Lost my luggage and found my future in Uruguay

Allison B., a University of Iowa student, shares how a stressful start in Montevideo turned into a defining experience. Hosted by Kiana Raiford, USAC’s Institutional Relations project coordinator, this episode explores host family life, gaining confidence in Spanish, and how study abroad helped Allison find her voice. Studying abroad shaped her path toward advocacy work in immigration, human rights, and Latin America. 

Have an idea for a future episode? Email us at podcast@usac.edu.
Just want to learn more about study abroad? Email studyabroad@usac.edu for all the details!

Transcript

[00:00:00] Colette H.: Welcome back to THE Study Abroad Pod. Today we're taking a trip to Montevideo, Uruguay, where Kiana Raiford, USACs Institutional Relations Project Coordinator sits down with University of Iowa student Allison. What started with a canceled flight and missing luggage quickly turned into something much bigger: a city that felt immediately welcoming, a host family that made all the difference, and an experience that pushed Allison towards advocacy, shaping how she uses her voice, how she uses her Spanish, and her future career. 

[00:00:36] Kiana Raiford: Hi, my name is Kiana. I am the Institutional Relations Project Coordinator here at USAC. Today we're heading to Montevideo, Uruguay, and talking about what it's like to study abroad somewhere that feels both completely new and surprisingly comfortable. I am here with Allison today. 

[00:00:52] Allison B.: Hello, I'm Allison. I am a third year student at the University of Iowa. I'm majoring in international relations on the pre-law track, and I am minoring in Latin American studies and Spanish, and I studied abroad in Uruguay for the January 2026 session. And I chose Montevideo, Uruguay because I wanted to practice my Spanish. I had studied abroad in Paris the spring semester of my sophomore year, and I just wanted more, and I really wanted to improve my conversational Spanish and learn more about different parts of the world. And I thought that it could benefit a future career in international relations if I took a trip to Latin America, so. And Uruguay looked super beautiful and I liked that they did both Montevideo and a trip to Buenos Aires, like just sounded great. 

[00:01:51] Kiana Raiford: Latin America does not get enough hype, in my opinion. 

[00:01:56] Allison B.: I'm saying! 

[00:01:58] Kiana Raiford: Before you left, what were you most excited about, and what were you most nervous about?

[00:02:03] Allison B.: Yeah, so of course I was most excited about the weather. I'm from Minnesota, which is like the tundra essentially, so it was great to escape, like at the worst part of the year in that cold dry January. It was so warm in Uruguay, it was like 85 degrees every day, at the beach. It was great, I was really looking forward to that. And then also just like I said before, practicing my Spanish because I don't get much opportunity to do that on like a day-to-day basis unless it's just like in class, so. I was a little bit nervous about staying with the host family just because I had never done that before. When I was in Paris, I stayed in an apartment with other study abroad students from America, so that was like a pretty comfortable thing there. And this was a little bit out of my comfort zone and I knew that my host mom didn't speak any English and she was a little older and I just, I didn't know if there was gonna be like difficulty communicating there. But it ended up being awesome. 

[00:03:13] Kiana Raiford: Did you think a J-term program was too short of a program? Do you think you still got a lot out of it, even though it was pretty short? 

[00:03:20] Allison B.: Definitely got a lot out of it, but at the end I was like, I wish I was here for like two more weeks or something. Because of course I was used to the full like semester, so three weeks... if you have the opportunity, maybe do it for longer.

[00:03:36] Kiana Raiford: And how did you hear about this program? Was it just immediately after your Paris program or did you find out in other ways? 

[00:03:43] Allison B.: Yeah, I'm actually, I'm a University of Iowa study abroad peer mentor, so I'm kind of just like, I'm pretty involved with the international program office and I was just... you know, I was just thinking about it. I'm hearing other people doing shorter programs after doing a semester and I thought, "That sounds great." So I just looked, we have like a whole database full of programs and I just filtered it by "Where can I speak Spanish?" and "Where can I go over the winter?" And that was one of the couple options. And I said, "That one sounds great," so. 

[00:04:16] Kiana Raiford: I'm like thinking of an app that would work for that. I know you said database, someone could like swipe left and right on study abroad. 

[00:04:23] Allison B.: I know. 

[00:04:25] Kiana Raiford: What do you remember about your first few days in Montevideo? 

[00:04:29] Allison B.: Yeah, well. You know, they did lose my luggage. I did have my luggage lost in Miami because my flight originally had ended up being canceled. So I was a little bit late getting down there — just a day — but it kind of made me a little nervous and I got to Montevideo with just the clothes I was wearing. So I kind of, you know, started off not super comfortable, but then when I got to my accommodation, my host mom called her daughter and her daughter came over and brought me like several outfits to wear. And that was really... that was really a save. 

[00:05:13] Kiana Raiford: Oh my gosh. 

[00:05:14] Allison B.: It was so nice. So I got to be really stylish and with what they wear and it just was really nice to be supported. Orlando who works onsite in Montevideo helped me like call the airport and just kind of navigate getting my luggage back, which was nice just because, you know, there was a language barrier and I maybe didn't have the vocabulary to beg the airport for my luggage back. But you know, the stress was definitely overcome by just the welcome and support that I received. And of course, everyone in Montevideo was just super kind. 

[00:05:49] Kiana Raiford: Now if you ever travel on your own and lose your luggage, you know what to do in that situation. 

[00:05:53] Allison B.: Exactly, exactly. It felt very different like being in a large city, because it — Uruguay, like Montevideo — is the same size as the city that I'm from, Minneapolis, both around 3 million people. And so I thought they would be similar, but it wasn't. Montevideo was a lot more relaxed than Minneapolis is. Of course, people were friendly like they are in Minneapolis, but it was just like a lot slower, like I didn't feel like rushed or whatever, and I felt very safe. Like I felt safer than I do where I'm from. There isn't any cat-calling in Uruguay because actually there's a law that my professor was telling me about If someone cat calls you while they're in their work uniform, you can report them to the police with evidence and you can get their wages as a payment for getting cat-called. 

[00:06:49] Kiana Raiford: Oh! Okay. 

[00:06:50] Allison B.: So I didn't get cat-called while I was there and that is not true in the United States. 

[00:06:55] Kiana Raiford: Yeah, I was gonna say I feel like we should take some notes over here. 

[00:06:59] Allison B.: I know exactly. It just like... it was a very progressive environment. There was a lot of like political expression, just like everywhere, and that was very like accepted, like that wasn't something that was trying to be covered up. There was a lot of graffiti because like under their dictatorship, that was a way of expressing themselves. And so like when you see graffiti down, like in the U.S. some people would like think that like stereotypically, that means that you're in like a dangerous area, but there it's just like... that's just art. Like, that's just us expressing ourselves. So I thought that was really interesting. I loved like reading all of it and just seeing all the art, so. 

[00:07:36] Kiana Raiford: It's so interesting how different it is. 

[00:07:39] Allison B.: I know. 

[00:07:39] Kiana Raiford: Will you talk about your relaxed experience and like, obviously the history is there, but I'm also like, I wonder if it's also a big part of that beach being right there with everybody. 

[00:07:47] Allison B.: Yes! Everyone's like, uh, I don't know, I don't kind of wanna work right now. I'm just gonna go to the beach, then I'll do my stuff. 

[00:07:55] Kiana Raiford: Besides going to the beach, did any of that change how you experienced your daily life over there? 

[00:08:01] Allison B.: Yeah, I mean, I just like was really chill. Like I didn't feel like this impending need to keep doing something like I do here. Like it was okay to just like lay on the beach for three hours and not do anything. And I was great. 

[00:08:21] Kiana Raiford: Just with that vacation aspect of it almost. 

[00:08:24] Allison B.: Exactly, yes. 

[00:08:27] Kiana Raiford: Awesome. 

[00:08:27] Allison B.: Yeah. Because in my prior experiences I wasn't, I wasn't doing that. I was like, "I have to go." So it was nice. It was nice to change the pace. 

[00:08:37] Kiana Raiford: That's perfect. Was there a moment when it really hit you that you were like living abroad? 

[00:08:46] Allison B.: Yeah, I mean like just the first day that I got there, we did a walking tour of the city just with the 10 girls who — it was all girls who was studying abroad with me. So we did a like a walking tour of the center of the city with Orlando, and we came past like the town square and there was just a group of like 20 elderly people just like tangoing in the square. And it was just so beautiful and that just like, it really was like, aw, like I'm not, I'm not in America. We're not doing that. But it was lovely, you know. We joined in. 

[00:09:22] Kiana Raiford: Other people's day-to-day is very different to our day-to-day. And being able to- 

[00:09:27] Allison B.: Yes, I know. I don't schedule tango into my day-to-day, but maybe I should. 

[00:09:30] Kiana Raiford: Maybe you should. And start a class on campus. 

[00:09:32] Allison B.: Yeah, exactly. 

[00:09:34] Kiana Raiford: What surprised you most about the city? 

[00:09:37] Allison B.: Yeah, I think I just kind of felt immediately comfortable in Montevideo. Everyone was very kind and very friendly. Like I felt like I could strike up a conversation with anyone, which I really enjoy. You know, Midwest represent. I think everyone, like in the Midwest and Minnesota especially, you can just talk to people and it was really nice just like kind of feeling accepted like that. It was really nice and everyone was just kind of like looking out for each other and everyone was very friendly. I also really liked the relaxed pace because all the other places I had been were very like, you know, go, go, go, like the United States and Europe when I went there. So it was nice to kind of just see people like relaxing and like taking time on themselves, like siesta, you know? 

[00:10:27] Kiana Raiford: Mm-hmm. 

[00:10:29] Allison B.: Yeah. 

[00:10:29] Kiana Raiford: What did a typical day look like for you while you were studying there? 

[00:10:33] Allison B.: Yeah, so I would wake up in the morning and my host mom would have breakfast for me set out. I was in an apartment with another USAC student, so we would sit down at the table and have some breakfast, which was a tostada, which is like a typical "Uruguashin" [Uruguayan] breakfast. So that was just like a toasted piece of bread with either dulce de leche or like a fake jam or some sort of dairy product that I never really figured out what it was or what it was called, but it was good. 

[00:11:09] Kiana Raiford: Aren't those the best foods though, that you find? 

[00:11:11] Allison B.: I know! When you eat them and you don't know what they are, but they're good. Like I thought it was great, but now maybe I can't find it again unless I go back and I'm like, that's what it looked like. And then we would either walk or take the bus to our class, depending on how hot it was, because sometimes it's a little too much with the humidity. And we were just like, we don't want to be sweaty in class. But the bus system was like very, very simple. Like it was, it was very easy to figure out and it could take me everywhere. And my class was only like a 15, 20 minute walk from my apartment. So either way, easy to get there. So we would meet my professor outside of this apartment complex. My time at the program was a little bit unique in that we were not in Universidad ORT because they were closed for the summer, because it's summer down there, you know, different hemisphere. And then we would go up to this just apartment and we'd sit at a table, she'd project, you know, our lesson on the screen. We would usually learn about one country a day and just kind of about politics, history of politics, and like how that informs the culture now, like of each country. And then class would end, we would go have lunch with the rest of the students just because if we... we didn't have that many people, so we were like, "Let's get lunch every day. Let's try someplace new every day." And then that was [it], we were done with school for the day, so usually we would walk around, explore the city a little bit. Most of the time we would have to go to the beach for several hours, of course. There were some coffee shops I liked going to, like, if I had an assignment to do, I would go to this place called La Cultural Alfabeta, which was a coffee shop near my apartment that kind of, it was a coffee shop, but then a bookstore, and then also a movie theater, and they had such great food. And I would go there and I would order orange juice every time, the orange juice in Uruguay is so good. And then after coffee or beach, I would have dinner with some of my closer friends, and then usually we would end the night at this brewery. And we would either, we would eat dinner there and get burgers, or we would go there after and like play cards or just talk. And it was nice to just like have like a third space where we can all hang out. So yeah. And then I'd go to bed. 

[00:13:37] Kiana Raiford: This just sounds like a really big food tour, and it's making me really hungry. 

[00:13:41] Allison B.: It super was. I miss all the food so bad. 

[00:13:46] Kiana Raiford: Oh my gosh. I love that. The food is really just like the highlight, plus everything else, which is great. 

[00:13:51] Allison B.: Yes, exactly. 

[00:13:53] Kiana Raiford: What was your living situation like and how did you, how did it shape your experience? 

[00:13:58] Allison B.: Yeah, so I was living in an apartment in the Pocitos neighborhood, which is near the beach, lucky me. And I lived with a host mom named Roberta. She was probably around 75 years old. She had an immigrated to Uruguay from, I believe Florence, Italy. And so, she was lovely. Her daughter would come and visit on Sundays, [name unclear], she was around 50 and she was the one who graciously lent me her clothes and they were very friendly. Yeah, I was initially a little scared because of the language barrier, but we ended up understanding each other very well as long as I did the classic Uruguay, like "shush" sound with the Y or double L. Because if I said like, "I'm going to La Playa" she had no idea what I was talking about. So if I said "I'm going to La Plasha," she was like, "Oh, of course!" So that was the one thing that I had to adjust. But yeah, it ended up being super great. She loved to chit-chat. She was just, she was very nice, so. And I loved her apartment; it had a great view and obviously it was super close to the beach, which was nice. So. 

[00:15:10] Kiana Raiford: That is definitely a huge plus. That's definitely a good way to make sure that you're getting that Spanish language experience that you were talking about. 

[00:15:17] Allison B.: Yes, definitely. I think the immersion was super important.

[00:15:20] Kiana Raiford: Yes. Even though it's nerve wracking, her correcting you means that you'll never forget. 

[00:15:25] Allison B.: Yes, exactly. 

[00:15:28] Kiana Raiford: And then what did that teach you about communication or connection? 

[00:15:32] Allison B.: Yeah, I mean like, just kind of like nonverbal communication, like when there's a language barrier. Because sometimes there were words that I didn't know how to say, because sometimes she'd wanna get into deeper topics and I'm like, "Wow. I know. I just have no idea how to say that." Or even, I don't know. So I'd have to like, kind of do like a roundabout way of describing it. Or maybe I'd like move things. I would, you know, describe it with my hands or, you know, just kind of point at things, or even like, honestly, we would just WhatsApp a lot. So that was, that was helpful. And then I could look up the words that I didn't know. 

[00:16:09] Kiana Raiford: Mm-hmm. 

[00:16:09] Allison B.: Um, but yeah, I think like, just kind of like, there's always a way to communicate. Like if you don't know what you wanna say, like you'll be able to communicate it. Like where there's a will, there's a way, I think. 

[00:16:21] Kiana Raiford: Absolutely. That's really cool that you guys were able to do that though. 

[00:16:25] Allison B.: Yeah.

[00:16:29] Kiana Raiford: Was there a local tradition or food or activity that you ended up loving? 

[00:16:34] Allison B.: Yeah, there was a lot of like music and just kind of like... art there. Like there we were leading up to like the street performance festival. I didn't get to end up seeing it because we left, but it is at sometime in the spring. But you get to hear people practicing in the street. The traditional music there, it's, um, cumbia, which has like a lot of influence from like Africa and then also bringing in influence from Latin America. So it was like a nice, like beautiful display of both cultures and the music was great. And actually when I went... I went to a friend's host family's house and when I got there they made us sing and dance with them because they are performers themselves. They are practicing for the street performance and they actually, they like, they put out like real music. So that was so lovely. And they were trying to play English songs so they would do like the Beatles and stuff because they knew that we knew it and that was just so lovely. Yeah so I really enjoyed that. I did — I mean I saw a lot of mate, which regrettably I never ended up trying because it's not like just sold in restaurants. So mate is like a sort of tea. It's very caffeinated and in Uruguay they drink it pretty much 24-7 and they'll carry it around in like a little container. It has a handle and then it has two slots on the side. So there's one for your mate cup, and then there's one for like a thermos with like really hot water and so that you can just keep filling up your latte throughout the day. And so you just put the tea leaves in, like this wooden cup, and then you have a straw or bombisha [bombilla], and it has a filter at the bottom and it filters the leaves out and then you just drink it. But that was something that like you make at home and you take around with you and my host mom didn't drink it, so there wasn't like a way for me to try it. But if I go back, that's definitely something I'm gonna be doing. It was also like a... there's a funny rivalry between Argentina and Uruguay. Argentina kind of sees Uruguay as like their little brother and they both have really, like, they're both very passionate about mate. But Argentinians think that Uruguashins [Uruguayans] drink it far too much. They're like, "We love mate, but you guys are... you guys are on something else." 

[00:19:03] Kiana Raiford: So I was gonna say, I've had a conversation with Sebastian, the Resident Director.

[00:19:07] Allison B.: Yes. 

[00:19:09] Kiana Raiford: [unclear]. He like came to present to us to give us some information about the location. And I remember like the mate conversation dominated the meeting with how much like, people drink it and it's everywhere. 

[00:19:23] Allison B.: Yes. It's everywhere. 

[00:19:24] Kiana Raiford: It's like different hearing about it from a Resident Director, but like hearing from a student that that's true is kind of funny too. 

[00:19:32] Allison B.: Everywhere. And you would go into the bathrooms in like public facilities and they would have specific signs up that said, "Do not dump your mate in this sink." Which was so funny because why would you have to have that sign up? Because you know, people are doing it all the time because everyone has it.

[00:19:47] Kiana Raiford: Absolutely. It kind of reminds me not even close to being the same, but [laughs] 

[00:19:52] Allison B.: Yeah. 

[00:19:53] Kiana Raiford: I'm from Seattle and having Starbucks and coffee shops everywhere, it's like almost the same thing of like that crazy need. That's just so funny. I wanna experience it too though now, so thank you. 

[00:20:03] Allison B.: I know, of course. 

[00:20:05] Kiana Raiford: Um, for those headed over for J-term, what should they absolutely not miss.

[00:20:11] Allison B.: Definitely go to the feria. I think that those are so cool and there are just so many cool things there. And even if you don't buy anything, it's just like such a cultural staple there that you just have to do it. There's great food there. Hand-squeezed orange juice — [is a] must. So good! And like empanadas and other food and like music. It's lovely. So definitely that. And I think just spend as much time on the beach as you can, that's important. 

[00:20:45] Kiana Raiford: Did you have a favorite place while you were there? 

[00:20:48] Allison B.: Yeah, I loved La Cultural Alfabeta for like studying and working on homework. That was a nice place to just like, you know, go with my friends, work, eat good food, drink good orange juice. Then yeah, we would hang out at Montevideo Beer Company, play cards, just talk. And those were the places that were like very local, you know? And they were both like pretty young, which I enjoyed. I also really liked Pocitos Beach specifically, just because it was so big and there were just so many people there. And the waves weren't too much, so that was really nice. I'll say those. 

[00:21:25] Kiana Raiford: I'm taking those for myself too, don't worry. 

[00:21:27] Allison B.: Yes, of course. Perfect. 

[00:21:30] Kiana Raiford: How are, how was your class while you were there on the J-term program different from the classes you take here at home? 

[00:21:37] Allison B.: Yeah. My class was very small, which I really enjoyed. So it was me and then three other students, and then we were being taught by a professor and like she's also, I think, a PhD student. So she was pretty young, like late twenties, and so we just kind of like, just felt like I was having fun, really like I was learning, but we were like, she was like making jokes about it, she would show us like memes about like certain political topics, which was kind of awesome because then I felt like I was really learning about the culture. So I think it is, it's really nice to learn from someone who knows, you know, who's like in with the culture and I'm like, then I feel like I'm really getting the experience, like what the youth think of it, you know? And then also just like as an international relations major, I think it's important for me to be taught about politics by people who are not from the United States. So I can kind of get away from that, like U.S.-centered ideals and like just hear about different perspectives. I think that's really important. So it was really beneficial hearing from her, like her thoughts on like stuff that, you know, the United States has done in Latin America. And it was, it was eye opening, I guess. Yeah. 

[00:22:51] Kiana Raiford: Did it change the way you think about your major in your future career? I know it changed your perspective a little bit, but did it change anything [unclear]?

[00:22:59] Allison B.: Yeah. I would say before studying abroad, I didn't really have an idea of what I really wanted to do with my major. Like I had ideas, but they were all just things I was like, "Maybe, like if that's where the wind takes me." Before, I mean, I wanted to go into law. I wanted to do international law, but then like studying abroad in Uruguay and like learning about like Latin American politics, Latin American culture, all of that, it sort of redirected me or maybe focused me more with my major. Because international relations is so broad and I think just like having experiences that it could like unlock a certain part of your brain, you know, like you don't know you're interested in something until you experience it, and I really felt that. So like while I was there, I just like found myself realizing like, wow, like I love the people here; I love the way they think about politics. Like, I just love, like how kind everyone is, how we care about other people and all of that, and I love Spanish, so I was like, wait, I could do all of this with my career. I went home, immediately put Latin American Studies minor in on my degree and kind of now I'm looking at doing more like immigration work or just some sort of like international work where I am focusing on Latin America, preferably with, you know, something where I get to work with people. Like now I'm actually looking more at doing like immigration law, human rights, or like development in some way like educational development. Because it was just so awesome. Yeah and I think like kind of what really got to me was like advocacy. Like I really — I love to talk. I love to talk to other people and so I can kind of combine my interests with politics and talking to people and kind of put it together in sort of like a form of like advocating for immigrant rights or advocating for human rights and it sort of focused me on what I wanna do with my major. 

[00:25:24] Kiana Raiford: That's so cool. Oh my gosh. 

[00:25:26] Allison B.: Yeah.

[00:25:32] Kiana Raiford: What skills or perspectives did you feel like you gained while you were there? 

[00:25:37] Allison B.: I think, I mean, definitely my like confidence with speaking Spanish improved. I felt very comfortable being wrong. Like I would just say incorrect grammar, incorrect words, but people didn't care. I was getting the message across, like, I think learning a new language, you just have to get comfortable being wrong because you can't be perfect all the time or else you're never gonna talk. So I think that skill was really important for me, especially as a little bit of a perfectionist. So I really enjoyed that. I'm definitely an extrovert, so like gaining that skill was nice in that I could actually communicate with locals in that language and feel more confident. And also just, everyone was so nice about when I was wrong, they didn't care. They were like, "Oh my gosh, your Spanish is so good." And I'm like, "I just made 30 mistakes in one sentence." Awesome. And then I just really like, I mean, I've talked about it before, but like I really value like cultural exchange. Like that's just one of my favorite things, like since I was little, just, I love hearing about different places, like different practices. It's like, it just... I love it. So that was like especially beneficial to me, like gaining the perspectives from Uruguay, like I loved that so much, so. 

[00:26:57] Kiana Raiford: Yeah, it goes like hand in hand. Like something that I like to say when I talk to professors specifically that go abroad with us is you gotta be comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

[00:27:08] Allison B.: Yes, exactly. Yes. I think it's super important. 

[00:27:10] Kiana Raiford: I'm thinking with like speaking Spanish, like you're making all these mistakes, but like that cultural exchange and mutual respect that you're getting... there's no ill intent behind it. And everyone's like supporting you while you're there, which is so great to hear. 

[00:27:25] Allison B.: Yes. 

[00:27:26] Kiana Raiford: What is one moment or experience that you had that you'll never forget? 

[00:27:31] Allison B.: Yeah, I was in Montevideo on New Year's Eve, so I got to reign in the New Year in Uruguay, which was awesome. So everyone in my program, we went down to the beach and we were there for probably four hours and we just sat on the beach, talked, ate food and we got to see fireworks and that was just so lovely. Like just seeing like the sunset and the fireworks and then just getting to celebrate with everyone on the beach because like La Rambla, which is like the street that is next to the beach and like that just whole kind of lane of like beach and street that goes all the way around Montevideo. That's like a very important part of the city. So like everyone was there that night and it was just very like, I guess, immersive to be there during that time. It was just fun. Like everyone was just celebrating together. Like everyone would walk by and say like "feliz año nuevo" [Happy New Year], like everyone was just very friendly talking to each other. It was lovely just to see everyone being so happy. 

[00:28:36] Kiana Raiford: Do they have different traditions there for New Year's than what we do here? 

[00:28:41] Allison B.: Not really, no. Well, a little bit, I guess. I feel like the United States is more of a like, "Let's get crazy party." And I would say in Uruguay, it's more of like a focus on spending time with family and friends. Maybe that will include partying, but you know, there's less of a focus on it, I would say. 

[00:29:02] Kiana Raiford: It's that relaxed vibe you were talking about. 

[00:29:04] Allison B.: Yes, exactly. Yes. 

[00:29:07] Kiana Raiford: Was there a challenge you faced while abroad that ended up teaching you something important? 

[00:29:12] Allison B.: Yeah, well definitely losing my luggage. Well, I didn't lose it, but you know what I mean, someone lost it. I think that was definitely like, that was a nice, what's the word — exposure therapy, because I'm just a pretty anxious person, but I kind of just threw it all out the window. I was like, "Well, this is how it is," and it was totally fine. Like I guess like it kind of taught me like not everything has to go as planned for you to like have a good time. And honestly, sometimes it's more beneficial if things don't go the right way. I always feel like I learn more when things don't go exactly as I expected. So that I think definitely helped a little bit. 

[00:30:00] Kiana Raiford: I definitely see that. I went to Korea last year with a friend and she left her passport at a store and we were 30 minutes away. So you talk about your luggage, like having someone there to help you and knowing how much. Honestly, it wasn't even like finding a solution that you and her both had similarities. It was like being able to ask for help, which was really the solution, which is really cool. 

[00:30:25] Allison B.: Yes, for sure. 

[00:30:27] Kiana Raiford: What advice would you give to someone considering studying abroad in Uruguay?

[00:30:32] Allison B.: Yeah, well definitely try the mate. Try it because that's just such a huge cultural pillar. 

[00:30:39] Kiana Raiford: It's a necessity, right? 

[00:30:41] Allison B.: I know. I wish I would've had the opportunity, but I mean, it's probably good I didn't get that much caffeine in one sitting. I don't know, I'd probably explode, but. And then also I'd say like, don't over pack. Buy the essentials there, they have great sunscreen because it is so sunny there. There was like a UV of like 11 every day. And so I was burning. Uh, but if I did remember to put on my sunscreen that I had bought at the grocery store there, I wouldn't burn because it was so strong. Because they have... they're used to it. But yeah, just buy the essentials there. You don't wanna take up space in your suitcase because you wanna make sure you have a lot of things to bring home because there's like ferias where people, you know, have their, um, like homemade products that they've made that you can buy and of course I indulged in that, but thankfully I didn't over pack so I had a lot of room in my suitcase. 

[00:31:40] Kiana Raiford: If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before you left, what would it be? 

[00:31:45] Allison B.: I think just like "Chill out." There's no reason to be nervous, like we're worrying about something that might not even happen, so you don't need to experience that twice. And then like just do — just throw yourself in. People are all very kind, like no one's gonna laugh at you for trying to speak Spanish or for, "I don't know how to get to this place." Like no one's laughing at you for asking directions or asking questions. Like, matter of fact, people love to help. People love to talk. Like it's, it's fine. And I think just laugh at yourself, like don't take anything... don't take everything so seriously because you'll learn from everything and it's beneficial just to let it happen. 

[00:32:35] Kiana Raiford: Absolutely. I like to say very often, and my team will tell you, we're not curing cancer.

[00:32:41] Allison B.: Yes, exactly. 

[00:32:42] Kiana Raiford: Losing your luggage is really scary, but like, it could be worse. 

[00:32:47] Allison B.: It could be worse. Like it could have been my passport then I probably would've freaked out and maybe it would've been valid. I don't know. 

[00:32:54] Kiana Raiford: You could have not found another flight too, but you still got there. 

[00:32:59] Allison B.: That was a struggle. It was like 2:00 AM and I was in the hotel room like, "Oh my God." So I just made my mom do it. 

[00:33:08] Kiana Raiford: See! You ask for help. 

[00:33:10] Allison B.: Exactly. Ask for help. 

[00:33:14] Kiana Raiford: And in one sentence, how would you describe your study abroad experience? 

[00:33:19] Allison B.: I would say like just very educational and beneficial, eye-opening. I guess that's not a sentence, but it's a lot of words, which is close enough. 

[00:33:31] Kiana Raiford: All points work. It's totally okay. Oh my goodness. So it sounds like this has been probably one of the best experiences. If I'm putting words in your mouth, please, excuse me. 

[00:33:44] Allison B.: You can. 

[00:33:45] Kiana Raiford: But it sounds like this is one of the best experiences you had, 

[00:33:48] Allison B.: Yes! 

[00:33:48] Kiana Raiford: even if you had some moments of unclarity, like losing your luggage, missing your flight a little bit, the nervousness of being with a host family, which you don't have experience with, but honestly, one thing that you said that stood out to me the most was being uncomfortable and how everyone was there with you making mistakes. Like no one expects you to be perfect in any situation, but studying abroad, especially in a country you've never been to before.

[00:34:16] Allison B.: Of course, yes. That's the point. 

[00:34:18] Kiana Raiford: Yeah, exactly. And then being able to still gain that educational aspect of studying abroad that you're looking for in a very different setting, like outside with a very laid back professor, not in front of- 

[00:34:32] Allison B.: Loved her. Shout out Flo. 

[00:34:35] Kiana Raiford: And then just having, with Uruguay in particular, that really relaxed vibe that you might not get in a very fast paced city, um, for some of us city folk, I guess you could say. 

[00:34:49] Allison B.: Yes, of course. 

[00:34:51] Kiana Raiford: But just like in the United States in general, I feel like on a college campus, it's very, very fast paced with some people work[ing] two, three, maybe four jobs, taking six classes. 

[00:35:02] Allison B.: Yes. 

[00:35:02] Kiana Raiford: So being able to have that educational aspect, but still not be high speed all the time.

[00:35:09] Allison B.: Yes. 

[00:35:10] Kiana Raiford: Seems like this was like, even though very nerve-wracking in the beginning, especially with how it started, it became probably one of the most impactful. And you got really comfortable in a very short period of time. Three weeks. 

[00:35:25] Allison B.: Yeah. 

[00:35:26] Kiana Raiford: Awesome. Cool. Well, I'm gonna take everything that you've said, all the recommendations, not just for future students, but for myself. It is on my next list of places to visit. Thank you so much for joining, and I hope you have a future trip planned to go again and taste that mate. 

[00:35:45] Allison B.: I know. Awesome. 

[00:35:48] Kiana Raiford: Okay, bye. 

[00:35:49] Allison B.: Oh bye. 

[00:35:52] Colette H.: Thanks for listening to THE Study Abroad Pod, a podcast brought to you by University Studies Abroad Consortium. Please listen, subscribe and review us on Buzzsprout or wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:36:03] Colette H.: You can follow USAC on all your favorite social media channels @StudyAbroadUSAC, and if you have an idea for a future episode or you wanna learn more about study abroad, you can email us at studyabroad@usac.edu.