to the left." So, I proceeded to walk to the LEFT. And I walked...and walked...and kept walking... for thirty minutes. Everything looked familiar, so I wasn't too worried. But then I realized that I was walking towards home, in the opposite direction of the University! By this time, class had started, and I had no idea which bus to take or where to get off. I ran into a pharmacy and said to the lady at the counter (in Spanish), "Hi. I'm from the United States, and I'm really confused! Can you help me get to the University?!" She was so nice, and wrote all I needed to know on a piece of paper. After another bus ride, a confusing conversation with the bus-ticket-man, and a little more walking, I finally made it to class. It was quite the learning experience to say the least. I should have told my professor that I was simply taking the scenic route...

I can't believe that next week marks a month of my time in Montevideo. Time is already flying!

Espero que todo este bien con ustedes. Los extraño mucho. Siempre están en mis pensamientos y oraciones./I hope that everything is well with you all. I miss you all a lot. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Abrazos,

Courtney

2nd week--

This week seemed to fly by! But at the same time, I feel like things that happened on Monday happened weeks ago. These last seven days have been filled with new adventures and quite a mixture of emotions.

I received my official welcome from la Universidad Católica del Uruguay on Wednesday. I will be studying with 78 other international students from 18 different countries. I met almost every international student after two hours of ice breakers... If you think ice breakers are awkward in English (which I do), try ice breakers in Spanish. It's a whole different ball game! When we first entered the room, we all sat in chairs around the circumference of the room. I found myself trying to guess where people were from based on their accent or their clothes. It's a lot harder than it seems. Although it was so neat meeting everybody, I also found myself becoming extremely frustrated. 31 of the international students are from countries like Spain or Mexico where the official language is Spanish. I guess I just wasn't expecting that many fluent speakers in the program! But after talking with my parents on Skype, I was reminded of a quote--one of my dad's favorites. The quote is from the Christmas classic film, It's A Wonderful Life. The movie opens with Franklin, a head angel, speaking with Clarence, a second-class angel, about a troubled man on Earth, George Bailey:

"Franklin: A man down on Earth needs our help.
Clarence: Splendid! Is he sick?
Franklin: No, worse. He's discouraged."

Amen! Discouragement is worse than sickness. I couldn't let discouragement stop me from fulfilling my goals for the year. So what if I'm not fluent yet... It's only been two weeks. I guess thinking that the language would come to me so soon was a little irrational. With this quote in mind, I have become even more excited about delving into this new language and culture.

This week I had the opportunity to spend time in la Ciudad Vieja (the old city) of Montevideo. La Ciudad Vieja has such charm during the day! My new friends and I saw famous statues, such as la estatua de José Artigas, and visited various museums. But we also noticed the smaller, not-so-famous, parts of the city as well. We came across a fountain with locks placed around it. It is said that lovers who place a lock there with their initials on it will experience eternal love. I also spotted little square tiles placed randomly throughout the streets of the city. My padre told me that one man makes them and places them around the city in order to leave his mark. I wonder how I will one day leave my mark...

I have also had many interesting and deep conversations with my new friends concerning various moral issues and philosophical topics. First of all, it is cool knowing that I am having these types of conversations with girls whom I met only two weeks ago. Secondly, it has been eye-opening to have these discussions with people from different cultures. We all have such a wide-range of opinions, and it is nice hearing what they have to say while I, too, share my thoughts. We challenge one another, which has been wonderful and thought provoking.

My family has especially been in my  thoughts today, as today marks the fifth anniversary of my Nama's death. I can't believe it has been five whole years! I know she is so proud of our family, our unity and our faith. Please keep my Nama and my family in your prayers this week--especially my Poppop. What a wonderful example he and my Nama are of a couple living a life of genuine virtue.

Know that you all are constantly in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your continual support!

Besos,

Courtney