a list

So, 932749345 people (slight exaggeration) have asked me WHY I am going back to Uruguay. I compiled a list of what I can think of so far:
1. I want to perfect my Spanish
2. I have a wonderful support system of friends/host family
3. The pace of life is much slower, people enjoy each other's company and aren't afraid to relax
4. They are home to some of the most secluded and beautiful beaches in the world
5. They have beautiful accents
6. Uruguayans make fun of their country, but love it fiercly
7. There are fresh food markets EVERYWHERE
8. My life there is more challenging, but more rewarding
9. If I can do this, I can do anything
10. It is a very safe country
11. It is not a popular tourist destination, but rather a hidden gem
12. I love their public transportation
13. They love their soccer teams, their mothers and summertime
14. It is a country of 3 million habitants. It feels like my own little hidey-hole
15. The music: the good and bad
16. Its location makes it much more feasible to travel in South America
17. The climate and food are much like WI, so I feel at home always
18. They are a very sarcastic population, but ironically the word "sarcasm" doesn't exist in their dialect
19. There are very rich and very poor side by side
20. I want to learn how to drive stick, which is the only thing you can find in cars
21. They know their history
22. I have room to grow
23. They have interesting sub-cultures
24.

To be continued...

People and clothes

About 9 days til I fly out.  That means 9 days to figure out what I REALLY NEED to pack.  Luckily I'm moving in with a host family so we are going to have a very large house of people.  I have my host mom and dad (Eduardo (dudu) and Laura), my best friend Anna from Poland, my host brother Rafa and then 4 other exchange students whom I haven't met yet (3 girls, 1 guy). This means that I only need to pack the necessities and I am almost certain all of us women will be sharing our closets.  Having roomates is the best!

Call me, maybe

Well I finally did it!! I got an online skype number. For my family/friends that live in the 715 area code, ya'll can call my number and it will forward to my skype account. I then set up call forwarding on skype so it will forward that call to my cellphone in Uruguay (once I buy one). For future reference, my number is 715-316-4300.  So you can call me from your house or cell and I'll pick up in another hemisphere! The great thing is it literally costs me like 2 cents a minute!

de nuevo

I took a year off from blogging.
In that time period:
I graduated from Edgewood with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Sociology
I worked at the Melting Pot and Brickhouse BBQ and learned alot about the joys and pains of working in a service industry.
I made the decision to move back to Montevideo, Uruguay.  Right now the plan is to go for a few months; if I find a job, I'll stay indefinitely.