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Montevideo, Uruguay

In the end of my freshman year/early sophomore year of college I made the easy decision to study abroad. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would not pursue this for a semester during my college years. Isn't that what hundreds of thousands of college students do each year? I have not done any research on this topic of college students studying abroad, by all means, but I'd imagine that it is quite popular throughout college campuses - in the United States. I had already had the opportunity to study abroad for a year as an exchange student in Cochabamba, Bolivia upon my graduation from high school. I loved it. I was hooked. I couldn't wait to do it again. My undergraduate university, SUNY Binghamton, has an Office for of International Programs and I knew that I could find a program for me. But I couldn't find the exact program that I was looking for - a semester in a Latin American country where I could study in Spanish. Now I can't remember exactly how I went about finding a university to help me get to my destination: somewhere in Latin America, but I did. I do know that I actually studied abroad through the Latin American Studies Southern Cone Program at SUNY Plattsburgh. Since both of these universities are in the same SUNY (State University of New York) system, it was easy for me to go through their program. I knew I wanted to study abroad, I knew I wanted to go to Latin America, and I knew that I wanted to go through SUNY (it was easier to transfer credits, deal with financial aid, etc.). So that's exactly what I did.  


I almost went to Chile. In fact that is where I had planned to go once I decided on the above stated program in the Southern Cone. So how did I end up in Montevideo? It turned out to be an easy choice. I knew something about Chile; Uruguay was unknown territory to me, much like Bolivia had been. My other option in this particular study abroad program would have been Argentina, but that is probably the most well known country in the Southern Cone of South America and being the adventurer that I am, that could not be an option for me. I wanted to go to a country that I knew nothing about. Again, that's exactly what I did. In the spring semester of my sophomore year, I went to study Anthropology and Spanish in the Spanish language in Montevideo for 6 months. I wasn't looking to learn Spanish because I already knew it; I was looking to improve and challenge myself.


One of the images that I distinctly remember that attracted me to Uruguay was the Casa Puebla in Punta Ballena (Punta del Este). Rest assured that I visited here. It truly is a breathtaking sight, especially at sunset. I'd say that this landmark attracted me to Uruguay much like the Teatro Amazonas later attracted me to Manaus.

I attended La Universidad Catolica del Uruguay in Montevideo where I studied a Portuguese language class (yeah! :), the History of Uruguay, Uruguayan Literature (very interesting and absolutely beautiful poetry, short stories, and novels), and an Anthropology class. Spanish and Anthropology were my majors in college. I did not want to miss out on my credits for my majors, as well as my minor in International Studies, so I made sure to keep myself on track in this aspect. Each of these classes was given in Spanish with the exception of the Portuguese class, taught by two Brazilian instructors, of which one still remains in contact with me today. My Spanish, which was already quite good, improved immensely and I even acquired the distinct Uruguayan accent. I had friendly, openhearted, and fun housemates. I made friends at school and with other international students, I dated a Uruguayan, and really got to travel like I never had before. It was an unforgettable, exciting time in my life.


I took a ceramics art class that I found through the university, I volunteered at a local English language institute (even participating in a workshop), I traveled to Buenos Aires a couple of times and around Uruguay with friends and housemates, and went shopping often. The exchange rate at the time was definitely in my favor, and as I had earned a scholarship prior to my departure, I think that my plane ticket only cost me $100. During my stay in Uruguay I visited Brazil twice - Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro - and this is where my love for that country grew. I learned how to make mate like a Uruguayan and my appetite for meat and Italian food also increased. 


I will always hold a special place for Uruguay and its citizens in my heart. I believe that I became even more independent during my semester study abroad in the Southern Cone and on a personal note I know for a fact that I grew as an individual. 


Uruguay, siempre te voy a querer mucho.

Turns out there are 8

And so it is....7 suitcases is not enough. It has to be 8. We've already had to make adjustments  as far as what, and how much, we can take with us. But now we have to do it again - in the sense that we had to buy another suitcase. We realistically cannot take all that we had planned in just 7 bags. Although we don't want to pay more for excess baggage (which in the end will fall on my employer), it's better to pay now than to later go in search of the perfect coffee maker (that we already own), among other personal belongings and household items.


I'd prefer to spend $100 now rather than have to go shopping in Brazil where everyone says that many kitchen appliances, for instance, are over priced and at the same time made of low quality material. And this way, moving with 7 suitcases, we should end up with a bit of extra space for more towels, bedding, shirts for me!, and other miscellaneous items that I didn't want to leave behind (i.e. Sebastian's comfortable bed. He'll need something from home, too). I just wonder how we're going to get this all to the airport. Thanks to our friend who will help us get there. We'll have 8 suitcases, 2 carry ons, 2 personal items, and a (crying?) cat. Wish us luck!


Back to our suitcases....each one cannot exceed 70 lbs or we'll be charged extra (which defeats the purpose of us having to add one more bag into the mix). So how do you know if your bag is the appropriate weight? Well, we know that our bathroom scale won't work because it's too small. Only the smallest suitcases will fit. So we've been taking our suitcases to our local grocery store (Publix) since they have a large scale for the public to use. With our first 3 weighed bags we were in luck. They were between 63 - 69 lbs (of course we added weight to the lightest one); however, the 4th weighted 91 lbs! I had to take out heavy items from that one and that's when we knew we need another bag. We'll have to reweigh that bag to make sure that it's no more than 70 lbs. 


So we've completed most our shopping and packing at this point (living in Orlando means outlet malls and shopping malls everywhere). We also have about a week and a half before we're out. I think we've sold our TV, we have a pending cancellation on our TV/Internet, we only have one car and one phone to take care of, I've cancelled credit cards, changed our address with the post office, and we've bought a new carry on bag for me. I learned the hard way that the bag I had planned to take as a carry on to Brazil will not work. It only has straps; I need a rolling piece of luggage, so that's what we bought. If I'm carrying a purse with a laptop and Sebastian, I cannot lug around a bag like I did to New York.  



I'll feel more relaxed once we have at least 6 of our bags packed, weighed, and waiting in the corner ready to be moved (we're about half way there now). This way I can focus on the smaller things as well as spending time with our friends, like the Girl's Night Out coming up this weekend. We're almost there folks! :)

JFK Runway Becomes Turtle Crossing

Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson Sign On for More Season of 'Idol'

Steven Tyler and longtime 'Idol' vet Randy Jackson are both set to return to the small screen next season, E! Online confirms. But what about J.Lo?
Jennifer Lopez has been vocal about her hesitance to return to the judges' table, and currently she's the only one holding out to announce whether or not she'll come back to the Fox talent show next season...


"I don't know," Lopez told BBC Radio earlier this month about her 'Idol' return. "I haven't been forced to make a decision and I'm glad about that because honestly I'm very on the fence about it."

Days later, she talked about her judging gig on the UK talk show, 'Alan Carr: Chatty Man.'

"I have not decided whether I'm going back yet. It's not time [to decide] and I have a lot of things happening. And I really got to decide whether I'm going to do a film or if I'm gonna go on tour or if I'm going back to TV," she said. "I really don't know yet."

Maybe now that her fellow judges are game for another season, Lopez will make her mind up one way or another.

"'Idol' has resurrected [Lopez's] much-stalled music career," a music exec told PopEater. "Likewise, 'Idol' didn't fall apart when Simon [Cowell] left and Jennifer has to get some of the credit for that. But let's also remember the show didn't increase in ratings and that is also thanks to J.Lo."

Aaron Carter Reveals Michael Jackson Gave Him Cocaine At 15!!!

In a new interview, Aaron Carter briefly but shockingly opens up about his friendship with musical legend Michael Jackson. He's never spoken much about the man and mentor he knew as a young man, but he reveals that MJ introduced him to not only good music, but also drugs and alcohol.
When asked if Michael had ever given him alcohol, Aaron siad:
"I never talked about it…
This is the first time. I do… I miss Michael… I have spent such incredible times with him. I did things with him that nobody else did…
But I was also troubled about what he did to me … Yes, he gave me wine. I mean, I could have refused, but I was 15."

When he was pressed further for more information, Aaron dropped this bomb:

"He gave me cocaine. I felt weird about that and other stuff… We spoke afterwards, hours and hours, on the phone. I admired Michael, but his behaviour bothered me a lot. Then my mother called the police…"

Via: Perezhilton.com

Chris Brown joins the #Planking Club,lol

Looks like Chris Brown aka Chris Breezy Got In To #Planking also,lol. This planking movement is getting out of control peeeeople LMAO! Check him out Planking away after the jump......

Cory Gunz - Outta My Mind (Official Music Video)

Here is a new Music video from Cory Gunz off one of the songs we heard on his ""Son of a Gun" show (which I miss watching,cmon MTV we need a new season!) song is called  "Outta My Mind". Watch the video after the jump....

Photo

Istrazivacka stanica Petnica

Wordless Wednesday: International Schools

As I'm moving to Brazil to teach at an international school in the country's capital, I thought I'd show a few  pictures of international schools found worldwide. I love the idea of an international (especially bilingual) education and I celebrate diversity, multiculturalism, knowledge, multilingualism, and peace.

American International School of Costa Rica

The Lycee des Pontonniers (France)

International School of Perth (Western Australia)

Singapore American School

Floyd Mayweather In NYC Jewelry Shopping

 Check out who we saw yesterday in New York City  Shopping.
Floyd Mayweather was spotted at Flawless Jewelry .Check out photos after the jump......

A Fare Slice

In 1980, New Yorker Eric Bram noticed that for twenty years the price of a subway token had tended to match the price of a slice of pizza. Thirty years later, his hypothesis still holds true. The question we wanted answered is WHY. Are the MTA and the various supposedly independent pizza shops involved in collusion - or who's taking their pricing cues from who? And what about the dollar pizza spots that have been popping up all over Manhattan recently -- could these be predicting a lower cost transit authority appearing in our future? Watch this video after the jump....