I'm a Brit living in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay 🇺🇾 I could be living anywhere in the world, but I chose Uruguay over two decades ago, and I absolutely love it 🫶
A reader asked what frustrates me about daily life here. So, here goes. These are some the things that irritate me-in no particular order-, about day to day life in Uruguay 🤯
#1: Convoluted tax system 💰
Uruguayans are sticklers for rules and regulations-and doing things by the book. To be honest, I appreciate it. It certainly flies in the face of stereotypes around Latin American corruption and bribery (don’t try to bribe a Uruguayan traffic cop, you could be arrested). And some bureaucracy in Uruguay like paying bills is now incredibly streamlined and easy. But not being able to do my own taxes as a sole trader, because the system is so convoluted, is definitely frustrating. I even know MBAs who threw up their hands and hired someone to do their taxes-which is what I quickly realised I needed to do too.
#2: Lack of glamour 👠
When asked what she wished she had known before she came to Uruguay, my friend Edie said she wished she had not wasted valuable luggage space on the expensive high heels she never got to wear. People don’t dress up much in Uruguay, not even when going out to dine or the theatre. While most of the time I love the freedom from convention, sometimes I confess, I long for a bit of glamour.
#3: Graffiti 🎨
The streets of Montevideo are lined with gorgeous art Deco buildings but unfortunately the walls are also riddled with graffiti and tags. There’s also outstanding street art but the tagging has made more than one unsuspecting visitor imagine that Montevideo had a serious gang problem. It really makes me sad and was bloody annoying when my own home was repeatedly graffitied.
#4: No real chips (french fries, for my US readers) 🍟🥔❌
Chips made from actual real potatoes sliced in a restaurant kitchen are hard to come by. In fact when I’ve asked at a restaurant if their chips were ‘real’, the proud response was “Yes, we only use [insert brandname of frozen fries]”. Fortunately the situation is improving.
#5: Poorly insulated homes 🏠❄️
Coming from a country where home insulation is a given, it can be a shock how poorly built and prepared houses are for the Uruguayan winter. Combined with high utility costs and damp from the ocean and the Rio de la Plata, many newcomers to Uruguay are condemned to a miserable winter when they arrive. My first winter in rented accommodation was truly miserable indoors-during the day it was actually colder inside the house than outside. Grrrr. Or rather, brrrr.
#6: Barking dogs 🐕🔊
Uruguayans absolutely love their dogs but in my experience they don’t tend to train them (well). To make it worse, owners tend to think that it’s perfectly normal for dogs to bark. A lot. It’s common to have several dogs for security purposes, especially in the countryside. Expect quizzical looks and limited action when you complain to your neighbor about their incessantly barking pooches.
#7: Poor customer service 👀
The customer is rarely right in Uruguay. I don't mind it that in general staff are not particularly friendly. But what is truly frustrating is to have a legitimate complaint, go to the cash register and be met by a defensive rather than a helpful or a sympathetic response.
Customer service has definitely started to improve. Businesses are aware of the situation and interestingly are choosing a lot of the recent arrivals that have come from Venezuela, Cuban, Dominicans, like super friendly really good idea of customer service. But neither expect automatic refunds, nor helpful service. It's so frustrating to have to accept a credit note even when the goods you're returning are faulty. But that is common practice here.
No place is perfect, right? Also see the seven things that I absolutely love about daily life in Uruguay.
Music: Nómade by Diego Janssen / @diego_janssen
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