Montevideo: Day Two

Waking up in -3 degrees Celsius weather inside a warm bed on our second day in Montevideo turned out to be quite a challenge, but the thought of exploring this foreign beautiful country woke us right up. We all shivered our way to breakfast and were received with the warm hospitality from the sisters because they provided us with hot water and milk so that we could make ourselves either tea or coffee. They also fed us bread with some out-of-this-world jelly. After our delicious breakfast we met Florencia, the resident coordinator of our stay, who gave us details about our very long and exciting day.

We, first visited the national soccer  stadium, but unfortunately it was closed so we did not get the chance to go in. We managed to get to our mini-bus with frozen faces and continued our adventure. Next, we arrived to El Palacio Legeslativo de Uruguay (Congress building). We were given a tour, and we were all in awe observing the intricate architecture inside the building. Our tour guide explained that most of Montevideo contains influences of Italian and Spanish cultures; Uruguay's congressional building was designed by an Italian architect to resemble classic Italian structures.  After this amazing experience we travelled to a Jesuit school, Colegio Sagrado Corazon, which was Florencia's school as a little girl. As we wandered around the school, we slowly strolled by a classroom filled with fourteen year old kids. Now, imagine how girls and maybe boys react when they see Justin Beiber or the band One Direction. The kids had the same reaction when we passed by because they ignored the teacher completely and we became their main focus. We felt like celebrities! They smiled and waved at us, so the teacher allowed us to visit her classroom. We felt very special because the kids received us with open hands, although they had never seen us before. After this thrilling experience, we travelled to Old Town Montevideo, the original and oldest part of the city as the name indicates. Florencia gave us basic Uruguayan history and we visited the tomb and statue of Artigas, a very important figure in the independence of Uruguay. After, visiting a few jaw-dropping cathedrals, eating some lunch, and doing some shopping ( yes, boys like to shop too!), we visited Teatro Solis where we were given another beautiful tour. We then boarded a very crowded bus and learned the basic techniques of how to position our bodies so that more people can be crammed into a tiny space. We returned to the Catholic retreat house and had some delicious hot chocolate and bread. We then walked to a mall where we encountered young American teachers, Fulbright scholars teaching English in Uruguay, and had a very pleasant conversation. Finally, we sprinted back to our retreat home, for we were late for dinner and had a wonderful meal consisting of delicious rice, soup, pizza, and salad. Now we are getting ready for a new adventure because tomorrow we will be traveling to El Dorado, a small rural town approximately 20 miles from Montevideo where our true work and adventures begin.

Salvador Gutierrez