Jasmine leaves

Jasmine is gone!!! Today was sooo sad. It had never hit me that she was leaving until we started walking away from the school to go home from her saying bye to the students and teachers there. I went to work an hour late after having a glass of wine. Neither of us could believe that our 2 months of Uruguay were at an end. At some points it seemed to drag on forever, and then towards the end it went much too fast.

Last night Haylee (new girl with Adelante from Cali,) Stephen (from Austrailia,) Walter (with the high schoolers from Virginia,) Jasmine and later Ryan and Kendall went out to the Radisson (the best hotel here) to hang out for Jasmine's last night. It was really nice. They had a piano bar and Stephen got some champagne for us. We talked about our experiences in Montevideo and what we liked and didn't like. It was really nice. A great last night for my roomie.

Afterwards we walked around in Ciudad Vieja and then went to have hot chocolate and waffles with dulce de leche on 18 de Julio. This morning Jasmine and I took a picture with Maria and after she said her goodbyes she was gone. Stephen wants to take me out somewhere nice before I go, but other than that I am counting down the days. It's just not the same without my roomie!!

Making the best of things

If nothing else, I have learned how to make the best of circumstances that seem bleak and endless while I have been abroad here in Montevideo. It began when I got sick and was stuck in bed for a week without anyone from home to reassure me.

It continued when I started going to work. When people here, and abroad in general, learn that you are from the United States of America, you become a target. They are constantly surrounded in our culture and they seem to like finding weaknesses when they meet us. I work in a room with four other women. The women here are very passive agressive and sometimes rude. I have heard them talking about me several times. Just about how I stay on my computer (God forbid I actually work) while they chat and drink mate. They are so lazy here! Or you could look at it as Americans are workaholics, which is also pretty true.

I have laughed off the idle gossip in the past. Yesterday was actually a really good day with them. I asked them about the media here and we ended up talking about what we do when we go out and common slang in our countries. They even shared mate with me and I had coffee and lemon cream pie with them. I had been praying about the awkwardness in the office and I felt my prayers were answered.

However, today was a different story. I think they forget that I can understand them. They were talking about how they always buy the milk to put in the coffee and that I should pay too. I've had coffee with them twice and usually politely refuse so I can be home on time. Of course I understood what they were saying and when they sat down I got out 10 pesos and gave it to the girl sitting nearest me and said it was for the milk, I didn't know they had to pay for it, and that I would not be having coffee today. She took the money from me silently and quickly pocketed it. I suppose women are petty no matter where you go. All I can do is pray for them. They need something (or someone) to talk about at work, and as an American I can't avoid the constant attention. As an American abroad, you just have to know how to deal with it.

I have most definately learned how to stand up for myself while I have been here. This is only one instance. I have also still been e-mailing Adelante because they have still not done anything with all our complaints. I would have never sent such harsh and thoroughly analyzed e-mails in the past. Furthermore, I have had to stand up to a guy who is here for two weeks between the completion of his medical school and residency. He has said rude or distasteful things about women, to me and to other people. Back home I would have turned a deaf ear or just given him a cold look, but here I have been bold and griped him out.

I'm not sure if it's good or bad that I have had to constantly stand up for myself, but now I can only hope and pray that it turns out to be a good thing and I can keep it under control. Studying abroad in a place that hardly any people speak your language stretches you far enough, but all the extra rude sentiments that go along with being an American abroad doesn't help too much. Especially being an American woman because they all think we're crazy nymphos from the movies they watch on cable TV. You really do have to know how to deal with animosity before going abroad as an American, but after you decide not to care it's great.

On a more positive note, things with Maria are getting better and she has been very kind to me. Kendall and Ryan moved into the school so I have been able to see more of them, which has been nice. I can't believe I only have a few more days left before I leave!

Here is a picture of 3 of my closest friends from Baylor with my mom when we stayed at my house to go on our roadtrip to San Diego, California, for Spring Break.

llagas and a shot in the cola

I have been in my small South American bed for a week now. I can say without a doubt that it was been the most painful week of my life, emotionally and physically. It is hard to be sick millions of miles away from all your loved ones. It's even more hard when you are stuck in bed and the only one to attend to you speaks another language. Only God pulled me through this last week.

I went to the doctor Monday and he gave me medicine that didn't do anything at all. It turns out that it was only homeopathic medicine that had random things like caffeine in it. The health system here is completely different and a little sketchy, as I learned the hard way. Jasmine has an internship following a doctor around and she asked him to take a look at me. I did not go to work Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and instead stayed in bed in a great deal of endless pain. I was afraid my throat was going to close up and I could eat next to nothing. I just stayed in bed. I literally stayed in bed all day. It was miserable and I wasn't getting any better.

The doctor Jasmine shadows finally came to look at me Thursday night. He looked at my throat for about two seconds and instantly his countenance dropped and he told me to get dressed to go with him to the hospital. That in itself was painful. It got worse. I had to get a penicillin shot in my cola, or butt. The needle was huge and even made Jasmine squirm. It was SOO painful and I am still sore from it. I held Jasmine's hand and she claims I almost broke her hand. He prescribed me amoxicillin and something for fever and I went home.

I was supposed to feel better the next day after the shot, but I didn't feel better at all. I was supposed to go to Colonia Saturday, but I was still miserable and not at all better. I had bought a cell phone randomly on Monday and I think it was the best thing I have done since I have been here. My parents called me every so often to check up on me. After being on strong antibiotics and the shot my family started getting worried about me. I was in such intense pain that it was hard to sleep. I would wake up after a few minutes crying from the pain. My throat looked as awful as ever.

Jasmine left Saturday for Colonia with Ryan and Kendall, and they all had a great time. This left Maria and I alone at her little casa. She gave me water to take my pills and left me alone to attempt to sleep during the day. She gave me soup for lunch sometimes. She actually ate with me during dinner and talked to me about the economic crisis in Montevideo and her kids. It was kind of comic. I tried my best to sit there and pay attention. She even whipped out six photo albums to show pictures from Brazil and Spain. Between feeling horribly sick and not knowing too much Spainsh or wanting to converse in it, I was glad to be having good conversation with Maria. And by conversation I mean sitting there in misery.

If it weren't for my family calling every so often and the occasional texts from Zena I do not think I could have pulled through. I think it made it harder to get better being so far away from my friends and family. I have learned a few things from being so sick abroad. Primarily that I could never survive if I permanently lived far from my loved ones. I physically couldn't take it.

I think I am finally beginning to feel a little better. My throat still looks awful, but I felt safe enough to leave the house to use the internet here at the school. My dad says I had strep pharyngitis, or a very bad case of strep. I came very close to coming home, but I want to see Buenos Aires first. I am about to start planning a trip there for next weekend.

Oh, and if you were wondering about the picture...my dad has been sending me random pictures from my childhood that really make my day. Here is one with me and all the females of the family. Enjoy.

Punto del Este

Today we went to Punto del Este, the most fashionable beach in South America.

Last night we went out with Jo, Karen, and the couple from Chicago, Ryan and Kendell, came too. We didn't stay too long. There seemed to only be younger people out. Apparently out kind of crowd only goes out during the weekdays. We went to eat at around 11 and didn't finish until about 2. We didn't stay too long since we had to be up for the trip today at 8 a.m. Plus I had to hide from Ashley. The most eventful things were Jasmine getting stopped for not having an id/looking under 21 and some random guy asking if I wanted a drink. Which I refused. Yeah, fun night, right.

So we had to be at the company at 8 a.m. Jasmine, me and the couple from Chicago were the only ones that went. Of course they were running late. We didn't leave until 30 minutes later. We were so tired. The bus was nice. The guide talked in Spanish and would translate a few sentences into English. Thank goodness I could understand the Spanish, even his English was terrible.

You cannot come to Uruguay without knowing any Spanish. No one knows
English.

We went through several coastal towns that were gorgeous. We went to the town of San Antonio's patronage. Punto del Este was beautiful. I could see why all the rich and famous go there, even if it was freezing.

All the houses have a nameplate with the name its owners gave it instead of street numbers. There were some very interesting names. I saw Tejas Azul and Tejas Verde. People here love Texas.

In the beach there is what looks like a hand coming out of the sand that is very famous. It signifies South America rising from its economic crisis. There is an anchor in another place that marks the line between the Rio de Plata and the Ocean. We left after eating at Johnny Walker and then left to go home. Maria made us empanadas that are waiting for us back at home.

Speaking of Maria (our house mom.) She is a total punk. She is only hosting us for the money. She told Jasmine not to tell the school she was leaving early because she wouldn't be paid on the very first day she met her. That is ridiculous. The other day we had used her phone to make a 30 second phone call to Karen at the school. We asked to use it again yesterday and she went off on Jasmine. She told her that it wasn't included and was really rude about it.

In addition, the other day she made us asado (their form of barbecue.) It was absolutely amazing by the way. But it was totally ruined when she came and chewed Jasmine out for eating ribs with her hands. I mean, it would have been maybe okay if she had just said something gently and dropped it, but she was extremely rude and condescending about it. I still like her.

I think she is just old and set in her ways and can't help looking down on those who are different from her. I will be praying for her.

Today Jasmine and I got to know Kendell and Ryan better and hopefully we will be seeing more of them. Neither of them know too much Spanish and Uruguay is not English-friendly so it's nice to help them out.