This forum does not have good search abilities but if you look back as different threads you will find some discussions on this topic.

I think a person's impressions are very different depending on whether you need to earn a living here - difficult and poorly paid - speak Spanish fluently, have income and money from from overseas, have ties to Uruguay such as marrying a local, and have the personality to accept the culture here. I have German friends who get very upset when workmen do not show up, products are inferior to what they are used to or there are lengthy delays to get service such as repairing the internet or fixing a road.

I know quite a few folk from different countries who came and left for various reasons including - could not find work, found it too expensive, did not like the weather, or missed the conveniences and lifestyle they came from.

There are longterm issues as well - pensions here are very low even if you work here for many years and you will have possibly reduced or given up the one in your home country, many send their kids to private schools ( not cheap ) as the public system has many problems including buildings needing repair, frequent strikes and limited resources. If your kids ( If you have any ) continue to University and then want to return to another country - will their qualifications be accepted?

As I said, it depends on your current situation whether Uruguay is a good fit.

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10abuse

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good God, after reading these depressing posts, I have no desire to even visit Uruguay!

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00abuse

Not sure what you found depressing. There are positives and negatives everywhere.

This was written by an American who left here to return to the US a couple of years ago or so.

"If you think that leaving the country is a way to solve your problems, when you get there you will find that every single thing you learned your entire life about life is not the same outside of the USA. People of every country were raised differently and with different beliefs, social behaviors and languages and when you really begin to understand and learn and love the new unknown, you learn that you did not know that much.
As many know I have lived for 2 1/2 years in Uruguay, the hardest and one of the best things I have done in my life and I cannot imagine life without the love and kindness in both directions of the Uruguayos, but I had to do the work for that love, kindness, and also trust."

We did not find Uruguay different to what we expected and are glad we came. Uruguay does amazing things with the small population and limited resources.

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30abuse

What a service Morrell performs then. Uruguay is not for those who are looking for a remote Suburban America. Those who come and stay are those who have done some research into the country and determined that the values here line up with theirs. Bless Morrell for providing honest feedback so the clueless don't come and end up disappointed.

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20abuse

Hi, I just recently joined the forum because I wanted to learn more about foreigners. I am a Uruguayan Native that lived in the USA for about 12 years. I cambe back to Uruguay in 2011 and I have been here for nearly 6 years. From someone who is a native and has been outside of Uruguay I encourage you to not visit Uruguay. It's a really bad place if you are looking to come work in and live in. While the media promotes free healthcare and many other benefits, the actuality of it all is quite different. To give you an example my monthly rent for a half decent apartment in Canelones is 15000 Pesos which is roughly 560 USD. My monthly costs incuding Electricity, Water, Internet, Phone and food come to about another 400 USD. My monthly total is 960 USD without acounting minor expenses and going out to have fun. My monthly wager at a "Decent paying job here work Monday to Saturday 8 hours a day pays me roughly 600 USD a month. How do I do it? Well my wife and I both have to work our asses off to make ends meet. So I implore anyone looking to come here to think twice. Uruguay is a country made by tourists for tourists. Those of us who live here are stuck with having to live in poverty and not being able to afford things that are considered basic in other countries. Just to give you an example, a smartphone like an Iphone 5 still costs roughly 600 USD here even though it's been out for 2 years or more.

I know this might offend some but I've seen this first hand and I am saving every single penny I can to be able to move elsewhere. Although I am finding it hard to find a 1st world country that will allow immigration without having a job proposal before hand.

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00abuse

I had started to learn a bit of Spanish before coming and found it much harder than I thought. I should have started much earlier. I know people who were fluent in Spanish who found the Rio Platense dialect difficult initially but doing better now. I think if a prospective resident does not work hard at learning Spanish before coming they are not really committed. And Spanish is usable many places so it's not wasted if the plan to go to Uruguay doesn't work out.

I had underestimated how much summertime rents would increase (like 25o-300%) and so it was a shock going from off-season. Even though it appears that vacation housing is overbuilt along the gold coast, the renters don't seem to be inching their asking price down.

While annual rents are more reasonable (by US standards), many houses are generally miserable to live in during the winter because of the inadequate heating and humidity that makes mold a problem. Extra searching and a really good/expensive $3000-5000 wood stove can make the difference here.

Because prices are moderate, we could have afforded to live on the water (across the beach road actually). But extra maintenance and cold, strong winds many have made that less affordable long term. Most choose to live several blocks back to avoid that maintenance/icy blasts ...or in the campo.

I never expected the routine kindness of strangers here. They are so often helpful and perhaps because we are older they are more accepting of our need. The relatively high portion that speaks English, apologize for it but it's often pretty good. Only one person per year has shown annoyance at how we don't speak their language. Having said that, we are often stymied at getting simple things done or understood because of our still poor Spanish. Unlike in other Latin American countries, we don't *look* out of place until we try to speak!

The English speaking community is both a big help but effectively a hindrance to our learning Spanish more quickly out of desperate need.

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10abuse

you're like the angel of death around here, but thanks for steering me far away from this horrid place.

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00abuse

Jaym, I am glad this forum has helped you make your decision to stay away from Uruguay, but it is also very useful to those of us who choose to come.
We have made research trips and finally landed here with our dogs. We have found most people to be friendly and helpful. Though we are fluent in Spanish, fluent does not mean that we speak the same Spanish that is spoken here, but that we can communicate. Our desire to learn "Their" Spanish is greatly appreciated. It is a way of demonstrating respect.
Humility goes along way everywhere, but more so here and particularly from North Americans. Unfortunately the US has a checked past in South America and this places an extra burden on would be immigrants. Uruguayans look north with both admiration and a degree of distrust. They, like anyone else, require respect, for both their language and customs. Once that hurdle is met, we have found them to be exceedingly helpful and friendly. I am painting with a very broad brush here as individuals and individual experiences will vary. My point is that for us, assimilation into the Uruguayan culture, or at least the effort, is hugely appreciated. The arrogant, know it all, North American will have a hard time here.
Things are very different here and we have much to learn. The challenge is most stimulating.
We were overcome with gratitude to see our dogs at the baggage area at Carasco airport this morning; the flight was hard on them. We all need a good nights sleep.

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00abuse

Thank you. An excellent reply and well written. I'm glad you dogs made it OK. We will soon be headed your way with are furry children as well. TG

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00abuse