Growth, change, routine, repeat

The good news is that 3 Teritos are still wandering our campus, with a parent in defensive position at all times.

The bad news is that means 1 Terito has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. I am a bit sad, but I had heard at least one would be lost.

But, isn't that life? Something good, something bad, something normal?

Life is growth, change and excitement but also routine and responsibility and doldrums.

And this is where we are at right now.

The excitement includes Marieka's 14th birthday, my outdoor cold water swim meet and Rob's bike adventures.

The routine includes cooking, laundry, homework and alarm clocks.

Sigh. The honeymoon is winding down...the drudgery of regular life is...real.

Marieka turned 14 and we had a great day, starting with me filling her bathroom with balloons (and her alarm unhappily waking her up!). She got a trampoline, which is awesome and I have enjoyed bouncing on. We got it for fun, but also because, strangely enough, her gym doesn't have any trampolines! It is weird, but the gym is pretty small, and I guess that is where they had to decide was was in and out. She will be taking all of the 8th grade girls to the Summit Trampoline Park in Montevideo, so watch out for them! We celebrated by putting a ton of candles on an "alfajore"- the most favorite dessert in UY. Basically 2 thick cookies with dulce de leche inside. There are endless shelves of these treats-wicked dangerous, wicked good. Or, in Spanish, Bueno Barbaro! Or Barbaro Bueno. I am still not fluent.










I did an outdoor swim meet at the Montevideo Cricket Club. The Cold Water Swimmers of UY put on a great meet, complete with homemade lane lines and flags! My team, Vintage Pyramid (or Pyramid Vintage, not really sure which makes more sense in Spanish...) was me and 3 other amazing swimmers over 65! I felt very young. 





People had a lot of fun celebrating our shared love of swimming.
We couldn't do flip turns- no marks on the bottom or the wall to ensure safe turns- and no diving (too shallow + no blocks) but we closely followed the Outdoor Swim Association rules of getting to the surface before hitting the first flags on the push off. I got to do butterfly (mariposa), freestyle (libre) and a relay. The water was 16c which is about 65f so cold at first, but fine after a while. I was told that my mariposa was "linda" (pretty) which definitely made me happy. Also, on a group chat, there was a discussion of "Sarah es muy rapida." Sarah smiled tambien.



I continue to see many cars and trucks that I want to drive. Here are 2 I saw on the way to the swim meet:



This last weekend was the "Dia de la Patrimonio," a countrywide celebration of Founding Fathers of UY. This year the focus was on Jose Enrique Rodo, an Uruguayan writer. Museums, parks and private buildings with historic significance were open for visitors. We went to the Ciudad Viejo (old town) to have a tourist experience, and learn more about where we are living. We saw some art, some cool buildings and some old busses. Lots of old busses.





Marieka in front of the Uruguay Presidential Offices. Pretty non descript. Humble, which fits the tone of the country.

Looking across the street- one second floor balcony to another.


The view from the fancy ballroom of the Montevideo Men's Club, open for regular people for the celebration.


This was the tallest building in South America for a brief period after it was finished in 1928. As you can see, it is windy. Always windy.

We got to enjoy some amazing violin and consider buying an old phone for $25 US







We continue to be amazed by the beauty of the beach. We are looking forward to warmer weather and have found spring can bring rain, wind, sun and heat, all in one day or even one hour.
MeiMei loves the hard sand of the beach, but is less enamored of the soft sand dunes as we head home.

This man was setting up his RC airplane, he had lots of room

This is UY in one pic. One man, one beach chair, one mate (not shown, but 100% there)


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Heading to swim at my usual spot in the neighborhood called Malvin. 
The wind is up, the temp is 55f but the water is warm and shallow.













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