What a week.

This past week has been crazy and full of new experiences. Everyone here at Casa ACU is trying to get used to the work load (2 hour Spanish lessons everyday are a lot) as well as really get used to actually living here. I am slowly mastering the bus system which is the primary means of transportation within the city. We even made a successful trip to the grocery store and have been cooking some great meals!

Early in the week we took a tour of Montevideo, getting some of the more "touristy" things out of the way early on. We visited several historical sites, memorials for fallen soldiers and my favorite, the historic cemetery. Anyone who is anybody is buried here and it was just very surreal to be surrounded my so many above ground graves both hundreds of years old as well as brand new.

More importantly, carnival was this week. Every South American country has its own carnival celebration, the most famous one takes place in Rio, Montevideo however, has the longest carnival. Think like a parade...but better. Carnival features dancers, singers, drumming groups and many other interesting acts. It started at 8:30 and went past midnight! 

Me and this singer bonded 

That Sunday we got invited to a traditional Uruguayan Asado, or BBQ. The food was absolutely fantastic and the house was right on beach. It was awesome to get some very traditional food and see what rural Uruguay looks like. 

Beaches and Mate

Things are going well here at Casa ACU. I think that the reality that we are going to be here for four months is really sinking in for some people. Some are really embracing this but for others I think this is a bit scary. Some of entered a state of culture shock, realizing no one else besides us speaks english and at times it is frustrating. 

However on Saturday we went to the beach! We went to the most popular local beach called pocitos. It was gorgeous and the water felt great. We with out a doubt were the whitest people there. We had a lot of fun as a group until someone got stung by a jellyfish or a "medusa"as the locals call it. It's amazing how much spanish you can come up with when you think someone has been stung by a deadly creature. Turns out it was harmless but it was scary none the less. 

Some of the residence here at Casa ACU have begun drinking mate. Mate is a favorite drink of much of this part of South America. It has more caffeine than coffee and can be found everywhere. I tried it for the first time and it was interesting. Think very bitter water mixed with the strongest green tea you have ever had mixed with dirt. Not too bad. 

Bonus Picture: A vintage book store we explored 

Traveling & the first days

Leaving Abilene...

I'm going to be honest, flying abroad has never been a pleasant experience for me. Sitting for long hours in a cramped space with complete strangers just isn't that appealing. This trip however wasn't so bad, maybe it was because I was so excited or because I was with friends or that we only had two flights, but it wasn't that miserable. I even got three whole hours of sleep on our overnight flight!

Arriving...

Being this far away from home is so surreal. All your points of reference and familiarity just disappear, except the occasional McDonalds. All of a sudden everyone around you is speaking a language you barely understand and your thrown into a completely new environment. This is definitely going to take some getting used to. Montevideo makes it a little easier to though, being right on the beach surrounded by magnificent architecture and kind people makes for a great place to live.

The Group

Casa ACU is fantastic, it is all one building and just so cool. We are only one block off of the main road in Montevideo and there are so many restaurants, stores, churches and apartments all so close. Our hosts are fantastic and they took us all out for a traditional Uruguayan dinner. Elise and I shared this monstrosity called Chivito. It is basically a pile of everything good, including but not limited to: french fries, ham, bacon, steak, fried egg, potatoes, peppers, onions and olives. It was soooooo good.

Today, we explored the beautiful old city and walked around the city a bunch just learning the area.