HydroElectric Energy and Camaraderie

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 Shanna, Kathleen, Allie and I: Salto cohort.

The last two days were the weekend so this provided a different level of learning about Uruguayan culture. We spent time some quality, uninterrupted time with our host teachers getting to know them and their families. Our tome together included a tour to the hydroelectric dam and a soak in the local Thermal Hot Springs.

Spending time outside was a welcome respite to a lot of bus travel. When they say rural, they mean rural. Imagine Lewistown; MT as your main town and then all those little towns around it are the schools that we go visit every day- most 1 to 2 hours away. 

One of the things I’m learning most about Uruguayan Spanish is that they have many words of their own that are not used anywhere, but here, Argentina, and Chile. They chuckle sometimes when I use some of my words because they mean something completely different here than they do in Mexico!

One of my overall research components, while here has been to compare and contrast how well the educational systems of Uruguay and the United States do to encourage climate activism and sustainability.

One thing for sure,  Uruguay is far ahead of the United States when it comes to sustainability. I’m sure partly it’s because of size, but there are many moments where I see evidence of this throughout the country. And one of those moments was today at the hydroelectric plant. This is a one of a kind (UTE) hydroelectric plant that shares energy between two countries. Literally, the middle of the Rio Plato separates the two countries but the hydroelectric dam is a joint effort between the two countries to provide between 40 and 60% of the energy for both of their countries.

We stuck with the water theme today and enjoyed the thermal waters that are an abundant entity in this area. Although it is late Autumn here, weather is much like Montana in our fall season, one day can be exceptionally warm and the next exceptionally cold. Today was one of those warm days, so we embraced the sunshine, the warm breeze, the plant life, each other and spending the entire day outside.

Aparey Thermas



Equivalent to a torta , but called Tortillas. This one eggs with French fries, I 


Happiness with our host teachers Inez, Virginia and Pablo

Local rural market- best orange of my life!

These are everywhere- evidence of attempts in recycling.

Rio Plato and Argentina behind me.

UTE power- one of 14 zones 

Maite; Uruguayan Fulbright Scholar; teacher extraordinaire- and our main host. She is coming to be one of my new favorite people on this planet.



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