Happy spring in
Montevideo! Or shall I say, “¡Feliz primavera en Montevideo!”
Winter is
officially out the door in Uruguay, as of yesterday, and let me tell you… winter
slammed its door with a ‘bang!’
Said ‘bang’
looked at little bit like this: 19 septiembre 2012—the worst storm in
Montevideo since 2005. I’m talking rain falling horizontally and wind that seemed
to be seeking vengeance. I have experienced some pretty rough storms throughout
my lifetime, but usually such storms last for an hour or two and then surrender
their strength. This particular storm, however, lasted all day. When I woke up, my host-mom advised me not to go to school.
I’m glad I followed her advice because, sure enough, school was canceled.
Additionally, all of the malls were closed down, and my host-sister was told to
leave work early in order to come home. As I looked out the window, I felt as
if I were experiencing a hurricane. I’ve truly never seen anything like it.
The next day, on
my way to school, I experienced the aftermath of the storm. HUGE trees had been easily ripped out
of the ground, as if they were dandelions picked by a child for their mother. Dandelions,
however, can be gathered into a tiny bouquet, tied with a lavender ribbon, and
placed in a glass vase. Massive trees, on the other hand, cannot. Well…I’ve never
seen it done. Thus, the fallen trees, and other pieces of debris left by the
storm, are now scattered throughout the city of Montevideo. What a great excuse
for a good ol’ spring cleaning!
In contrast to
the storm, all was ‘sunny’ in the Beloqui household this weekend, as my
host-family ushered in the new season with a fiesta. My host-mom planned a
surprise party for my host-abuela’s 80th birthday. Not only did I
get to enjoy lots of delicious,
homemade desserts, but I also had the pleasure of meeting lots of host-family members! Although, the fiesta made me miss my family
even more than I already do (is that even possible?!), I loved experiencing a Uruguayan
family party. Please keep my host-abuela in your thoughts and/or prayers as she celebrates
another new year of life.
Speaking of
things new—the arrival of spring has caused me
to reflect on and renew my hopes for
the year. I look forward to continually growing in the Spanish language—speaking,
listening, reading, and writing. Along with my latest goal of trying to read books
in Spanish, I challenge myself to further engage in situations outside of
campus in which I can deepen my understanding of the language. Easier said than
done, but it must be done. Also, with the support of a young adults group at a
local parish, I seek to grow closer to the Lord and strengthen my values in Him.
With these aims in mind, I hope to return to the United States in July as an improved
version of myself—a renewed
Courtney, if you will.
As for all of you back at home, happy autumn! Or shall
I say, “¡Feliz otoño!” What a lovely season. I picture leaves changing glorious
colors, the feeling of crisp, cool temperatures, and the growing anticipation
of Halloween and Thanksgiving. Autumn also makes me think of goose bumps. Fun language
lesson: ‘goose bumps’ in Spanish is, ‘piel de gallina.’ I dare you to use that
in a sentence today.
Please rake some
leaves into a pile as soon as possible, and jump in them in my honor.
Abrazos y besos,
Courtney
P.S. Want to
experience my (real) family in under 4 minutes? This video always makes
me smile, especially while I’m away and missing my family. It was made by my talented cousin, Laura. Simply click on the blue link!
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