The Zoo and Colonia

Hey everybody!

Last week most of us got to go to the Montevideo Zoo. It was not very big compared to the size of the city but it was still really neat. They a lion that roared while we standing right in front of him and a tiger that paced in his cage and glared at everyone. There were giraffes and llamas, too. The saddest thing we saw was the pool were the penguins and seals live. It was completely drained except for one little part, which was fenced off from the animals. They still looked healthy (as far as I could tell). I never figured out if the pool had been drained for cleaning or if it had been dry for a long time. All in all, though, it was a fun trip to the zoo, and I got to practice my animal vocabulary with Ameila, our Spanish teacher.

On Saturday we had another day trip. We got on a small charter bus and rode about an hour and a half to Colonia, which is the next department (like a state or province) over from Montevideo. There's a lot of history in Colonia, so that was fun. We spent a lot of time around an old lighthouse on a hill right by the coast. I got some decent pictures; be sure to check em out.

On the way through town down to the lighthouse, I saw a Uruguay soccer jersey hanging in the window of a small store. We had to at least check them out because jerseys like that are $35 in Montevideo. But if they were cheaper here in Colonia, I would definitely have to get one. And they were! I got this jersey for $25 bucks. My favorite part is the Uruguay flag over the left shoulder.

Our next big adventure is going to be our trip to Brazil. I'm sure what all we have planned for that trip, but I know we're going to Iguazu Falls. We've also started looking at our options for our ten-day travel excursion. Although nothing is set in stone, there are several of us with our eyes set on going down to Patagonia, specifically to Ushuia, the southernmost city in the world. It's as far south as any highways go. Everything past that is either an island, a glacier, or Antarctica. If I go, Don will definitely get his "Tierra del Fuego" souvenir...

Catch-Up Post

Hey everyone,
I realize it's been a while since I last posted. Did you know they make us do homework down here? Imagine that. I've also been busy trying to organize the hundreds of pictures I've taken so far. More on that later.

Last weekend our whole group went to Buenos Aires. We've spent quite a bit of time learning about the history of Argentina and its current issues. One of the issues that has only come up in the past year directly effected us. Apparently, Buenos Aires has recently developed a shortage of coins in their currency. It was hard for us because it took 1 peso to ride the bus (about the equivalent of 33 cents) and the ticket machines only take coins. So anytime we were about to go somewhere on a public bus, we had to make sure everyone had some combination of coins that added up to a peso. Most of the time we ended up buying gum just to get change.

The coolest thing we did in BA was a tango show. We all got dressed up and went to a place where they served us an AMAZING dinner. After dinner, they served out espresso and started a tango performance that encompassed all the different styles of the Latin dance from its beginning. Here's a clip:

The next day we took a tour of BA which included somewhere that I've always wanted to go: La Boca. This neighborhood is at the mouth of the River Plata and draws tourism. Every building on Caminito street is painted all sorts of different colors, which makes for an awesome place to take pictures. There were also lots of touristy things to do there...like pay to have a tango dancer pose for pictures with me!

On Saturday night we went to the church there in BA and met some of the Porteño youth. They were absolutely hilarious and walking through the streets of Buenos Aires with them was a trip. We walked a good ways to a fútbol complex and played around for a good long while (even though it was FREEZING).

Yesterday we went out to an estancia (ranch) a went canoeing, horseback riding and swimming in an indoor pool. Well, we didn't canoe or ride horses in the indoor pool, but I'm sure you figured that out already.

Our next big trip will be to Brazil. The other day we had to start the preparations for it by getting vaccinated for yellow fever. We took taxis to a clinic, which ended up being a little sketchy. Everything was fine and safe, but the clinic was way out by the docks and shipping yards...yikes.

Ok, I know you all want to see more pictures. And I wanted to put them somewhere you could all see them. So I did. I have a Shutterfly site set up that already has hundreds of pictures on it, and there are plenty more to come from this weekend. The site houses all my pictures, and also imports feed directly from this blog at the bottom of the main page so it'll be easier to get to one site from the other. If you want to see what I mean, here's the link: http://jehovaprovee.shutterfly.com Enjoy!

Un Día de la Aventura

Well today has definitely been a day of adventure. Last night, I was extremely tire from walking all over town, so I went to bed around 9 o'clock. Well, this morning, I wake up and go downstairs for breakfast. The food was great, but I had just starting eating when I looked down and noticed hives on my arms. YIKES! So I told Rosalinda, our director and house mom, and she called the doctor.

While waiting for the doctor to come, I noticed the hives were even worse on my legs. Let me show you what I mean...(Click on it for a bigger picture.)

Not the way I wanted to start my day, as you can imagine. The doctor came and did all his doctor things, sticking the say-ah down my throat and whatnot.
Then the fun started. He tried to give me a shot in my arm, but he couldn't find a vein. (Thanks, Dad.) So we had to resort to other measures. AKA, taking the shot in the butt.

All in all, it was quick and virtually painless, but the medicine has made me sssshaky all day.

We've been here for a week now, so this is the beginning of many adventures, I'm sure. As soon as the needle went in, I was thinking, "I'm going to have to write on my blog about this."

Salúdense Unos a Otros con un Beso Santo

Already we have met a lot of people here in Uruguay. However, we have not shook near as many hands. That's because they don't really shake hands in Uruguay. No, they kiss. When I first heard this, I thought it was going to take a lot of getting used to but it really hasn't been that bad. It's real simple, just touch cheek to cheek and make a little kissing sound. We've had to do it a lot, especially yesterday at church. In fact, (probably because of the verse in I Corinthians) you're not supposed to leave church until you've kissed everyone there. Luckily, the congregation next door is not that big.
So whether you're going or coming, in church, or just meeting friends on the street, you better be ready to pucker up.