In the fall of 2018, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Montevideo, Uruguay. During my time there, I took classes exclusive to the Spanish language including the subjects of literature, culture, and linguistics. All the while I got to live among 12 students who quickly became some of my closest friends. The thought of living with 12 people made me a little nervous but it was truly amazing how our group came together so tightly so fast. I enjoyed the freedom we had while living not only in a new city but a new country on a new continent! Living so close to the coast made a good escape from class to study or just to hang out and practice Spanish.
I never thought I would be able to sit in a class being taught in a different language and understand what was going on just as much as I would if it was in English. When I came to that realization, I was proud of myself. I knew going on this trip that what you get out is what you put in, and I really wanted to come out conversational. Through a lot of frustration and times I wanted to give up, I believe I achieved this goal, and it was highlighted by something that happened on our last day. Uruguayans are very kind people, laid back, and not stressed by the time pressures of society. My friend Michele and I went to the store one last time for some goodies we wanted to bring home back to the states. While we entered the store, we were speaking English to each other and an elderly man took notice. He asked, “de Donde son”, a question we got quite often when we spoke English in public. We answered back in Spanish that we were from the United States but had come there to study Spanish. We then had a conversation with him for what seemed like forever, about his life, our lives, and his advice he had to live to the fullest. It was incredible to be able to share a moment with someone in a different language other than your first, and it marked how far I had come. There was no way I would have been able to hold that conversation when I first arrived in Montevideo.
Studying abroad was probably the best choice I could have made for myself in higher education. Past learning a new language, there’s something magical in living in a new place and adjusting to a culture different than your own. One of my favorite experiences of this was how many people are constantly outside. Everyone in our house knew my place was Parque Rodo, I would go countless times throughout the week, especially to watch the sunset. Every time I visited the park it was filled with locals passing the time, sharing memories and mate (a drink native to the river plate region). I would always think how now, it’s so rare to see people just spending time outside in the United States. It was something I truly came to appreciate about the culture there.
No amount of words can ever perfectly describe how incredible the opportunity to live in such an amazing place as Montevideo was, but I hope I gave a small glimpse into the magic that city holds in my heart.
