I hope shitty Spanish is charming

So it's my third day in Montevideo, Uruguay, South America. I came down here to learn Spanish, and amazingly, that's what's happening. I spent each day wandering the streets, mostly sans map or intent, making excuses to talk to people. I have asked directions, and what bus to take to go some place, and how much something costs, and so on, even when I didn't need the information. It has been good practice and while I occasionally faulter, mostly I am able to communicate on a basic level. My understanding is rapidly improving; early on I had a lot of difficulty understanding the accent, but this crazy moon-man gibberish is slowly coalescing into a comprehensible language. I walk around town all day with a freakishly large dictionary in hand, mumbling spanish to myself, so I probably look pretty nutty, now that I think about it, particularly with my long unkempt hair and heavy stubble.

But in spite of being a complete weirdo, I'm receiving much kindness and friendliness. The native Montevideans have pretended they can understand my Spanish and are willing to work with me on it, and are very patient. And absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, the rumors are true. It's not just Argentina and Brazil, their little sister Uruguay is quite a fucking hottie.

Yesterday was a big day for Carnaval here in Montevideo, with the streets teeming with drummers, dancers, and drunken revelers such as myself. It was a throbbing pulsing free-for-all of music and rhythm and public snogging, which I'm told is an Uruguayan tradition. It went on all evening but slowed down around 2AM, when I headed home for some much-needed sleep and rest for my knees (all this walking has been wreaking havoc on them). And besides, it's the same thing tomorrow, so I'm quite excited. Yesterday I met up with random fellows from couchsurfing.com, some of whom were natives and some being internationals currently sleeping on the couches of natives. A very cool group. I plan to meet up with them again today for more of the same. The immensely awesome guy whose couch I am using (although I prefer the beanbags honestly) might join tonight, we'll see. In any case, drunken revelry is always a good idea.