Another Long Post

Hey everyone!
Last weekend we took a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, about two hours east of Montevideo. It is a small historical town filled with tourist spots and museums. It was a beautiful day and the town was really neat. I really have been enjoying our opportunities to get out of Montevideo and see some areas where we aren't surrounded by buildings in every direction. Right as arrived at the town we stopped at an old bull-fighting stadium called the Plaza de Toros. The actual stadium was closed off due to the fact that it was falling apart, but there were already several other tourists that had climbed through the various holes in the fence. So, being the excited and curious college students that we are, we followed suit and climbed on through so that we could explore. It was such a cool feeling to step through the arches and onto the field. Even as I climbed into the stands I could just picture what it would have been like when the stadium was full with spectators waiting for the big bullfight.
Afterwards we ate lunch and explored the town, spending a lot of time at a lighthouse along Rio de la Plata (the widest river in the world). I bought a Uruguayan soccer jersey there too! :)

This weekend is Dia del Patrimonio, or Patriot's Day. It is an important holiday for Uruguay - all the Uruguayans spend the weekend outside taking part in some of the many festivities going on. Today and yesterday we spent a lot of time exploring around Ciudad Vieja (the Old City) which is like downtown Montevideo. A lot of places that are usually closed to the public open for this holiday, so we were able to explore some interesting places, such as the Teatre Solis (Montevideo's equivalent of our Bass Hall), a museum dedicated to the history of Uruguay's government, as well as some other random places we found while walking the streets. There were crowds of people everywhere watching the countless street performers, so we stopped to watch a few of those as well. There were dancers, people dressed up, and a man doing tricks on a tightrope. It was fun to see Uruguayans acting like tourists in one of their own cities.

Next weekend is going to be a big one for us, too. We have four days of classes this week, then early Friday morning we will be heading out on a 20+ hour bus ride to Brazil! I'm not exactly sure what all we are planning to do there, other than that we will be spending some time in Iguazu Falls. If any of you have seen the new Indiana Jones movie and remember the scene with all the waterfalls, that's where we'll be! It is one of the world's largest and most spectacular waterfalls. I'll be sure to take TONS of pictures, I promise. :) We'll also be stopping in Paraguay, I believe. Which means another passport stamp! I'm hoping by the end of this trip I'll have stamps from the majority of the countries in South America.

Some other big news - from October 31st until November 8th (I believe those are the correct dates) I will be heading to Patagonia, the southern tip of Argentina. Myself and five others will be staying in Ushuaia, which is the southernmost city in the entire WORLD. We already have our plane tickets and reservations at a hostel for the week. We also already purchased tickets for a train tour, the entrance fee for a day in Tierra del Fuego (a famous National glaciers park), a full day at Lago Escondito, and a boat tour where we'll get to go and see penguins! (I'll make sure to get pictures of them for you Steven). Those are the main things we have planned already, and I think we'll be spending our last night in Buenos Aires. I'm crazy excited :D

I think that covers all the major news. Oh, two weeks ago I started taking Tango lessons with some of the other students here as well as our directors, Wimon and Rosalinda. Every Monday night a couple comes to Casa ACU and gives us a formal lesson. It is a ton of fun - I'm loving it so far.

Also, our daylight savings started yesterday. It's kind of strange, since all of you in the United States won't change for another three weeks. So for three weeks we'll be three hours ahead of you, then once you guys change we'll be four hours apart. Pretty strange stuff.

That's about it! Time is flying down here. I feel like December is going to be here in no time - but I'm trying not to think about that yet. Until my next post.. I love you guys! And I'll try not to wait so long until my next post. :)