Hace calor.

I have just finished my first whole week in South America! We started classes this week so it feels a little more real that I will be living here for the next 4 months. I'm still in vacation mode which isn't so great for getting homework done.. So I started my spanish classes at la Universidad Catolica. Yikes. Sitting in a classroom for 3 hours listening and speaking only spanish is exhausting. I have lots to learn. BUT I can roll my r's now. I just have to put it into a word..still working on it. On Wednesday we took a bus tour of Montevideo and saw a lot of historical landmarks..pictures below. We also made a stop to a bakery called Leon Dior. DELICIOUS. Pretty much any tiny dessert you can think of. Don't worry..we definitely indulged. Yesterday marked the beginning of Carnaval. Carnaval is the Mardi Gras of South America. It was insane. Kids were running around wild in the streets spraying silly string, shaving cream, and confetti. There were parades of musical groups with very interesting costumes. Some along the risque side. One group played "Ladies Choice" from Hairspray (in spanish of course). To see pictures look at Leigh or Catie's blog. Well my brain is pretty much on overload so I'm having trouble remembering details. Tootles.
OH and a piece of advice. Do NOT look Uruguayans in the eye..especially men. Oops.

Sunburned.

I love Montevideo. I'm kind of getting the hang of speaking spanish but I have MUCH to learn. I'm in the process of learning how to roll my r's. I can do it, but not consistently and rolling my r's in an actual word..bah. The Uruguayans teaching me think it's funny. I will be able to do it once this semester is over. Promise. Today I found the absolutely MOST precious kitten I have ever seen. It was tied up on leash! I looked at it and it started walking to me. I literally almost cried. Curtis told me not to touch it but I did anyway. El gatito was just so darn cute! :) Definitely worth getting rabies. After walking around town most of the day we finally got to go lay out at the beach! The beaches are nice, the water not so much. The "no littering" law does not exist in Uruguay. Therefore, there is trash all in the water. Yuck. Tomorrow we want to go to the beach in the next town over because they are more secluded and a lot cleaner. I definitely need to lay out because my legs are reflecting the sun. All in all I stick out like a sore thumb among all the tan locals. Ugh. The hardships of being a rehead. Instead of tanning I burned. No surprise. But hopefully it will turn into a tan :) Tonight we got to tour la iglesia de cristo which used to be a coffee shop. We got to go on the roof (I was waiting for this all week) and I got some really good pictures! The kids from the youth group ate dinner with us and afterwards we went to the park. At the park I got to experience zumba! Zumba is a bunch of music and dancing. I don't know how to describe it. Let's just say these dancers could shake it. We then made our way to a local pool hall and played with the guys from the youth group. It was so much fun! I love all the people of the youth group! They are all super nice and willing to help with my spanish. It's hard to understand sometimes but I'm picking it up. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Bienvenidos!

After a day and a half of driving, flying, delays, and more flying we finally made it to Montevideo, Uruguay Thursday afternoon. It's summer here so it is absolutely beautiful! We started off our afternoon with a "scavenger hunt" throughout the city. Let's just say I was a little overwhelmed. Being directionally challenged and knowing VERY little spanish is not a great combo. We ended the day by eating at Mercado de la Abundancia where I was able to experience the most amazing Uruguayan dish. Chivitos. Oh. My. Goodness. It was absolutely delicious. A chivito is a thin hamburger patty (sort of) topped with ham, bacon, and a fried egg. WOW. I also must say that Raquel and Mariela (our cooks at casa ACU) are incredible cooks. I may be gaining a few pounds while I'm here..oops. Today we got to explore the Plaza Independencia, which is la ciudad vieja (the old city). The architecture is amazing. Everything is so beautiful. We were able to spend all day exploring, taking pictures..courtesy of Leigh and Catie..going to museums, and walking..a lot. Unfortunately one of our professors (tia) got mugged! Tia is tough so she chased the boy down and finally got her purse back. It scared everyone though. Overall I have a lot of spanish to learn and I definitely need to be able to find my way around the city. But it's only the first day..