TACOMA, Wash. — Hola! My name is
Elijah Singleton, I'm a sophomore on the Pacific Lutheran University men's soccer team and this J-term I had the privilege to travel to Montevideo, Uruguay to take an immersive Spanish course through the study abroad program offered by the Wang Center and PLU.
We began our trip in Montevideo with a quick orientation at the International House, the school where we would be taking our Spanish courses for the next month. After orientation, where we met both the professors and our host families we left with our host families to see our new home for the month and spend our first day with them before we began classes the following day. The typical schedule of our day would begin with Spanish classes at 9 am.
In our class, with our teacher Alessandra, we learned from a more conversational approach, while we were still practicing different verb tenses and conjugating verbs and using them in specific situations or sentences, we also used those to talk about things we looked forward to seeing or had seen in Uruguay. And to talk about varying topics, from what our lives were like in the United States, to what we wanted to do in our future.
In this way, we really got to practice one of the most important aspects of learning a new language, in that we got to practice conversing both in the classroom and taking those skills outside the classroom while speaking in a Spanish-speaking country. After Spanish class, we had our tango class, taught by our instructor, Nazario. These classes were not split up, but there were two different levels of class, the smaller class which met 4 times for one hour each and the "technical" class, for students who were taking the tango course for a PE credit and wanted to learn and practice tango more frequently during the month. This class typically met three times a week for two hours.
At the end of the month, we used our newly acquired tango skills at a milonga that our instructor was hosting at a nearby city park. A milonga is almost like a 'tango circle', where people come to both practice and learn tango altogether. Some bring their longtime tango partners, or find new partners and learn with one another.
In the evenings we would also have some adventures, lectures, or tours of different places in Montevideo or on the outskirts of the city. Our lectures happened in our classroom at the institute and gave us deeper insight into the history, culture, and people of Uruguay. Some topics that we learned about included the political landscape and progressive legislature of Uruguay, the history of "candombe," an Afro-Uruguayan rhythm played by drums accompanied by a dance in a parade-style line that is at the heart of Uruguayan culture. As well as the Afro-Uruguayan history of South America and how that presents itself presently in Uruguay.
To accompany the lectures we got from different presenters, we also traveled to various museums and important buildings in the capital, Montevideo, and across the country and received tours that gave us more insight into Uruguayan people, culture, and history. We went to the legislative building or the "Palacio Legislativo" in Spanish where both the Uruguayan Congress and their House of Representatives convened. Here we saw the Government library and the Uruguayan constitution and the amazing Italian-based marble architecture of the building depicting various scenes and symbols of Uruguay. We also visited art museums, parks, historic Catholic Spanish churches, and the "Plaza Independencia" or Independence Plaza, a center in Montevideo of historic buildings in one of the first settlements in Uruguay. This included the Uruguayan presidential office, the old legislative building, and a huge symbol of Uruguay, the statue of General Artigas, who first led the revolution against the Spanish for the independence of the Oriental regions in South America which included parts of Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
We also had many independent and guided adventures across the country where we visited the beautiful parks of Uruguay, different beaches and buildings, and went to giant flea markets and events held by the city.
Two of my favorite things we did were the Feria de Tristan Narvaja, a giant flea market held every Sunday where you can find literally anything, where you can broker and negotiate prices for souvenirs, groceries, toiletries, and anything else you wish to find in Montevideo. This is where I bought many souvenirs and little unique antiques to remember my trip. We also spent an evening at the first celebrations of Carnaval in Uruguay, which was an amazing experience of dancing, and different types of music, including Candombe, Murga, Samba, and various acts and food that lasted all through the night. We had many adventures through the parade and festival-like events such as the "Llamadas de San Baltasar," a candombe parade to celebrate the three kings who came during Jesus Christ's birth.
Many of the highlights of my trip came during the weekend trips or excursions we did on each of the four weekends we had during the month. Because we did not have class on weekends, this is when our longer trips outside the capital and to other cities and departments happened. On these trips, we got to relax a little bit and enjoy ourselves and get to know more about the beautiful country we were in. We first traveled to Punta del Este, a very popular, touristy beach town in the Maldonado department along the eastern coast of Uruguay. Here, we got to go to the beautiful beaches with warm ocean water that was a little different from the brackish water of Montevideo. We also visited the famous Casapueblo, the old home of a famous Uruguayan artist built on a cliff out of what appears as white plaster, which was donated and is now used as a resort, and museum and hosts many events. We then stopped at a nearby beach and got to swim, tan, and enjoy snacks and treats we had picked up at local markets and spend a little time decompressing and enjoying the sunshine.
We also visited the old city of Colonia del Sacramento, seeing old ruins of the Spanish settlement, the lighthouse, and the rest of the city. We then visited a famous bullfighting arena, called La Plaza de Toros and toured the museum and the arena. After eating dinner we then headed back to Montevideo and to our homes. The next weekend we went to the interior of the country to the cities and towns of Lavalleja and Minas to a place called el Salto del Penitente, a natural waterfall and creek in between two rocks. Here we zip lined, and rode horses again on a nature hike, ate some wonderful Uruguayan dishes of various options, and then swam and jumped in the nearby lagoon and hung out and got to know some of the people also visiting and who lived nearby.
For our final weekend, we went on an overnight trip to Rocha, an eastern coastal city close to the border of Brazil, here we toured the beaches and towns, and then started our trip to Cabo Polonio, a remote beach town with beautiful beaches and huts, in which you have to take retrofitted trucks through sand roads to reach the little town. After spending a couple of hours touring this beautiful place, and seeing the famous Cabo lighthouse and some more beaches full of sea lions resting, we then headed to our hostel in another small beach town called Punta del Diablo.
When we checked into our hostel we hung out in the community space while our dinner was cooked for us consisting of some more Uruguayan asado and a special community pizza night. We then played games and hung out together as a group and with other members of the hostel. A couple of us woke up early the next morning and rented surfboards at a nearby surf shop and surfed for a little bit (some of us better than others) to get the morning started, we then returned back to the hostel for breakfast and a fun beach day with the rest of the group. As this was one of our last days we spent our last couple hours buying souvenirs and hanging out on the beach playing soccer, swimming, or throwing a frisbee before we headed back to Montevideo. On our last day, we received our class diplomas in a small ceremony from the institute and hung out with the families and teachers that had helped us navigate the amazing city and country and said our last goodbyes before we headed to the airport to head home.
In the end, the city of Montevideo and the country of Uruguay were amazing and beautiful in so many ways, and the experiences and memories I left with will stay with me forever. From speaking and playing games in our Spanish classes to our weekend excursions, I found excitement, fun, and new interests everywhere we went. Studying away gave me the opportunity to explore a different culture, language, history, and group of people and be immersed in these aspects while still studying and learning in the same way I would on campus.
The Immersive Spanish J-term program for 2024 will take place in Puerto Rico, and applications are due March 15th, and I highly recommend applying for this or other J-term or semester programs provided by PLU and the Wang Center that interest you as they are very unique and special experiences that help you explore different parts of our beautiful world!
