Our first few days in Uruguay was an experience I will never forget. I remember getting off of the plane, completely exhausted and ready for bed. However, from the moment we landed, our adventure began. Meeting Bruno in the airport, I could already tell that this week was going to be a constant adventure filled with history, culture, and memories. Bruno informed us that he was going to “take it easy” on us since it was our first day. I remember being told that our first meal in this country was going to be “normal”, that we were going to be eased into the native cuisine. When you think of pizza, you think of greasy, cheesy NORMAL pizza. I was definitely not prepared for sunny-side up egg pizza, cubed goat cheese pizza, blue cheese and pesto pizza, and even weirder concoctions. Bruno definitely laughed at our reactions. While we were all hesitant at first, I think it was safe to say, we were pleasantly surprised and did not walk out of that pizzeria hungry. 

Our next adventure was navigating through the supermarket and attempting to order ice cream in Spanish. Thankfully, the service industry in Uruguay is very friendly and finds us Americans butchering their language quite entertaining. These first few days, we were submerged in the culture which is completely breathtaking. Being a woman in the midst of National Women’s Day in a country that faithfully respects their female counterparts was a feeling that I will honestly never forget. In America, you don’t receive the respect and gratitude that we were shown in Uruguay. Every corner we turned in Montevideo, there was someone wishing us a Happy Women’s Day, singing songs in praise of women, or even a parade simply celebrating women. It was simply an amazing feeling.