Cuatro...our last week of school

The weekend kicked off with gorgeous weather—perfect timing, because of course we still had to do grocery shopping. We ended up at the local mall, where we treated ourselves to hamburgers at… Burger King, of all places. (When in Uruguay, sometimes you just crave the classic junk food.)

On Sunday we hopped on the bus to Punta del Este for another round of enthusiastic window shopping. Then Monday arrived like it always does—far too quickly—and we were back in class, pencils sharpened and brains reluctantly online.

If you’re wondering whether we can now carry on a full, fluent conversation in Spanish with a complete stranger, the answer is… not even close. But we are getting a solid grip on the grammar. At our age, progress comes one tiny verb conjugation at a time, yet we’ve definitely come a long way since last year. Baby steps, but proud ones.

On Thursday we took a class trip to Museo Casa Pueblo and its famous hotel. The whole magical place was the lifelong vision of one extraordinary man—Carlos Páez Vilaró. You can feel his personality in every quirky curve and bright color (the photos really don’t do it justice). At sunset, everyone gathers on the veranda to listen to a recorded message from Carlos as the sun dips below the horizon. It was one of those quietly perfect moments you don’t forget.

We wrapped up our final class with Marion (nuestra profesora) on Friday. Right at the end, who should drop by but Albany—one of our wonderful teachers from last year in Montevideo! She just happened to be in town and wanted to say hello. What a lovely surprise. One last group photo, heartfelt goodbyes to Margot, and just like that… we were off.

As we’ve mentioned before, our BnB host Jesús has been an absolute gem. Not a single day goes by without him appearing at our front door to say hello—whether it’s 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 p.m., the man is reliably there like clockwork (but way friendlier than most clocks).

One night he brought over a bottle of wine. Another night he left his guitar for me to strum. Another evening he drove us around town to show us all the best spots. Most importantly, he’s spent real time chatting with us in Spanish—patiently, warmly, and without ever making us feel foolish. All in all, he’s welcomed us with extraordinary kindness, and we’re already looking forward to seeing him again in Buenos Aires when we start school there.

Leaving our Airbnb for the last time.

Our three weeks in Uruguay flew by, but we’re leaving with a suitcase full of memories—and a slightly improved ability to order coffee without accidentally asking for a horse!

Dios lo bendiga,

Scott y Sarita