Down By the River

I very much enjoy taking walks along the Rio Uruguay, or rather the River Uruguay, which is about 5 blocks from our apartment. There is a little paved trail that runs along the water just for such walks. The view is spectacular.


The first week we were here we went down to the "beach" to swim a bit. The beach wasn't exactly sandy. It was more muddy and pebbly, but we braved the mud and sand to take a dip in the water. Then, as we were getting out we realized there was a big sign with a picture of a swimmer with a giant red line through him/her. Of course--the universal "no swimming" sign. It figures.


No worries though; I've seen other people swimming in the river when I'm on my walks. The sign must be there, simply because there is no lifeguard, not because there are man-eating fish in the river. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

Vista de la Ventana

Perhaps I mentioned the windows in our apartment in a former post. I love the big glass windows we have. I keep them open to let in a cool breeze, since the little thermometer on my night stand reads 93 degrees Fahrenheit (which is indoors in the shade). I thought it was supposed to be autumn here? But I'm not complaining. This is my summer.

From the windows I love watching people walking along the street below. One entire wall of my room is a window with a railing so it is more like a balcony. It's great (minus the the noise from autos, loud advertisement vehicles, and mosquitos that get in). My view is great.


I like the noise from people milling around down below too. Makes me feel like I'm really in Latin America (especially when Uruguayans start singing Cumplianos Feliz at 2 something in the morning). There's something comforting about sounds of life.

My First Day of Elementary School

One of our assignments while here is to work 3 days a week with teachers in a primary school on English instruction. My school, Escuela Numero Uno, is wonderful. The students had a special welcoming ceremony for me where they sang songs and read poetry in English. It was so special.


I can't walk down the hallway without 17 students yelling my name and running up to give me hugs and kisses. The kids are so adorable. I want to take them home with me. Watch out: I may end up coming home with 250+ kids.

Moving In

So we finally found "un apartamento" although we really only had one acceptable option in the entire city center. That is not to say I don't like our place though. It is fairly large with big windows that flood the rooms with sunlight during the day.

This is a picture of our dining room.


The apartment is actually located on the top floor of the hotel we first stayed in upon our arrival in Salto, right off the principle street. Unfortunately, there were only two rooms for three of us, but we were able to turn the living room into another bedroom.

However, my biggest complaint is that we don't have an oven or stove in the kitchen. There was a clause in the lease that made us promise to not cook. Seriously? How frustrating. They said it had something to do with the smell; but really, I smell food all the time wafting in my window from the restaurant across the street.

This is my room.


All in all, I'm happy with our living situation despite the fact our rent is comparatively high for the city we are in. I suppose I should be thankful; with the rent divided between the three of us, my part is still less than half of what I was paying to live in Maryland.

Apartment Hunt

We spent all day searching for apartments in Salto. It was next to impossible to find anywhere to stay!

We'd arrive at the places, tell them we want to rent a furnished apartment for three months and they'd give us an incredulous look that said, "You want what? and for how long?" Apparently month by month leases do not exist and furnished places are rare.

Several of the places we looked at would be struggle to stay there for 3 days let alone 3 months. One had a nice big dead roach to greet us behind the door. Another had a sink in the bedroom that doubled as the "kitchen" and bedroom. Hmmm. It's amazing how exhausting searching for a place to live can be. Goodness. At least we have one place that may work. There is a glimmer of hope.


Then this evening we went to the Museo de Bellas Artes, Museo Maria Irene Olarreaga Gallino. The architect who designed the building invited us there for a dedication of the garden outside. We met several important people from the city but actually didn't realize that is what we were going to beforehand, hence why I was wearing the same sweaty clothes I had worn all day to go apartment shopping. Nice. On the bright side I loved the art. There was a hominage to Leandro Silva Delgado whose oil paintings I enjoy very much. He was born in Salto, painted lots of natural scenes, designed a bunch of gardens, and then died in Spain. He was a great Uruguayan artist.

Roomies in Salto

Cute guys.

Autobuses

I've been told that buses are the most common mode of transportation within the country since no place is more than 6-7 hours away, so I suppose I should learn to like them. And FYI, if you want to catch a city bus, you have to stick out your arm like you are hailing a taxi to get them to stop, even if you are standing at an official bus stop. We learned tthat the hard way. Haha.

Calle Uruguay

Calle Uruguay is the major road running through the city of Salto. Here, everyone congregates to eat, drink, shop, walk, chat, or people-watch. It's a happening street.


Uruguayans frequent Calle Uruguay to see and be seen.