Jugares Nuevos

Penarol: this game was like nothing I have ever experienced before. We got to the game over an hour early and everyone was already decked out in black and yellow and singing and chanting. Right before that game started, everyone started singing really loud, setting off fireworks, sparklers, and yellow smoke bombs. My favorite thing was that there is a rule with Penarol fans that win or lose they are always on their feet, always cheering. Even though Penarol lost the game that we attended, the fans never stopped encouraging and cheering on their team.

Symphony: It was a fun night, we all got dressed up and took some pictures and headed to the show. The conductor was exactly the person I would draw up the perfect conductor to be. Long white hair and a handle bar mustache and he got into the conducting so much that he jumped up and down for emphasis at least a couple times per song. The first songs were from the nutcracker and were absolutely amazing. The whole experience was just what I needed after a long week and right before a fun but tiring weekend. It was wonderful to listen to the music and think of nothing else.

Speaking of this past weekend, it was the most unplanned but most wonderful adventure. Once we got off the bus at our campsite, (which was an adventure in itself) the first thing I noticed were the stars. You could see the Milky Way easily and the constellations were all so bright and seemed so close. If nothing else good had happened, the weekend for me was already made. The campsite centered around a couple pools that were fed by the hot springs. Eric went to check them out the first night while Mal, Jamie, Whitney, and I went to bed in our tent and stayed up talking. The next day was Mal’s birthday and we went to a water park about 30 minutes away from the campsite with this wonderful family that Eric had met and befriended the night before. They had been camping there for about three weeks and three of the sons ended up coming back on the same bus as us back to Montevideo. They were so patient and easy going and it was so much fun hanging out with them. The park was right across from Argentina, and it had hot pools and cold pools, it was the perfect day of relaxation, adventures, new friends, practicing Spanish, eating ham sandwiches, drinking fresh squeezed orange juice, and sharing Maté. I love how easy it is to make friends here. Everyone is honest and the relaxed nature is so different and a nice change from the fast-paced life of America. The next day we spent some time looking at some local markets and going down to hang out by the river. I went down closer to the river and found a beautiful little shaded place right by the water that was so peaceful that I just sat there taking everything in and enjoying the quietness. After a while there we went into Salto to find the free zoo that we had heard about. Once again, on the bus, everyone was so willing to talk and so patient, we followed a family from one bus to the next that would take us to the zoo. There were some pretty awesome animals including lions and tigers and bears and all sorts of colorful birds and these cute little animals that we could never find a sign for but looked like a mix between a raccoon and a puppy and an anteater. When we were waiting for our bus that was to leave at around midnight, we made friends with a Pastor and Professor who lives in Montevideo, he knew like 5 languages and wanted to learn English, he had written a book but apparently needed another doctorate before it could be published. We had a wonderful conversation with him and started singing worship songs at a bus stop in the middle of the countryside of Uruguay. Although the fact that we had not planned almost anything the whole weekend was a little stressful, God had a perfect plan for us to learn more about His people and made me become less worried about scheduling my time and rather giving it up and recognizing that it is His time that he has given to me so that I can learn to glorify Him in new ways everyday.