Being Rebbecca Pittenger (in Uruguay) // Siendo Rebeca Pittenger

It's Tuesday in Uruguay.

We call it "martes" here.

(7:50 and I'm still in bed. I have Portuguese class at 9:00a.m. // Las ocho menos dias y sigo tirada en la cama)

(See, mom, I do make my bed. // Mens sana en "cuarto limpio".)

(It may be instant, but it's still cafe. // Por lo menos no es agua sucia)

(Waiting for the bus. I take the 62 to the university. // Esperando... filosofeando en la parada de omnibus)

(This is my ticket to ride // Omnibus 62. Destino: Plaza Independencia)

(The Humanities Department: This is where it all happens. // La Facu)

(Cyber Azul = cheap connection to the Internet // Una pausa para ponerme al dia)

(First, I have to open the door // Abriendo puertas... del ciber y de la conciencia)

(Back to Pocitos // Lo que el omnibus se llevo)

(Home sweet home // La puerta principal)

(Maria and I set the table for today's lunch (we had fish and a salad) // Maria, preparando el almuerzo)

(Quality time with Oscar // Perro que ladra a veces muerde)

Time to clear the air...

Just to keep you informed about what’s going on in the news in my part of the world, imprudent farming practices have led to widespread fires 150 miles to the north of Buenos Aires, bringing the capital city of 11 million people to a virtual standstill. In addition to clear environmental and health problems—the smoke contains high leveles of organic material—low visibility in the city has led to nine traffic-related deaths.

(Yesterday's paper read: "Smoke in Argentina has caused another death, widespread debate" )

Argentina may have started the fire, but Montevideo and other neighboring cities are also going up in smoke. Although the air has temporarily cleared on this side of the Rio de la Plata, a shift in this weekend's wind pattern is expected to bring smokey air back to Montevideo.

Chronicles from the City: Ciudad Vieja

Uruguayans are known for their nostalgia, and nestled between the charismatic Brazil and the forever dramatic Argentina, they are quick to tell visitors that they are most pessimistic of the three. Although, in my experience, Uruguayans have been nothing but warm, generous hosts, it doesn’t take much effort for visitors to uncover this society’s nostalgia for better days. In fact, it’s been the inspiration for some of the country’s best tangos, less spectacular than the Argentine version, which has conformed to the taste of tourists and the country’s upper class over the years, and shapes the self-deprecating, ironic humor typical of the murgas performance during carnival.

As I wandered the streets of Ciudad vieja, or the “Old City,” last Sunday, I was reminded of this country’s bittersweet embrace of the past. It occurred to me that, as well as being the symbolic heart of Montevideo and the original city, Ciudad vieja is itself the materialization of Uruguayan nostalgia. Its cobblestone streets and colonial homes, ornate fountains and wrought-iron fences are the remaining physical vestiges of Uruguay’s past, which give spatially intelligible dimensions to this country’s near-constant wistfulness.

Although the Portuguese (obtaining the territory in the Tordesillas Treaty of 1494) claim to have settled first what now is Montevideo, the city only really began to take shape when the governor of Buenos Aires founded a military base there in 1726. The city soon grew beyond the limits of its barrier wall, which stood erect until 1829, preventing possible invasions by the Portuguese. Of the original wall, only the gateway remains, inviting city dwellers and visitors to cross the threshold to Montevideo’s past.

As the sole slave port in the region, the young Montevideo only continued to expand and prosper economically. In more recent years, however, political instability, periodic economic stagnation, and the catastrophic bank crisis of 2002, have caused this part of the city to fall into virtual disrepair. Somewhat paradoxically, Ciudad vieja now serves as a destination for both tourists (largely because of its proximity to the port) and migrants from the country’s rural interior.

Although the Uruguayan government is attempting to revitalize Ciudad vieja, many of its buildings appear beyond the point of repair. This is not to say, however, that this part of the city lacks signs of life. On the contrary, children play among the rubble of Ciudad vieja’s fallen buildings, while couples sit quietly in its parks; small shops and even modern nightclubs are springing up among the ruins of this urban landscape. And although Ciudad vieja may no longer represent the center of daily life in Montevideo, it does serve as a physical testament to this small country’s illustrious past and the root of its nostalgia.

MEAT. It's what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Uruguay.

It is rumored that, upon seeing Machu Picchu for the first time, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda was so moved by his surroundings that he exclaimed: “This would be the perfect place for a barbeque.” Although barbeques may not seem the stuff of poetry and we can’t say with certainty what the poet was thinking as he stood among the ruins, high in the Andes Mountains, one thing is certain: barbecues, or asados, are a way of life here in the Southern Cone. And, after last Friday, it’s safe to say that no country in the world throws a better barbeque than Uruguay.

Competing with Mexico for the Guinness World Records title of “Largest Barbeque in the World,” a title it held since the 80s, Uruguay threw its own barbeque en masse, with nearly 1,000 in attendance and over 26,000 pounds of meat on a mile-long grill. As well as the dubious honor of being mentioned among other record-breakers, the National Meats Institute, the event’s organizers, hoped the occasion would generate publicity for Uruguayan beef at home and abroad. In fact, the asado created so much of a stir in Montevideo that tickets were sold out weeks in advance.

It may be a poor substitute to actually going to the asado, but if you have a minute, I invite you to view CNN’s footage of the event. It’s ok if you don’t understand everything in the video; the most important message just happens to be the theme of the day: MEAT. Vegetarians and the faint of heart, beware…

Pocitos/Punta Carretas Rotary Club

(Dinner on Tuesday with the Pocitos/Punta Carretas Rotary Club)

Chronicles from the City: Tristan Narvaja

Dr. Tristan Narvaja St., lined with as many sycamore trees as book and antique shops, normally represnts an escape from the city in the middle of downtown Montevideo. Rounding the corner from Ave. 18 de julio, the capital's always-busy main thoroughfare, to Tristan Narvaja, as it is commonly known, the city suddenly becomes quiet, slower-paced and even tranquil. In fact, it's not uncommon to find oneself, in what would normally be a busy day, suddenly spending hours meandering up and down both sides of the street, browsing through stacks of books and antiques, and sipping coffee with merchants. Every Sunday, though, this street bustles with life, transforming itself into the center of one of Montevideo's largest outdoor markets. With everything from socks to snakes, cantaloupe to chanaliers, the enitre city seems to converge on this narrow street in hopes of finding what for one will be trash and for another, treasure.

A Rotaract Week

I had the pleasure of meeting with not one but two Rotaract clubs this week: the Parque Rodo and Malvin Club Rotaracts. Both groups of young people, ranging in age from 19 to 34, are excited about starting the year strong and undertaking new community service projects. The Parque Rodo Rotaract has already been involved in bringing 200 computers to Uruguay, through their collaboration with Computers for the World (an NGO based in Seattle, WA) and the Emerald City Rotary Club, and currently lends a hand to El Merendero Nuevo Amanecer, a community center that feeds more than 200 children from Piedras Blancas, a low-income neighborhood of Montevideo. The Rotaract club--in collaboration with its sponsoring Rotary club--is currently helping to expand its facilities in order to accommodate more children and offer a wider range of educational activities. The Parque Rodo Rotaract has been in existence for twelve years and has ten members.
The Malvin Club Rotaract (pictured here with a member of the Malvin Rotary Club) has nine members and is currently working on coming up with ideas for new projects. One of the group’s more recent initiatives has been to invite foreign nationals to speak about life in their respective countries. For example, a representative from the Japanese Embassy has already agreed to deliver a speech about Japanese culture and traditions, and, following suit, I have agreed to give a much-anticipated talk about country music and other musical traditions from Tennessee. The club is also helping to organize an inter-district Rotaract conference this July.