The big party after the Elections!

After the results were announced the celebrations began and although it poured rain the Mujica supporters wouldn’t let that get in the way of this long anticipated celebration.

60% of Montevideo voted for Mujica so there was quite a crowd that blocked the busiest street in town and that crowded the rambla (boardwalk along the beach) in the Old City. Adrian, his brother, his mother, a family friend and I headed out to join the crowds. We drove first along the rambla and moved at a snail’s pace behind all the traffic that was honking and cheering at the news of their new President. We joined in the fun and I got to film during the moments in which it wasn’t raining so take a look at what I captured! It was a night I’ll never forget, old and young dancing in the streets, waving flags and singing in the rain.

And the new President is....

Hopefully I am not pronouncing victory prematurely but it's pretty certain that the new President of Uruguay will be Pepe Mujica, candidate of the Frente Amplio, a coalition of leftist parties.

Amongst the coalition are former "Tupamaros", gorilla fighters that existed before and during the dictatorship of Uruguay in the 70s, I mention this as Pepe Mujica himself was one of these Tupamaros and despite his more extreme leftist politics, still managed to be elected in one of the more conservative Latin American countries.

In 2004, the people of Uruguay already proved that they were fed up with more conservative politics by electing a Frente Amplio candidate, Tabaré Vazquez. However, Tabaré is much more conservative than his fellow Amplista candidate Mujica and it was quite an event to see him and his party win once more.

As I sit here writing this article I can hear shouts and cheering, horns and absolute chaos. It's all pretty memorable watching it unfold!

Earlier today I also got to watch as Adrián casted his vote. Voting is on a Sunday and it's obligatory for the whole country. Machines are not used and there are no booths. You walk up to a table and show your credentials, they find your picture and fingerprint within the book of names that they have for your voting district and check you off the list. Then you are instructed to walk into a room, close the door and take out the folded piece of paper that has the picture of the president you want to elect. That's all! However, If there are any markings on the paper or anything else they do not count your vote and you must place it within the envelope without anyone seeing who you have voted for or it will also be disqualified.

McDia Feliz!!

Yesterday I officially ended my strike of McDonald's hamburgers and participated in McDia Feliz here in Montevideo, Uruguay. Not only did I eat a McDonald's hamburger for the first time in about 15 years, I ate a Big Mac! I also waited in a line that stretched out along an entire city block! After 45 minutes of waiting in the sun with some of the 2 best Uruguayan gals I know-- one was 9 months pregnant---we finally received our hamburgers, and I have to say, I was pretty satisfied. The wait wasn't so bad either as we passed the time in good conversation and my friends had fun laughing at the fact that the American doesn't like to eat McDonald's hamburgers, french fries or hot dogs.

I bet you're dieing to know, why all the hype, I mean, it's only McDonald's, right? Well, McDonald's is pretty popular here but that's not why people waited for almost 45 minutes just for a Big Mac, they waited because 100% of the cost of the Big Mac was donated to the fight against cancer in children.

It's quite a day, local celebrities donate their time and help out and work as McDonald's employees for free to help keep the lines moving. Businesses buy Big Macs for employees and at every McDonald's there are lines, endless lines of people waiting to donate their money.

Me robaron el I-POD!!

I try not to get too attached to material things...one of the reasons I love living in Uruguay is because I feel like I'm escaping the rampant consumerism of the United States. Don't get me wrong, I love to buy new things and consumerism exists in Uruguay but it's not all-consuming.

Well, I got attached to this i-pod that my friend had given to me and yesterday, as I was walking in broad day light, a young man came up behind me and yanked twice on my purse, broke it and took off running with my i-pod, money, keys to my apartment and phone inside. At first I thought, "that´s life", and then I realized my i-pod was inside that bloddy bag and I stopped singing "que será" and starting cursing the bloke.

A few of my little rugrats and my recent kitchen experience

I thought I'd share with you a few photos of some of the rugrats I teach. I have 3 groups of kids, 1 group of teenagers, 2 classes of adults and 2 one on one conversation classes. The kids are quite a challenge. I need to constantly be on my toes, have something for them to do and incorporate new games or activities into the lesson so they don't get bored. Just when I think I'm running out of ideas I am saved by an idea I find in a book or something I just come up with on the spot.

The other photo is of my most recent cooking experiment...I have the slightest feeling Adrian is training me...however, he did help me cook the "tarta". I made the dough all by myself and he made the ingredients to put inside whereas the last time we made a "tarta" I tackled cooking the ingredients and he made the dough. "Tartas" are a popular meal to eat here in Uruguay, it's only a matter of making the crust then mixing a bunch of ingredients together, pour them on top of the crust, bake it all for a bit and presto! a delicious meal is served. What's more, you have scrumptious leftovers for the week! The crust I made this time was a whole wheat, cheese flavored crust, I was quite impressed with myself when it turned out well. :)

If you visit me in Uruguay don't come in June or July!

It is freezing cold today! Right now I sit, clad in three different long sleeve shirts, long john's underneath the pants and several pairs of socks. It is about 30 degrees Farenheit outside with rain and icy wind that struck my bare face and hands as I braved the walk home form work tonight. I can hear the wind whistling and the rain pelting the windows. It's not pretty here right now so if you'd like to visit I suggest you pick another month! It's quite gorgeous in the spring, summer and fall. ;)

My Favorite View

If you take the elevator to the top floor then climb two flights of stairs you reach the top patio of Adrian’s apartment complex. From there, you can climb a tiny medal latter up another flight, hop a wall and open your eyes to a breathtaking view of the city I call home, Montevideo, Uruguay.

This place, this view is where an average Jane like me turns into a philosopher as I begin to ask myself age old questions about life and ponder about how far I’ve come and what it is I want next.

It’s never easy to figure out what the next step is in life. I’m starting to think that after you graduate from college it’s just an endless battle of worrying about what’s next, where you “should be” in life or what you “should have accomplished”. Sometimes I feel as if I am futilely shouting at the top of my lungs “it’s what makes you happy is what is most important in life!” and the flood of noise that drowns out my voice is the sound of those “shoulds” and “should nots”…

It’s hard to believe how happy I am right now. Maybe I “should” be continuing my studies or working in a job that pays a decent wage but there is always time, and if I waste energy thinking about what I should or shouldn’t do I’m going to miss out on all of the fun right now. This all may sound cliché but I honestly don’t care if it means I’m happy. This doesn’t mean I want to avoid all responsibilities and throw all cares to the wind. Actually, I feel like what I am throwing to the wind is an imaginary checklist constructed by society that says I have to have this and that by such an age. Living in Uruguay for a few years was never on the checklist but I know it’s the right thing to do for now.