TOP 10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT URUGUAY

I’m having a hard time being concise and organized with my blogging these days so I’m going to fall back on listing.

10. Interesting Fact: One Laptop Per Child. Every child between 6-12 receives a free laptop from the government.

9. Amazing Seafood 

8. Punta  del Este: It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen the beach, so it was just bonus when we got to see one of Uruguay’s top tourist attractions: the giant hand coming out of the sand.

 

7. Estancias: we went on a field trip to a “ranch,” with beautiful landscapes and best of all, llamas!!

6. Karaoke in Ciudad Vieja in Montevideo: we made it out to a karaoke bar one night and discovered that several Fulbrighters are very good singers (not being sarcastic here). Additionally, all of the Uruguayans who got up to sing sounded professional. Not your typical karaoke experience…

5. Asado (translate: grilling out!! Terrific meat (see steak and blood sausage below) in Uruguay, just as in Argentina

4. Tannat wine: red grape considered the national grape of Uruguay. The Tannat vine was introduced to Uruguay by Basque settlers, especially Pascual Harriague, in the 19th century. Today it is often blended with Pinot noir and Merlot and is made in a variety of styles including those reminiscent of Port and Beaujolais. The Tannat wines produced here are characterized by more elegant and softer tannins and blackberry fruit notes. The newer vines tend to produce more powerful wines with higher alcohol levels but less acidity and complex fruit characteristics. (wikipedia)

 

3. Gnocchis, which are traditionally eaten on the 29th of every month.

2. Soccer! Uruguay is moving on to the next level in the Copa America and did pretty well in the World Cup last year for such a small country—only ~3 million people live in Uruguay.

 

1. Chivitos: This is Uruguay’s national sandwich: steak, ham, cheese, bacon plus every other condiment and topping you can think of on a bun. Amazing. Of course, I had to experience the culture and go for it. I don’t understand how the U.S. is the fattest country with sandwiches that exist like this…           

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Montevideo, Uruguay!

So in addition to being incredibly blessed to be here in Mendoza, the Fulbright staff organized a mid-year conference for all of the English Teaching Assistants in Argentina, Uruguay, Costa Rica and Panama in Montevideo. We arrived on Sunday and on Monday and Tuesday we each spent ~15 minutes presenting on each of our placements, how we’ve become involved in the community, teaching strategies, struggles and successes, etc. It may sound incredibly boring, but to all of us (or at least me), it was so helpful and encouraging to hear how other people have struggled through similar situations as me and also to hear how creative and resourceful they’ve been in handling certain predicaments (i.e. try discussing Osama bin Laden, U.S. politics, etc. to someone outside of the U.S.) We also learned a lot of good teaching techniques from an ESL teacher….for anyone who is teaching ESL, check out her website:

Then came Wednesday and Thursday, the highlights of the week. Wednesday we went to a local middle school (to be honest, middle schoolers scare me so I wasn’t really looking forward to this) and it was incredibly fun. The exchange organizers gave so much energy for all the activities, it was impossible not to be excited and have fun. The students taught us how to make gnocchi (which they always eat on the 29th of every month) and we taught them how to make chocolate chip cookies (which turned out pretty bad…). We also did a “20 Aspects of American Culture” presentation and they did a “20 Aspects of Uruguay Culture.”

 

More on our trip to an Estancia later!

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Visitors to Mendoza!

I need to play a little catch-up….so three weeks ago, several Fulbrighters came to visit Gillian and I here in Mendoza. In all, there are approximately 20 Fulbright English Teaching Assistants throughout Argentina. Below from left to right: Grant Berry who is from Kansas City, Missouri and teaches in Rio Cuarto; Anna Gitterman who is from Rockville, Maryland and teaches in San Luis; me…from Raleigh, North Carolyn and teaching in Mendoza; Alex Gibson who is from Chicago and teaches in Bahia Blanca and of course, Gillian Goodrich who is from Bozeman, Montana and teaches in San Martin (just outside Mendoza)

Luckily, Gillian is a perfect hostess and planned a fun filled weekend for our friends, including a visit to a olive oil factory! She’s made friends with some entrepreneurs in San Martin who are trying to start up an olive oil factory/hotel/restaurant. Very exciting for the small town…we actually posed for a photo shoot for them. We were happy to oblige as the photo shoot included drinking wine and eating gourmet cheeses and meats.

Hoping to have many more visitors as the weather starts to warm up again!

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Wineries in Lujan de Cuyo: Robino, Bonfanti, Norton

Lujan de Cuyo is another wine region right outside Mendoza.

Travel in Bike

I loved pairing bike riding and wine drinking so much in Maipu (the other wine region outside Mendoza city) that I decided to do it again, but this time, with Travel in Bike. Travel in Bike is owned by a very friendly, young couple. When we came, the wife had taken their newborn son to a check-up, but her husband Marcos was very helpful—he even drove to the the first winery to make sure we made it okay! I highly recommend them—$40 pesos ($10 dollars) to rent a bike all day. Marcos will also reserve all the wineries for you, but I recommend calling ahead if you have a preference on where to go.

Dante Robino Bodega (winery)

Personalized tour (tour guides speak English perfectly, although we asked for Spanish)

• Widest variety of wines
• Most aesthetically pleasing
• Best tasting
• Medium-sized winery

Wine Labels: Dante Robino & Novecento

 

Wine Types: Malbec, Bonarda, Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Extra Brut, Demi Sec, Rosado

Roberto Bonfanti Bodega Familiar

• Very quaint
• Family bodega

Wine Labels: Roberto Bonfanti, Familia Bonfanti, Bonfanti Malbec Rose

Wine Types: Malbec, Malbec Rose, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec Alfa

Norton bodega

• Biggest winery
• Interesting tour: tastings from start to finish of the wine
• Elegant interior

Wine Labels:

Becoming Domesticated

Somewhere in between all of our Argentine adventures, Brad and I have become domesticated.

Our rose plant :)

We baked medialunas (sweet croissants served with coffee at cafes). Of course, they didn’t have the same lightness as the ones here, but we came close!

Happy Revolution Day! Revolucion de Mayo

25 de mayo, or Revolucion de Mayo, is a public holiday celebrating the beginning of the revolution against Spain for Argentine Independence. One of my friends at the university, Wanda, kindly invited Brad and I to her house to try locro. Locro is a stew usually eaten on independence days (both May 25 & July 9), similar to our hamburgers and hot dogs on Fourth of July.

“Locro is a traditional South American food popular in the countries that lie along the Cordillera (mtn range) of the Andes Mountains. Locro can be compared to a thick stew or chili. The name comes from the Incan language, Quecha. Locro is a particularly popular dish in Ecuador and Argentina. In these countries, locro is not only a food, but also a custom. Locro was eaten by native peoples of South America previous to the time of Spanish colonization, and continues to be a popular customary dish as of the 21st century.”

-http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-locro.htm

Our particular stew had potatoes, beans, corn, chorizo and an assortment of other vegetables. It takes a few days to prepare so although I doubt Wanda’s mom will probably never read this, many thanks to her for toiling in the kitchen on our behalf. The seasons are opposite in the Southern Hemisphere so a stew is perfect for the end of May!

Finally, we ended with arroz con leche (rice with milk). Brad is a fanatic for this dessert. It’s quite sweet! See second picture down on the left.

Wanda’s family was very kind and welcoming, and I can understand why 20-something adults don’t want to leave home here. Her home and yard was beautiful and her mom was a great cook (we have something in common! *wink, mom*)

Santiago, Chile Doth Protest

Brad and I made a getaway last weekend to Santiago, Chile. We left bright and early on Friday morning (7:30 a.m.) and arrived at around 2:30 p.m. It’s only supposed to take 6 hours, but in addition to the one-hour time difference, passing through customs is a bit cumbersome. As an aside, it’s a very scenic bus ride if you manage the windy roads. I myself am very prone to motion sickness.

We showed up at the fantastic Andes Hostel (I’m a pro at booking good hostels at this point), get settled and I whisk Brad off to a free walking tour with Free Tour Santiago. I love free walking tours (they’re not really free b/c you should really tip) because the tour guides are always young, they save you time trying to orient yourself with the city and they give you interesting facts and history without putting you to sleep.

10 Things You Didn’t Know about Chile

10. Mapuches: Indigenous tribe that still lives in Chile today. Like the majority of indigenous South American tribes, they were massacred by Spanish settlers. However, Mapuche populations still exist today and are still struggling to maintain their land.

The stone monument (on the left below) is in Chile’s main square, the Plaza de Armas, to commemorate lost Mapuche lives. The billboard painting below is of the Congress building with a river of Mapuche blood flowing towards it.

9.  The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas has been burned down twice by Mapuche tribes and damaged by several earthquakes.

8. The Old Congress building was moved to Valparaiso (140 km west) to encourage businesses and people to move outside the capital, as the majority of Chile lives in Santiago. However, instead of the Congressmen moving to Valparaiso, they just commute there and waste gas.

Interesting note: One of Chile’s former presidents, Salvador Allende, was found dead in his office during a military coup on September 11, 1973. He is going to be examined this coming week to decide whether it was a suicide or murder.

7. La Chascona, Nobel laureate Pablo Neurada’s Santiago Residence, is a must-see site. It’s designed like a ship since the writer loved the sea so much, and the hour-long guided tour is full of juicy gossip and details from his life.

6. They have a river in the middle of the city called Mapuche river. It has a trickle of water at best and is full of trash and litter. Clans of people actually live down here on the banks. One of the more well-known clans is the Chuck Norris group. No explanation given.

5. An Exxon CEO wanted their building to look like a cellphone. Although it’s a great landmark to figure out where you are, obviously he wasn’t aware how fast cellphones would evolve. This has no resemblance to an iPhone.

 

4. Santiago has a Mercado Central (Central Market) with lots of fresh fish and good seafood eateries. Two things you must order: paila marina, which is a seafood  broth full of clams, shrimp, mussels, etc. The paila marina was served so hot that the soup was boiling when it  got to our table and I burned my arm when I brushed the bowl. The crab chowder, or chupe de jaivas, was very nice.

 

3. Cerro Santa Lucia is a small park on a hill in the middle of the city. You can climb up stone stairs for a great view of the city. Apparently, there are also sword fights here from time to time. (Read: Role Models)

  

2. Santiago has two of the best (and by best, I mean most unhealthy) street foods I’ve eaten: chorrillana and as italiano. I’ve never seen Brad so happy.

Fries with onions, beef and fried eggs

Chilean version of the Philly cheese steak + guacamole + flavored mayonnaise

1. And finally, you didn’t know that Chile has banned nuclear power since the crisis in Japan. Now their Congress has approved the construction of several dams in the southern region in Chile, Patagonia. More than 30,000 Chileans protested on Friday night against these dams. I’m sure you’ll be able to find me and Brad in a YouTube video wandering around trying to figure out how to get back to our hostel through the mass of people.  

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