Our Second Week - Daily Life

The Staff & Students at La Herradura School






We've now successfully completed our second week at La Herradura Spanish language school. I'm finding it easier to understand Spanish - at least the carefully spoken Spanish of our teachers - but I am discovering that speaking the language is a whole lot more difficult. This week I have had ample opportunities to practice my Spanish though. First, since the fridge at the school is not very large and is shared by other students, I have to go shopping almost everyday. Within an 8 block radius of the school I can find just about everything we need. There are lots of little fruit and veggie stands in the neighborhood, and then there is the Disco, an Uruguayan supermarket chain. I'm getting a bit more comfortable with asking basic questions, but I had my first very embarrassing experience when, after they had rung through all of my groceries, I discovered that I didn't have enough pesos. Of course there was a nice long line behind me as I fumbled through the assorted pockets in my purse and coat, to no avail. Ultimately the checker had to call over the supervisor and we had to put back some items. This is an unpleasant experience in the U.S., but when no one speaks your language and everyone is asking you questions in rapid fire Spanish, it is doubly so. Needless to say, I now always check to make sure I have enough pesos before going anywhere.
(Genevieve at the Ecotienda food coop)







I was happy to discover that there is a little health food store in the neighborhood. However, I had to first figure out how to get in. The sign said it was open but the door was locked. There was a sign with an arrow and some words I didn't recognize pointing towards the corner. Maybe there door was over there. No luck. I decided that they must be closed and decided to try the next day. The next day, same thing, I could even see the girl behind the counter. Fortunately at that moment someone came up and rang an outside bell (that's what the arrow was pointing to!) and in we went. Health food in Uruguay is the way health food was in the 1970's in the U.S. - very few convenience items. Everything is either put by the store into small bags with the weight and price, or is kept in bulk in large bins. Some of the items require trying to explain to the salesperson how much is needed. I was able to find rolled oats, unsweetened corn flakes, cornmeal, rice crackers, and some herbs and spices that I had been unable to find at the Disco in this store, so I was happy. Later in the week we discovered about 15 blocks away from our school, the Ecotienda, a natural food coop. This store, in addition to the types of items found in the store close to my house, had fresh homemade yogurts, breads, cheeses, and assorted fruits and veggies (all organic). Again, shopping there required lots of communication. Which type? How many kilos? etc. Very few people here speak any English, so I'm forced to figure out how to explain everything using my limited vocabulary. Language issues aside, however, I have to confess I am really enjoying and appreciating the rhythm of life here. For those of you as old as I am, remember the mom and pop stores of your childhood? - the neighborhood candy store, bakery, dime store, toy store, etc? - well it's still like that here. No Wal-Mart or K-Mart that you have to drive across town to reach, there are mostly just smaller shops here, and almost everything you need for everyday life is within walking distance. In addition, almost anything you want can be delivered to you at almost no extra cost. (I haven't attempted that yet.) People walk everywhere, at all hours. Walking home at 10:00 or 11:00p.m. feels perfectly safe, there are lots of normal looking people still about on the streets. Even though this is a city of 1.2 million people, it really has more of a small town feel to it.

(Houses in Montevideo, An auto garage, Looking across the street from the roof, Laundry drying on our roof)












































Another big difference between home and here is the process of doing laundry. Most people don't have dryers. They are an expensive luxury. Instead, they dry their clothes outside. In the city, that usually means using the roof. At the school there is a washing machine, but no dryer. This past week was quite cold and wet. (Like some of the damp winter days in San Luis Obispo.) However, I really needed to get some laundry done. Finally on Tuesday it was sunny when I woke up. I ran a load of laundry, hung it up on the clothes lines on the roof and started another load. This second load was not dry before the end of the day, so I left it up over night. Big mistake! That night we had a "La Tormenta" (think thunder and lightening with gale force winds.) All night I had difficulty sleeping knowing that my laundry was up on the roof and that by morning it might be half way across the city. Sure enough, in the morning when I checked, most of it had indeed blown down and was drenched and dirty. Fortunately only one towel blew away, and that ended up on the neighbors roof. Julia recovered it for me. By the end of the week, the weather improved and I was able to complete my laundry, but doing laundry here definitely requires a bit more planning and thought.

There is lots more I could say, but I don't want to make my post unbearably long. At this point I think that one or two posts a week are about all I'm up to writing. Perhaps I'll have time for one more tomorrow, otherwise, next week I'll write again. Until then, chau!!