Montevideo Life
How’s my life? For lack of a better word: awesome. So, what have I been up to for the last few weeks…
I work every day which is going great. Within a few days I already had my own projects and felt like a full employee. I am contributing some ideas to the lab and learning many new skills. I really love the people I work with, everyone is so friendly! We are three girls that make up the validation department with a male boss whom we now call Charlie as we are his three angels.
I am meeting up with people almost every day. The Uruguayan people are so kind and always willing to help. Most impressively, they have the patience to deal with my poor Spanish (which has been improving). It has been very easy to make friends. I just find that people are more willing to open themselves up and get close. Within a few minutes of meeting someone you are best friends! So, to say the least, I am being entertained.
I have taken up running along the boardwalk of the beach. I always hated running but I find the ocean to be very inspiring and I find myself enjoying my runs (not to mention that gym memberships cost $120/month). There are so many people out on the boardwalk walking, running, biking or simply hanging out and drinking mate.
Once again I have been shown what a small world we live in. Prior to leaving on this trip, I started working on my family tree and got in contact with Irena, the wife of my third cousin (whom I met once at the wedding). We started chatting via Facebook (is there any other way?) and it turns out that she spent one year living in Montevideo. She introduced me to her friend Ernesto via Facebook whom I’ve been in contact with but never met. In Montevideo I went out for dinner with Tom and Patrick, two brothers from Couchsurfing. A few days later I get a Facebook message from Ernesto saying what a coincidence: he went out with his friends Tom and Patrick who met up with a Canadian girl…
After two weeks of work I started two weeks of vacation. I am now in Buenos Aires and will tell you more later.
My First Weekend
After 24 hours of traveling, I arrived on Friday night to a beautiful apartment located just half a block from the beach. Yes, I have an “ocean-view” (although technically it is a river) from my balcony. Once the excitement settled, I went in search of food to find that the fridge and cupboards were empty, but that didn’t matter since I discovered that the gas for the stove is turned off. No cooking for me!
Saturday was about exploring the neighborhood, Pocitos. It is truly beautiful here, with the beach in one direction and a park in the other. The area is considered to be a wealthy one and its inhabitants to be snobby. I walked to the nearby mall to get some money from the ATM...I went to one and it didn’t work so I went to a second and it didn’t work. Ok, don’t panic, there was still one more bank to try. No, it didn’t work with my international debit card. Now I panic as I have $3US in my wallet.
Upon returning home, almost in tears, I ran into my neighbour to whom I told everything. Not only did they lend me some cash to tie me over, but I got invited for lunch the following day. Yay! At night I made my way to a Couchsurfing Party. Although there were many “internationals”, many lived in Montevideo and had near-perfect Spanish. I tried to follow the conversation and contribute but in the end I just got a BIG head-ache. Too much concentration.
Sunday was an action-packed day! I woke up and decided to go for a run (yes, I said run!) along the Rambla. Translation: boardwalk. I got back to the building to learn that there is a leak in the water system of the building. All I wanted to do was take a shower, but the water was turned off. I had to go for lunch to my neighbours and I smelled like an old pair of tennis shoes. Yuck! I had to wash the main parts with mineral water!
Lunch was great with my neighbours, and we spoke only Spanish. I feel like I’m getting better already. Later in the afternoon I met up with a couple of Couchsurfers from the night before to drink yerba mate on the beach. I felt like a true “Uruguaya”! At night I met up with our family friends, a Uruguayan couple that now live in Winnipeg but are visiting. They made a parilla, a true Uruguayan BBQ for all the family. It was incredible!
I just want to apologize for the lack of photos. I packed the camera but couldn’t find the charger for the battery, which is dead! Tomorrow I am going to the center of town to buy one and I will give you a photo update of my surroundings.
Miss you all!
New Adventures
It is now two months since we've returned from our world trip and many ask what we’ve been up to. Here's the scoop:
Gadi went back to his old position at his old company. They were e-mailing him while we were still away asking for him to come back. The interview was scheduled for two days after we arrived and he started two weeks later. It’s good to get back into a routine, and, well, start making some money again.
As for me, I’ve been milling about, not really accomplishing much. Oh, I forgot to mention that we are now living in the basement of Gadi’s parents’ house. I feel totally displaced, all our things are still in boxes, I have no means of transportation, I have little to do. I don’t really feel like I am at “home”.
So, why haven’t I done anything with me life and why haven’t we taken steps to move out? Here’s the thing: I was casually offered a three month work experience in Uruguay and I wanted it. The plan was for me to go work as soon as I got back, but it didn’t quite work out that way.
The end result, I am now sitting in Sao Paulo airport waiting for my next destination: Montevideo, here I come! I am quite excited. I will be working in a pharmaceutical company giving me more exposure in my field. I am getting an apartment in the center of town, beside a park and just a few blocks from the beach.
The trip didn’t get off to a great start. I did my research and knew that Canadians need a visa for visits longer than three months. I planned to visit Buenos Aires, a two-hour ferry ride from Montevideo, and upon returning to Uruguay the 90 day count starts again. I booked tickets spanning longer than three months but what I didn’t know is that the airline has a right to refuse check-in without the visa. I was shocked when I arrived at the airport. I told them that I will be in and out of the country and I wouldn’t need the visa.
Nope, they couldn’t take my word. I had to get the reservation changed, so now I return a few weeks earlier than expected. Definitely a learning experience. Oh well, it is all behind me and now I can look forward to my life in South America. I will keep you posted on my new adventures.