New Year's Eve Rainbow... the promise of things to come
Actually, to be fair, I haven’t actually had all that much meat. It’s actually been a LOT of starch and my body has been less than happy with the unbalanced meals I’ve had. Rice, potatoes, noodles, calzone, pizza… a few vegetables and the slightest bit of meat. Mostly salami and hot dogs.
Mmmm.*
*note sarcasm.
Yeah, Uruguay. Everything I expected and nothing I had hoped for. I moved to Uruguay to work for a small, boutique hostel in Punta del Diablo. While I enjoyed the people I worked with, the area was a bit tough to get used to – a mere 700 or so residents, none of whom ever have any intention of inviting you to dinner or getting to know you. This was not the welcoming community I had hoped for. But alas, I went to learn and learn I did. I now know what I don’t want and that, in and of itself, is invaluable information.
Fire! Let’s see, I was evacuated from a movie theatre that caught on fire, the bus terminal burned down a couple of weeks after that (wasn’t there for that one) and in Cabo Polonio, the hotel just down from burned down. I’ve never been anywhere near a burning building, and now there’s three of them in 3 short months. Odd thing is, before I moved to Uruguay, when I was cleaning out my house, I kept telling myself, “At least you have a choice what to keep; you could have lost it all in a fire.” Some sort of sign?
- La Pedrera. Beautiful, scenic, good company. I should have lived here. By far some of the best beach scenery and architecture I had seen. And there were trees! I was so tired of brown sand and dunes, it was fantastic to have lots of green and trees to complement the sand.
- $6 wash and style. $8 manicures and pedicures. Need I say more?
- All the amazing people I met at the hostel. Some truly interesting folks came through there. I managed to spend a day with Danu in La Plata, Argentina (sister city to Louisville), Brenda is responsible for me now living in Peru and I’m looking forward to seeing a few other folks here in Cusco as they make their way through South America.
- Sand. Nope, not gonna miss it. Not really a beach person, but dunes and sandy living and never feeling quite clean… nope, not gonna miss that at all.
- Beautiful sunrises. Most folks who know me would be surprised to know that I became more of a morning person while I was there, often working the 6am shift (which I loved). Got to see the sunrise every morning – as well as the parade of drunks coming home from the disco at 7am. It was sort of like my own little show out the front window.
All in all, Uruguay was necessary in getting me where I am now. It was the “kick in the pants” I needed to start realizing my dream of living outside the US. With that chapter behind me, I move forward with Peru and look forward to the many adventures that life will bring me here.
