Blog Posts |
Introdución | Introduction
This will be my first blog post, on my third day here in Uruguay. I have never written a blog before, but I have plenty to say already. I will keep posting many pictures because it is easier for me to share more experiences, more often. However, there are some things that I cannot express in pictures, so I will add blog posts like this now and then.
There are many places for you to read about Uruguay's geography and statistics that summarize the country. For these, I will direct you to Wikipedia for basic information - I want to express in this blog what I (or you) would be less likely to read about elsewhere.
There are many places for you to read about Uruguay's geography and statistics that summarize the country. For these, I will direct you to Wikipedia for basic information - I want to express in this blog what I (or you) would be less likely to read about elsewhere.
La Idioma | The Language
First of all, the name of the capital Montevideo comes from a "legend" that has been repeated by three locals we asked, so it seems to be widely accepted, though it may not be accurate. The story goes that the Spaniards came by way of the river and saw this city, and also six surrounding mountains in the distance. The city was named Montevideo - "monte" for mountain - "vi" for roman numeral 6 - "deo" abbreviated for "de este y oeste" which translates "to the east and west".
Uruguay is named after something to do with a bird and a river, but the exact translation has been lost because it is from the native language, which has been lost over time.
Uruguayans have this very noticeable accent in Spanish. In school, I learned to pronounce LL as a Y sound, so LLAVES is pronounced YAVES, however in Uruguay they use "JUH" instead of"YUH". When you refer to the people of Uruguay, they are called Uruguayos but pronounce it Urugua-joes. Like the country is full of people named Joe.
They also cut off the "s"... but in the middle of words, not just the end of a word! If you say "legislativo" it would be pronounced "legilativo". Even more frustrating, the common word "es" also has the end cut off, so they say "eh" instead, which sums up how I feel about this.
I can say I already have started reading the Spanish foods and signs with "JUH" accent, so I hope to pick up speaking like una Uruguaya pretty quickly in the next few weeks.
A couple words I've noticed are different here than the Mexican/Spanish vocabulary that I've previously learned. Here's a couple words:
"Strawberry" is usually fresa, here it is frutilla (don't forget to say it with the accent!)
"Avocado" is usually aguacate, here it is palta
"Butter" is usually mantequilla, here it is manteca
"Here" is usually aquí, here it is acá
Pineapple is usually piña, here it is ananá
Uruguay is named after something to do with a bird and a river, but the exact translation has been lost because it is from the native language, which has been lost over time.
Uruguayans have this very noticeable accent in Spanish. In school, I learned to pronounce LL as a Y sound, so LLAVES is pronounced YAVES, however in Uruguay they use "JUH" instead of"YUH". When you refer to the people of Uruguay, they are called Uruguayos but pronounce it Urugua-joes. Like the country is full of people named Joe.
They also cut off the "s"... but in the middle of words, not just the end of a word! If you say "legislativo" it would be pronounced "legilativo". Even more frustrating, the common word "es" also has the end cut off, so they say "eh" instead, which sums up how I feel about this.
I can say I already have started reading the Spanish foods and signs with "JUH" accent, so I hope to pick up speaking like una Uruguaya pretty quickly in the next few weeks.
A couple words I've noticed are different here than the Mexican/Spanish vocabulary that I've previously learned. Here's a couple words:
"Strawberry" is usually fresa, here it is frutilla (don't forget to say it with the accent!)
"Avocado" is usually aguacate, here it is palta
"Butter" is usually mantequilla, here it is manteca
"Here" is usually aquí, here it is acá
Pineapple is usually piña, here it is ananá
Elecciones | Elections
While I was not fortunate enough to be here in the year of a world cup, I am going to witness an election season! It is already fascinating to see the differences between US elections. First of all, the way people talk about voting is with such passion and sense of honor. They came out of a dictatorship less than 50 years ago and Uruguayans fully embrace the right to vote. Not only that, but it is a DUTY to vote. The consequences of not voting are that you cannot
The primaries are held in June (it is March now) and there's hardly any campaigning outside or in media. It turns out that they passed a law making it illegal to campaign this early. With more research, I found that campaigning is publicly funded and each candidate is allocated an equal amount. Presidents are also not allowed to serve consecutive terms, so they will have a new president elected in October. Again, I won't get into the specifics, as you can find it all on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Uruguayan_general_election
Update: Primaries were on a Sunday. They day prior, Saturday, stores/restaurants cannot sell alcohol to prevent impaired voting. Fascinating.
- receive salaries, pensions, or allowances
- receive money owed by the State
- register for University classes or take exams
- buy public transportation tickets, like for the train or bus
The primaries are held in June (it is March now) and there's hardly any campaigning outside or in media. It turns out that they passed a law making it illegal to campaign this early. With more research, I found that campaigning is publicly funded and each candidate is allocated an equal amount. Presidents are also not allowed to serve consecutive terms, so they will have a new president elected in October. Again, I won't get into the specifics, as you can find it all on Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Uruguayan_general_election
Update: Primaries were on a Sunday. They day prior, Saturday, stores/restaurants cannot sell alcohol to prevent impaired voting. Fascinating.
Varias Cosas | Miscellaneous
Uruguay's first anti-slavery laws were passed in the 1800's, well before the US!
Marijuana is legal and can be purchased at any pharmacy with proof, like a certificate. There is a limit to how much an individual can buy each month.
There was a Woman's March a couple days before I arrived and they've been actively working on equality in recent times. Gay marriage is legal, same sex relationships have been allowed for nearly a hundred years, and transgender discrimination is a punishable offense. Another law requires 1% of educational scholarships to be allocated for transgender persons.
Discrimination is illegal and there is a "Committee against Racism, Xenophobia, and All Forms of Discrimination", but it has not been allocated a budget since 2010. Though discrimination is not allowed, the law does not require equal pay for equal work and women are underpaid. Afro-Uruguayans are notably discriminated against and are also underrepresented in the House. People with any form of disability cannot be discriminated against, but as a common theme in Uruguay, this law is often not enforced. Four percent of public sector jobs are reserved for those with physical or mental disabilities.
Physical health is recognized and there was a fairly recent law that waiters do not put salt on tables unless requested (like the new laws on straws in CA). The slogan for that campaign was "Menos sal, mas vida". School lunches also do not have salt.
The country is run mostly on renewable energy and they are very conservation friendly. Toilets are not filled with water, similar to airplane restrooms, to avoid waste.
Stoves are run on propane or methane, like a barbecue grill. When the gas runs out, you call a number and a service will refill your tank. You are supposed to turn off the tanks when you leave for an extended trip.
While 98% of the population has access to clean drinking water, it is not advised to drink tap water. It is common to have too much chlorine dissolved.
Gas is 55-58 Uruguayan pesos per liter (regular vs premium) which translates to $6.50 a gallon! No self-service permitted, they have attendants fill your tank.
Uruguayan music has many different influences, but you should know that tango originated from this area (Buenos Aires technically) and rock is popular too. However, grocery stores, clubs, coffee houses, and restaurants all play mainly US pop music mixed with a couple popular Uruguayan songs.
Marijuana is legal and can be purchased at any pharmacy with proof, like a certificate. There is a limit to how much an individual can buy each month.
There was a Woman's March a couple days before I arrived and they've been actively working on equality in recent times. Gay marriage is legal, same sex relationships have been allowed for nearly a hundred years, and transgender discrimination is a punishable offense. Another law requires 1% of educational scholarships to be allocated for transgender persons.
Discrimination is illegal and there is a "Committee against Racism, Xenophobia, and All Forms of Discrimination", but it has not been allocated a budget since 2010. Though discrimination is not allowed, the law does not require equal pay for equal work and women are underpaid. Afro-Uruguayans are notably discriminated against and are also underrepresented in the House. People with any form of disability cannot be discriminated against, but as a common theme in Uruguay, this law is often not enforced. Four percent of public sector jobs are reserved for those with physical or mental disabilities.
Physical health is recognized and there was a fairly recent law that waiters do not put salt on tables unless requested (like the new laws on straws in CA). The slogan for that campaign was "Menos sal, mas vida". School lunches also do not have salt.
The country is run mostly on renewable energy and they are very conservation friendly. Toilets are not filled with water, similar to airplane restrooms, to avoid waste.
Stoves are run on propane or methane, like a barbecue grill. When the gas runs out, you call a number and a service will refill your tank. You are supposed to turn off the tanks when you leave for an extended trip.
While 98% of the population has access to clean drinking water, it is not advised to drink tap water. It is common to have too much chlorine dissolved.
Gas is 55-58 Uruguayan pesos per liter (regular vs premium) which translates to $6.50 a gallon! No self-service permitted, they have attendants fill your tank.
Uruguayan music has many different influences, but you should know that tango originated from this area (Buenos Aires technically) and rock is popular too. However, grocery stores, clubs, coffee houses, and restaurants all play mainly US pop music mixed with a couple popular Uruguayan songs.
Educación | Education
The University that I will be teaching at is called UTEC, a university of technology. It has several campuses and research labs spread around the interior. The system was designed to bring more attractions, education, and benefits in the interior as opposed to keeping all Universities in the capital and give a disadvantage to those outside the capital.
Here's what I've learned about education
Here's what I've learned about education
- 85% of students at UTEC are first generation students
- Northern Uruguay has an education crisis right now and the dropout rate in middle school is 70%
- Education is mandatory, free, and secular (including completely free higher education)
- Delinquency is illegal but not usually enforced
- There are more females enrolled in elementary school but in university, they make up only 40% of students
- The unions only represent about 5% of teachers
- Teachers are not tenured and often change schools (except in primary)
- Like an apple symbolizes teaching for us, a bee is the symbol for elementary teachers and an owl is the symbol for secondary school teachers
- Teachers are not adequately trained to recognize or deal with mental health problems among kids. If they need help, there are a lack of psychologists, social workers, and therapists available across the country
- Schools, including universities, do not have after school activities, clubs, or sports (except soccer)
- 87% of children with disabilities attended school, including higher education
Perros | Dogs
On the streets, I would guess about 25% of the people I see walking by have at least one dog with them. I may have overestimated the number because I am more likely to notice a person with a dog than without, but there are a couple interesting things that this has made me realize in Uruguay.
- It is not uncommon for people to walk their dogs without leashes.
- Many people will enter stores, malls, or banks with their dogs.
- There are a notable about of strays in the city, but it doesn't seem out of control. I've seen an average of one per day.
- Yes, you need to watch your step on the sidewalks.
- There is a high proportion of veterinary services in the city. I've passed about 10 vets in my wanderings around Montevideo so far. I have the freedom to choose what I would like to get involved in during my time here and how to immerse myself in the culture and community. I think I am going to find a vet or pet store and see if I can volunteer with them.
- I noticed WAY more stray dogs in the interior than in Montevideo.
Moneda y Transportación | Money and Transportation
A very common question people wonder about visiting other countries is the conversion rate and how expensive things are. Now that I have had a chance to explore, I have a better handling on prices. First of all, the currency is the Uruguayan peso and there are 32.7 pesos to a dollar (in April, now it is August and this number is 36.4). If I need to convert a price to American dollars, I divide by 100 and then triple it to give a decently accurate estimate. The money itself is plastic bills of 50, 100, 200.... 1000. This would range from $1.50 to about $30 in USD. There are bigger bills but I don't carry those around. Getting money from ATM's is a little tricky because I take out more at a time so I don't need to visit the bank frequently. However, the ATM's don't carry a lot of money because they have been known to be targeted with explosions.
Pretty much everywhere will accept card. Some places will give discounts if you pay cash only. The interior is less likely to take card than in Montevideo. It is also common that smaller shops will only take smaller bills (like 200) because they will not carry a lot of change in the registers, so I found it helpful to break up the bigger bills in supermarkets.
This is especially true on the city bus, where you need exact change. For example, the bus costs 38 pesos; if you pay in cash and if you hand a 50 they may choose to not give change. Taking the bus costs about the equivalent of an American dollar. The rides are about 20 cents cheaper if you pay with a preloaded bus pass instead of cash. The buses have a very apparent goal of efficiency. At the bus stop, they encourage everyone to get on as fast as possible and then close the doors to keep moving before all new passengers have a chance to pay. They are able to do this because the bus driver does not handle payment, only driving. Behind the driver is a conductor, who collects the money, gives change if they can, and makes sure passholders swipe their card to pay. It is not allowed to wear a backpack on your back while riding the bus. You must wear it on the front.
Eating out is very similar to American prices - I usually end up spending between $12 for a meal depending if I get drinks and dessert too. Beer is cheap - about $2-3. Wine is often made locally from the interior of Uruguay, so it is also only a few dollars per glass.
Tipping customs at restaurants (or other services) are a little different. You do not put your own amount on the receipt - instead, it is charged to the card with your bill. The server will swipe your card on a portable credit card machine and ask if you'd like to add a tip for service. If you say yes, it adds 10% for tip so you do not have the option to choose an amount. Of course, some people prefer to leave cash on the table and it works just as well.
I went grocery shopping today for the first time and noticed a huge difference in quantity of food. I went to a smaller market that looked like a better-stocked version of 7-11 and found small boxes of cereal and smaller bags of rice, etc. The prices were cheaper than California in general, with a small mark-up for prepackaged or imported foods. The most outrageous cost I saw was the one serving size Haagen Daz in Vanilla that was a little over 400 pesos ($12). However, ice cream and gelato shops are very common here so I will be able to have plenty without paying a fortune.
Update: I have had a chance to shop at regular supermarkets now and I can say food is a little cheaper than California, though it lacks the freshness in fruits and vegetables that I've grown accustomed to on the West Coast. There is a limited variety of fruits/vegetables as well, most notably (for me) berries are missing, though it is wintertime.
Pretty much everywhere will accept card. Some places will give discounts if you pay cash only. The interior is less likely to take card than in Montevideo. It is also common that smaller shops will only take smaller bills (like 200) because they will not carry a lot of change in the registers, so I found it helpful to break up the bigger bills in supermarkets.
This is especially true on the city bus, where you need exact change. For example, the bus costs 38 pesos; if you pay in cash and if you hand a 50 they may choose to not give change. Taking the bus costs about the equivalent of an American dollar. The rides are about 20 cents cheaper if you pay with a preloaded bus pass instead of cash. The buses have a very apparent goal of efficiency. At the bus stop, they encourage everyone to get on as fast as possible and then close the doors to keep moving before all new passengers have a chance to pay. They are able to do this because the bus driver does not handle payment, only driving. Behind the driver is a conductor, who collects the money, gives change if they can, and makes sure passholders swipe their card to pay. It is not allowed to wear a backpack on your back while riding the bus. You must wear it on the front.
Eating out is very similar to American prices - I usually end up spending between $12 for a meal depending if I get drinks and dessert too. Beer is cheap - about $2-3. Wine is often made locally from the interior of Uruguay, so it is also only a few dollars per glass.
Tipping customs at restaurants (or other services) are a little different. You do not put your own amount on the receipt - instead, it is charged to the card with your bill. The server will swipe your card on a portable credit card machine and ask if you'd like to add a tip for service. If you say yes, it adds 10% for tip so you do not have the option to choose an amount. Of course, some people prefer to leave cash on the table and it works just as well.
I went grocery shopping today for the first time and noticed a huge difference in quantity of food. I went to a smaller market that looked like a better-stocked version of 7-11 and found small boxes of cereal and smaller bags of rice, etc. The prices were cheaper than California in general, with a small mark-up for prepackaged or imported foods. The most outrageous cost I saw was the one serving size Haagen Daz in Vanilla that was a little over 400 pesos ($12). However, ice cream and gelato shops are very common here so I will be able to have plenty without paying a fortune.
Update: I have had a chance to shop at regular supermarkets now and I can say food is a little cheaper than California, though it lacks the freshness in fruits and vegetables that I've grown accustomed to on the West Coast. There is a limited variety of fruits/vegetables as well, most notably (for me) berries are missing, though it is wintertime.
Seguridad | Safety
Our tour guide said Montevideo has the second highest perception of crime in Latin America, but in actuality, has the second lowest rate of crime.
We had the head of security visit from the US Embassy and give some statistics and tips while we are here. I'm not going to get into details about security measures because it's the same as any other city in an unfamiliar country. Specifically regarding Uruguay, they have seen a surge in crime in recent years. Update: in August the US increased their travel advisory to UY from level 1 to level 2.
If I remember correctly, some laws changed with two notable results.
First, they pulled back on their distribution of police presence and began adding more police patrols around areas that needed it. This meant that areas which were more safe before have become less so, with less police presence. It has been rare for me so far to see police around Montevideo. Update: the interior has far more police presence, especially at night I can easy walk by 3 police cars in a few minutes.
Secondly, they changed prosecutorial procedures without sufficient training for prosecutors. He said there are estimated to be over a thousand people who should be in jail right now, but are not because of ineffective prosecutors,
Also in contrast to the US, he said that police are not as likely to use violence to stop or detain an offender because they perceive not having support from the police force in such instances. In other words, the system would not defend extreme measures in the line of duty.
Uruguay has a significant problem with domestic abuse against women. About one woman a week is a victim of femicide. One of the Fulbright Scholars is here to do research (not teach, like my program) and collect data specifically on online abuse against women in Uruguay.
A common problem in other countries in Latin America is corruption, but not so in Uruguay. Still, it exists to a small extent. As I traveled around a particular roundabout (very common in the countryside), my mentor came a stop at a sign and it lasted a second longer than one would typically stop. He explained that one time he went through incorrectly and the police stopped him up ahead. They wanted a bribe to let the ticket go and said he would otherwise have to go to a very far away office to pay for it. Sure enough, there was a police car waiting up ahead in the same spot, waiting for someone to make the mistake he has since learned from.
All children must have an official ID which their parents carry around at all times from birth.
We had the head of security visit from the US Embassy and give some statistics and tips while we are here. I'm not going to get into details about security measures because it's the same as any other city in an unfamiliar country. Specifically regarding Uruguay, they have seen a surge in crime in recent years. Update: in August the US increased their travel advisory to UY from level 1 to level 2.
If I remember correctly, some laws changed with two notable results.
First, they pulled back on their distribution of police presence and began adding more police patrols around areas that needed it. This meant that areas which were more safe before have become less so, with less police presence. It has been rare for me so far to see police around Montevideo. Update: the interior has far more police presence, especially at night I can easy walk by 3 police cars in a few minutes.
Secondly, they changed prosecutorial procedures without sufficient training for prosecutors. He said there are estimated to be over a thousand people who should be in jail right now, but are not because of ineffective prosecutors,
Also in contrast to the US, he said that police are not as likely to use violence to stop or detain an offender because they perceive not having support from the police force in such instances. In other words, the system would not defend extreme measures in the line of duty.
Uruguay has a significant problem with domestic abuse against women. About one woman a week is a victim of femicide. One of the Fulbright Scholars is here to do research (not teach, like my program) and collect data specifically on online abuse against women in Uruguay.
A common problem in other countries in Latin America is corruption, but not so in Uruguay. Still, it exists to a small extent. As I traveled around a particular roundabout (very common in the countryside), my mentor came a stop at a sign and it lasted a second longer than one would typically stop. He explained that one time he went through incorrectly and the police stopped him up ahead. They wanted a bribe to let the ticket go and said he would otherwise have to go to a very far away office to pay for it. Sure enough, there was a police car waiting up ahead in the same spot, waiting for someone to make the mistake he has since learned from.
All children must have an official ID which their parents carry around at all times from birth.
La Comida | The Food
It has taken me a while to update y'all on food and I'll tell you why. I decided that I would embrace being in a new country and avoid ordering all the things I would typically get in America. So when I'd go out to eat, I'd avoid hamburgers, pizza, pasta, and the like. BUT... this became difficult and I soon noticed... this IS Uruguayan food. There are two strong influences on their food: Italians and cows. A long time ago, a lot of Italians immigrated and it has been incorporated into their food ever since. The 29th of EVERY month is Dia de Ñoquis, or Gnocchi Day. It is said Uruguayans would begin to run out of money for food near the end of the month and gnocchi is a cheap and healthy dish to have during those times. Additionally, I can say pizza and pasta dishes here are delicious and freshly made to order.
The other influence on the food here is the major population of cows. I can't believe it has taken me this long to mention (and the number is debatable), but there are at least 3 cows for every person living in Uruguay. In the countryside, all you see are cows, cows, a couple horses, and more cows. Naturally, there are a lot of beef and dairy based foods in Uruguay. The burgers.... they're something else here. You'd have to come try one to understand. I already spoke about the chivito in the caption of one of my pictures, but I failed to mention the milanesa. It's a very very thin slice of meat that has been breaded and usually served in a hamburger bun with lettuce and tomato.
Urguayans put mayonnaise on everything. Enough said about that.
As far as popular ingredients go, I see dishes with eggplant, avocado, pumpkin, and many ham/cheese sandwiches. Which reminds me, sandwiches here are exclusively prepared with the crust cut off. If you pick up a pre-made sandwich for a quick lunch from convenience stores, there will never be crust.
There is a clear lack of other ethnic foods like Thai or Mexican - the entire country only has one Indian restaurant. So, I'm stuck with their own food and I'm okay with it! :)
A note about restaurants: I've found a couple places that take food orders before drinks, which I found unusual. When you consider it though, it makes a lot more sense for the waitresses to send food orders to the kitchen and then bring us drinks while the food is already being prepped. Efficiency!
The other influence on the food here is the major population of cows. I can't believe it has taken me this long to mention (and the number is debatable), but there are at least 3 cows for every person living in Uruguay. In the countryside, all you see are cows, cows, a couple horses, and more cows. Naturally, there are a lot of beef and dairy based foods in Uruguay. The burgers.... they're something else here. You'd have to come try one to understand. I already spoke about the chivito in the caption of one of my pictures, but I failed to mention the milanesa. It's a very very thin slice of meat that has been breaded and usually served in a hamburger bun with lettuce and tomato.
Urguayans put mayonnaise on everything. Enough said about that.
As far as popular ingredients go, I see dishes with eggplant, avocado, pumpkin, and many ham/cheese sandwiches. Which reminds me, sandwiches here are exclusively prepared with the crust cut off. If you pick up a pre-made sandwich for a quick lunch from convenience stores, there will never be crust.
There is a clear lack of other ethnic foods like Thai or Mexican - the entire country only has one Indian restaurant. So, I'm stuck with their own food and I'm okay with it! :)
A note about restaurants: I've found a couple places that take food orders before drinks, which I found unusual. When you consider it though, it makes a lot more sense for the waitresses to send food orders to the kitchen and then bring us drinks while the food is already being prepped. Efficiency!
Las Calles | The Streets
The street names here are usually places, people or dates. Each one has significant historical importance to Montevideo, so I started researching the different street names to learn about the city's past. Because the street names have dates, it would be confusing to have the street number before the street name. Instead, Uruguayans put the street number after the street name so as to avoid putting a number next to a number. The particular date on the right refers to 9/21/1968, the day a student named Susana was killed.
At the time, a president in the Colorado Party twisted a part of the country's constitution to fit his interests. He ordered a search of the University, ultimately destroying the property, classroom resources, and student records. In response, a group of student activists demonstrated and police open fired, killing a dental student named Liber Arce. He died on the 14th of August. The community mobilized and there was a protest in September where the police open fired and a student named Hugo de los Santos was wounded. Susana Pintos, another student, rushed to help and was fatally shot. She died on September 21, creating the basis for the name of this street. In commemoration, August 14 is called Student Martyrs Day and celebrated in memory of the 13 students who died in this time. A rambla is a pedestrian-only street for people to jog, bike, or skate along. If you tell someone you are going to walk on La Rambla it means the sidewalk that follows the coastline. It is the longest continuous sidewalk in the world at almost 14 miles. Parts of the rambla have different names and the one closest to me is called Rambla Gandhi and includes a bust of Mahatma Gandhi. Other dates that became street names:
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La Granja | The Farm
Today was my first day of work in the Fulbright program Though I am living in Montevideo, I will not be working here. The map to the left shows all of Uruguay. I am currently living where the blue dot is, in the capital Montevideo. On Thursdays and Fridays I will go north until the number 5, in the city of Durazno. This morning I traveled west along the coast and stopped where you see the number 1. This town is called Nueva Helvicia and holds a dairy farm that I will be working with. This dairy farm is partnered and run with two different university programs, one of which is UTEC (I mentioned them in the education section). UTEC, the Uruguayan University of Technology, has campuses in several rural areas to bring more equity for students who want to attend higher education without moving to Montevideo.
At this campus, students work on a dairy farm in a technology based program to get an associate's degree in Milk Productions Systems Management. Their objectives at the end of the program are three-fold: manage the farm in a leadership role, act as a veterinarian for sick cows, and manage the machinery. The program itself has not been successful in their enrollment. There are currently 13 first year students and 3 second year students. I was told many students do not find the program as appealing because they must live on the farm for the duration. The program runs partly as an apprenticeship where the first years learn from the second years, and partly as a school with classes by professors. The classes are held in trailers with incredibly limited resources. This year, they are still looking for an English teacher since last year's teacher left. Luckily, I will be there this semester! Students wake up at 5 to begin their duties outside and have classes later in the day. I will work with them on Mondays when they have English.
I worked with the second year students to learn about the farm, their lives, and what levels of English they have to start with. The farm has about 80 cows and I learned about the milking and filtration process and its machinery. One of the students I met comes from a farming area outside Montevideo. From there, he became interested in farming and joined the program. The other student came from the interior. The third student did not come to class.
Because university is free, any student is able to attend, no matter their abilities after high school. This makes it incredibly hard for professors to differentiate instruction or for students to be motivated at times. Especially in English class, my students today expressed reluctance to learn given that they did not see a use for it in their profession. Currently, their level of English seems to be that of a 5 year old, but they can translate cognates pretty well. One student said he was diagnosed with dyslexia and his high school decided he did not need to learn English or learn to read and write.
After introducing myself and visiting the farm, we played a board game that incorporated pictures, English vocabulary and counting. The next time I see them, we will brainstorm problems encountered at the farm or areas for improvement, and design a technological project to solve the problem.
Sidenote: it is common to have to bring your own toilet paper in the rural areas. The bathrooms are not stocked, but if you need to borrow from someone else, they're understanding!
At this campus, students work on a dairy farm in a technology based program to get an associate's degree in Milk Productions Systems Management. Their objectives at the end of the program are three-fold: manage the farm in a leadership role, act as a veterinarian for sick cows, and manage the machinery. The program itself has not been successful in their enrollment. There are currently 13 first year students and 3 second year students. I was told many students do not find the program as appealing because they must live on the farm for the duration. The program runs partly as an apprenticeship where the first years learn from the second years, and partly as a school with classes by professors. The classes are held in trailers with incredibly limited resources. This year, they are still looking for an English teacher since last year's teacher left. Luckily, I will be there this semester! Students wake up at 5 to begin their duties outside and have classes later in the day. I will work with them on Mondays when they have English.
I worked with the second year students to learn about the farm, their lives, and what levels of English they have to start with. The farm has about 80 cows and I learned about the milking and filtration process and its machinery. One of the students I met comes from a farming area outside Montevideo. From there, he became interested in farming and joined the program. The other student came from the interior. The third student did not come to class.
Because university is free, any student is able to attend, no matter their abilities after high school. This makes it incredibly hard for professors to differentiate instruction or for students to be motivated at times. Especially in English class, my students today expressed reluctance to learn given that they did not see a use for it in their profession. Currently, their level of English seems to be that of a 5 year old, but they can translate cognates pretty well. One student said he was diagnosed with dyslexia and his high school decided he did not need to learn English or learn to read and write.
After introducing myself and visiting the farm, we played a board game that incorporated pictures, English vocabulary and counting. The next time I see them, we will brainstorm problems encountered at the farm or areas for improvement, and design a technological project to solve the problem.
Sidenote: it is common to have to bring your own toilet paper in the rural areas. The bathrooms are not stocked, but if you need to borrow from someone else, they're understanding!
Ambulancias | Ambulances |
Grafiti | Graffiti |
I have seen over two dozen ambulances so far and noticed a couple differences. Though most have their lights on to indicate urgency, they drive pretty slowly and don't take the right of way. In fact, I haven't really seen cars pull aside to let them pass, but it's likely because the one way streets don't allow space for passing ambulances. Out of all the ambulances I've seen, none of them have had their sirens on. Outside my bedroom window, I've only heard it happen twice. In rural Uruguay, I saw about 3 ambulances throughout a 3 hour drive. It was good to know medical response teams are available even in these isolated areas.
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The amount of graffiti in the city is... staggering. It's everywhere you turn, and yet it's beautiful. Much of the graffiti includes art, movements, and political propaganda. I see just as many political endorsements sprayed across buildings as I do billboards posted along the roads. Check out the Pictures section for some examples of typical graffiti to pass by.
The city hired four people in 2016 to begin removing graffiti as a full time job, starting with historical and significant landmarks. They invested about $100k annually for this movement. |
Economía | Economy |
Estadística | Statistics |
The GDP is about a third of the US's. Uruguay's economy has been steadily increasing since the Frente Amplio party has grown in power, but this incline has been plateauing for the last couple of years. They were largely unaffected by banks collapsing / global financial crises, since their income is commodity based, with a focus in agriculture.
In 2002, a virus commonly known as "foot and mouth disease" spread rampantly among the cows and the country entered a crisis. The US helped to bail the country out. To attract international business, the country creates financial incentives, including fee-free transferring of profits and capital. They've started to attract business from Finland, China, India and other countries. They have free trade zones appealing to the US, which is Uruguay's fourth largest investor. They also have free trade markets with Mexico and many South American countries. |
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La Moda | Fashion Trends(Very high) platform shoes are an absolute must!
Tattoos are prominently displayed on hands, neck, and arms. It is not regarded as unprofessional and people do not wear specific clothing to hide tattoos in the workplace. iPhones seem to be treated as a luxury here - some people certainly own one, but apple products are more rare to come by, especially with the outrageous import fees here. Android devices are the popular choice for smartphones. |
Lavandería | LaundryImagine you're walking along the sidewalk, smelling a hot dog cart and passing by leather shoe stores, when... plop! Your hair is soaked. You look at the sky and it's a gorgeous sunny day. That falling water was actually from someone wringing out their wet laundry in an apartment above the shops. That's right - Uruguayans do not have dryers. It takes a full day to do a small load of laundry because I need to wait for everything to air dry before I can take them down and hang up the next load. Sunny days are perfect for getting some clothes-washing done, but what about when it rains? In Uruguay's wintertime I've heard it is common for them to run out of clothes to wear because the weather is too wet.
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Manejar | DrivingFirst of all, I will not be driving in Uruguay. Cars are expensive to rent and even more to own. Oil changes go for over $100 and repairs are outrageously priced. The bus system is quite sufficient for most of the country, and I've found it to be reliable. Import fees increase the prices of cars so that they are unaffordable to buy as well as maintain. While traffic gets a little busier during the evening, it's nothing like California and you'll always get where you need to eventually. With that said, there are a couple different rules when it comes to driving:
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La Cultura | Cultural Norms
At an event I was working, the coordinator told students to come at 10:30 the next morning to begin set-up. After the students left, he turned to me and said "So we'll leave for breakfast at 10:30 tomorrow and then head to the event."
You see, the students would not actually begin showing up until much later than the agreed upon time.
In Uruguay, people usually come around 15-30 minutes after the official start time, and that includes in school. Teachers will come late to class, as well as many students. It's not rude to interrupt a lesson by walking in and pausing to greet everyone. In fact, it's usually rude if you don't!
When entering a room or greeting people, we give a kiss on the right cheek and the common introduction is "Como andas?" which roughly means "How's it going?"
Breakfast is usually a light meal, followed by lunch at the typical mid-day time. However, Uruguayans have a coffee break called "merienda" around 5 PM and don't eat dinner until at least 9 PM. Many restaurants don't open until 8 PM to begin cooking dinner for the evening.
You see, the students would not actually begin showing up until much later than the agreed upon time.
In Uruguay, people usually come around 15-30 minutes after the official start time, and that includes in school. Teachers will come late to class, as well as many students. It's not rude to interrupt a lesson by walking in and pausing to greet everyone. In fact, it's usually rude if you don't!
When entering a room or greeting people, we give a kiss on the right cheek and the common introduction is "Como andas?" which roughly means "How's it going?"
Breakfast is usually a light meal, followed by lunch at the typical mid-day time. However, Uruguayans have a coffee break called "merienda" around 5 PM and don't eat dinner until at least 9 PM. Many restaurants don't open until 8 PM to begin cooking dinner for the evening.
Plan Ceibal | One Laptop per Child
So if there's two things the average person knows about Uruguay, it's"the worlds poorest president" and their soccer pride. But if you're an educator, then there's a third piece of trivia that you probably know. Uruguay is the first country to give a laptop to every K-12 child in the country.
The program was started in 2007 by President Vasquez (also the current president) and was named after the Uruguayan flower "ceibo". It stands for "Conectividad Educativa de Informática Básica para el Aprendizaje en Línea" (Educational Connectivity/Basic Computing for Online Learning in English). Its mission is to "promote the integration of technology at the service of education in order to improve the quality and promote social innovation, inclusion and personal growth processes."
Besides for use in schools, students are able to bring their laptops home for personal use. There are two very durable laptops that are given to elementary school students, as well as tablets. The tablets run on android and the laptops use linux because it's opensource. In middle school, they trade the basic laptops for more sophisticated ones that they can keep beyond graduation. The laptops are fixed with geolocators that allow Plan Ceibal to track stolen laptops, though this is not much of a problem since every student has one. However, if it is stolen then administrators can remotely disable its features until its return.
There are currently 600,000 laptops active in the program and they annually repair 30,000 laptops with technical issues or broken screens. Plan Ceibal has an agreement with the national post service that laptops can be mailed free of charge to the center for repairs. When the device is beyond repair, every possible part is salvaged. They are environmentally conscience and do their best to recycle plastic waste in eco-friendly ways. (Don't forget to check out the photos!)
Plan Ceibal has additional equipment that can be sent out to requesting school sites. They promote makerspaces where students can use provided technology to innovate a solution.
In 2008, English became a mandatory part of the curriculum, but the country lacked enough qualified teachers to implement this. Plan Ceibal has a program in place where teachers video conference with elementary school classrooms through fiber optic networks. The English teacher performs a lesson while the in-class teacher deals with classroom management. The class is once a week and teachers are expected to allot time for assignments twice more per week outside of the video lessons. Evaluations have shown the same levels of English from learning English with a face-to-face teacher (30% of English classes) and this online program (70% of English classes).
While Plan Ceibal (named after the flower) is primarily targeted toward kids, they also have a branch (pun intended) for educating adults, called Ibirapitá after an Uruguayan tree. It is a four year program to low income, retired adults to receive tablets and learn English.
Plan Ceibal has an IT team that tests all apps and software before it goes on the laptops. They have amassed many resources that can be found on their website, and any student with an ID can access a digital library of 4,500+ books with access codes provided by Plan Ceibal.
There is also a large teacher training section that provides digital inclusion classes for student teachers, family involvement programs, and blended learning training for in-service teachers.
They have a research team that is currently working on how to use holograms in education and creating more accessible technology for special education students.
This program has an 85% public approval rating, though one area that some people disagree with is its structure. While Plan Ceibal is tax funded, it is not under the umbrella of the government. Its board includes members from ANEP (La Administración Nacional de Educación Pública) and the Ministry of Education, but they are not required to follow typical Uruguayan bureaucracy, which is why they can implement programs so widespread and quickly. They are also very open with their research and resources (all available on their website) and recently won an award for
83% of students are educated in public schools, which is supported by Plan Ceibal. Private and charter schools can apply for benefits as well, but the school must pay for the services; however, the finances will never fall on the students or their families. 100% of schools have state funded wifi, but devices will automatically disconnect after 10 minutes to prevent people nearby from hogging the service. 99.8% of urban schools have fiber optic networks and they are working to expand this to rural areas.
When implementing the project, Plan Ceibal had to decide how much monitoring power they would have. They opted to give students unlimited use on their devices without oversight, but there are specific blacklisted websites while on school networks that cannot be accessed. The students also go through digital citizenship training to help with this responsibility.
Overall, Ceibal costs $100/student to run all of its programs, which is only 5% of the total cost to educate a student in Uruguay. It is the most accepted public policy in Uruguay's history and shape education in Uruguay with its far reaching programs every year.
The program was started in 2007 by President Vasquez (also the current president) and was named after the Uruguayan flower "ceibo". It stands for "Conectividad Educativa de Informática Básica para el Aprendizaje en Línea" (Educational Connectivity/Basic Computing for Online Learning in English). Its mission is to "promote the integration of technology at the service of education in order to improve the quality and promote social innovation, inclusion and personal growth processes."
Besides for use in schools, students are able to bring their laptops home for personal use. There are two very durable laptops that are given to elementary school students, as well as tablets. The tablets run on android and the laptops use linux because it's opensource. In middle school, they trade the basic laptops for more sophisticated ones that they can keep beyond graduation. The laptops are fixed with geolocators that allow Plan Ceibal to track stolen laptops, though this is not much of a problem since every student has one. However, if it is stolen then administrators can remotely disable its features until its return.
There are currently 600,000 laptops active in the program and they annually repair 30,000 laptops with technical issues or broken screens. Plan Ceibal has an agreement with the national post service that laptops can be mailed free of charge to the center for repairs. When the device is beyond repair, every possible part is salvaged. They are environmentally conscience and do their best to recycle plastic waste in eco-friendly ways. (Don't forget to check out the photos!)
Plan Ceibal has additional equipment that can be sent out to requesting school sites. They promote makerspaces where students can use provided technology to innovate a solution.
In 2008, English became a mandatory part of the curriculum, but the country lacked enough qualified teachers to implement this. Plan Ceibal has a program in place where teachers video conference with elementary school classrooms through fiber optic networks. The English teacher performs a lesson while the in-class teacher deals with classroom management. The class is once a week and teachers are expected to allot time for assignments twice more per week outside of the video lessons. Evaluations have shown the same levels of English from learning English with a face-to-face teacher (30% of English classes) and this online program (70% of English classes).
While Plan Ceibal (named after the flower) is primarily targeted toward kids, they also have a branch (pun intended) for educating adults, called Ibirapitá after an Uruguayan tree. It is a four year program to low income, retired adults to receive tablets and learn English.
Plan Ceibal has an IT team that tests all apps and software before it goes on the laptops. They have amassed many resources that can be found on their website, and any student with an ID can access a digital library of 4,500+ books with access codes provided by Plan Ceibal.
There is also a large teacher training section that provides digital inclusion classes for student teachers, family involvement programs, and blended learning training for in-service teachers.
They have a research team that is currently working on how to use holograms in education and creating more accessible technology for special education students.
This program has an 85% public approval rating, though one area that some people disagree with is its structure. While Plan Ceibal is tax funded, it is not under the umbrella of the government. Its board includes members from ANEP (La Administración Nacional de Educación Pública) and the Ministry of Education, but they are not required to follow typical Uruguayan bureaucracy, which is why they can implement programs so widespread and quickly. They are also very open with their research and resources (all available on their website) and recently won an award for
83% of students are educated in public schools, which is supported by Plan Ceibal. Private and charter schools can apply for benefits as well, but the school must pay for the services; however, the finances will never fall on the students or their families. 100% of schools have state funded wifi, but devices will automatically disconnect after 10 minutes to prevent people nearby from hogging the service. 99.8% of urban schools have fiber optic networks and they are working to expand this to rural areas.
When implementing the project, Plan Ceibal had to decide how much monitoring power they would have. They opted to give students unlimited use on their devices without oversight, but there are specific blacklisted websites while on school networks that cannot be accessed. The students also go through digital citizenship training to help with this responsibility.
Overall, Ceibal costs $100/student to run all of its programs, which is only 5% of the total cost to educate a student in Uruguay. It is the most accepted public policy in Uruguay's history and shape education in Uruguay with its far reaching programs every year.
Miscellaneous 2.0
The weather has been steadily getting colder - today did not reach beyond 60 degrees in Montevideo. It's a little strange to be in a cold area but surrounded by palm trees, as if the land isn't sure which one it should be. There's been some rain and some sun, but the mornings are usually dull and the leaves have been falling. It officially feels like autumn!
I visited the interior earlier than usual for work this week and it was incredible how busy the streets were and how many people were shopping or working. Shops usually shut down in Durazno for a siesta-ish break from 12-2, which is when I usually arrive. This time I got to the city at 10 and the streets were bustling. I suspected the interior has adopted more of a farmer's lifestyle than Montevideo, so they are used to rising and resting earlier than the capital. Montevideo is quite calm at 10 in the morning compared to this.
So you should already know education is free and taxes are high here. There's another interesting part I learned, that when you finish university with a degree and get a job in your field, you pay an additional tax to the government that supports your education. However, it only applies if you finished school and you are working in your area of study.
I made the mistake of buying a hair brush from China and now I've learned why items are expensive here and that online shopping is a terrible idea. The package was taken by customs for processing and I needed to register the package online with screenshots of the purchase and the card information I used to prove how much I paid for the item. Based on that price, I need to pay 60% import taxes, plus a tax that supports the mail service here. So the brush costs 88% more in the end. Not worth it! Uruguayan citizens get 3 tax exemptions for products under $200 per year, but since I do not have an Uruguayan ID, I'm not eligible. Lesson learned!
Public workers may not be hired during an election year (remember that's this year!), including public school teachers, to prevent manipulating votes, etc.
The last decade or so has seen a decrease in zoos or improvements made to create more natural, humane environments. Animals rights is very prevalent in the country. I bring this up because I heard from a student that the reason Minas (where the English camp was held) had so many wild peacocks is because there used to be a zoo there! I guess they let some of the animals into the wild and they've been thriving on their own. He said there are other animals from the zoo like llamas, but I didn't see any. Don't forget the Uruguayan accent in llamas.... shamas!
Today I went to visit a dog shelter in the interior and while walking down the sidewalk there was an enclosure of flamingos! Then we passed by goats, which was normal for this area so I didn't think much of it... until we passed a llama enclosure. I thought that would be the best of it, for sure, and continued walking. And stopped. "Juli, is that a tiger?" Sure enough there was a tiger enclosure and a little farther back, a cheetah and a puma. Just in the middle of Nowhere, Uruguay (we got off a few stops before the city). Certainly the most random and exciting thing I've stumbled upon so far here. And yes, I assume there used to be some sort of zoo here that maybe has shut down since then and is continued to be cared for since they can't exactly release all of them in the wild here, though it's interesting to think of all the cows that could become prey to tigers if they did so.
I had asked about any natural predators for cows here and the only problem they have is with warthogs. In fact, I believe they're the only animal that can be legally hunted in the country because of it.
When a woman gets married, she does not take the last name of her spouse. Their children take both the last names.
While Coca Cola is incredibly popular here, I haven't yet seen Pepsi. If a store offers more soda than just Coke, it will usually have Fanta and Sprite. One day at lunch I had a conversation with a student who had visited Texas and said his first meal in the US was served with Dr. Pepper. He tried describing it to his peers: "It's like Coke except really really bad."
(Pictured, left) Playing cards are different than the Bicycle branded cards we are used to in the US. Two suits are the same except they use the literal pictures instead of a symbol. For example, the club is an actual wooden caveman's club (shown on top right of picture) and the spade (espada) is a sword (top left). The other suits are gold (oro), and cup (copa) instead of hearts and diamonds. They do not have jack, queen, or king and only use the numbers 1 through 12. Since they do not go up to 13, the number of cards in a Spanish deck is 48 instead of 52. If you look closely. you can see line breaks in the solid border at the top and bottom of each card. The number of line breaks (0, 1, 2, or 3) corresponds to the suit (gold, cup, spade, or club) so that players can identify the number and suit of their cards just by looking at the very top and not risking opponents the chance to see the picture on their card. It is similar to how we hold cards in a fan without seeing the full pictures on our cards.
I visited the interior earlier than usual for work this week and it was incredible how busy the streets were and how many people were shopping or working. Shops usually shut down in Durazno for a siesta-ish break from 12-2, which is when I usually arrive. This time I got to the city at 10 and the streets were bustling. I suspected the interior has adopted more of a farmer's lifestyle than Montevideo, so they are used to rising and resting earlier than the capital. Montevideo is quite calm at 10 in the morning compared to this.
So you should already know education is free and taxes are high here. There's another interesting part I learned, that when you finish university with a degree and get a job in your field, you pay an additional tax to the government that supports your education. However, it only applies if you finished school and you are working in your area of study.
I made the mistake of buying a hair brush from China and now I've learned why items are expensive here and that online shopping is a terrible idea. The package was taken by customs for processing and I needed to register the package online with screenshots of the purchase and the card information I used to prove how much I paid for the item. Based on that price, I need to pay 60% import taxes, plus a tax that supports the mail service here. So the brush costs 88% more in the end. Not worth it! Uruguayan citizens get 3 tax exemptions for products under $200 per year, but since I do not have an Uruguayan ID, I'm not eligible. Lesson learned!
Public workers may not be hired during an election year (remember that's this year!), including public school teachers, to prevent manipulating votes, etc.
The last decade or so has seen a decrease in zoos or improvements made to create more natural, humane environments. Animals rights is very prevalent in the country. I bring this up because I heard from a student that the reason Minas (where the English camp was held) had so many wild peacocks is because there used to be a zoo there! I guess they let some of the animals into the wild and they've been thriving on their own. He said there are other animals from the zoo like llamas, but I didn't see any. Don't forget the Uruguayan accent in llamas.... shamas!
Today I went to visit a dog shelter in the interior and while walking down the sidewalk there was an enclosure of flamingos! Then we passed by goats, which was normal for this area so I didn't think much of it... until we passed a llama enclosure. I thought that would be the best of it, for sure, and continued walking. And stopped. "Juli, is that a tiger?" Sure enough there was a tiger enclosure and a little farther back, a cheetah and a puma. Just in the middle of Nowhere, Uruguay (we got off a few stops before the city). Certainly the most random and exciting thing I've stumbled upon so far here. And yes, I assume there used to be some sort of zoo here that maybe has shut down since then and is continued to be cared for since they can't exactly release all of them in the wild here, though it's interesting to think of all the cows that could become prey to tigers if they did so.
I had asked about any natural predators for cows here and the only problem they have is with warthogs. In fact, I believe they're the only animal that can be legally hunted in the country because of it.
When a woman gets married, she does not take the last name of her spouse. Their children take both the last names.
While Coca Cola is incredibly popular here, I haven't yet seen Pepsi. If a store offers more soda than just Coke, it will usually have Fanta and Sprite. One day at lunch I had a conversation with a student who had visited Texas and said his first meal in the US was served with Dr. Pepper. He tried describing it to his peers: "It's like Coke except really really bad."
(Pictured, left) Playing cards are different than the Bicycle branded cards we are used to in the US. Two suits are the same except they use the literal pictures instead of a symbol. For example, the club is an actual wooden caveman's club (shown on top right of picture) and the spade (espada) is a sword (top left). The other suits are gold (oro), and cup (copa) instead of hearts and diamonds. They do not have jack, queen, or king and only use the numbers 1 through 12. Since they do not go up to 13, the number of cards in a Spanish deck is 48 instead of 52. If you look closely. you can see line breaks in the solid border at the top and bottom of each card. The number of line breaks (0, 1, 2, or 3) corresponds to the suit (gold, cup, spade, or club) so that players can identify the number and suit of their cards just by looking at the very top and not risking opponents the chance to see the picture on their card. It is similar to how we hold cards in a fan without seeing the full pictures on our cards.
Fútbol | SoccerSoccer is basically the politics of Uruguay. In the US, you wouldn't meet a stranger and get into politics because they could be in a different party and lead to conflict or controversial topics. Here, you don't do that with soccer because someone else could be invested in the other team and it could leave a bad taste. The two big teams that the country supports are Nacional (blue and white) and Peñarol (black and yellow). One Monday night I was about to sleep and fireworks started going off in the city. I checked my clock and it had just turned midnight. There was no holiday or school closings so I didn't know what they were celebrating. I asked later and found out it was the anniversary of the Nacional team! Another Fulbrighter went to a Nacional vs Peñarol game and wrote about her experience here: https://katinuruguay.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/uruguays-sport/
The game was a very big deal and I could hear the shouting and cheering for each goal reverberate through the streets. I was not watching the game, but I knew about the time it would end and never heard noises coming from the city, revealing what I guessed as the final score: a tie. I found it interesting that the fanbase for each team is about equal across the country and is not divided by class, location, or political preference. Once you choose your team, you cannot change it. People would notice if one day you're a fan of one team and another day you support the other. Fans are loyal and stay with their team through the ups and downs of a season over the years. In order to avoid conflict, I was also told that politicians like the president do not publicly support one team over another in case the opposing team's fans would disfavor them. To read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_Cl%C3%A1sico |
Política | PoliticsIn contrast to the typical American political ads on TV, politicians here create jingles! While they're your typical brainwashing nonsense, I find them quite catchy. I've attached a YouTube video below as an example and translated the first couple stanzas:
Con Sartori gana todo Uruguay, Sartori vino a crear más oportunidades de trabajo y bienestar. Un futuro y esperanza que a todos va a llegar, Juan Sartori con la gente cuenta contigo. With Sartori all of Uruguay wins Sartori came to create more jobs and wellbeing Future and hope will come to all Juan Sartori with the people are counting on you |
See part 2 of the blog here -> |
Disclaimer: I acknowledge that this is not an official Department of State publication, and that the views and information presented here are my own and do not represent the Fulbright U.S. Student Program or the Department of State or the Fulbright Commission or the host country.