To start to know a country, see how its past bleeds into public space. Last weekend, Uruguay celebrated Días del Patrimonio, two days in which museums and cultural centers in Montevideo and the rest of the country threw open their doors and Ministries housed in historical buildings gave guided tour[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Uruguay’
Sowing the Seeds of Good Intentions
Back in July, I signed on to participate in a volunteer project through Montevideo’s Universidad de la Católica. Their extension office has a well-run program for their students in which the they identify local opportunities, match volunteers into groups, and guide them throughout the semeste[...]
August 26th, 2010 - 8:05 am § in Tips & Resources
Pre-Departure Checklist
I’m packing my bags. My college roommate gets married on Saturday, and I’ll be darned if I miss it. Despite the fact I’m technically already traveling, and at one point my belongings here filled two suitcases, this trip will involve transit through four countries via bus, boat, two[...]
Dreaming of Rainbow Sheep
In May, I attended Uruguay’s first gay marriage. It was an accident: we overshot a restaurant on the Calle Sarandí and found ourselves amidst unfurling pride flags and a loudspeaker declaring “los mismos derechos para los mismos nombres.” It was, admittedly, also a publicity stunt. Urugua[...]
It Isn’t What It Isn’t (So What Is It?)
One of the common questions I get asked here in Uruguay is, “Is it what you expected?” A while ago I met a German student who had elected to volunteer here in her gap year. Yes, she liked it, but no, it wasn’t what she expected: she had assumed all of Latin America was warm [...][...]
A Side of Books With My Carrots, Please
Uruguay and neighbor Argentina routinely boast the highest adult literacy rates in Latin America, around 98%. Behind the statistic lie the tables after tables of books at Montevideo’s Sunday market, itself on a street lined with antique shops and used bookstores; behind the statistic wait the [...]
