February: Cultural Shock and Stomach Issues :(((

 Hello everyone!

Welcome back everyone! I hope yall's February has been going well! I can definitely say that mine has been quite an adventure! Throughout this month, I have gotten used to classes and have already made some incredible friends from outside the program! One amazing thing that I have gotten to experience is the wonder of cooking through my Latin American Cuisine course here in Uruguay! I made an empanada, as seen above, made to look like someone sleeping on a pillow of fluffy masa (dough). I have been able to eat some amazing cuisine here in Uruguay, however, my bad luck had caught up to me, as I ended up having some pretty intense food poisoning and had to be admitted to the hospital (I am okay now though!). 

Something that has also been integral to my time here is how I have been getting to know the queer scene abroad. As a queer man myself, I felt like it was difficult to not have the same accepting support system like I do in Richmond. What helped relieve some stress was being able to meet other queer folx my age while I was abroad, I did this primarily by attending queer events such as drag shows and festivals (as seen in the video above).

Another thing that kept me supported throughout the process of cultural shock was the continuation of the things that I love. For me this was namely Ultimate Frisbee, a sport I started playing the fall semester of my junior year! Pictured above are some of my friends and I at the Ghuazuhad tournament (a beach tournament) hosted by Uruguay's club ultimate frisbee team. 

All in all, February has been a blessing and a curse for me, but despite the uncertainty of my experiences to come, I am still very excited to see what is to come!