The day started out normal. All the students going to Oxford and Montevideo got on the bus for the 3 hour drive to DFW airport. It took a long time to get through customs and security, but we made it. After a quick 3 hour flight (where most of us fell asleep), we landed at Miami International Airport. As soon as we boarded the plane to Montevideo, those rusty spanish skills came into the light. We met many Uruguayan people on the plane and talked to them about why we were going to Montevideo and about the city itself. This is when the complications start.
After sitting on the plane for an hour, we were promptly told that the plane was broken so the flight was delayed until 11am. The. next. day. At this point, all I wanted to do was get to Uruguay and calm my nerves, but God had a different plan in mind. Our professor, his wife, and the 7 students got on a shuttle to Holiday Inn. Luckily, a few of us realized that we were stranded in Miami for a night, so naturally we called an Uber to take us to South beach. What a night! At 2am on a Wednesday night, Miami was vibrant with life. Not only was the night a lot of fun, but we got to practice our Spanish with our Uber drivers, so it was also educational.
Unfortunately, staying out late makes waking up at 7 am a little difficult, but doable. Luckily, we had plenty of time to nap because our flight was delayed AGAIN until 1. FInally, we boarded the plane and flew a safe flight to Montevideo.
We made it through immigration and customs with no problem around 1 in the morning. Paula and Diego, two of the MIS (Montevideo International Students) workers met us at the airport and took us to Contutti, the beautiful house we are staying in. By the time we showered and got settled in, it was 4 in the morning.
About 3 hours later, we woke up to begin exploring the city.
As a part of the Spanish immersion, we are only spoken to in Spanish, which, if you're like me and the hardest thing for you is understanding what you hear, makes things a little difficult. A group from Spain came with us on our tour of Plaza de Indepencía and the Old town. Montevideo is beautiful and unlike most Latin American cities. Uruguay has a heavy European influence which shows in it's architecture. After a long day of walking and sightseeing, we returned to Contutti and napped. Hard. (Ciesta Fiesta!) When we woke up, MIS held a Welcome barbecue, Uruguayan style, for us! Overall, I am loving Montevideo and all it has to offer, even though classes started on Monday.
