Estancia

I forgot to post about our trip to an estancia back when we were in Salto.


We visited a ranch that belongs to the aunt of one of the professors from the CERP. Tia Sara was 90 plus years old, and she was very sweet.


This place was literally in the middle of nowhere. We drove down "roads" that were nothing more than muddy trails through fields and tangerine orchards.


The house was gorgeous. Big enough for a very very large family and then some.


It was also full of antiques from to top bottom.


Centuries of family treasures abounded in the house. It was almost like a museum.


We spent our afternoon exploring the ranch, sipping mate, and eating delicious pastries. What could be more Uruguayan?


Overall, we had a lovely time on a beautiful farm that hasn't changed it's looks in well over a hundred years! The Uruguayan countryside and rural lifestyle is well-worth preserving.

Goodbye Salto

Saying goodbye to students, teachers, mentors, and friends in Salto was very challenging. I will miss everyone very much.

The students at Escuela 1 gave me hundreds (no exaggeration) of letters. They were so adorable. I also got millions of hugs and kisses, thanks yous and I love yous. Salto will always be a second home.



After leaving Salto I traveled for a week and then moved to my new apartment in Montevideo. I will blog about my travels and new place in the city in the days to follow.

School Blog

I'm blogging at yet another location.


Check out the blog I've been working on for my school by clicking here or going to http://escuela1salto.blogspot.com

Be forewarned however; you shall see a bunch of photos of some really adorable children.


The blog is intended to be a repository for the students to review many of lessons we have done throughout the year, and of course, to see all those photos I've been snapping of them every week. I wanted to have it finished by the time I left Salto, but unfortunately I don't see that happening at this point.


I don't even want to think about leaving my school. I will miss both the teachers and the students very much.

Busy as a Bee

This week has been extremely busy for me, so I am rather far behind in blog posts and responding to emails that people have sent me (sorry! I will hopefully get on that soon). Some people from the CERP had a farewell party for us at one of their residences, which happened to be in a beautiful old house. We had hamburgers, delicious desserts, and a Scrabble Tournament.


Similarly, some students had a small celebration for us that included, you guessed it, desserts. Ohhh my. You have no idea how many sweet things (smothered in dulce de leche ) I have eaten in this past week. My teeth are crying. Praise the Lord for toothpaste.

Last night the teachers from my school took us out to dinner at the Salto Shopping Center. It seems to be the place to be on Thursday nights because there is a bit of live Tango music and dancing for the most adventurous (or highly trained). We also went over to the inspector's house for dinner within the past week as well. Ahhhh, so busy! But I'm not complaining.

Tonight I am headed to Montevideo by bus and then tomorrow I will hop on a plane to Brazil. I do believe our hotels will have internet access, so expect to hear from me soon. Chao.

Sunset to Sunrise

I didn't think the anything could be more beautiful than the sunset over the River Uruguay.


That was, until I saw the sunrise from my window. Wow! Sheer magnificence.


So this is what I am missing while I am busy sleeping. I need to wake up at sunrise more often (or not).

Batalla de Las Piedras

Today was another holiday in the wonderful nation of Uruguay which meant no school or work. Today was a celebration of the Batalla de Las Piedras (Battle of the Rocks).

The Battle of Las Piedras was part of Uruguay's independence movement, led by none other than the national hero, Jose Artigas, whom I mentioned earlier. He led a group of revolutionaries from the Provincia Oriental del Río de la Plata (modern-day Uruguay) to defeat the Spanish in 1811. And it was on the 18th of May that he uttered one of his most famous phrases, "Clemencia para los vencidos" (Mercy on the vanquished).


Of course, in celebration of Batalla de Las Piedras, I took a trip to the hot springs. I had intended to go one I had never been to before, but oops, I got on the wrong bus and ended up at the Termas Dayman again. Oh well.


Estaba bien. It was fine. I had a great time. I love the termas.


Being there at night was great too. The hot springs are different after the sun sets. They seem more toasty--but that could just be the visible steam wafting into the night sky.

White Herons

Salto is a wonderful place to be. It is beautiful.


I have a resolution to run (read jog) at least 3-4 times a week and thus far I've been pretty good about doing so. It makes me feel better to get some exercise, suck in some fresh air, and enjoy the stunning Uruguayan scenery.

Usually, there are large flocks of white herons that congregate by the river. They are beautiful birds to watch because they are so graceful and provide a stark contrast to their surroundings.

I am thankful for those beautiful white herons. I thankful for the beautiful river. I am thankful to be in Uruguay. I am thankful for my family and friends who love me. I thankful for so many things. And I recognize that it never hurts to remind myself of the things I am thankful for when I am going through difficult times.

We All Need A Hero

The national hero of Uruguay is José Gervasio Artigas Arnal, known as the the father of Uruguayan independence. He championed independence from Spain's centralized control in Buenos Aires, and eventually his work came to fruitation in the early 19th century.

In almost every city, there is a statue of him on his horse in a major plaza. There is a city named after him and an entire entire department (what we would call "state") in northern Uruguay. He also has bridges, airports, and schools (included the one I work at) named after him. The entire country is infatuated with Artigas.


Artigas was able to ascend to such a place of heroism because he represents military and political leadership without bipartisanship. He lived before the parties (traditionally the colorado and blanco parties) divided the political landscape of Uruguayan democracy.

I was trying to think of similar figures of national appeal in the United States and George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln were first ones to come to my mind. These men were not bipartisan figures in US history, and yet they each register as heros in our public memory for individuals of every political leaning. Interesting.

Hot Springs

Today Christie and I went to the Termas del Dayman, also known as the hot springs or thermal spa. We caught a bus from the city center to the the termas which are only a few miles outside of the city of Salto. The area around the hot springs is basically a little resort town because the naturally occuring pools of hot water attract tourists from all over.


For 50 pesos (about $2.50), you can gain entrance into the area with all the hot springs. The area is beautiful. Bright greens and blues. You can sample the different pools, each with a different temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius (111.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Some pools are so hot, you feel like your internal organs are cooking. Others however, are just perfect for relaxing your muscles. They also have several places where you can turn on as many faucets as you want and get a heated hydromassage on any part of your body. Two old ladies from Argentina joined me on the massage bench and insisted that I go to Argentina to find chicos guapos (cute boys). Hahaha. They were sweet.


I was teaching FDR's first inaugural address (you know "there is nothing to fear, but fear itself") in my discourse analysis class and I asked the students if they knew anything about Franklin D. Roosevelt and they said yes, because he apparently visited Uruguay and went to the hot springs where he was healed from his polio. I thought that was very interesting. I'm having trouble tracking down whether that really happened, but it is likely that FDR visited Uruguay in 1936, and it is likely he may have stopped by the termas to relax. Regardless whether that story is true or not, many people do believe in the healing powers of the thermal water.

If nothing else, I know my skin feels silky smooth now. What a great way to spend a Saturday! I might just have to visit the termas more often.

Hello, My Name is Yenifer

I decorated my room this weekend.

And I have the best wall decorations ever. Handmade posters. Cute little hand prints. Welcome to Salto. Thank you for coming to school. We are happy with you. And two of my favorites for the way they spelled my name. Welcome Jeniffer. Te queiro Yenifer. Awwwww.


I feel so loved every time I look at the wall.

Vroom Vroom

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I rode on a motorbike for my first time ever today. It was an, um, experience. I agreed to visit another school after teaching at the CERP in the morning but it is too far to walk to, so one of the other teachers offered to pick me up on her moto. Ahhh.

I put on the helmet as required by law, hopped on the back, and off we went to school. It was crazy. The girl I went with was a fine driver, but I couldn't help feeling like I was going to die to whole way there! There was virtually no protection between me and the cold hard pavement.

It seems like motor bike is the primary means of transportation here in the city of Salto. People of all ages zig zig through the streets on a moto. Personally, I'm not too eager to ride on one again, unless I am the one in the driver's seat. There's just something scary about not being in control.

Salto Grande

I went on a field trip yesterday with the sixth graders at my school. We went to Salto Grande, the dam shared by Argentina and Uruguay on the Rio Uruguay.

Next week I am going to give a presentation on the Hoover Dam in the United States so the students can work on using English comparatives and superlatives to describe the differences between the two dams. Hopefully they will be able to say things like: The Hoover Dam is bigger. The Salto Grande is prettier. The Hoover Dam is the largest. Salto Grande is the newest (or whatever adjective + er or + est).


I was probably just about as excited as the 6th graders to go on a field trip. Dams are impressive displays of human engineering to be able to harness the power of nature.

Audio Admobiles

Arrrrrgh. The apartment we are renting is right off of the principle street of Salto, Calle Uruguay. While our location is ideal, it also comes with its drawbacks. Every morning, or afternoon, or evening, (really any time I happen to be in the apartment) there are these ridiculously annoying "Audio Admobiles" that run through the streets.

They are trucks that drive at a snail's pace through the streets with a radio BLASTING out advertisements. Never music, always an overindulgent male broadcaster's voice. They pass every 10-25 minutes throughout the day with no repose. I can't imagine why there are not some noise laws or zoning regulations againt these vehicles. People who live along Calle Uruguay must go crazy.

Semana Santa

I am off to Argentina! Our apartment was already rented out for this coming week because of Semana Santa (Holy Week) also known as Semana de Turismo (Tourism Week) so we have to vacate. We chose to go to Buenos Aires because a week there is certain not to disappoint. I am very excited.

In the meanwhile, enjoy some photos of pretty Uruguayan naturaleza.


I find the ones with bright flower blossoms my favorite. We were walking to the bus station one day and I made us stop to take a photo of the flower trees and we looked up to discover a whole family watching us from the window. Whoops. I didn't mean to be a creeper.


The flowers are just so pretty. There also seems to be more interesting plant life by the river than anywhere else in the city. As you can see by the orangish-red exotic-flower looking thing above. I've asked what some of the names of these plants are but I can never catch the answer.

Pesky Mosquitos

Argh. My legs are itchy. And arms. And wrists. And feet. And neck. And ankles.

I have a million mosquitos bites all over my body. It looks like I have some sort of pox. Every morning I check to see what kind of damage the mosquitos gave me the night before. I conservatively counted 19 bites on my left leg.


I probably should've closed my window, but it was too hot to do so. I probably should've stayed under the covers at night, but it was too hot to do so. Fortunately, it seems to be cooling off.

I could really do without the mosquitos.

Down By the River

I very much enjoy taking walks along the Rio Uruguay, or rather the River Uruguay, which is about 5 blocks from our apartment. There is a little paved trail that runs along the water just for such walks. The view is spectacular.


The first week we were here we went down to the "beach" to swim a bit. The beach wasn't exactly sandy. It was more muddy and pebbly, but we braved the mud and sand to take a dip in the water. Then, as we were getting out we realized there was a big sign with a picture of a swimmer with a giant red line through him/her. Of course--the universal "no swimming" sign. It figures.


No worries though; I've seen other people swimming in the river when I'm on my walks. The sign must be there, simply because there is no lifeguard, not because there are man-eating fish in the river. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

Vista de la Ventana

Perhaps I mentioned the windows in our apartment in a former post. I love the big glass windows we have. I keep them open to let in a cool breeze, since the little thermometer on my night stand reads 93 degrees Fahrenheit (which is indoors in the shade). I thought it was supposed to be autumn here? But I'm not complaining. This is my summer.

From the windows I love watching people walking along the street below. One entire wall of my room is a window with a railing so it is more like a balcony. It's great (minus the the noise from autos, loud advertisement vehicles, and mosquitos that get in). My view is great.


I like the noise from people milling around down below too. Makes me feel like I'm really in Latin America (especially when Uruguayans start singing Cumplianos Feliz at 2 something in the morning). There's something comforting about sounds of life.

My First Day of Elementary School

One of our assignments while here is to work 3 days a week with teachers in a primary school on English instruction. My school, Escuela Numero Uno, is wonderful. The students had a special welcoming ceremony for me where they sang songs and read poetry in English. It was so special.


I can't walk down the hallway without 17 students yelling my name and running up to give me hugs and kisses. The kids are so adorable. I want to take them home with me. Watch out: I may end up coming home with 250+ kids.

Apartment Hunt

We spent all day searching for apartments in Salto. It was next to impossible to find anywhere to stay!

We'd arrive at the places, tell them we want to rent a furnished apartment for three months and they'd give us an incredulous look that said, "You want what? and for how long?" Apparently month by month leases do not exist and furnished places are rare.

Several of the places we looked at would be struggle to stay there for 3 days let alone 3 months. One had a nice big dead roach to greet us behind the door. Another had a sink in the bedroom that doubled as the "kitchen" and bedroom. Hmmm. It's amazing how exhausting searching for a place to live can be. Goodness. At least we have one place that may work. There is a glimmer of hope.


Then this evening we went to the Museo de Bellas Artes, Museo Maria Irene Olarreaga Gallino. The architect who designed the building invited us there for a dedication of the garden outside. We met several important people from the city but actually didn't realize that is what we were going to beforehand, hence why I was wearing the same sweaty clothes I had worn all day to go apartment shopping. Nice. On the bright side I loved the art. There was a hominage to Leandro Silva Delgado whose oil paintings I enjoy very much. He was born in Salto, painted lots of natural scenes, designed a bunch of gardens, and then died in Spain. He was a great Uruguayan artist.

Calle Uruguay

Calle Uruguay is the major road running through the city of Salto. Here, everyone congregates to eat, drink, shop, walk, chat, or people-watch. It's a happening street.


Uruguayans frequent Calle Uruguay to see and be seen.