¡Hola a todos! My name is Jordan Anderson, and I am a
junior psychology and Spanish double major. I am spending this semester in
Montevideo, Uruguay. It has already been quite an adventure, and I know it will
continue to be until I return to Greensboro in December. Studying abroad has
always been a dream of mine, so before I got here, I was mostly excited but
also a little nervous. However, as soon as I stepped out of the plane and into
Carrasco International Airport, I was mostly nervous and a little excited. That
first day was both fun and challenging. My roommate Laci (a fellow
International Honors student) and I were allowed to drop off our things at our
apartment, but then we had to wait for a couple hours in a nearby indoor market
while our landlord finished getting our apartment ready (keep in mind that this
was after a 24-hour trip). So, we got to know a little bit of the city before
we even got to take a nap. I continued to feel as if I were wandering a strange
city in need of a nap for the first couple of weeks I spent here. It is never
easy to be removed from your normal life and placed into one in which you don’t
speak the language very well, and you don’t really know anyone. But, after only
2 or 3 weeks, I had started to adapt. My Spanish was already so much better
(it’s amazing what practicing every day for hours can do), and I had already
found some great friends in the other international students in my program. I
think we all stick together because we’re all in the same crazy situation. I
truly became aware of the quality of friends I had made when my birthday rolled
around in August. I was a little bit sad because I wasn’t getting to celebrate
with my friends from home. However, my friends here surprised me with a huge
party, cake, and most importantly, crepes (made by my French friends.)
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| The usual Wednesday night out with a fellow International Honors student, Laci |
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| Celebrating my 21st birthday with friends from around the world |
While
the first few weeks here were life-changing, my journey definitely didn’t end
there. The longer I’m here, the better my Spanish gets, the more comfortable I
feel, etc. I’ve been here for almost 2 months, and I recently became aware of
how much I’ve fallen in love with Montevideo. Last weekend, some friends and I
took a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I was truly very surprised when I
realized how excited I was to get back to Montevideo. I missed my life here
while I was gone, and that made me realize that I’m beginning to feel at home
here.
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| Montevideo sign located in Playa Pocitos |
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| Enjoying the sunshine at La Plaza de la Bandera |
Obviously,
I’m learning lots of Spanish here. I learn new words and become more
comfortable using the language every day. But Spanish is not all that Uruguay
has taught me so far. There’s a word they use a lot here and it’s “tranquí.”
Tranquí is a variation of the word “tranquilo” which means calm in Spanish. On
the surface level, I have learned to adapt to the more relaxed schedules. By
this, I mean that I no longer freak out if I’m supposed to be somewhere, and
the bus doesn’t show up on time (or at all.) I’ve also had to find new ways to
relax and be calm because I don’t have as many classes as I usually do in the
US, and I’m the kind of person who can be stressed doing nothing because I feel
like I need to be doing something. But I think the meaning of tranquí goes
further than bus schedules and classes. Being here has also taught me that I
don’t have to be afraid to mess up when I speak Spanish. The people here are so
nice and just happy that I’m trying to learn. The best part is, I think I will
be able to apply this to other situations when I go home. I think I’m learning
that it’s ok to be wrong and to fail sometimes-it’s all part of the adventure.
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| Sunset from my weekend trip to Piriapolis |
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| Los Dedos in la playa Punta Del Este |
In
addition to getting out of my comfort zone, I’ve been discovering new passions.
My passion for adventure has been rediscovered and reinforced, but I also have
discovered a new passion for languages and language-learning. As soon as I
started to feel comfortable with Spanish, I thought, “What language should I
learn next?” Languages to me are endlessly useful, and they can’t be taken away
from you once you learn them, even though you may become rusty without
practice. Upon returning to the US, I would like to find a way to incorporate
linguistics/more languages into my studies and, hopefully, my career.
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| La Ciudadela (original gateway to Montevideo when it had a wall, back in the old days) |
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| El Palacio Salvo (oldest skyscraper in South America, located in the old city section of Montevideo) |
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| My dragon, Rodrigo posing in front of some of the "arte callajero" which is plentiful in Montevideo |
I’ll
conclude by saying that I have almost three months left here, but I already
don’t know how I’m going to leave. This place, the experiences I’ve had, and
the people I’ve met are unforgettable. It’s like I have just enough time here
to start a new life, and as it begins, I will have to leave it. But I know that
after this, I’ll be on to other adventures, so todo tranquí.
