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Tag Archives: South America

A minute to reflect

02 Sunday Mar 2008

Posted by nubiaNomad in thoughts, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

South America, Uruguay

For the better part of this past month I have taken every opportunity (and decent Internet connection) to update you on my travels. I mostly described the places and routes that I embarked on and talked very little about my impression of the locals and how they perceived me.

The further I worked my way down south into Patagonia the more intriguing my presence became. For many I was the first Muslim they had come in contact with. I often found myself explaining my origins, which drew even more curiosity. Not only a Muslim but Sudanese origins….in South America. I was prodded for answers everywhere I went. I welcomed the questions because it was much easier to start convos and meet new people along the way. For many I met, I dispelled a lot of their stereotypes about Muslim women. Having the explain the theory of the hijab and the choice I made to wear it. The differences between what I wear (the hijab) and the “black robe the covers the entire body (niqab). Also the fact that Muslim woman are not oppressed and are allowed to travel as they please. One woman was fairly surprised to find out that Muslim woman are allowed to leave their countries and travel alone. That convo was fairly interesting. I had to explain first and foremost I can’t speak for all Muslim women around the world. More importantly that along with the religion there are various cultural practices that become fairly intertwined that natives of each region have varying interpretations and views regarding the day-to-day practice of Islam.

I was surprised to know that even though most locals have never come in contact with many Muslims they still had a pretty good knowledge base. I definitely appreciated my improving command of the Spanish language as it definitely helped me meet people and get into more interesting conversations.

It wasn’t only my interaction with locals but also travellers from other countries as well. Talking about politics, culture, language, etc was fairly enlightening. Although many are put off by the thought of travelling alone, I found it be more rewarding. Generally those who travel in groups, tend to stay within their group. Me travelling, I was more inclined to start-up conversations with people around me, which allowed me to improve my Spanish and learn so much more about those I met.

With out a doubt, I know that I have much more to explore and I really hope I can return soon.

As for my time in Uruguay, as cliché as it might sound it has been one of the best learning experiences I have had. Not only am I leaving the country with the knowledge of a new language, I am also leaving with the knowledge that I have made some really close friends.

Yes I know that I have a fairly distinct Spanish accent now (many thanks to my primary teachers Emi and Euge). In terms of placement Uruguay has been great for many reasons. Firstly, it’s fairly safe; never did I feel uncomfortable walking around Montevideo. Secondly, relative to its neighbouring countries the standard of living is much cheaper. So that made saving money all the more easier. I pretty much saved every dime I could in order to freely explore Brazil, Argentina and parts of Chile. Finally, travel to most other South American countries is easily accomplished from Montevideo itself or across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires.

It’s been hard to say goodbye.

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Random encounter

21 Friday Dec 2007

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

South America, Uruguay

Despite being away from family and friends, I had a pretty good Eid. After work yesterday I went to my friend Meriem´s house and spent the evening with her, Amina and Amirah. It was a pretty good get together.

I left the 3 of them around 10:40pm in order to catch the last bus from Barrio Pocitos to my flat. (disclaimer to family, I was not walking down some dimly lit street. I walked along the Rambla (boardwalk) with plenty of people out and about). On the way to the bus stop I passed a few people walking and didn’t think much of it. Two of the guys tracked back and asked me if I was Indian. Ironic since one of the guys asking was Indian. I never thought I had any resemblance to Indians. Regardless, after discovering I was not Indian and that I speak English, they were both anxious to figure out what the heck I was doing in Uruguay. The two guys who I initially talked to (Javier and Viyay) were from Colombia and India respectively. They both worked for TATA (the Indian Software company).

After 5 minutes or so of talking to them, they told me that they are on their way to a restaurant across the street for a farewell get together. Their friends were waiting across the street and asked if I wanted to join. After briefly deliberating, I decided why not, go for it and meet new people. So I joined them and their friends at a restaurant called Che Montevideo.

So many things come to mind when thinking about that scenario. The fact that the group of people I met all worked for TATA; a sign that Indians are everywhere and their using software to dominate. Secondly, only in Uruguay would I feel safe enough to join a group of people that I just met. Not that I am naive and would run off with anyone I talk to but honestly, it is something about the people and atmosphere of Uruguay. There is always this feeling of comfort and safety (relative to a lot of other places I’ve been to).

As the night progressed, I got to know Javier and Vijay´s coworkers. There was Colombian girl, A Uruguayan girl and 2 other Uruguayan guys. The majority were software developers. Diana was an economist (but mainly dealt with accounting). We had a really great time. Left the restaurant around 1:30am and all this time I kept thinking I have to work tomorrow. Someone suggested ice cream. So the entire group walked a few blocks to La Cigale (in my opinion some of the best Italian-style gelato around). I was amazed that it was still open. Conversations continued at the heladeria. We stuck around for a while since one of them was catching a flight back to Bogota at 4am.

All in all I ended up grabbing a cab and getting back home around 3 something in the morning. Met some really great people and now have an open invitation to visit Colombia. I might very well take them up on their offer. I think the fact that you can easily start up conversation and join in on gatherings speaks volumes of Montevideo. I was pretty tired at work but definitely well worth the late stay out.

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Better late than never

06 Thursday Dec 2007

Posted by nubiaNomad in Travel

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Montevideo, South America, Uruguay, water resources

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So it has taken me a while to get to this point. For many months I have fought the pressure to get a blog started merely because I don’t know if I have the commitment to keep it up. I will try my best but no promises. I figured it would be the best way to send updates and post pictures. Where to start…. well I am constantly berated by friends and acquaintances for my tendency to relocate every so often. Currently I am living in Montevideo, Uruguay. To date, I have been here for nearly 3 months. It’s definitely been an interesting experience to say the least.

This trip, unlike any of my previous endeavours was really diving head first into unknown waters. I came here knowing little about the country, no Spanish to speak of, and no clue what I just got myself into. I figured I should seize the opportunity. The process of getting here was such a daze, in the midst of dissertation madness, I stumbled upon this current fellowship during my bouts of procrastination/ near mental breakdown of piecing my dissertation together. With my dissertation deadline fast approaching (or in reality a self-imposed earlier deadline, in order to cross the pond to make it to my beloved cousin’s wedding), and no plans in sight, the discovery of this fellowship was a sign. My excitement about the discovery soon dissipated as I realized the deadline was only days away. Days after what seemed to be the longest phone interview ever, I got the good news.

So about life in Uruguay; it definitely has its ups and downs. Uruguay in comparison to its neighbors (Brazil and Argentina) is a dot on the map. A dot that I really like! The people are fairly helpful. Being constantly stared at in public never ceases to amuse me. I am definitely an anomaly around these parts. Everything about me throws people off and trying to answer the “where are you from?” question is the hardest thing. For now I’ve perfected a simplified answer. Language wise, it was a rough start and till today I still struggle. There are days where I feel that my comprehension has gotten so much better and other days where it just hurts to keep up with the pace of conversations. I often miss the subtle jokes and nuances of the daily speech. I can’t really sum up my last 3 months in one post, and I have no intention of trying. I’m hoping I can just pick up from here. I put up a few pics on fb, so all those who repeatedly asked to see what Uruguay looks like can have a glimpse.

Work wise, I am working on a water resource management project, sounds great in theory but in reality my day-to-day functions are more akin to those of a computer programmer. I spend hours writing FORTRAN or visual basic codes. These days my activities have been primarily limited to debugging. I am having huge issues with the modeling program that refuses to accept the data files. So more or less I stare at decades and decades worth of data, trying to make changes to mistakes that I see in the hopes that I can get my model up and running. I ‘ll keep at it in the hopes of accomplishing something worthwhile in the end.

I will try my best to keep this blog up, I promise.

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