Reflection on International Issues

In Uruguay, the first thing you notice in Uruguay is the lack of clocks. Whereas Americans put a clock in almost every room and you constantly hear someone asking about the time, over here in Uruguay, it is hard to find a clock and I feel that I annoy people when I ask them what time it is (This doesn't explain the fact, however, that for some reason my mentor is always more punctual to lab than I am...).

In a lab that works in a language that you are not familiar with, it is obvious that there will be inefficiencies. Lately, I feel like, perhaps due to the language barrier and the fact that my mentor had been completely occupied  by the Semana de las Ciencias, I don't get much done here. Back in the states, I have the ability to think rapidly and to muster all of the necessary ideas/materials with quick verbal exchanges. But over here, I feel that sometimes when I speak Spanish, my mentor is very reluctant to reply. Either because he is busy or something is wrong with my Spanish. As such, in order to not outstay my welcome with him and his family, I choose to talk a little bit less - and as such, think a little bit less. For me, this inefficiency is very bothersome and counterproductive to what I hope to achieve. So I am hoping that as my Spanish improves, I can carry more personal and professional conversations. Also, I hope that I will actually be able to do a complete prep soon!