Accommodation in Uruguay: Renting an apartment in Montevideo

One of the biggest challenges when moving country is first finding somewhere to call home. I arrived on Uruguay's fine shores with no job, no apartment, no specific plans, no contacts here - nada! Starting from scratch can be quite a challenge...especially in Uruguay!

From what I have experienced there really isn't a rental culture here like there is in the USA or Europe. You won't find a great deal of furnished apartments and it is considered very unusual to share apartments with people you don't know (as is done by students and young professionals elsewhere in the world). As the wages are so low and employment opportunities are harder to come by, many young people live with their families well in to their twenties and in a lot of cases until they are engaged or married. The only young Uruguayans I have met who rent apartments are those who are from the interior and have moved to Montevideo for university or work and do not have any family to live with.

As such, the apartments that are available are aimed at a different group of people (families and couples rather than students and young workers). I found that the number of furnished apartments in Montevideo is quite low because the laws here tend to favour the tenant which has made landlords incredibly wary and they are choosing not to kit out their apartments with breakable/steal-able furniture. This makes it difficult for us new-comers because furniture here is expensive and often of poor quality (with an import tax somewhere in the 50-60% mark you'll find that even shoddy chinese imports are overpriced!)

Also in Uruguay they will ask you for a garantía (a guarantee, ie. security deposit or collateral). In many cases landlords ask that this garantía be in the form of a property in Montevideo! At first this really confused me as I asked "why the hell would I want to rent your apartment if I already own one around the corner?!". I then realised that Uruguayan's deal with this request by having their parents or a family member act as a guarantor, but obviously as a foreigner I did not have such an option and so had to look only at apartments where the landlord accepts a cash deposit (which only further decreased potential places to live!)

I think the "legal" limit a landlord can request for a garantía is the equivalent of 4 months rent. However, like most rules in Uruguay this is bend-able and many asked me for up to 6 months rent that would be held in a joint account for the duration of my lease. With most furnished apartments in Montevideo renting at around US$500 a month I close to passed out at the request of a $3000 deposit in a country where $400 monthly wage is considered good! I think some landlords will hold a 1 or 2 month deposit for a short term lease (6 months or less) and a larger garantía for longer period.

Also be aware that in Uruguay you will have to pay something called Gastos Communes (communal building fees). These can vary from 400pesos anywhere up to 12,000pesos! As far as I am aware they always include your water bill. After that they can include heating, a 24hour doorman ("portero"), building cleaning and maintenance, built-in air-conditioning and more, or none of these things! ...it really depends on the building. Make sure when you are renting an apartment that you know the cost of the monthly rent, the garantía and the gastos communes (and what this covers) so as to avoid any surprises later. Oh and if you use an inmobiliaria (a real estate agent) then expect to pay them half a months rent for a 6 month lease and a month's rent commission for anything longer!

Like many things here in Uruguay you have to just keep searching until you find what you're looking for. BuscandoCasa (although completely in Spanish) is the best resource you'll find for renting an apartment in Montevideo. It has the most recent listings and most of them come complete with prices, pictures and a decent amount of description and information. It also clarifies if they are furnished or not and you can search specifically by this requirement which is handy.

Another resource is the classifieds section of El Pais Newspaper called Gallito which can be accessed online. I found these listings to be significantly less reliable. Many don't have pictures or prices and do not provide all the details about the properties but sometimes they have apartments that aren't listed on buscandocasa so when you're at the bottom of the barrel its nice to have somewhere else to go!

Here are my tips for finding an apartment to rent in Montevideo:

- Familiarise yourself with the Barrios (neighbourhoods) of Montevideo and the main routes of the city. The most central areas are Ciudad Vieja, Centro, Cordon, Barrio Sur, Palermo, Tres Cruces, Parque Battle, Parque Rodó, Punta Carretas, Pocitos and Buceo. The last 4 listed are the most upmarket areas often recommended to expats and tourists but these are also the most expensive and also the most snobby.


There are advantages and disadvantages at both ends. Ciudad Vieja, Centro, Sur and Palermo all have a great character. They are very central, steeped in history and culture and are to me the "real" Montevideo, however poverty is more visible here and the flashiness of expensive clothes or cameras is not recommended. Parque Rodó, Punta Carretas, Pocitos and Buceo are a little further from the thick of things but very well served by buses or a good pair of legs :) They are beautiful areas with lovely beaches and green areas but there is a distinct sense of American suburbs and snobbery that you won't find in the older parts of town.

- Do your research. I know information is hard to come by but do as much reading as you can before you come. Ask questions, get answers and make contacts on either of these discussion forums: Total Uruguay and Sociedad Southron. Look at what is available online at buscandocasa and elsewhere, contact the owners or inmobiliarias that have listed properties - although be aware that they may only speak Spanish so you should at least attempt to write in Spanish if you expect replies.

- Book yourself some short-term accommodation for at least the first few days so you don't have to worry about where you will sleep each night!

- If possible arrange in advance to view apartments when you arrive and look at as many as you can in order to get a good idea of what is available, where, and at what price.

- When you arrive take the time to walk around each neighbourhood to get a feel for where is best for you. Some find Centro too hectic, some find Buceo too far away etc. Stroll around the streets and keep a note of what you see, how you feel and then decide what area is best for you. Don't simply go on what other people tell you - remember that people often recommend the most expensive areas to foreigners, if you don't have the money to live in luxury then you need to be informed!

Residency in Uruguay: The Infamous Cedula

If you are thinking about applying for Uruguayan residency then make sure to come prepared with lots of patience and an ability to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all! I started my residency "process" - if you want to call it that - back in Ireland. You first have to get a certified copy of your birth certificate from the relevant body in your country of birth. You also have to get a police certificate of good conduct saying you've been a good boy or girl. Depending on what country you're in the police may take their time running this check, especially if you have lived at multiple addresses, so don't leave it too late to ask for it!

When you have both of these documents they must be "certified" ie. stamped (they love stamps!) by the Embassy of Uruguay in your country. This "certification" cost me €121, I also had to pay for all the documents to be translated in to Spanish which cost €30 per page. (If you need a translator once here I recommend Maria Rincon - maria.rincon@gmail.com - she is lovely and speaks perfect English, she may also have other contacts such as escribanos if you need them). If there is no embassy in your country there should be a consulate office. If not you should contact the country you are closest to that has an embassy and they will direct you to the appropriate person (if you're lucky! The staff at the embassy in London we awful to me over the phone). Here is a list of all the Uruguayan Embassies worldwide.

So, here was me arriving in Uruguay with all my prepared documents thinking I was great...I was wrong! These documents must also be "legalized" here, you know what that means - MORE STAMPS! I can't remember how much each of these legalizations cost, I just remember 50 pesos here, 80 pesos there, 65 pesos for something else...it feels never ending and you lose track after a while (because keeping track may easily cause you to lose heart!). Here is some extra info about legalizing documents here in Uruguay. It is written as "American specific" but it applies to everyone looking to legalize documents here.

Once all that is done you have to prove your income. This is all fine n dandy if you fit into the little pidgeon hole they have - ie. you have a Uruguayan job in a cookie cutter Uruguayan company. If you are self-employed, work online, live on a rental income, make money from stocks, whatever it is, you have to go about proving that income. For this you must find an escribano (notary public), I highly recommend you make it your priority to find a FRIENDLY one because otherwise they can really make you jump through hoops.

The one I used was nice enough (though I wouldn't go screaming from the hilltops about him or anything). His name is Fernando Alvarez Turpia, his email is feralva2004@hotmail.com and his numbers are 00598 99 180 919 (cell) and 005982 6141652 (fixed line). He doesn't speak any English but his daughter Alejandra does and she can translate if you need that. If you email him I recommend an attempt at Spanish. However there really is no shortage of escribanos here so don't feel that you are limited, this just happened to be who I ended up using.

Everyone applying for residency must have a full health check here in Uruguay. There are a few different companies who provide this service. I had mine done at UCM and paid about 1200 pesos (about $50-$60) but you can do it for cheaper (I found this out afterwards of course!). They will weigh you, measure you, look at your teeth, take a small blood sample, and you must also have a tetanus shot if you cannot provide documentation that you have recently had one. You must also undergo a sexual health examination (I don't know if thats just for women, I assume its for everyone). If you provide recent documentation from your own doctor that you have had a sexual health exam in your home country then you may be able to avoid this. Once you have been poked and prodded to their hearts content they will give you the Carne De Salud (basically a health card which must be presented later with all your other papers).

One you have your assortment of documents (it starts to look like your life's memoirs after a while!) then you get to enjoy my FAVOURITE part - the immigration office! This office is just unbelievable. You have to take a numbered ticket, wait in line, have them stamp one piece of paper, go to the caja (a separate cash desk) to pay for anything, then take another ticket, wait in another line, then go to the desk with the computer, have them re-type all the information on the paper in to their computer, sign this, they stamp it and send you back to where you started! This process feels like groundhog day! The staff go well out of their way to avoid anything resembling work and you will find that bureaucracy and rubber stamping are very much alive and well in this building!

You must first go to Immigration (on Missiones 1513 in Ciudad Vieja) to request a date to present all your papers (in order to request this date you must of course wait in line for an hour!). You will return on this given date and time with your multi-stamped, certified and legalized police certificate, your passport and a photocopy of your passport, your health check card, your letter from the escribano regarding your income and the accompanying documentation (mine was a work contract but other items may also be used). They will cover your fingers in lovely sticky tar paint and take all your fingerprints the old fashioned Sherlock Holmes way...they then give you pathetic made-in-china wetwipes to try and remove it, basically you'll be smudging the stuff everywhere for a whole day after! Oh, and of course you have to pay for this, 872 pesos when I did it.

Once you go through all of this you have to go to the OTHER office to request ANOTHER date upon which you can return to have your picture taken. Oh yes, they like to make sure everyone is employed by the state here in Uruguay, and each employee is armed with their own rubber stamp! So I went to the other office on Rincón, presented my multi-stamped birth certificate (which I had to get stamped and signed one more time upstairs in this building before I was allowed to present it- I kid you not!). Then I paid again, just for requesting a date!

I returned a week later, stood in line once more, got my picture taken, and although Uruguayans are allowed collect their card that same day, I was told to return 3 days later to collect mine....but alas, I had the card!

The final stage? (oh, thats right, its not over!) This cedula is "en tramite", in order to get my proper one that lasts 3 years I had to take my birth certificate to the "Registro de Estado Civil" on Uruguay 933 in Ciudad Vieja to have it filed and be given a Uruguayan birth certificate (if you're married you must also do this with your marriage certificate). When I went to do this the woman started yelling incoherently at me, saying I was missing some vital part and I had to go to the Ministry of Exterior Affairs...I went there, waited, took a number etc etc, and they couldn't decide what it was that wasn't quite right about my birth cert. In the end they seemed to decide that they wanted the individual who signed and authorised my birth certificate on the day I was born to sign the legalisation they had done (I kid you not!).

That was the point where I gave up. I was still riding on a relative high after getting my temporary cedula, I knew I had to sort my birth certificate before I could get my permanent one a year later, but I just didn't have the energy for anymore...maybe SOME day I'll get around to finishing the job.

I write this post NOT to put anyone off coming to Uruguay - usually the people who find themselves in this little hidden gem of a country do so for a pretty specific reason - however if you are toying with the idea of getting residency "just for fun", DON'T! It is not a process to be entered in to lightly as you may just lose your sanity somewhere along the way! Have a good reason for wanting it.

Here is a discussion thread I found of 2 expats who also applied for the residency here in Uruguay. You'll also find plenty more information about the residency proces in the free ebook at Total Uruguay.

The Uruguayan Menu: Eating Out & Restaurants in Montevideo

I am a foodie! I love to cook (which is sometimes challenging here with the lack of certain ingredients and the Uruguayan tendency to only have a hotplate or microwave in the kitchen!) so when I get frustrated its good to have a favourite safe haven to cheer up a hungry stomach :)

These are my recommendations so far but this list will certainly grow so check in again for updates!

If anyone knows how to do meat, it is the Uruguayans. Let's just say that a friend of mine once ordered chorizo (sausage) and when he asked what comes with it they offered him a steak!?! Many tourists and newbies are pointed in the direction of the big Mercados (Mercado Artesal- no! just avoid it! WORST PARILLA EVER! and Mercado Del Puerto is nice but significantly overpriced and often over-run with tourists from the cruise ships!)

Really the Ultimate Uruguayan Parrilla is to be found at La Otra (in Pocitos, 758 Tomás Diago, on the corner with Juan M. Pérez, apparently open "everyday" but this IS Uruguay so watch out for all those holidays they take! from 12-4pm and 8pm to 1am).




Here at La Otra you will find really tasty meat of every variety and some really nice sides too (which is rare!) They actually use a variety of leaves in their green salads and the dips which come with the bread (parsley and LOTS of garlic, and a mysterious semi-spicy one) are AMAZING!


SUSHI!!! Yes, that's right, I have found genuine (made by an adorable Japanese family) and fresh sushi here in Montevideo! For those of you who live here (and have moved from a thriving metropolis filled with tasty international cuisine) you may find the choices down south a little limiting sometimes. As such I am delighted to share this one with you.


Their whole menu is available online in pdf form on their website, I recommend their sushi teishoku box (great value but only available at lunch time), the california rolls are good, try the temaki (seaweed roll...ask for salmon). I'm working my way through the whole menu one maki at a time!

You'll find Sumi Sushi on Patria 699 (on the corner of Jose Figueria) on the Punta Carretas side of Parque Rodo...and they do delivery but charge 50pesos if you're outside the Punta Carretas, Parque Rodo or Pocitos areas.


To taste Uruguay's favourite, the traditional empanada (pastry pouches filled with yummy ingredients) I have to recommend La Taberna Del Diablo- "Devils Tavern". This place is great! Choose from a wide range (39 on last count!) of empanadas with vegetable, meat, chicken, ham, cheese or sweet fillings. I highly recommend the pollo suprema (chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce) and chop suey verduras (soy vegetables). You can have them fried (frita) or baked (al horno)...better al horno in my humble opinion, and better for your health too!


They also make great pizzas too (which is rare here in Montevideo where "pizza" means just dough and sauce and common "muzzarella", or cheesy pizza, is about as close to real pizza as cider is to champagne!). The "mediterranea" pizza with calamaris is pretty amazing and for one person costs just 70pesos (about $3) and empanadas are only 25pesos ($1) each! If you're a dessert person give the dulcelate empanada a try, you won't regret it! They all taste great with a cold bottle of Patricia beer which they serve in glasses from the freezer, love it!

La Taberna Del Diablo is very close to Parque Rodo on the corner of Avenida Gonzalo Ramirez and Pablo de Maria. Check out their website here (all in spanish as per usual!)

My newest find (thanks to Shirley and Santiago!) is the Chinese Buffet! Those missing the sticky sauces and satisfaction of a cheap chinese take-out will be delighted to hear that you can get an all-you-can-eat (spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, beef with blackbean sauce, fried rice, the lot...and ice cream) for 210pesos! Its in Centro, on San Jose close to Paraguay.

And last, but MOST DEFINITELY not least, is my favourite...Las Delicias! For incredible creamy ice-cream this is the one stop shop. You'll find it in Pocitos on the corner of 21 de Setiembre and Ellauri and it is heavenly! Try all the flavours to find your favourite, currently I'm loving Las Delicias (chocolate with crunchy chocolate nutty pieces, yum!) and cheesecake (tastes exactly like a great cheesecake with fruits of the forest). The best way to do it is order the "buffet", this way you can choose all the flavours you want, and you get to guess the weight...if you guess correct its free! Even if you have to pay it ends up cheaper than getting a big cone (just avoid all the toppings and extras they try to sell you!)



Still on my list of food places to go/discover...the creperie in Ciudad Vieja on Bartolomé Mitre, the authentic but scary looking Korean places in Ciudad Vieja beside the Radisson, the "best paella ever" recommended by my room mate that is apparently to be found in Mercado Del Puerto....and I'm on the look-out for an Indian restaurant or India cooking supplies, if anyone knows of a secret location PLEASE share the details!


Bon appetite! ¡Buen provecho!

Clothes Shopping in Montevideo

Ok this one is for the ladies....and the fashion conscious men ;)

When I was moving to Montevideo in October 2008 I had never visited before...never even been to South America! I had done all of the necessary research but one thing I could not get any information about is what is really available in Uruguay. What do I need to bring, what can I leave behind, what am I really going to miss from home?!

Here's a little summary of clothes shopping here in Uruguay's capital city. If you are coming from North America, Canada, Europe, Australia or other developed "Western" regions of the world simply forget what you know about clothes shopping! Although there are a few modern style malls, if you intend to live like a Uruguayan (especially with a Uruguayan wage!) then you can expect to shop in a very different way than you are used to.

Here are your options:

The Expo's - all along the main thoroughfare of 18 de Julio you will find old fashioned malls or emporiums. These often aren't easily noticeable until you walk in to find a network of corridors. There are many of these "expos", as they are called, dotted all along this long street but after a while you may start to feel slight deja vu as you see the same merchandise in the same colours over and over again. Inside these malls you will more often find 'make-shift' shops and stalls rather than separate stores.

Although these products are affordable (200-400pesos/8-10 dollars for a t-shirt) they are often of poor quality. Uruguayan's don't really produce clothes (unless you count the overpriced handmade stuff at Manos del Uruguay) and their import taxes are insanely high (somewhere around the 50-60% mark last time I checkedd) so they import really cheap goods from China or tatty leftovers from Europe and the States.

They do love their cotton jersey here...everything from t-shirts to pants seem to be made from the same material, in the same primary colours! Although it seems comfortable at first it bobbles like nobody's business and you may start to feel like a clone when you look around and see everyone wearing the exact same shade of green (why I ask? doesn't the song say there are 40?!)

For women I would HIGHLY suggest bringing as much of your favourite underwear as possible as they make them in very strange shapes here! Either they are super high-waisted 80 style (who wears that?!) or they are in this strange middle place between a thong and normal pants that is just an inevitable wedgie waiting to happen! Also they tend to make them from cheap man-made uncomfortable materials which isn't the best for a hot summers day! For men, although I can't speak from experience, I think I would suggest the same judging from the questionable y-fronts I have seen on offer!


The Ferias - The Ferias (fairs/markets) are your other option for affordable clothing.


Depending on how much of a bargain hunter you really are, you may consider checking out the expansive Flea Market Feria on Tristan Navarra which takes place every Sunday morning. I have to admit this isn't the most comfortable place to shop for clothes as EVERYTHING from live peacocks to fruit & veg and military memorabilia is on sale here but some great vintage clothing can be found if you scour. You do have to really weave through people, and you have to watch your money as pick pockets are rampant but its worth a look if you have the energy.

Wear basic and non bulky clothes as if you want to try anything on it will have to be over what you're wearing and in the middle of the street!

Fear not, there are plenty of other, more spacious, well organised feria offerings to choose from. If your spanish is up to scratch (or even if its not) you can check out this useful website La Feria which lists what they sell and where & when they take place - Tuesday & Saturday in Villa Biarritz which is the green area beside the intersection of Ellauri and Septiembre 21 in Pocitos, in Parque Rodo on Sundays and then there are ones out in the suburbs on other days.

Personally I like shopping here. Although it is a lot of the same stuff you will find in the expos sometimes the prices are cheaper and sometimes you will find a few unique stands and some nice Uruguayan made items. They will not sell what you are used to at home, this you will learn to accept...but with a new country comes new challenges which demand new solutions. If you really can't do without your familiar and designer brands there are also....

The Malls -

Punta Carretas Shopping: Here you will find the snobs (no offense to anyone who shops there...I go there occasionally myself to browse and drool over what I can't afford!). It is beautiful, showy, imported suburban American life. They sell all the familiars - Levis, Zara, Adidas, Nike and all their equivalent middle class shops but at greatly inflated prices. Anyone familiar with Zara will be amazed by the hike in prices for simple basic items (a cardigan that is permanently 14.90euro in Ireland is nearly 25dollars here and t-shirts range closer to the 20dollar plus mark than the bargain prices we're used to.



Outside this mall you will find this to be the area where all the snooty boutiques are located....you know, the ones you have to ring a doorbell to enter. If you don't have the money (everything is over 1000pesos/40 dollars, even the smallest item) just don't bother entering. The snobbish attitude and patronising looks are stifling!

Montevideo Shopping: A little further outside the city than Punta Carretas but along the same lines. Less snobby but prices are still high.

If you're looking for the cheaper places there is a branch of the Indian Emporium almost everywhere (in every mall and also many along 18 de Julio). These are the cheapest prices you'll find for clothes in Montevideo but again, quality is compromised.)


Tres Cruces: This is one of the first big shopping malls in Montevideo and so is the most outdated. It is always very busy as the main bus station takes over the whole ground floor. It has only one floor of offerings so if you know what you want is there then it will be a quick trip because this is not really a place for browsing. You'll find a list of all the stores on their website

Basically I'm trying to warn those of you that are fashion forward and love your clothes that a move to Uruguay will require 2 things - a lot of excess baggage coming here and an expected drop in standards when you settle here! You won't find the same quality, you won't see trends translated in to stores as quickly (especially because our seasons clash with the release of new lines in the Northern hemisphere), and you won't find the bargain items you're used to at home.

This is NOT to say that you'll be wearing a potato sack this time next year! They have everything you need....just be prepared to search more, buy less, and pay a LOT more for those quality investment pieces.

Carnaval in Uruguay!

Bless them for trying! Uruguay quite reminds me of Ireland in trying to keep up with the Jones'....Despite their little size Uruguayans boast that their Carnival (Carnaval in Spanish) is the longest in the world. Although this may technically be true (as it "lasts" the whole month of February), in reality there are only a few big events and these cannot be said to rival those of their famous Carnaval neighbour, Brazil.

Don't give up on them just yet though, Uruguay's Carnaval is unique and most definitely worth a look!

Usually Carnaval month is kicked off with "El Desfile Inaugural" (the inaugural parade) on the main thoroughfare of '18 de Julio' at the end of Janurary - however this year a storm worthy of Noah's Ark blew down the eastern coast of Uruguay making that tradition close to impossible on its usual day. This parade includes everyone: the humoristas, parodistas, revistas, murgas, sociedades de negros and lubolos - I'm still learning the distinctions between all of these: Murga's (check out a video here) are like barbershop harmony singers making political jokes, I'm slowly getting to know all the local politics but luckily the music is internationally enjoyable! Lubolos are the white guys who paint their faces black, play the tambores (drums) and walk as though wearing feet shackles so as to pay tribute to slave communities who founded the candombe tradition in Uruguay. Anyone want to help me out with the rest?





Personally my favourite part of Uruguay's Carnaval is "El Desfile de Las Llamadas" (the parade of the calls). This takes place of the first Thursday and Friday of February and showcases all the Candombe Comparsas (local community drumming groups) who march through the traditionally black neighbourhoods of Sur and Palermo. They play fantastic beats, the women wear next to nothing (mostly without the hot body that is usually expected to accompany such clothing) and they wave flags big enough to clothe about 20 families....and its good luck to touch them so get in there and have a feel :)




First come the Estandartes (the banners...these introduce the different comparsas), then the massive flags followed by stars, moons, lights and fantastical bodies all carried by masked bearers. These are said to be representative symbols of the relgions practised by the slaves before they were brought to South America. Then arrive the Gramillero and Mama Vieja...the apparently old but still very vibrant (and often rather excitable!) old couple. Behind them comes the ever so important Escobero who sweeps away any negative energy with his broom...before the comparsa beats their way through the streets!

Other events go on throughout the month of February. From what I can see (and hear!) so far is that these "other events" mostly consist of Murga...everywhere! There's murga every night in Defensor Sporting Club on 21 de Septiembre (between Bulevar Espana & Bulevar Artigas)...I know this because the wind carries EVERY single note through the window of my apartment! There's also some bigger shows in the Velodrome in Parque Battle but really you can find Murgas, Humoristas & Parodistas (they all seem the same to me!) at tablados (venues with stages) throughout Montevideo during February so you have no excuse not to witness this cultural tradition!

If you're feeling a little more adventurous you should try travel to some of the small coastal towns...they may be small but their carnaval events are just as much fun (if not more!). I went to La Pedrera and it was fantastic, lots of water balloon fights, music and colourful flags everywhere, a great parade, and just generally an air of fun and laughter...not to mention great surf! I've also heard great things about the carnaval events in Punta del Diablo too...and there you get two for the price of one because it is one of the most beautiful places you will ever see, with or without carnaval.

One small step...

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my blog about living in Montevideo, Uruguay :)

I remember trying to research this wonderful little city and country before I departed on my adventure here and found it close to impossible to get some decent (and recent!) information...as such this is my small contribution toward solving that problem.

Feel free to leave comments, ask questions and correct me when I'm wrong (its VERY rare but has been known to happen once or twice).

It'll take me some time to get my first few posts up (seeing as I still have to get internet in my apartment) but for now you can quench your thirst for information with an expat interview I did for the Total Uruguay Blog. It explains all about why I moved here, how the transition went, what I found difficult etc. You can read it here