Hello all,
I am writing to you while in Montevideo, Uruguay although I probably won't post this until I get back to Santiago. However, I wanted to blog while the events of today are still fresh in my mind.
Hmm... the events of the day... Well, after getting about 2-3 hours of sleep, waking up to catch a flight to Uruguay, and arriving at our hostel in Montevideo, it was already a long and exhausting day. But we were all stoked to be in Uruguay, the pinnacle of which occurred at customs when we got our passports stamped! With the ride from the airport to the city center, we noticed that Uruguay had a different feel - a costal city in a country less developed or less wealthy than Chile. Nonetheless, it had a bit of charm from the superficial views we gathered from the shuttle. However, we did notice how dirty the water was... perhaps because it was so shallow and the sand was so visible, but still dirty. In hindsight, that was perhaps the first sign. Little by little, we got some weird vibes... In the first place, there wasn't much happening since it was a holiday - Day of the Dead. So most businesses were closed and thus less street traffic. The architecture of Montevideo seemed to promise beauty and a bit of a European-feel. I'd guess the architecture is French colonial style but I'm no expert. However, Montevideo is dirty like it's ocean water along the coast. It is quite obvious just by taking a look around that Uruguay is much more underdeveloped and Uruguayans have lower standards of living in general. (These are general observations and most likely do not reflect all of Uruguay etc. but I am entitled to blog about my views and opinions, right?) Anyways, with the lack of pedestrian traffic on the streets and the lack of open businesses etc. we all got a kinda eerie vibe as we walked along the main parts of the city... As a group of five girls, I would say we were pretty noticeable to the population. However, we are also pretty street smart and aware of our surroundings. Thus we were careful. Yet, a few things came to our attention and in hindsight kinda set the scene of what was to come. (The suspense is killing you right? Spoiler Alert - Don't worry. we all survive!!)
The first red flag was our use of the McDonalds bathroom in which a woman who was clearly strung out on drugs was bathing her toddler-aged son. Honestly, as much as I wanted to turn the other way and get out of that bathroom asap, my heart was uneasy as I realized how impoverished and absolutely difficult her life must be and thus a large part of the population as well. And Uruguay is not even the worst, you know? There are places and people who are in situations that I, myself, cannot even begin to imagine. And it is so easy to be disgusted, judge, condemn, and then forget whatever you saw and lack so much compassion. I am reminded of Jesus and how He never turned the other cheek or ignored the desolate and broken. Instead, He touched the leper, spoke to the prostitute, etc. I wish I had a fraction of the compassion God has for His people.
Second red flag occurred while we were walking down a street heading towards the ocean. We passed a storefront behind it's protective cage, or bars, which is totally common. However, what is not common is the state that the storefront was in. Covered, absolutely covered, in various varieties of trash and filth as well as five or six of the most innocent kittens wandering aimlessly through the junk with flies hovering above it all. It was a sight that broke all of our hearts and, again, made us cringe with disbelief and a bit of disgust, to be 100% honest. I can't help but wonder if the kittens are a metaphor of some sort for people - stagnant in a place of filth and hurt, innocent without any knowledge of a way out, somewhat incapable of helping themselves. Humbling... Yes, this world is broken. People are starving, hurt, and sick. Yet, more than food and medicine, these people need a Savior. They need a life that offers joy, fulfillment, and purpose. See where I am going with this? It all points to Jesus.
And lastly, as we were walking from the corner market to our hostel, we stopped just outside our hostels buzz-entry door to snap a few pictures of the sunset. As we were there, we had a few suspicions surrounding a young, teen-aged boy, who was hanging around just a little too much to be up to good. We were right. He tried to rob one of us. Luckily, we were just about inside and luckily, one of us let out a terrifying scream and luckily, he freaked a little and ran away with nothing. An experience to shake us up just a little bit.
Now to Montevideo's defense, it was a holiday and thus the city was not at it's normal state. However, even on holidays without very many people in the streets, we felt Montevideo was a little too eerie and yes, a little scary. Thus, we stayed in our hostel the rest of the night and prepared for Buenos Aires. The next morning as we awoke to head to the harbor to board our ferry to BA, we noticed the hustle and bustle of Montevideo with all the stores open and the people going about their daily lives and we liked it... I think given different circumstances we would have really like Montevideo. However, circumstances weren't different and we really had a terrible time. Thus, I am not bashing Montevideo totally, saying never go there. It may be worth another shot. However, bring friends, be smart, and don't go when there are holidays... Just a few words of wisdom for the traveler.
Now... for Buenos Aires, the Big Apple!
PS Pictures of Montevideo y Buenos Aires are up!
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