by Ava Klein| Summer 2024 |
I had the privilege of spending a month in Montevideo, Uruguay. While in Montevideo, I attended class, tutored local Spanish students, and traveled to Buenos Aires. A typical day consisted of class in the morning, then we would all get ready for our day. Before we did tutoring in the evening, we would go to a local coffee shop and catch up on homework and prepare for our tutoring lesson. After tutoring, we would go out to dinner together or go to an event at La Ruta. La Ruta is a college ministry located in Montevideo that aims to give community to college-age students. Something that I learned during my time abroad is that college looks very different in Uruguay compared to America. In Uruguay, a degree typically takes 5-6 years to complete, and sometimes even longer. This is due to the fact that college is free, so there is less of an urgency to complete the degree since there is no cost benefit to completing it early. Additionally, a typical college-aged student is 20-28. It is interesting to see college as such a relaxed and low-stress thing in their culture; however, it fits their relaxed lifestyle. Like much of South America, there is a large emphasis on slowing down and enjoying life. It does not have the same competitive and individual feel as America. This was a topic that we discussed heavily in class as well. We talked about how most Americans are plagued with a feeling of needing to be constantly productive, and when we are not, we feel like a failure. This keeps us locked in a continual cycle of burnout. Therefore, being in Montevideo was like a breath of fresh air. It was so nice to just be able to sit in community with one another with no rush to get to the next place.
Another aspect of the trip that stuck with me was how close I got to my classmates. When we landed in Brazil, we found out that we missed our connecting flight to Montevideo. We then had to navigate our way through the airport, locate our bags, and get on new flights, all while communicating with people who spoke very little English. Our trip was filled with situations in which the students had to take control and work together to figure out different aspects of this new life. This bonded us and made us a very close-knit group. We would cook dinner together, go on walks, have movie nights, and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. This made it hard to leave at the end of the month because we got so used to doing life all together. However, I know that this experience will keep us close and bonded even when we get back to Abilene. Overall, I am very grateful for my time in Montevideo. I learned what it’s like to feel like an outsider, met beautiful people, and saw beautiful places. I am very thankful for the opportunity and am so thankful for the Honors College’s support in getting me to Montevideo.
