Just another uruguayo

So what does it mean to be Uruguayan? Most simply, it means to have been born in the country bearing the name “Uruguay.” However, being Uruguayan is also a way of life, one that includes, at least superficially, sharing mate (an herbal infusion sipped out of a leather gourd) with friends, devouring alfajores, and taking long walks along the rambla. And, as if anyone could forget, eating lots and lots of meat.

Over the past two weeks, Salman had the chance to share with me what it means to be Uruguayan. His first day in Montevideo began with a crash course on how to properly drink mate, a brief history of the alfajor (an Arab pastry dating back to 8th-century Spain), and an introduction to the Spanish of the Rio de la Plata. The days to follow included a trip to Colonia, long walks around Ciudad Vieja, playtime with Lucas, and a family barbecue, where Salman was officially inducted as another member of the Caja/Arocena clan.

Maybe Salman´s most important discovery during his stay in the Republica Oriental de Uruguay, as it is known officially, was that being Uruguayan also means being a good friend and an active member of the family. It means talking about football (the international kind)… lots and lots of football. It means saying hello to your neighbors and chatting with the shop owners from around the corner. It means enjoying the simple things and being equally unpretentious and hospitable.

I guess you could say that, by the end of his stay, Salman figured out that he had come all the way to the end of the world only to find people just like him, that he was just another Uruguayo.