Greetings from Montevideo, Uruguay. Time here has been flying and I am little afraid that 5 months is not enough. During my stay I came to realize how huge South America is and how little I know about it. Uruguay itself is manageable since it’s so small and has less people than Finland.
I have a lot free time outside the classes since most of the studying is being done at home. Although it seems like I have no time since I am always doing something or going somewhere. Also University is not expecting exchange students at least in my career to participate to mandatory tasks. Most of the students also work part time in order to make ends meet. It is easier to fit in than in Finland since there are so few hours in University. No one has been able to explain to me how normal people can live here since some of the food is more expensive than in Finland but by working full time the pay is less than what people in Finland get by doing nothing.
My spare time I have been spending a lot of time with my new friends. Most of them are exchange students but that is because they also have a lot of time. To my defense at least I do the effort of using Spanish also with people who do speak English.. Now I know my next holiday destinations since I need to visit my friends in Brazil and Mexico.
Beach in Punta del Este and my first time riding a horse in countryside
Everyday things have been an adventure and I am happy I have time to discover these things. For example, it took me three weeks to find milk in the supermarket since I didn’t want to ask a one more stupid question. I used my stupid questions for other things like how to stop a bus once you are on it. At last I found the milk, and lots of it, in plastic bags. Asking for help or directions is getting easier since I now stand a chance of understanding the answer. Uruguayans are genuinely nice and helpful people. Most of the time they not only tell you where to go but also tell you all the options and history of the place. I am pretty sure most of them would accompany me to help me to find something on the other side of the country if I would just ask. I have been delighted to find out also how easy it is to pay with a card and that paying with my card I can get a discount especially in restaurants. Mobile internet is also working really well and it is surprisingly cheap. I paid first month only 4 euros for my phone and after that little more since I noticed it is so cheap that I can use it more.
The best way to g
et affordable food: markets. This one was on my street every Wednesday.
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