Day 17 Departure Day: A Bittersweet Goodbye to Uruguay
- Kevin Michael Agtarap
- Jul 7, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 10, 2025
It's a bittersweet day as we bid farewell to a place we've called home for the past two and a half weeks. Call time was 8:30 this morning in the lobby, where our van would pick us up and bring us to the airport. I checked out of my room a little earlier so I could make it to breakfast and get a sip of their delicious strawberry juice one last time.
In the van, we gave our last goodbyes to Martina, who has been our host, mother, and guardian angel this whole trip. She gave each of us the tightest hug. As the van departed for the airport, I couldn't help but reflect on my time in Uruguay. I captured my thoughts on my phone as we drove past the Rambla, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Montevideo sign in a "love letter" to Uruguay.
Dear Uruguay 🇺🇾,
You have quietly and completely stolen my heart. I arrived on your shores as part of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms program, eager to learn, not knowing just how much you would teach me about education, about culture, and about connection.
From the moment I set foot here, you welcomed me not as a visitor, but as part of your family. In your classrooms, I saw the true spirit of education. The kind that doesn’t just focus on content, but on building community, nurturing curiosity, and fostering respect. Your teachers opened their doors, their lessons, and their hearts. They showed me that despite different languages or borders, we all share the same hopes for our students: that they will grow to be kind, capable, and confident global citizens of the world.
Your students amazed me. Their courage to learn a second language, their questions, their pride in their projects. It reminded me that education is not confined to a textbook. It lives in conversations, in collaboration, in the courage to ask why and how. One student told me they learned English from watching YouTube. Another shared their dream of seeing the world. And I couldn’t help but smile, because in those small moments, I saw your future…bright, determined, and connected.
It wasn’t just the schools. It was the way your people gathered, over mate, over music, over merienda and meals. The way strangers became friends, the way a simple stroll through your streets led to holas and buen dia.
I’ve walked your cobbled streets, felt the crisp Rivera air, crossed invisible borders that reminded me how connected we all are. I’ve tasted your food, shared your laughter, learned your stories. And through it all, I’ve realized this was never just about professional development. It was about human connection. About understanding. About love…for people, and for learning.
Uruguay, you’ve given me more than I can ever repay. You’ve given me perspective. You’ve deepened my purpose as an educator. You’ve reminded me that no matter how far apart we may seem, we are always closer than we think.
Gracias for your kindness, your lessons, your warmth. I will carry your spirit with me. In my heart, in my classroom, and in the stories I share. 💕
Con cariño y gratitud,
Kevin
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