I have been here for over 3 months; which on paper doesn’t look very long, but it definitely feels long. For me, October was very stubborn. A lot of my time was feeling uncomfortable, tired, bored, impatient. It was a struggle to be in such a deep situation and not know why, or what I am here to do.
Now, there are definitely still downs but I’m pretty certain in saying that I genuinely feel happy and supported at the stage I am at. I think right now I am healing and putting to rest all the differences and difficulties. It’s a little crazy to me how much support I have from all over the world.
Since next week is the last week of school, the weekdays here have been pretty boring. I usually go to the park or the beach or the store just to get out of the house. But I’ve promised myself that every weekend I will do something meaningful and memorable. So here are my weekends:
October 16-17
With my scouts group we did a little campout in the scouts building. We did some really cool activities and got to know each other more. We’ve started planning a week of camping in January which we’re really excited for!
October 23-24
I got together with all the other exchange students in Ciudad de la Costa, and our coordinator. We had ice cream on a rainy day and spent quite a few hours talking about our lives here. I know every exchange student can relate to the fact that talking to other exchange students is super therapeutic. Even though we’ve only seen each other a few times since we got here I feel more close to them than pretty much anyone else.
October 30-31
I went to scouts, and then returned home and spent time with the family, the grandma, uncle, aunt, and some cousins. Then when they left, another exchange student from Germany, Elise, came over and we got ready for a Halloween party at one of my friends' houses. It wasn’t much of a party, more like a get-together, or as they say here a “joda”. We went home at like 4am and slept in until like 11. Then we went to the mall with my host family and ate some really good stromboli sandwiches and churros with chocolate. Even though we didn't get to celebrate Halloween very much (we didn't even have costumes), this weekend with Elise was actually super fun. It was also the first time one of my friends came to our house!
November 6-7
A super busy weekend! I went to meet some exchange students from Finland who were staying in Montevideo for the weekend and we had a blast. So much so that after I returned from my scouts meeting we got together again, this time with another exchange student from Iceland and went ice skating. Then we ended up going to a little bar (since at midnight the restaurants aren’t open) and having dinner. We had so much fun and ended up getting home at like 5am to sleep. The next morning I got up at about 9 and went to a big street market with my friends from scouts. This market was super cool and you can literally find anything at these things, from live goldfish to fresh squeezed juice. Then we went to eat lunch at a mall/plaza thing. After this I took the bus from Montevideo to a part of Ciudad de la Costa called Parque del Plata and had another lunch with my family. We ended up getting home at like 9pm and I went straight to bed because I had only slept 4 hours the night before.
November 13-15
My first time going to a club (legally)! I love that the legal age here is 18 because I get to go out with my friends to dance, which is a significant part of the culture here among young people. Again we ended up finishing around 5am and since the club was on the beach we got to watch the sunrise from the beach. I slept at my friend's house in Montevideo, had lunch with her and her family, and then we went to scouts. Then on Sunday my host dad was gone so my host mom made an asado (Uruguayan barbecue) for my host sister and I. That night we all went out for ice cream and went to the beach during the sunset.
November 19-21
Finally, this past weekend I got to relax a little bit and spend time with the family. On Friday I finally got to go pick up my Uruguayan ID card! Since we had to go to Ciudad Vieja, which is about an hour by bus, my host dad and I took advantage of the trip and he gave me a small tour of the city, which is one of my favorite cities in Uruguay so far. On Saturday I went to scouts after having lunch with my host family at the grandmas house, and then Sunday went to Parque del Plata again to have lunch with some of the extended family. Then, since it was really hot, my host parents took me to the beach so I could swim. The beach was packed full of people. And the waves here in Canelones are kind of sad, because its more like a bay between Uruguay and Argentina than a real ocean. But I was really happy to be able to swim on a hot day and enjoy the sunset on the beach with my host parents.
This Friday most of Uruguay has the last day of school, so I’m super excited what’s in store for me when summer really starts.
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