A few weeks back, Mariana and a friend were asked to "star" in a commercial for a local credit card company. Mari was paid $80 USD to spend a few hours one afternoon downtown in a friends flat for the filming. We have been waiting for the commercial to hit the air.
Finally, two days back a friend called to say they saw her on TV. We spent the last 2 days watching the local channels without luck, but finally someone posted it on facebook.
We are happy to announce the arrival of Tarjeta D.
Showing posts with label Montevideo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montevideo. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Copa Libertadores Update
A while back, I wrote a small blog about going to see a Club Nacional game here in Montevideo for the Copa Libertadores.
To update the thread, Nacional is no longer in the competition. Their last game in the tournament was back on April 20th - Nicolás, Fabian, Mari and I went to that game as well. Unfortunately, Nacional tied the game 0 - 0 with Club America from Mexico, and without the win, Nacional didn´t have the points necessary to progress forward in the competition.
As it stands now, the Copa Libertadores is down to the semi-finales. The four teams still battling in the tournement are:
In about a half hour, the game between Peñarol and Velez will start. As you may remember from my last post on this topic, Copa Libertadores "is the most prestigious club competition in South American football and one of the most watched events in the world, broadcast in 135 nations worldwide". Thus, I am sure the city will be shut down tonight, as basically everyone will be indoors somewhere or other with the game on the tele.
Here, the rivalry between Nacional and Peñarol is huge, as they are the two largest teams within Uruguay. But I have begun to notice, now that the Copa Libertadores is down to the final four, that the animosity between the die hard fans has died down now that its Uruguay vs. the other competing nations. The Nacional fans can sit back and cheer for Uruguay against the competition, instead of cheering directly for Peñarol - the team they have grown to loathe.
The tournament is composed of two games per team pairing - one match played at home and one match played away. Then the points are tallied to see who moves through to the next round. The only oddity to this scheme is that when the points are tallied at the end of the two games, the away teams goals are tallied as double.
One major difference between sporting events here and in the states, is that the game starts at 10 pm - and its here in Montevideo at Estadio Centenario. I notice that things start late here for some reason. I guess the folks just like to stay up and enjoy the night.
Good luck Uruguay as we move forward in this tournament.
To update the thread, Nacional is no longer in the competition. Their last game in the tournament was back on April 20th - Nicolás, Fabian, Mari and I went to that game as well. Unfortunately, Nacional tied the game 0 - 0 with Club America from Mexico, and without the win, Nacional didn´t have the points necessary to progress forward in the competition.
As it stands now, the Copa Libertadores is down to the semi-finales. The four teams still battling in the tournement are:
- Peñarol - Uruguay
- Velez Sarfiel - Argentina
- Cerro Porteño - Paraguay
- Santos - Brazil
In about a half hour, the game between Peñarol and Velez will start. As you may remember from my last post on this topic, Copa Libertadores "is the most prestigious club competition in South American football and one of the most watched events in the world, broadcast in 135 nations worldwide". Thus, I am sure the city will be shut down tonight, as basically everyone will be indoors somewhere or other with the game on the tele.
Here, the rivalry between Nacional and Peñarol is huge, as they are the two largest teams within Uruguay. But I have begun to notice, now that the Copa Libertadores is down to the final four, that the animosity between the die hard fans has died down now that its Uruguay vs. the other competing nations. The Nacional fans can sit back and cheer for Uruguay against the competition, instead of cheering directly for Peñarol - the team they have grown to loathe.
The tournament is composed of two games per team pairing - one match played at home and one match played away. Then the points are tallied to see who moves through to the next round. The only oddity to this scheme is that when the points are tallied at the end of the two games, the away teams goals are tallied as double.
One major difference between sporting events here and in the states, is that the game starts at 10 pm - and its here in Montevideo at Estadio Centenario. I notice that things start late here for some reason. I guess the folks just like to stay up and enjoy the night.
Good luck Uruguay as we move forward in this tournament.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Plan Ceibal
Here is another article Mari wrote, but the folks over at Latin American News Dispatch weren´t too interested.
Latin America is inspired as Uruguay´s pioneering program Plan Ceibal celebrates 4 years of success distributing more than 450,000 free laptops.
In late 2006, encouraged by the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project, Uruguay´s ex President Tabaré Vazquez launched Plan Ceibal - the first project of its kind in the world. The purpose of this social-educative project was to ensure every primary school child receives a free personal laptop by the end of 2009. Last month, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a 25-year, US$6 million loan to expand the project into secondary schools.
Plan Ceibal started as a pilot project with 150 laptops donated by the OLPC project. Children and teachers of a school in Villa Cardal, a small town 80 km outside Montevideo, tested the small XO laptops in their classrooms. Shortly after, the Uruguayan government started distributing the laptops in rural and poor communities only reaching the capital at the final stage of the deployment.
The XO model laptops utilized in Plan Ceibal are small, durable and easy to carry. The built-in wireless connection allows children in classrooms to connect to each other as well as their teachers and their schools.
According to Michael Trucano, the World Bank's Senior ICT and Education Policy Specialist, “since the rollout of Ceibal commenced, eight-year old children now have the same level of computer literacy that 18 year olds demonstrated just a few years ago.”
A recent survey in Uruguay published by Grupo Radar finds there are currently 470,000 XO laptops in approximately 300,000 homes. As a result, nearly 75,000 adults have started using the internet in their homes after being introduced with the XO laptop.
Since the introduction of Plan Ceibal there has been an increase in household computer acquisitions. According to Grupo Radar, 69% of households own a PC, increasing 7% in Montevideo and 11% outside the capital over the last year. Nationwide, internet use has increased to 1.6 million users out of a total population of 3.2 million people.
With the success of Plan Ceibal, some Latin American countries such as Peru and Argentina have already adopted similar plans to distribute free laptops to children in public schools. The South America public education system is stepping forward to a new technological era.
Latin America is inspired as Uruguay´s pioneering program Plan Ceibal celebrates 4 years of success distributing more than 450,000 free laptops.
Uruguay is the first country in the world to provide free laptops to every child in public elementary schools.
In late 2006, encouraged by the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project, Uruguay´s ex President Tabaré Vazquez launched Plan Ceibal - the first project of its kind in the world. The purpose of this social-educative project was to ensure every primary school child receives a free personal laptop by the end of 2009. Last month, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a 25-year, US$6 million loan to expand the project into secondary schools.
Plan Ceibal started as a pilot project with 150 laptops donated by the OLPC project. Children and teachers of a school in Villa Cardal, a small town 80 km outside Montevideo, tested the small XO laptops in their classrooms. Shortly after, the Uruguayan government started distributing the laptops in rural and poor communities only reaching the capital at the final stage of the deployment.
The XO model laptops utilized in Plan Ceibal are small, durable and easy to carry. The built-in wireless connection allows children in classrooms to connect to each other as well as their teachers and their schools.
According to Michael Trucano, the World Bank's Senior ICT and Education Policy Specialist, “since the rollout of Ceibal commenced, eight-year old children now have the same level of computer literacy that 18 year olds demonstrated just a few years ago.”
A recent survey in Uruguay published by Grupo Radar finds there are currently 470,000 XO laptops in approximately 300,000 homes. As a result, nearly 75,000 adults have started using the internet in their homes after being introduced with the XO laptop.
Since the introduction of Plan Ceibal there has been an increase in household computer acquisitions. According to Grupo Radar, 69% of households own a PC, increasing 7% in Montevideo and 11% outside the capital over the last year. Nationwide, internet use has increased to 1.6 million users out of a total population of 3.2 million people.
With the success of Plan Ceibal, some Latin American countries such as Peru and Argentina have already adopted similar plans to distribute free laptops to children in public schools. The South America public education system is stepping forward to a new technological era.
Uruguayan journalism
In our attempt to try new things, Mari took the lead in following a craigslist post asking for hard hitting news articles written by Uruguayan journalists for a website devoted to Latin American News. Since we have nothing but time on our hands, we decided to take the bait.
After hours of writing and editing, and help from yours truely, she finally got her first article published online. Congratulations to Mari!
The article´s entitled:
To read the article, click here.
After hours of writing and editing, and help from yours truely, she finally got her first article published online. Congratulations to Mari!
The article´s entitled:
Uruguayan Congress Fails to Gain a Majority to Annul Amnesty Law
and deals with the issue of the Uruguayan dictatorship and the fact that there´s an existing law that prohibits the prosecution of military officials for crimes against humanity. There was a Congressional session that started yesterday and ran until early this morning - but again, they failed to overturn the existing 1986 law.
To read the article, click here.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Hipodromo Las Piedras
This is sort of an interesting story that will unfold in reverse.
If you are an avid reader of my blog, you probably know that Mari`s father, Ruy, is a big horse racing fan. His passion for the game goes so far that he writes and submits weekly race forecasts and has a weekly spot on a local radio station.
Thus, the other day, when we didnt have much else going on - we headed down to Hipodromo Las Piedras, one of the local horse racing tracks. Las Piedras isn´t the biggest or the fanciest racetrack, but it´s a bit off the beaten path and looks to have a rustic heart that gives it a bit of charm. Ruy reminisced that back when he was a kid, Las Piedras was a lot nicer and fancier, but its been hit hard over the last few decades. Plus, it now lives in the shadow of the bigger, grander, and much more prestigious Moroñas. Anyways....
We were there, enjoying the day, laying down bets and losing - but having fun the whole time. I think we stayed for 4 or 5 races. The process is interesting and goes like this. First they bring the horses out into a small pen for all to see, walking them around and letting them get some sun and air. Heres where you can take in the massiveness of the animal, see up close the musculature of the horse, and analyze the horses personality a bit - all to size the animal up in order to make a more qualified bet. Next, the jockeys come out, and you get to weigh them up a bit too, how big they are (very small), read up on their personal records, that sort of thing. Then they round up their horses and head out to the track where they line up in the gate, and race. The race doesnt take long, it´s all over in roughly a minute or two, depending on the predetermined length of the track (800m, 1000m, 1200 m). Then the whole process is repeated. Each run through takes roughly a half hour, thus there are roughly 2 races per hour.
After the 4 or 5 races, we all hopped back in the car and leaft the track, returning home and moving on with our normal lives. Originally, I wasn´t going to write about this day and put it in the blog, as there was nothing substantial and impressive to write about. Kinda a normal day, even though it was my first time visiting a horse track here and all. But still, not much to write home about. But after a small twist of events, the story finally gained enough value to become blog worthy.
About a week after our visit to Las Piedras, Ruy bought the newest Invasor - a weekly magazine dedicated to horse racing and horse racing afficianodos. Its full of data on horses, future and past races, articles of great jockeys and horses, and things of that nature.
In the back of the magazine, like in the back of many magazines, they have photos of champion horses winning great races from various tracks around Montevideo the previous week. In this example, you can see the spread has a total of 4 photos on the two pages - all taken from Las Piedras on May 6th 2011.
The photo in the upper right shows the winning horse - Cascaruda, with the jockey, owner, family and friends.
And if you look real close in the background, behind the guy in the white hat, you can see me, Matias, and Mari - unknowingly peering into the award winning photo. I am holding Matias, and Mari has the camera up to her eye taking a photo.
After seeing the photo above in the magazine, I dug into our photo Archives here at American Excursion headquarters, and found the shot Mari was taking at that exact instant. Here´s her point of view at the same time.
Not too shabby for a casual day spent at the track. I have included a few more nice pics from that day.
Watching my money go down the drain.
Hipodromo Las Piedras.
Matias contemplating his next big bet.
If you are an avid reader of my blog, you probably know that Mari`s father, Ruy, is a big horse racing fan. His passion for the game goes so far that he writes and submits weekly race forecasts and has a weekly spot on a local radio station.
Thus, the other day, when we didnt have much else going on - we headed down to Hipodromo Las Piedras, one of the local horse racing tracks. Las Piedras isn´t the biggest or the fanciest racetrack, but it´s a bit off the beaten path and looks to have a rustic heart that gives it a bit of charm. Ruy reminisced that back when he was a kid, Las Piedras was a lot nicer and fancier, but its been hit hard over the last few decades. Plus, it now lives in the shadow of the bigger, grander, and much more prestigious Moroñas. Anyways....
We were there, enjoying the day, laying down bets and losing - but having fun the whole time. I think we stayed for 4 or 5 races. The process is interesting and goes like this. First they bring the horses out into a small pen for all to see, walking them around and letting them get some sun and air. Heres where you can take in the massiveness of the animal, see up close the musculature of the horse, and analyze the horses personality a bit - all to size the animal up in order to make a more qualified bet. Next, the jockeys come out, and you get to weigh them up a bit too, how big they are (very small), read up on their personal records, that sort of thing. Then they round up their horses and head out to the track where they line up in the gate, and race. The race doesnt take long, it´s all over in roughly a minute or two, depending on the predetermined length of the track (800m, 1000m, 1200 m). Then the whole process is repeated. Each run through takes roughly a half hour, thus there are roughly 2 races per hour.
After the 4 or 5 races, we all hopped back in the car and leaft the track, returning home and moving on with our normal lives. Originally, I wasn´t going to write about this day and put it in the blog, as there was nothing substantial and impressive to write about. Kinda a normal day, even though it was my first time visiting a horse track here and all. But still, not much to write home about. But after a small twist of events, the story finally gained enough value to become blog worthy.
About a week after our visit to Las Piedras, Ruy bought the newest Invasor - a weekly magazine dedicated to horse racing and horse racing afficianodos. Its full of data on horses, future and past races, articles of great jockeys and horses, and things of that nature.
In the back of the magazine, like in the back of many magazines, they have photos of champion horses winning great races from various tracks around Montevideo the previous week. In this example, you can see the spread has a total of 4 photos on the two pages - all taken from Las Piedras on May 6th 2011.
The photo in the upper right shows the winning horse - Cascaruda, with the jockey, owner, family and friends.
And if you look real close in the background, behind the guy in the white hat, you can see me, Matias, and Mari - unknowingly peering into the award winning photo. I am holding Matias, and Mari has the camera up to her eye taking a photo.
After seeing the photo above in the magazine, I dug into our photo Archives here at American Excursion headquarters, and found the shot Mari was taking at that exact instant. Here´s her point of view at the same time.
Not too shabby for a casual day spent at the track. I have included a few more nice pics from that day.
Watching my money go down the drain.
Hipodromo Las Piedras.
Matias contemplating his next big bet.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Curtidores de Hongos
Friday the 13th, Mariana and I were invited by our friends Patricia, Nicolás, and Nacho to the Museo de Carnival to see Murga.
Stealing from Wikipedia -
"Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay during the Carnival season. The Murga is performed by a group of a maximum of 17 people, usually men. In the months prior to Carnival, which takes place from late January to early March in Uruguay, each group will prepare a musical play consisting of a suite of songs lasting around 45 minutes. This suite will be performed on popular stages in the various neighbourhoods, known as tablados, throughout the Carnival period. Groups compete against one another in a prestigious official competition.
Here is a sample video of the type of show we saw, although this footage is simply taken from Youtube.
My spanish is best when I can talk to someone one-on-one, in a small group it diminishes where I can follow the conversation but rarely talk, and in a concert hall when listening to a group of singers up on stage - it utterly disappears. Yet, even though I couldnt understand a single thing, it was a great experience. As a musician myself, I can always find a way to get lost in the music, finding something admirable and inspiring despite the language barrier. And although the humor went over my head, my group of friends, as well as the audience in general, had a great time taking in the humor and laughing at the jokes.
The Curioni clan (Patricia, Nicolás and Nacho) spare nothing to introduce me into the varying aspects of Uruguayan culture. They are passionate people, with interesting passions, and I feel lucky to have such great guides during my stay here in Montevideo. Many thanks.
Travis
Stealing from Wikipedia -
"Murga is a form of popular musical theatre performed in Uruguay during the Carnival season. The Murga is performed by a group of a maximum of 17 people, usually men. In the months prior to Carnival, which takes place from late January to early March in Uruguay, each group will prepare a musical play consisting of a suite of songs lasting around 45 minutes. This suite will be performed on popular stages in the various neighbourhoods, known as tablados, throughout the Carnival period. Groups compete against one another in a prestigious official competition.
Lyrical content is based on a particular theme, chosen by the group, which serves to provide commentary on events in Uruguay or elsewhere over the preceding year. Consequently, murga lends itself well to being used as a form of popular resistance. For example, during the dictatorship in Uruguay in the 1970s, groups became known for their left-wing tendencies, subversive commentary and oppositional stances."
The show is a song and dance type extravaganza, with costumes and makeup. The lyrical content, as its stated above is typically a commentary on events over the preceding year, but what it doesnt say above is that it comes across as a parody, a protest, a critique, and a comical satire all rolled into one. They sing about politics, corruption, World Cup Soccer, governemental blunders or exposés, crime, and things of this nature. Overall, the role is to take a jab at Uruguayan society.
Here is a sample video of the type of show we saw, although this footage is simply taken from Youtube.
My spanish is best when I can talk to someone one-on-one, in a small group it diminishes where I can follow the conversation but rarely talk, and in a concert hall when listening to a group of singers up on stage - it utterly disappears. Yet, even though I couldnt understand a single thing, it was a great experience. As a musician myself, I can always find a way to get lost in the music, finding something admirable and inspiring despite the language barrier. And although the humor went over my head, my group of friends, as well as the audience in general, had a great time taking in the humor and laughing at the jokes.
The Curioni clan (Patricia, Nicolás and Nacho) spare nothing to introduce me into the varying aspects of Uruguayan culture. They are passionate people, with interesting passions, and I feel lucky to have such great guides during my stay here in Montevideo. Many thanks.
Travis
Happy Mothers Day
Speaking of kids and families and moms and dads. Today is Mother´s Day here in Uruguay, referred to as El Día de la Madre. Now I know what your thinking, Mothers Day was last week. But as I found out on Wikipedia, it is celebrated on different days around the world running thru the months of March, April and May. As an extreme example of oddity, our next door neighbor and closest cultural brother - Argentina - celebrates Mother´s Day the second sunday of October?? No sé porque?
As I am in the Southern Hemisphere, soaking up the culture, customs, sounds, smells, and holidays. I figured it best to celebrate the day today like a typical Uruguayan. I want to send special Mother´s Day wishes and kisses to my Mom and Mary. Thanks for everything you did for me and my life.
I also want to wish happy Mother´s Day to all the mothers I know out there in the US - Erika, Christine, Lucy, Sienna, Olivia, Sieu, Deanna, Cindy, and Kerry.
Plus the ones I know here in Uruguay - Patricia, Fabiana, Virginia and Laura.
Cheers!
As I am in the Southern Hemisphere, soaking up the culture, customs, sounds, smells, and holidays. I figured it best to celebrate the day today like a typical Uruguayan. I want to send special Mother´s Day wishes and kisses to my Mom and Mary. Thanks for everything you did for me and my life.
I also want to wish happy Mother´s Day to all the mothers I know out there in the US - Erika, Christine, Lucy, Sienna, Olivia, Sieu, Deanna, Cindy, and Kerry.
Plus the ones I know here in Uruguay - Patricia, Fabiana, Virginia and Laura.
Cheers!
15 de Mayo 2011
Well I agree with you .....its been far too long since I´ve written anything for the blog ... and for this I apologize. I will try and get back on it and make it a higher priority. Perhaps I was just waiting for something really juicy to spring up and write about - and lucky for you - I got it.
Today, Sunday May 15th, my brother (Kyle) and his wife (Erika) -
are flying out of Seattle headed towards Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city in Ethiopia. After months and months of bureaucratic waiting, ie paperwork processing, interviews, and things of this nature, they were finally given the green light to fly in and pick up their two new children.
On the left we have Hermon, and on the right, sweet little Hiyab. They are brother and sister, and its fortunate that they have been given the opportunity to remain together.
If you are new to the Stanley Family, these two are just an addition. It´s my pleasure to inform you that they already have four wonderfully handsome and smart boys, in various degrees of height and age.
I guess when the dice were thrown they rolled a six. But luckily, Kyle and Erika have that rare gift of being great, solid, inspirational parents. And with this gift they are headed to Ethiopia to bring two more deserving children into the warmth and comfort of the Stanley fold.
The itinerary has them spending one week in Addis, before returning the following Sunday. Unfortunately for me, I am on the extreme opposite of the American continent and will not be able to attend the festivities and excitement of the welcome home process. But I hope they know, and feel, the warmth and pride and love I have for them as they take this next giant step, or leap, forward.
Congratulations Stanley family! You have set the bar quite high for the rest of us.
Today, Sunday May 15th, my brother (Kyle) and his wife (Erika) -
are flying out of Seattle headed towards Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city in Ethiopia. After months and months of bureaucratic waiting, ie paperwork processing, interviews, and things of this nature, they were finally given the green light to fly in and pick up their two new children.
On the left we have Hermon, and on the right, sweet little Hiyab. They are brother and sister, and its fortunate that they have been given the opportunity to remain together.If you are new to the Stanley Family, these two are just an addition. It´s my pleasure to inform you that they already have four wonderfully handsome and smart boys, in various degrees of height and age.
I guess when the dice were thrown they rolled a six. But luckily, Kyle and Erika have that rare gift of being great, solid, inspirational parents. And with this gift they are headed to Ethiopia to bring two more deserving children into the warmth and comfort of the Stanley fold.
The itinerary has them spending one week in Addis, before returning the following Sunday. Unfortunately for me, I am on the extreme opposite of the American continent and will not be able to attend the festivities and excitement of the welcome home process. But I hope they know, and feel, the warmth and pride and love I have for them as they take this next giant step, or leap, forward.
Congratulations Stanley family! You have set the bar quite high for the rest of us.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Buenos Aires Argentina
Mari and I just returned from spending a few days in Buenos Aires Argentina. Buenos Aires is fairly close to Montevideo, located on the western side of the Rio de la Plata , the river that seperates Uruguay and Argentina. We tagged along with Mari´s friend Meli whose family owns a store here in Montevideo named Muaa. Every month or two she heads over to Buenos Aires to pick out the upcoming season of clothing they´ll be selling in the store. Mari and I had no hesitation in tagging along when she asked if we´d like to come.
We left Montevideo on the morning of the 26th, catching a 2 hour bus headed west to Colonia del Sacremento. In Colonia del Sacremento we would be crossing the Rio de la Plata on a ferry, yet we were slightly afraid that I might need a Visa to cross over into Argentina, as they have adopted a reciprical fee process for United States citizens. This means, they have implemented a $140 visa fee for US citizens to reflect that we charge the same fee for incoming Argentinians when they want to enter the US. Its fair, but I wasnt too excited about paying it. We had read that it went into affect in the beginning of this year, but couldnt find any hard facts. We checked the websites of both the US embassy and the Argentina embassy here, but couldnt get any hard information. Looking online, there is a lot of speculation and statements, but none I could verify or reasonably assume were correct. Next, we visited the Argentinian embassy here and were quickly told that we didnt need to pre-apply for the visa, that you pay it upon entering the country. Thus, we crossed our fingers and headed for the boat. To our luck and amazement, I did not need a Visa to enter into Argentina. From what I have read, I think it only applies to citizens flying into the major airports and has not spread to land border crossings. Thus to clarify for anyone else searching the web for whether or not there is a Visa fee when entering Argentina - if you are entering from Montevideo by taking the Buquebus, there is no Visa fee. Although, my ticket was slightly more than my girlfriends as I was a foreigner, but the fee was only around $20 and was part of my Buquebus ticket fee, not an additional fee paid to the border crossing guards.
Buenos Aires was beautiful. We stayed right downtown next to the Obelisk, surrounded by towering buildings and blinking lights. The weather was gorgeous, warm and blue skies every day. The girls liked to shop, but we also managed to visit the Nacional Art Museum - Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes -, as well as walking around other neighborhoods such as Palermo Soho and San Telmo. While in Palermo Soho we ate at a Parrilla restaurant named La Cabrera on a recommendation from Meli. Since I dont eat much meat, I had a wonderful Tortilla. It was delicious, and I heard from the girls that the meats were spectacular. We also ate great pasta and pizza in and around town.
We stayed 3 days and 2 nights, and I have to admit that I love that city. Mari and I visited for a week or so 2 years ago, but it didnt strike me then like it did this time. It could be that I am more accustomed to the look and feel of South American cities than I was before, or I perhaps I just really miss the grit and feel of a major downtown intersection. MOst likely its a mixture of both. But I now have a little fantasies running through my head of living in Buenos Aires some day.
Meli was spectacular. She is a really great person, and I can see why Mariana loves her so much. She is an incredibly giving and caring person. She is fun, funny, easy going, and quite lovable. Mari and her have been friends since basically forever, and they look and act like life long friends, laughing and joking and talking endlessly. I want to thank Meli for inviting me to Bs. As. and showing me such a good time.
I drank a lot of Quilmes while I was there, once again rated with a low C grade on the beer advocate. I dont know what the deal is with the beers in Central and South America, but they really love that light golden pale beer. But, I have to admit I did have a wonderful Quilmes Bock, dark and brown and delicious. I also bought a bottle of whisky Anejo named Breeders Choice. Delicious and tasty, and makes a perfect whiskola (Whisky + Cola).
We left Montevideo on the morning of the 26th, catching a 2 hour bus headed west to Colonia del Sacremento. In Colonia del Sacremento we would be crossing the Rio de la Plata on a ferry, yet we were slightly afraid that I might need a Visa to cross over into Argentina, as they have adopted a reciprical fee process for United States citizens. This means, they have implemented a $140 visa fee for US citizens to reflect that we charge the same fee for incoming Argentinians when they want to enter the US. Its fair, but I wasnt too excited about paying it. We had read that it went into affect in the beginning of this year, but couldnt find any hard facts. We checked the websites of both the US embassy and the Argentina embassy here, but couldnt get any hard information. Looking online, there is a lot of speculation and statements, but none I could verify or reasonably assume were correct. Next, we visited the Argentinian embassy here and were quickly told that we didnt need to pre-apply for the visa, that you pay it upon entering the country. Thus, we crossed our fingers and headed for the boat. To our luck and amazement, I did not need a Visa to enter into Argentina. From what I have read, I think it only applies to citizens flying into the major airports and has not spread to land border crossings. Thus to clarify for anyone else searching the web for whether or not there is a Visa fee when entering Argentina - if you are entering from Montevideo by taking the Buquebus, there is no Visa fee. Although, my ticket was slightly more than my girlfriends as I was a foreigner, but the fee was only around $20 and was part of my Buquebus ticket fee, not an additional fee paid to the border crossing guards.
Buenos Aires was beautiful. We stayed right downtown next to the Obelisk, surrounded by towering buildings and blinking lights. The weather was gorgeous, warm and blue skies every day. The girls liked to shop, but we also managed to visit the Nacional Art Museum - Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes -, as well as walking around other neighborhoods such as Palermo Soho and San Telmo. While in Palermo Soho we ate at a Parrilla restaurant named La Cabrera on a recommendation from Meli. Since I dont eat much meat, I had a wonderful Tortilla. It was delicious, and I heard from the girls that the meats were spectacular. We also ate great pasta and pizza in and around town.
We stayed 3 days and 2 nights, and I have to admit that I love that city. Mari and I visited for a week or so 2 years ago, but it didnt strike me then like it did this time. It could be that I am more accustomed to the look and feel of South American cities than I was before, or I perhaps I just really miss the grit and feel of a major downtown intersection. MOst likely its a mixture of both. But I now have a little fantasies running through my head of living in Buenos Aires some day.
Meli was spectacular. She is a really great person, and I can see why Mariana loves her so much. She is an incredibly giving and caring person. She is fun, funny, easy going, and quite lovable. Mari and her have been friends since basically forever, and they look and act like life long friends, laughing and joking and talking endlessly. I want to thank Meli for inviting me to Bs. As. and showing me such a good time.
I drank a lot of Quilmes while I was there, once again rated with a low C grade on the beer advocate. I dont know what the deal is with the beers in Central and South America, but they really love that light golden pale beer. But, I have to admit I did have a wonderful Quilmes Bock, dark and brown and delicious. I also bought a bottle of whisky Anejo named Breeders Choice. Delicious and tasty, and makes a perfect whiskola (Whisky + Cola).
Friday, April 8, 2011
Nacional Soccer game 04-07-2011
On the night of the 7th I went to Estado Centenario, the stadium here in Uruguay built for the very first World Cup (that Uruguay won!) to see a match between a local Uruguayan team called Nacional and a Brazilian team called Fluminense. I went with Nicolás, the husband of one of Mari´s friends for this fun filled night. He was very excited to be the first to take me to Estadio Centanario to see a Nacional game. Right now the Copa Libertadores is in full session. Stealing from Wikipedia, it says that this tournement "is the most prestigious club competition in South America football and one of the most watched events in the world, broadcast in 135 nations world wide." Even though the stadium is 82 years old, it is in relatively good shape. We sat in the Amsterdam section, behind the goal post, and had a wonderful view of the field. Nicolás took this photo from his phone. 
Here, the soccer fans are trained in the arts of old school tradition. Your soccer team isnt a choice, its a lifestyle. Fans here dont mess around. Most likely you were born into soccer family. I on the other hand, am a guest in house with ties to Nacional. Yet, Mari´s best friends family is in allegiance with Peñarol, the other major local team. Heading anywhere in the city, you can see the shirts, flags, stickers, emblems, and the fans of some team nearly everywhere, every single day of the week. They dont mess around here, and its a question thats bound to be asked of you at some point in your travels. What team do you follow? Here is a shot of the fans going wild after Nacional scored a goal, eventually winning the match 2 - 0. 
I know soccer isnt quite that big back home, but here there are games on the television every day. Be it the Uruguayan league, the Argentina League, the Brazilian League, the European League, the German League, or the Portuguese League (and perhaps more). We have even been following the Uruguayan Sub 17 league (kids below the age of 17). The tournement is taking place in Ecuador, and we have been watching every single game. These youngsters just qualified with a win over Columbia two nights ago, winning 3 - 2. Now, in contrast, I can count on one hand the amount of people that I know that watch the National US mens soccer team. Yet, I have never heard of anyone, ever, including myself, discussing how the US Sub 17 team is doing in their bracket. I cant imagine that anyone has even heard of this team in the US, much less watches them, and yet, I am fairly certain that they exist are are playing games. Nevertheless -here, the Sub 17 games are broadcast and celebrated. I like it. I often get the feeling that Uruguay is like the skinny little kid on the block, fighting for his place amongst the bigger, brasher bullies that think they own the street. Its nice to see a sport taken to the societal extreme. Nicolás was great, and I had a lot of fun with him. He went to school for medicine and is now a doctor. He is currently working while also attending school 2 days a week for his post grad. He is married with a beautiful young daughter (14 months) and has another bun in the oven on the way. He is warm and friendly, and seems to look after me quite well. I look forward to getting to know him much better in the near future.
Here, the soccer fans are trained in the arts of old school tradition. Your soccer team isnt a choice, its a lifestyle. Fans here dont mess around. Most likely you were born into soccer family. I on the other hand, am a guest in house with ties to Nacional. Yet, Mari´s best friends family is in allegiance with Peñarol, the other major local team. Heading anywhere in the city, you can see the shirts, flags, stickers, emblems, and the fans of some team nearly everywhere, every single day of the week. They dont mess around here, and its a question thats bound to be asked of you at some point in your travels. What team do you follow? Here is a shot of the fans going wild after Nacional scored a goal, eventually winning the match 2 - 0. 
I know soccer isnt quite that big back home, but here there are games on the television every day. Be it the Uruguayan league, the Argentina League, the Brazilian League, the European League, the German League, or the Portuguese League (and perhaps more). We have even been following the Uruguayan Sub 17 league (kids below the age of 17). The tournement is taking place in Ecuador, and we have been watching every single game. These youngsters just qualified with a win over Columbia two nights ago, winning 3 - 2. Now, in contrast, I can count on one hand the amount of people that I know that watch the National US mens soccer team. Yet, I have never heard of anyone, ever, including myself, discussing how the US Sub 17 team is doing in their bracket. I cant imagine that anyone has even heard of this team in the US, much less watches them, and yet, I am fairly certain that they exist are are playing games. Nevertheless -here, the Sub 17 games are broadcast and celebrated. I like it. I often get the feeling that Uruguay is like the skinny little kid on the block, fighting for his place amongst the bigger, brasher bullies that think they own the street. Its nice to see a sport taken to the societal extreme. Nicolás was great, and I had a lot of fun with him. He went to school for medicine and is now a doctor. He is currently working while also attending school 2 days a week for his post grad. He is married with a beautiful young daughter (14 months) and has another bun in the oven on the way. He is warm and friendly, and seems to look after me quite well. I look forward to getting to know him much better in the near future. Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Lightning Storm - 04/04/2011
I have seen my first true Uruguayan storm. It started once it was dark, the rain was falling and the wind was blowing. Then all of a sudden, it started raining really hard, and the sky was filled with flashes of light. I have seen lightning before, but in the Seattle area it seems quite rare and comes in small bursts. Here, it maintained for hours. It was pretty cool to see. I sat by the window watching the rain pour down, changing from moderate rain to an all out assualt that turned the small parking lot behind the condos into a catch basin, sending the water towards the thin driveway to create a small yet rushing river. All the while, the wind would hurl itself at the buildings, bouncng off and swirling the rain to create intricate flows of rain filled air that wound around the tall brick buildings illuminated by the small orange sodium lights mounted below. And during this torrent of wind and rain, the lightning bursts kept flashing, darting in and out of the night sky, ricocheting the light spectrum off the clouds to illuminate the entire night sky for a fraction of a second. I wish I wasnt stuck indoors to stay dry when I shot this video, I could have got some better angles. Hopefully this video can help illustrate my point.
Its getting a little cold here. I typically run to and from the gym, and I noticed both last night and tonight, theres a bit of a chill in the air. Not too bad with a jog, but I definately could have used a jacket if I was gonna walk home.
I sent out resumes, both here and in the states, to see what kinda jobs might be out there for a young whipper snapper like myself. My first reply came from this side. The firm is asking for an engineering student who wants to work flexible hours. Sounds about what I could do with my spanish level as it is. We´ll see, they said they would contact me this week. Havent heard anything yet.
I am nearing the end of my 8th grade Costa Rican Social Studies book that I bought in Costa Rica and have been reading ever since. Its roughly 200 pages, and is filled with all kinds of really interesting stuff. It addresses issues in chapters, such as natural disasters. Then, there are sub chapters that give all sorts of information and statistics on floods, earthquakes, landslides, hurricanes, and more. It talks about how they start, where they come from, and also gives real life examples that have happened in the last 10 years. Another interesting chapter was about environmental problems, addressing the ozone hole, oil spills, landfills, and recycling. Its all really interesting and I dont think they were teaching this kind of progressive knowlege back when I was in 8th grade. Congratulations Costa Rica on teaching good stuff to the kids.
Currently I am reading about the horrors of how the spanish invaded South America, stealing all the wealth, killing all the people, creating a political heirarchy from the King and Queen all the way down to slaves, stole the land, forced labor, and much much more. But... it is interesting and important to know this type of information.
I am a bit of a recluse here in Uruguay, with no friends and nothing to do. But tomorrow I have plans to head to a local soccer game with the husband of one of Mari´s friends - Nicolás. He is very sweet and I am excited to get out and do some boy stuff and have boy time with someone interesting. His english is maybe a slight bit better than my spanish, but we can communicate quite well between our spanglish to make all the ends meet. Congrats to me and my future first friend.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Art, Music and Culture in Uruguay
I found this great page listing arts and cultural events in Uruguay.
Stealing from their website, they say "even though (Uruguay) it is one of the smallest country in the Americas, (slightly smaller in size than Washington State), Uruguay has its own cinema, its own poetry, its own literature, its own culture, its own unique food, and in its way, its very own architecture. It is said that the Tango originated in Uruguay, not Argentina. Uruguay is unique in many ways. There is no nation in the world of similar size that is so culturally rich, and certainly no state. Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending; hence it is not a very rich nation, but a highly educated nation. Its experiments with socialism have produced a decent society of wonderful people, but not a very productive society, except in the field of art. Sadly, the lack of sufficient industry pushes many young people abroad in search of jobs. They go abroad with excellent educations, which drains Uruguay of brains. The problems created by socialism, and the benefits created by socialism are clear for all to see. Many people in Uruguay turn to art; probably because they are intelligent, and there are no opportunties to use that intelligence in commerce. The bottom line is, that Uruguay is rich in art; perhaps, per capita, one of the richest in the world."
Stealing from their website, they say "even though (Uruguay) it is one of the smallest country in the Americas, (slightly smaller in size than Washington State), Uruguay has its own cinema, its own poetry, its own literature, its own culture, its own unique food, and in its way, its very own architecture. It is said that the Tango originated in Uruguay, not Argentina. Uruguay is unique in many ways. There is no nation in the world of similar size that is so culturally rich, and certainly no state. Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending; hence it is not a very rich nation, but a highly educated nation. Its experiments with socialism have produced a decent society of wonderful people, but not a very productive society, except in the field of art. Sadly, the lack of sufficient industry pushes many young people abroad in search of jobs. They go abroad with excellent educations, which drains Uruguay of brains. The problems created by socialism, and the benefits created by socialism are clear for all to see. Many people in Uruguay turn to art; probably because they are intelligent, and there are no opportunties to use that intelligence in commerce. The bottom line is, that Uruguay is rich in art; perhaps, per capita, one of the richest in the world."
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
An example of the Tristán Narvaja Feria
I did not create this video, I found it on You Tube. Thanks to the person that created this and I hope there is no offense to me placing it within my blog.
New Art
This past sunday Ruy, Lucy, Mari and I visited the Tristan Nervaja feria. It is hosted every sunday in the Tristan Nervaja neighborhood. It is quite large, spanning 7 or 8 blocks in both length and width, perhaps more. I am unsure, we walked a lot of it and still missed quite a bit of it as well.
The feria has a bit of everything, pets, books, fruits and veggies, clothes, pirated movies, music and software, antiques, junk, tools and much much more. It was quite incredible to see the amount of stuff thats set up in the street for sale.
I found this beautiful object among the brick a brack, and fell in love. As you may know, I am an art lover. This jewel stood out like a diamond in the rough and I knew I had to have it.
As you can see, it is a hand carved face on a natural block of wood, spanning roughly 8 or 9 inches in diameter. The face is of José Batlle y Ordóñez - an old Uruguayan President.
I love the deep, dark honey color glow of the wood.
I love the relief work of the face and the suit, all set on the thick natural block of wood.
The feria has a bit of everything, pets, books, fruits and veggies, clothes, pirated movies, music and software, antiques, junk, tools and much much more. It was quite incredible to see the amount of stuff thats set up in the street for sale.
I found this beautiful object among the brick a brack, and fell in love. As you may know, I am an art lover. This jewel stood out like a diamond in the rough and I knew I had to have it.
As you can see, it is a hand carved face on a natural block of wood, spanning roughly 8 or 9 inches in diameter. The face is of José Batlle y Ordóñez - an old Uruguayan President.
I love the deep, dark honey color glow of the wood. 
I love the relief work of the face and the suit, all set on the thick natural block of wood. And I love the fact that this only cost me 180 Uruguayan pesos.
$1 USD = 20 Uruguayan pesos.
Thus this wonderfully hand carved antique piece of art cost me a whopping $9 USD.
This feria is the place to be to find great deals on miscelaneous objects. If I had a home here, this is where I would furnish it with furniture, windows, knick knacks and more. It is a wonderful street fair and I can tell where I will be every sunday for the next few weeks.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
La Feria
There are many interesting things about Uruguayan culture that stand out against my United States upbring. Because the US is so large, this reference more directly reflects my Western Washington upbringing in and around the Seattle area. Even though I have traveled quite a bit around the world, I have never lived long term in another location. So I use Seattle as my frame of reference for these comparisons.
In Seattle, there are several neighborhoods that host organic farmers markets. For instance, on wedenesday the farmers market is located in Columbia City, while on saturday it may be located in Capital hill. In my opinion, the farmers markets in Seattle are geared towards individuals concerned with personal and global health, and perhaps a few foodies thrown into the mix. I cant say I know a ton of people that use them, but I do know a handful that are dedicated organic shoppers.
Personally, during my last year in Seattle I lived in the middle of downtown. I had the Pike Place Market nearby, but I chose to do the majority of my food and produce shopping at the Whole Foods supermarket - which only sells (expensive) organic produce. And when I say expensive, I mean expensive. Wholefoods is unlike other supermarkets like QFC or Safeway, who sell both produce and organic produce. Whole Foods concentrates on selling only natural and organic products.
Here, in Montevideo there are farmers markets as well. These local markets are referred to as a feria (pronounced Ferry-uh) in spanish. Like Seattle, these ferias change location depending on the day of the week as well. Yet unlike Seattle, these ferias have a different feel to them. First of all, the feria sets up shop on a neighborhood street, with tables and stands on both sides of the street stretching the entire length of the block. It has a very rustic feel to it. They use old wooden crates to move and display the options. And they use slate and chalk to diplay the prices.
These photos illustrate the more elaborate setups on the block, but there are several stands that dont have the display skills that these produce stands have.
The produce here is all locally grown. Thus, there are no blueberries from Venezuela, strawberries from Mexico, or Mangos from Guatemala. If its in season, then its on the plate. 
Although they sell produce in the supermarkets here, most people visit the ferias when they are in their area of town during the week. Walking the produce stands you can see the spectrum of individuals that live nearby, young to old. The ferias here are traditional, and do not stem from a food movement that encourages organic produce over other produce. Organic produce is what they grow here, and have grown most likely since farming practices were introduced here. Its wonderful to see an old neighborhood tradition that brings the block together over fresh food.
I would guess that 85% of the stands sell produce, yet there are a handful of other stands that sell non-produce items as well. I think there is a fish stand or two. Plus there are two or three stands like this one below. They sell cheese, milks, yogurts, butters, nuts, granola, beans, jams, honey and misc. items like that. This is the place to purchase the delicious locally made cheeses of the region.
Needless to say, the prices in the feria are a great deal. Perhaps that is how they have been able to persevere over time in the battles against chain supermarkets.
Not all ferias are alike either. This one that I took photos of is supposed to be relatively small in comparison to a few others they have around town. I cant wait to pay a visit to a few others in order to size up the competition.
Take note as well -There is also another type of feria here that sells non-food items. Mari and I have been hitting those ferias as well. after I signed up for my gym membership, we hit the feria for reduced prices on gym shorts, socks, t-shirts, underwear, and related items.
Roadtrip Video
I shot this footage on our roadtrip from Montevideo to Santa´Ana Do Livramento. This footage compresses the 5 hour car ride into a heartfelt 3.5 minutes.
Thanks to Band of Horses for making such incredible music and helping to increase the quality of my life over the past several years and thousands of hours spent listening to their music.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Locks Fountain
The other day Mari and I headed into the downtown area of Montevideo to walk around and visit some of the old city.
Near La Ciudad Vieja (the old city) there is a beautiful old fountain, covered in lovers locks. In spanish its adequately named "The Fountain of the Locks", but the english translation clumsily refers to it as "Locks Fountain".
When I visited Montevideo over the winter vacation two years ago, Mari and I bought a lock for this fountain. We used red finger nail polish to paint on our intials, possibly with a big red heart in the middle. Then made a special trip downtown to lock it onto the fountain, participating in the downtown ritual.
Unfortunatley, we cannot quite remember where we placed our initial lock. We had a rough guess, but were unable to locate it. I think this is due to two problems. The first is our lack of an exact memory as to the precise location of the lock. I could guess in a general area, but I wasnt exactly sure. The second problem is that this time around, two years later, there are many more locks than there were before. I cant remember exactly what it looked like two years ago, but I can tell there are a lot more lovers locks on the gates than there were before.
I know we took photos of the lock and its placement two years ago, but all my photos are sitting on my computer back in Seattle, which is now safely packed away in a packing box and locked in storage. Guess we will have to wait a bit to try and solve the mystery.
If you are heading to Montevideo, be sure to buy a lock and place it on the fountain. The best ones on the fountain prepared ahead of time, having their locks engraved in fine lettering with names, dates, what city they were traveling from, and possibly a little message of love. To me, its truely a unique fountain that stands out in my travels around the world. It helps ingratiate travelers to this city, and makes me wonder why Seattle doesnt have anything like it. I think its a wonderful idea to construct something within a city that both locals and travelers can participate in. The more people participate, the more interesting it becomes. This fountain is really a sight to behold.
Now, if anyone is looking for a great business opportunity during their stay in Montevideo, I say build a stand next to the fountain that sells different types and styles of locks, colors of finger nail polish, and possibly, on the upper end, personalized engravings. I cant believe there isnt one already.
T
Sunday, February 27, 2011
27 de Febrero 2011
Today, we had lunch with Mari´s family - mother, father, uncle, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, plus Mari and I. For the meal we had delicious store bought, yet hand made raviolis and red sauce. We each had a giant plate full that left us all feeling stuffed.
After lunch, Mari and I took a stroll down to the waterfront, or as it´s referred to here - La Rambla. Her parents place is situated four blocks away from the waterfront, so after a 10 minute stroll we found ourselves facing the Rio de la Plata flowing by on its way to the sea. The water is actually a mix of fresh water and sea water, as Montevideo is placed near the mouth of the river as it meets the Atlantic Ocean.
A shot towards downtown along the coast.
As it was a beautifully hot and sunny day, there were many people hanging out on the local beaches - sunning, playing in the water, and drinking mate (pronounced maw-tae). Drinking yerba mate is the Uruguayan passtime, and you can see people anywhere, anytime, drinking the tea like herb. Especially so on the beach around 5 pm in the afternoon. Scanning the beach its easy to pick out the people drinking mate, with a large thermos and cup in hand. Its similar to seeing the coffee drinkers walking around Seattle.
Today was definately a nice day to be in Montevideo.
Friday, February 25, 2011
25 de Febrero 2011
Some info on Uruguay.
I am going to try and learn some things about Uruguay while I am here, and will try and outline interesting facts here on the blog. This will enable me to continue learning while holding onto a hobby of informing those of you back home where I am and what I am up to.
Uruguay is composed of 19 departments. This structrue is perhaps similar to the counties we have back home Washington State - King County, Snohomish County, Pierce County and so on.
Here is the same map relating the names of each department.
As you can see in the image above and below, Montevideo (the dept. where Mari and I are residing) is the smallest department of the 19, located all the way at the bottom of the map.
Each of the 19 departments has a capital city that monitors the department. For example - Colonia del Sacramento is the capital of Colonia. In this respect, Montevideo is the capital for the department of Montevideo, while also serving as the countries capital as well.
Stealing from http://www.wikipedia.org/, Uruguay "is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital of Montevideo and its metropolitan area. Comparing Seattle and Montevideo, Wikipedia relates that the 2010 census found that Seattle is home to 630,320 residents within a metropolitan area of some 3.4 million inhabitants. Thus, the greater metropolitan area of Seattle has roughly the same number of inhabitants as all of Uruguay.
Uruguay won its independence between 1811–28 following a struggle between the claims of Argentina and Brazil, being laid by England, Spain and Portugal. There were three major battles fought in 1811 that helped bring about Independence for Uruguay. The 200 year anniversary, the bicentenial, is going to be celebrated here in 3 days on February 28th 2011.
I am going to try and learn some things about Uruguay while I am here, and will try and outline interesting facts here on the blog. This will enable me to continue learning while holding onto a hobby of informing those of you back home where I am and what I am up to.
Uruguay is composed of 19 departments. This structrue is perhaps similar to the counties we have back home Washington State - King County, Snohomish County, Pierce County and so on.
Here is the same map relating the names of each department.
As you can see in the image above and below, Montevideo (the dept. where Mari and I are residing) is the smallest department of the 19, located all the way at the bottom of the map.
Each of the 19 departments has a capital city that monitors the department. For example - Colonia del Sacramento is the capital of Colonia. In this respect, Montevideo is the capital for the department of Montevideo, while also serving as the countries capital as well.
Stealing from http://www.wikipedia.org/, Uruguay "is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital of Montevideo and its metropolitan area. Comparing Seattle and Montevideo, Wikipedia relates that the 2010 census found that Seattle is home to 630,320 residents within a metropolitan area of some 3.4 million inhabitants. Thus, the greater metropolitan area of Seattle has roughly the same number of inhabitants as all of Uruguay.
Uruguay won its independence between 1811–28 following a struggle between the claims of Argentina and Brazil, being laid by England, Spain and Portugal. There were three major battles fought in 1811 that helped bring about Independence for Uruguay. The 200 year anniversary, the bicentenial, is going to be celebrated here in 3 days on February 28th 2011.
Stealing a bit from http://www.explore-uruguay.com/, "Uruguays National Independence day is known as Independence of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.
At the end of May 1810, news came to Montevideo about the establishment of the First National Government in Buenos Aires. The people of Uruguay now begin to have feeling about emancipation.
On February 28, 1811, a group consisting of hundreds of patriots and led by Pedro Venancio José Viera y Benavides took the cities of Soriano. Once taken, he proclaimed the end of Hispanic domination."
This was the first battle of many, spread over several years, that helped free Uruguay and set it apart from its much larger neighbors - Argentina to the west and Brazil to the north.
The major military leader here is Artigas - or rather, Jose Gervasio Artigas Arnal. He is the national hero of Uruguay, and is referred to as "the father of Uruguayan independence". There is a major building devoted to his tomb located in downtown Montevideo and is open free to the public everyday and stationed with armed guards. Its quite a site.
Artigas admired the United States of America and was said to always carry a copy of the United States Constitution with him. He wanted the United Provinces of the River Plate government to be based on the same federalist ideas as the USA. These ideals went against what the Buenos Aires government of the time wanted, but he managed to gain the support of some other provinces. Because of this, the Buenos Aires government supported the Portuguese invasion of the Eastern Bank. - Wikipedia
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