Travel Uruguay - Experience from a Student !

By Lawrence Selby - Guest blogger traveling in Montevideo. He is a student going through a Spanish Language Immersion Program during 4 weeks in Montevideo. He will be telling us about his experience LIVE during his trip! Final Preparations Nothing really exciting to report for today. Last night, I wrote up a big list of errands that I need to run, places to go, and things to buy for today. Today, I basically just went down the list. Actually, I should say that I am still going down the list there's still 3 or 4 more things to do. I have yet to pack, though I usually do this last. I usually find that packing is the easy part once everything is lined up and organized. How do I feel? To be honest, I feel a bit nervous. This is kind of like the feeling that I used to get before I big exam or maybe even a wrestling match in high school. I'm sure that I will struggle and flounder with communication in Uruguay, but what else? I was thinking back today of when I went back to graduate school at UVA. I moved into the graduate dorms for the winter semester. I didn't know anyone there except for a few professors. I was anxious about being a TA in a subject that I didn't have much background and leading a weekly 60 minute recitation class. It all worked out great in the end. The day after I moved in, I was playing broomball in an ice hockey rink with a bunch of other students and Dave Matthews was blaring from the speakers. Life is strange ... On the Way There I made my first friend of the trip today. The man sitting next to me on the plane (Alejandro) is an agricultural engineer and a worldwide consultant on grasses and pecans from Buenos Aires. He was on a trip to the States consulting about golf courses and polo fields. He went out of his way to give me his contact information and the names and telephone numbers of a few of his close friends in Montevideo. When I went to Brasil a few years ago, a similar thing happened on the plane. One of the best things about travel is that is reaffirms the fact that most people are really nice when you get a chance to chat with them for a few minutes. Watching too much news on TV or reading the papers can make you jaded about the inate goodness in people. Larry's blogs will be posted Monday and Thursdays.. to be continued.