"Twenty years from now you will more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)
Chilling with the Sea Lions in Cabo Polonio
As I am sure you know – whenever you book something on the
internet, without having any prior knowledge and no one to ask for references –
it can be a little intimidating. What if the service is horrible or no one
actually cares about your comfort? What if you don’t get out of it what you
paid for? With Academia Uruguay – my language immersion school – these were some of my initial
thoughts. I had blindly paid hundreds of dollars for three weeks of language
class, for four hours a day! Naturally, I was somewhat concerned.
However, these classes
have been more helpful than I could have imagined. The basic set up the last
two weeks has been this: I wake up at around 8:00 every morning, I shower (because
I am the only one up at the “ungodly” hour and so there is no line), eat
breakfast and hang out with the staff at my hostel, then take the bus to
Academia Uruguay (AU) in Ciudad Vieja. I then head on up to the classroom and
do the homework I should have done the night before, and begin classes at 9:30.
For the next four hours, a group of 3-5 students, all in the same level, work
on grammar points, talk about life, and practice speaking the language. I have felt such a tremendous improvement in
not only my speaking skills, but in my confidence as well. Actually, I find
that while typing this, it is easier to type some things in Spanish before
realizing it should be in English!
Through Academia Uruguay I have met some truly amazing
people from all over the world, and we have been able to travel and hangout and
party together – making my experience in Uruguay all the more wonderful. I
finally experienced my first boliche (their version of a dance club). They
don’t start really filling up until 2:00 in the morning, which has made my
sleeping schedule impossible to keep. I now truly understand the meaning of a
good siesta.
One cool thing AU does during Carnival season (February) is
offer a week full of Carnival activities. Lucky for me, I was there during this
week. Every day was a different activity, and though a little pricey, I think
that it was well worth the experience. One day, we went to a drumming class
where we (attempted) to learn about rhythm and the art of candombe. It was very
fun, but I have no rhythm, so it was definitely a challenge. Another day we
went to a Murga class, where we were taught traditional songs and the history
of the Murga. Murga is a form of popular musical theatre
performed in Uruguay during the Carnival season. Murga groups operate in Montevideo and to a lesser extent in
Buenos Aires. The Uruguayan Murgas focus
more on vocals and less on dancing. During our class, some people even got
their faces painted!
On Friday, we went to las llamadas. This is basically the
final event of the week. It is a huge parade that goes through the streets of
Montevideo. Everyone is dancing and singing and drinking and it is quite
possibly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. With the fee I paid to
participate, I was able to hang out on the rooftop of someone’s house, where
they cooked us an “asado” – local barbecue – with so much food and wine I was
stuffed.
This past weekend I went to Cabo Polonio with two guys from
the language school. It was a last minute trip that ended up being amazing.
Cabo is incredibly beautiful – and very behind the times. Most places don’t
have electricity, hot water is a huge commodity, and air conditioning didn’t
really exist. It felt as though we had traveled back it time, to something much
simpler. Although we were only there for one night, I can still feel the
effects of the relaxing atmosphere. Most of the time, we just sit at the beach
or swam in the ocean. The food was crazy expensive – because they had to
transport most of it in via an all-wheel drive truck through sand dunes into
the national park – but most of the time it was pretty good! Between the
midnight swim in the ocean, the heat during the day, and the four hours of travel
both ways, I am pretty exhausted right now. That being said, I could not
imagine a better way to spend a weekend.
I think one of the hardest, and yet most beautiful things
about living in Uruguay is the friendships. At times, it feels like you have known
someone forever, and the friendship is an instant success. Other times, you
have to continuously work at it, because you want it to work. However, no
matter how hard you work, in the end, everyone has their own plans, and
Montevideo is only one stop in their journey. I was never a fan of goodbyes – I
find them awkward and a little sad, because you never know when you will see
people again. This is especially true when people I am becoming closest to are
from all over the world.
In this, however, I try to stay optimistic. I have met some
wonderful people here. The kind of people who travel are the ones who are
outgoing, who know what it is to live and explore, and are not content with a sedentary
lifestyle. Being surrounded with people who are so similar, yet so different
from me has allowed me to figure out more about what I want out of life, and
where I think my journey is taking me. Hopefully, there won’t ever be a real
goodbye. Maybe, instead, it is a far off “see you later.”
I guess we really never know – but I think one of the most
powerful things we can do is hope.
Until next time,
Savannah
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