Enamorada

In listening to some of Ismael's CD's from Uruguay, I have decided I am overwhelmingly in love with the country and totally smitten with the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Ever since hearing the name, I have been a bit mystified on how it could be "oriental" but once again, everything is relative. In Spanish, oriental means to the east of. I remember my first debate in Central America over directions and orientation and discussing whether Livingston in Guatemala is South or East, etc. Uruguay is a fascinating country as it is one of the few that I know of other than the US whose name is a description rather than proper name. Like the US, for example, is one of three united states in the Americas. There are the united states of Brazil and Mexico. The Oriental Republic of Uruguay describes it's position on the map relative to the Rio Uruguay.

One of the reasons I am in love with Uruguay is the fact that the President Tabare Vasquez is a socialist Oncologist finally righting all the social injustice having accumulating over the years. The fact that the health minister, Dr. Maria Julia Muñoz, plays drums in a Candombe band in the streets on the weekend. Are you starting to feel the love as well? It is somewhat like a large family, the populace with the grand majority being so genuine, kind, humble but with so much to be proud of. As a small country there is an interesting dynamic with their less than humble neighbours, the Argentines. There is a soft sort of longing or what the Brazilians call saudade in the Uruguayans. There is just so much texture to the eyes, the untold stories of the peoples and a slight reluctance to plant the seed and release the layers of tension.

What interests me a lot about the country is that Uruguay is an indigenous name but the indigenous were killed off en masse in the 19th Century. I would love to learn more about the nationalism and ethnic identity of the region. It seems fascinating.