I can’t believe a week has already gone by since my last post! I have been staying busy with work and the continual challenge of creating a home and life here in this place. In general it has been a good week…

On Tuesday I went to my first choir rehearsal at the Valdense church and I loved it! I got thrown into the alto section because of how small it is, but the women in that section were really nice and helped me figure everything out. Right now they are preparing for a big competition in October and they were pretty excited to have some extra voices joining them for that too.

On Wednesday I went with the kids from La Obra to a kid’s theatre show at one of the main stages in downtown Montevideo, Teatro Solis near Plaza Independencia. This was the first time I had been to the main tourist center and it was fun to be able to be there and experience it with the locals. The show itself wasn’t that exciting for me, but it was interesting to see how they mixed in political influences in with the music and the overall message. From a really young age they are encouraged to develop a sort of patriotism and sense of pride for their country and nationality. It could have something to do with the fact that the big presidential election is coming up here the first weekend in October, but I have noticed that in general, people from Uruguay are very proud to be Uruguayan. I wish I had brought my camera with me! It was beautiful and I could see the ocean from the plaza. Oh well, there’s always next time.

Yesterday, Sunday, I went with the kids from El Hogar to learn about el trato buen trato… or a campaign against violence towards kids and adolescents. The kids learned about the campaign and then we went out into the park with cards or the contracts, stickers and candies. The kids went up to different people asking them to sign an agreement to promote positive and healthy interactions with kids. Once the people signed the agreement, the kids handed them a sticker and a candy as a sign of commitment to the contract. After that we spent some time just enjoying the beautiful weather in the park. The boys found a soccer ball and jumped right into a game and Lucia and I sent the girls on a scavenger hunt.

That brings me to the ideas around gender roles here which have really become evident to me in the past couple of days. Friday, for example, was the meeting of all the staff members here at the hogar. They get together every couple of weeks to update how things are going in the house and talk about specific issues with specific kids. As they were discussing certain objectives for Maria, one of the girls, who is becoming a young lady, they talked about how they needed to try and get her to play less like a boy and less with the boys. Her tomboy-like habits are something that they hope to change and are trying to change. It was hard not to say anything in that moment about how good physical activity can be for the development of young girls. I wrote my final research paper for my recreation degree on the physiological and psychological benefits of physical activity and sport for young women. Needless to say, I have my opinions about the idea that girls shouldn’t play soccer because soccer is for boys. I wonder what they think when I go out to the soccer field in the morning to run!

It’s not like that in the whole country though… there are people and places who different ideas regarding gender roles in this society and are doing things to try and reinforce new ways of thinking. For example, at the La Obra, they have a workshop where they teach hair cutting and styling, cosmetology and doing nails. Boys and girls participate in this workshop and I was told that it is set up that way with the intention of breaking some of the gender stereotypes that are so ingrained in the culture and society here.

Well, that brings me to today, the 21st of September, which just so happens to be the first day of spring here. It is a holiday from school for the kids and a good reason to celebrate, so I have been invited to a BBQ tonight with some of the kids from the young adult group. Should be fun!