My first 24 hours

Thirty hours of travel time...definitely not something I want to do again! My flight from TX to Argentina was late, so when I finally got to Buenos Aires I thought I was going to miss the flight to Montevideo. However, I should have anticipated that would be delayed also, so instead of flying out at 11:15, we didn't leave until around 1. People recognized I was American, so all the flight attendants spoke English to me.

Once I finally got to Montevideo, I had to go through customs. I was a little nervous because I was smuggling in peanut butter and jelly which are both illegal to carry into a country. However, I made it through quite quickly, and had no problems! My host mom, Silvia, was waiting outside the gate with a huge sign and greeted me with the standard kiss on the cheek. Waiting along side of her was another woman who was waiting for a red haired girl from Baltimore, Megan, who was on my flight, but I did not side next to or talk to. She is going to be in the same program as me, which is reassuring.

We all squished into a cab and made our way to Nancy St. During conversation Megan told me that she had been receiving emails from tons of other study abroad students...apparently I have been left out of the loop because I haven't received any! Although I am consistently slower at understanding Spanish, Silvia et. al. are all very patient with me!!

The streets here are full of stray dogs, small cars and lots of graffiti. However, it is also very endearing and there are street vendors and cute little houses packed everywhere. Once we got to Silvia's, she led me through a white gate (all of the houses are gated in) and up a narrow lawn to her house. The weather here is much like fall in Wisconsin, but the wind is pretty brutal because the ocean is approx. 6 blocks away. The house I am living in is quaint, charming and lovely!!! I have my own room which is a pretty nice size. There is no carpeting, or hardly any other fabric in the house (besides blankets and some towels) because the humidity is so bad and will cause bacteria. The floor is hardwood in places and stone in others, and the ceilings are very high. Besides my room, there is a bathroom, Silvia's room, an entrance/living room area, and a kitchen with an exit to a back garden and shed. It is a beautifully decorated home, but they don't have heat so I can see my breath when I'm walking around the house! All of the water is drinkable, and the food is excellent. Silvia has a cat and a dog, which is pretty common as the dogs are used for protection in the city. The dog and cat are apparently best friends as they play with each other often--I love them, they are so precious!

After I had unpacked, Silvia made me dinner. First she set out soup (chicken broth and rice) and after I had eaten that, she brought a huge plate of pasta with marinara...yum!! We watched some American film with Spanish overlay while eating, and Silvia told me about other students she had hosted. She does speak English, however, she only uses it if I absolutely do not understand something. This is awesome because I need to learn, so she corrects me and helps me with words I do not know. After I ate, we met up with Megan and her host mother at their apartment (again stone floors and high ceilings...absolutely gorgeous) and headed downtown to go shopping.

We took the bus, and Silvia pointed out important streets and other things I would need to know. While we were on the bus, a young man got on and handed everyone a bunch of bobbypins. While he rattled off a sales pitch (which I understood none of) Silvia explained that there is much poverty in Montevideo, so the people ride on buses and try to sell whatever they have. As we all handed our bobbypins back in, Silvia bought some from the man--I noticed she is a very giving and patient person.

Once we arrived at the mall, I exchanged some currency and was able to put 100 pesos worth of minutes on a phone that a previous student had left. I've just got to figure out how to use my phone card...ha. We picked up some other miscellaneous stuff and around 6:30 headed back to the house. By this time it was dark and I was completely exhausted from traveling. Once we got back, I showered (they do have hot water for those who were curious) and wore sweats, socks, sweatshirt and a scarf to bed--it was so cold!! Thankfully I brought flannel sheets (shoutout to the Morrow's for those!) and had 3 more quilts on top of that. I do have a small space heater, but cannot sleep with it on due to fire hazard. Silvia offered to make me a hot water bottle for my feet, but I declined.

I slept for 15 hours straight and when I awoke, Silvia made me breakfast (toast with dulce de leche (sweet milk spread) and fruit preserves (thicker and harder than jelly). She also made me coffee, which was excellent. After, I had told her I wanted to go to church, so we walked a few blocks to the nearest service, but saw that I was too late, as the mass was a few hours earlier. We ran into the priest who gave us mass times for both saturday and sunday and then we walked to the ocean so she could show me a safe place to go running.

After we got home, she explained that she does not have internet in her house, but a previous student had discovered that when sitting in the proper place outside, Wifi is accessible. The signal is low, but at least I have a connection. Now, I'm just out here with the dog underneath an umbrella (its always misting).

Needless to say, everything is going well and YES the language is wayy over my head most of the time. However, Silvia is wonderfully patient, and I'm sure I'll catch on in no time. We all know it's way too difficult for me to stay quiet!

If you have any questions feel to post them or email me (bkaiser@edgewood.edu). Thanks for all the love, support and prayers!!

PEACE.