School is in Session

"In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson."  ~ Tom Bodett

My Family - Yes, I really live with all these people :)

It's finally the weekend! Many of you are probably thinking "this girl is crazy, it's a Wednesday." However, don't doubt, because for me it is in fact the weekend. One of the many great things about ORT is that there are no classes on Friday, and it is quite easy to create a three day a week schedule (like mine!). I am taking four classes this semester - two are about different aspects of marketing, one on human resources, and one on society in Uruguay. They all seem to be pretty interesting, at least according to first impressions this week.

Because of the season reversal, summer just ended and school has started! Also - Uruguay, unlike some other countries in South America, recognizes daylight savings time. Here we turned our clocks back an hour (fall back) and in the states, "spring forward" just happened. Why am I telling you this? Because instead of a 3 hour difference between USC and here, it's only an hour difference! How convenient :)
These past few weeks have been filled with getting to know my fellow housemates and friends. We have celebrated birthdays, shared some pretty awesome 'asados' (barbque), and enjoyed a few nights in with a movie. Most of our movies are in English (thank you Hollywood), but we always have Spanish subtitles. 

So one of the reasons I decided to have the blog is so I wasn't so tied to home. I wanted to be fully immersed in where I am right now. After three months away, let me tell you, it's easier said than done. It's so simple to just FaceTime my mom or Skype my friends back home. I find myself still connected to my life back home. Not that it's a bad thing, but I cannot imagine what it was like before all of that. Nowadays it is a lot harder to "disconnect." I still haven't decided if this is a good or a bad thing. 

With only three days of classes, you may be wondering what I will do with all my free time. That is a great question. One I am still trying to figure out.  I'm looking into ways to get involved in the community and take advantage of the opportunities here. Who knows, I might even work out if I get desperate enough :D.*Side note - quite possibly the best investment I have made was purchasing Spotify Premium ( and I’m not even being paid to say that). I am always listening to music, especially walking by myself down the street. Having music available 24/7 has been amazing. No shame bopping along to your favorite song in public :D.

If you are considering living/studying in Uruguay, or South America in general, then know the experience is going to be very different than one in Europe. The amount of English speakers is very small. Also, traveling can be very expensive. I recommend studying in SA if you are truly looking for culture and local immersion. It isn't like Europe, with a plethora of cheap(ish) travel options to 20 different countries. Many people (that I have met) use the semester to also travel. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING - we are IB students, you should definitely do that if you desire.  HOWEVER, sometimes, staying in one place long enough to truly get a local experience is worth it. For example, I'm on a first name basis with the guy who owns the local convenience store, I see the same people every week in passing.  I say good morning to the guy who works the taxi booth on the corner. 

Really, Uruguay is as friendly as you want to make it. It has a competitive edge to it, especially in ORT, which is a private university. But overall, it's been great.

A few weeks ago, after my first week of classes, I had the opportunity to meet with a group of post grad students from USC who were visiting ORT as a part of a 10 day travel program.  It was really cool to be able to meet with them and talk about why I love ORT and Montevideo. 

More to come:)