Category Archives: Family

A Weekend in Buenos Aires

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We just spent a quick weekend in Buenos Aires, and it was a very nice change from everyday life in Montevideo. Since we’ve been there before and have already explored Recoleta and some of Palermo, a few highlights and notable details of this trip are:

Buquebus: We took the Buquebus shuttle from Tres Cruces bus Terminal in Montevideo to Colonia, then the ferry from Colonia to Buenos Aires.  This is more economical than the direct ferry from MVD to BsAs (and had a departure on Saturday AM instead of PM), but the journey takes longer. Because of the weather on Friday and into Saturday, I’m happy we did it this way.  The winds were strong and as a result, the waters choppy.

Waving goodbye to the Colonia port

Note: Do not expect to be able to get Argentine pesos at the Buquebus terminal in Buenos Aires.  The Cambio was closed on Saturday morning and the ATM’s were not working. Exchange your money in Montevideo so you don’t have to waste time in Buenos Aires- because there are no banks, cambios or cajeros near the Buquebus terminal.

Hotel: We stayed at a gorgeous little hotel in an out of the way area. The Lola House is rated 6 on tripadvisor.com out of 341 hotels in Buenos Aires and I can’t say enough good things about it. The rates were excellent and we were treated like royalty.  The Subte  (subway) stop is just a few blocks away and you can be in downtown near Calle Florida within about 10 minutes.  Taxis are also very inexpensive, but it will take longer to get across town than via the subway.

Starbucks: You knew this was coming, right? We stopped not once, but twice in 24 hours. The baristas were wonderfully personable, remembering our names from the day before and even giving us free milk for Geneva.  Not that I like the wastefulness of take-away cups, but man, this was really good.

At Starbucks in Buenos Aires

Feria San Telmo:  A fantastic mix of antique vendors and artisans with food and beverage peddlers, street performers and tango demonstrations mixed in. It’s a little touristy, but stay, eat and wait for the tourists to leave, there is samba drumming and tango dancing all evening long.  Takes place every Sunday south of downtown, on Calle Defensa between Av San Juan and Plaza de Mayo. We had a great time wandering and people watching.

We also dropped in to see a FABULOUS boutique hotel that Brad has been booking for his clients on the opposite side of town from where we stayed. We’ll definitely try this place out on one of our next trips to BsAs- and I’ll write about it then.  Contact us if you want to learn more right now.

After living simply for the past 6 months- and loving it- we were both surprised how our consumerism nature came rushing back when faced with all the material things not available in Montevideo.  Other than coffee and food, we bought a few personal care items and an inexpensive handmade bag at the San Telmo market, but thankfully we were strong and that was it for the purchases.

24 hours in Buenos Aires is not nearly enough time. I can’t wait to get back.  With a metro area of 13 million people, there is so much to explore!!

Jardín Caminito- A Perfect Choice for Us

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We love the jardín that Geneva attends.  Thank you a million times over to Suki for recommending it.

There are so many things that I appreciate about Jardín Caminito: the atmosphere is extremely warm and open, the play is creative and inventive, family events are fun and frequent. The thing that I love most about Caminito, though, is the quality and quantity of communication between the jardín and the parents.

Caminito class

Information to the parents is spread quickly and readily via email, printed and handwritten notes.  We receive email messages frequently with news about meetings or recent happenings in the jardín. Even with Geneva’s day-to-day activities, the communication has been incredible.  When we first started attending Jardín Caminito, we received three “books” that had been created for her:

  • One small book to travel back and forth that contains daily handwritten communication and questions.
  • One large book that mainly lives at Caminito but travels back and forth as well.  This binder contains printed song lyrics and other printed communication regarding materials that they need or specific activities that they are working on.
  • One large book lives at home where we can collect all of her artwork in a binder format.

All the parents of Jardín Caminito have access to an online photo album that is updated every month. Last week we received a CD of songs that they sing in Geneva’s class, along with lyrics. There is even a rotating library of children’s books and we receive a new book to borrow each weekend.  It is so much fun to read these sweet kids books in Spanish and it’s as much of an education for us as it is for Geneva.

Last week Brad and I attended the “Reunión de Padres sala 1″.  Nearly all of the parents of the year 1 class attended, along with the administrators and all the teachers (not just our grade).  We learned in detail what they are working on in the year 1 class and there was a forum where parents could ask questions about both the jardín and the children. The instructors knew that the spoken information in Spanish was fast and we may not understand all of it, so we were given a printed copy of the main curriculum discussion to read.  We also wrote private letters to our children as if they were reading them when they are 20 years old.  There were few dry eyes in the building after that exercise.

A few of the parents and instructors at the Jardín speak English and they are all very concerned that we understand all of the information and our questions answered.  I cannot express how wonderful this is when we do have questions. Although 95% of our communication with the jardín is in Spanish, it is great to know that we have people to turn to if we need clarification.

Several times both that night and previously, Brad and I have commented to each other  how we wouldn’t get this level of hands-on attention in the USA. To the best of our knowledge, most US daycares do not have 2.5 hour long meetings like this to discuss our kids, their growth and progress.  Our daughter would not get kisses from all of the teachers and many of the kids, as we are walking into and out of the school each day. (So she get’s a few extra colds along the way, you take the good with the bad!) She would not have an opportunity to go to a farm once a month in the USA, or have “classmates” that she could potentially stay with throughout her preschool years.

geneva-face-painting

Geneva frequently comes home with evidence of face painting or coloring.  They sing songs with various musicians coming to visit and they learn about  the world around them through daily exploration activities.  It seems that she loves the other kids as much as the activities and her teachers say that Geneva’s comprehension of Spanish is great.  We are excited that she has an opportunity to be immersed in the Uruguayan culture and language for 20 hours a week and that she is thriving here.

Brad and I are making many new friends and receiving an education of our own through this experience. With all of the meetings and correspondence in Spanish, our comprehension is improving and we’re learning much through the process of becoming integrated in a new culture.

Brad is attending a “Dia del Padre” this afternoon with Geneva at Caminito and I can’t wait to hear all about it.  :)

SUAT Emergency Service

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We signed Geneva up for SUAT Emergencia Móvil service yesterday.

She had pinkeye again and I also wanted to get her ears checked since she had an ear infection last month.  We did not like the idea of spending another 4 hours and U$S 120 at the Hospital Britanico, so we started looking into the alternative – one of the many Emergency/Urgent care services in Montevideo.

SUAT Policlínica Pocitos

These companies offer Policlínicas (urgent care clinics) as well as ambulance service and in-home doctor care.  It is essentially a Minute-Clinic with actual doctors on staff who also make house calls and can bring you to the hospital if needed.

We were thrilled with the service at the SUAT Policlínica just a few blocks from our house. Within 10 minutes of arrival, we were done with the sign-up paperwork, paid and in an exam room seeing a doctor.  We had a quick exam and we were out again in about 30 minutes total, prescription in hand. Brad ran down the block in the other direction to the pharmacy, stopped to get some empanadas and was back with the eye drops and lunch in hand after only 10 more minutes (he claims it was only 6 minutes, but I digress…)

The amazing thing is the cost: about U$S 10.50/month for full-service membership. Yes, that is about $125 per year for emergency and urgent care.  We got in a 6-month promo, which is only approx $5.30 per month ($ 127 pesos).

Many families that we’ve talked to here have this type emergency service membership for the entire family, in addition to their hospital or mutualista membership. Others have the additional emergency service just for the kids – for those unexpected “kid” incidents.

We’ll probably just keep it for Geneva right now.  It’s the peace of mind knowing that we can call in the middle of the night and a doctor will come over, all paid with our monthly membership.

A few of the most popular Emergency service providers are SUAT, SEMM, UCM, and Emergencia UNO.

*We did learn at the SUAT Policlínica that we did not need a prescription for Geneva’s eye drops, but with a prescription, we can get a discount at the pharmacy.  We may need to check that out because unfortunately, now I have pinkeye as well ;(

The Art of Fire: Our Wood-Burning Fireplace

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We left our native Minneapolis, MN in March with snow on the ground and arrived here in Montevideo, to gorgeous summer weather. That summer weather lasted about 8 weeks and now we are enjoying the cool, crisp winter days with chilly nights. It’s still beautiful here…many clear, sunny days with the smell of burning fire wood heavy in the air. It seems so strange to have winter in mid-July. Opposite seasons in the southern hemisphere will seem surreal for a while.

The Pugs with the best seat in the houseIt is common for many homes in Uruguay to rely on wood burning fireplaces as a source of heat. The cool, damp air is penetrating and like ours, many homes do not have central heating. It is time for us to master the fireplace. Our fireplace is open with no damper and no doors, so the learning curve has been high. There’s been adventure with not-so-dry wood from the supermercado and the fireplace not venting. Besides filling the room with smoke a few times and smoke detectors beeping frequently, it’s been fun and we are now semi-skilled at the art of fire making.

After getting our fireplace cleaned, purchasing a screen and some tools (all courtesy of our landlord), we were set to order our first load of firewood. We planned to order quite a bit so we’d have some left over after heating season to use in our outdoor parilla. We ordered 1/2 ton of mixed wood for delivery. That is a whopping 500 kilos for the low, low price of $1450 (approx U$S 60) which included an extra $100 pesos to bring it to the back of the house. It was delivered yesterday and neatly stacked for us, but there was a mix-up. The delivery was all large split logs of astilla and none of the other types of wood we had requested. After calling back, we opted to get another 1/2 ton of the additional kinds of wood, and they would still deliver the same day: leña de monte, rolos secos and atados for an additional $1250 pesos (approx U$S 52). Now we know exactly what a ton of wood looks like!

There is something very comforting about not only a real wood fireplace, but the stacks of beautiful wood ready to give us heat in the cold evenings.  We’ll continue to hone our fire making skills and hopefully Geneva won’t have to say “Beep, beep, beep!” anymore to mimic to the smoke detectors.

Our wood came from La Costanera. They were excellent.  We worked out the mix-up in wood types quickly and they came back the same day with the additional order.  The young delivery guys were very fast and courteous.

Firewood delivery :

La Costanera

tel: 601 4074     lacostanera@hotmail.com

La Costanera delivery truck

Stack of mixed wood at the front of our house

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Why Are We Here Anyway?

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A conversation over lunch on Friday continued over dinner Saturday and got me thinking: We have never really explained why we are here and what we are hoping to accomplish.

So here goes without writing a novel:

Who we are/our love of travel: Brad and I had talked about moving abroad for the 12 years we’ve been together.  Brad did several study abroad trips through college and I had traveled to Europe a few times before we met. My mom was born in the Netherlands, so there has always been a strong tie to family abroad. Our love of travel brought Brad and I to Spain together for Spring Break 1997 after dating for only two months. We’ve traveled pretty extensively ever since.

As technology improved and our careers morphed from being employed by someone else to starting our own companies, a few pieces started falling into place. We started researching different locations and we felt that Buenos Aires, Argentina was the place for us. One book in particular that validated the decision we already made to live abroad was “The 4-Hour Workweek“.  This also gave us some new ideas how to conduct business remotely.

Brad and I sold our house in Minneapolis that we had been in for nearly 7 years. We were expecting Baby G at the time and moved into a condo for a year while we got our business and personal lives in order. We sold most of our larger possessions and sub-leased our office space. All the while, we were still researching possible locations and talking to people. Our focus turned from Argentina to Uruguay as a very family friendly, safe and stable country.

We joke that we spent our 20′s acquiring stuff and our 30′s getting rid of it all. We did leave many sentimental items and valuables in MN for the time being. We’ll figure out if they are coming here or staying there soon.

In March 2008, we took an exploratory trip to Uruguay with G, who was three months old at the time. We loved Uruguay and knew this was the right place for us. We told our families of our plans to move a few months later.

Why we are here: It’s a huge contradiction. We want to lead a simpler life. We don’t want the big house with lots of fancy things. I don’t like to shop and I am turning into more of a hippie all the time.

Only because of technology, though, can we be here and do what we do. We need our computers, our VoIP phones and high speed internet in order to work.

We avoided getting a mobile phone here for the first several months and just broke down and got one last week.  We have a nice TV that came with the furnished house, but no cable or antenna, so we can only watch DVD’s. We check news and weather online when needed. We have no car and no immediate plans to buy any material possessions. We do not necessarily want the same standard of life here that we had in the USA because there were so many distractions attached.

What we want to accomplish: We want to have a life rich in experiences without being encumbered by lots of  physical ‘stuff’. Our desire is to travel through South America and see both the cities and the countryside. Sure, I want to have some luxuries along the way, but I’d rather have a good wine, a meal with friends or a massage than a new table for the kitchen or a purse I saw in a shop window. Let’s lead the simple life in regards to “stuff”, but  rich in services and experiences. Services are inexpensive here, so we are living well on a much smaller amount of money than we lived off of in the USA.

I want Geneva to learn Spanish and the Uruguayan culture. I want her to learn to appreciate travel and be comfortable around people and situations that are different to her. I never really liked the 9-5 business world where I may only get to see my child for a few hours every day. Thanks to self employment and a culture that sees kids as a welcome part of the family instead of something you have to leave at home when the sun goes down, we can do that.

I’m not saying a move like this is right for everyone or it’s easy step to take, but there are options and this option of living in Montevideo, Uruguay is right for us right now.

Our Trip to Hospital Britanico

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Geneva has had a cold for a few days and we were told by her Jardin (daycare) that she may have conjunctivitis (pink eye). We kept her home on Wednesday but by Thursday morning it was worse so off to Hospital Britanico (British Hospital) we went. It is located at Av. Italia 2420, just a short cab ride from our house.

one entrance to Hospital Britanico

My impression was very positive, as it should be. Britanico is the premier hospital in Uruguay.  Modern buildings, very clean, organized, friendly.  We’ve heard very good things about this hospital with the only major drawback that they, ironically, don’t speak much English at the British Hospital.  Understanding all of the new medical terms in Spanish wasn’t easy at times, but we managed.

There were several waits and stops during our houspital adventure. It took us approximately 4 hours round trip and our visit went something like this:

  1. Find the emergency “window” which is unmarked
  2. Wait in the emergency waiting room
  3. Wait in the shared pediatric exam room
  4. Exam by doctor #1 with prescription for eye drops
  5. Wait in Emergency waiting room for referral to ear specialist
  6. Walk about 2 blocks to specialist building
  7. Check in and wait in specialist’s waiting room
  8. See ear specialist to confirm ear infection (Dr. Suarez spoke perfect English!)
  9. We don’t know Geneva’s exact weight.  Go downstairs to pediatrics to have her weighed (13 kg)
  10. Back upstairs for prescription for antibiotics
  11. Pay for specialist visit UY$2000 ( US $83) Wow, look who gets the big bucks!
  12. Back to main hospital to pay bill for emergency visit UY$599.62  (US $24.98) and show proof that we paid the specialist.
  13. Stop at the front to get information about joining Hospital Britanico
  14. Stop to the pharmacy to get the 2 prescriptions UY$485  (US $20.21)

Brad at the emergency windowWe currently have long-term travel insurance which has covered our first few months here, but such a small cost for our appointment Thursday is not worth making a claim. If we had private health insurance through this hospital or a private insurer in Uruguay, the out of pocket costs would be GREATLY reduced, including prescriptions. The coverage at Hospital Britanico is a cafeteria plan, where you can choose to add on ambulance service, coverage in the USA during travel or any number of additional services. For our family of three, the basic premium for Hospital Britanico is:

Child: UY$1395/mo

Adult age 30-39: UY$1974/mo

Total:   UY $5343   (US $222.62/month for the three of us)

Once we add other services on to this, which I am sure we will, cost will go up, but it is a far cry from being on an individual plan in the US and paying $1100/month for just Geneva and me (plus prescriptions and copays).

There are many other options here for insurance which we will explore in the coming month. Between Mutualistas, an individual hospital membership (like Britanico) and the public health care system, I am sure there will be an option that will fit our needs.

More of Life at the Casita

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G's sock bin

We’re settling in to life here and here’s another update on stuff that’s been pending in our world:

Alejandra finished her first week here and we love her already.  Cleaning this whole house top to bottom in the course of two days, including purchasing many of the cleaning supplies, doing dishes and some laundry.  Total cost:  510 pesos for 6 hours on Tuesday and 350  for 4 hours on Thursday = 860 pesos or $36.00.  She even arranged Geneva’s sock bin in color order!  Wow~

Looks like Caminito (daycare)  is a go for June 1.  There is a picnic next Saturday to welcome the morning class into the afternoon and we are invited.  We also dropped by today to get Geneva measured for her “uniform” (light green velour hoodie, grey velour pants and white t-shirt).  We’re excited to get started!  Now to just translate all the paperwork needed and get it filled out correctly.

 The water issue in our bathroom is still on-going and we continue to turn off the main every night.  The plumbers keep working on it and took out a little of the back of the kitchen sink cabinet today to try to learn more about where the water is coming from (there are 4 plumbing fixtures on the shared plumbing wall).  After removing the rotted cabinet base under the kitchen sink two weeks ago, we don;t have too much of that cabinet left! Good thing it’s on concrete and they think they found something although we have yet to learn what they are going to do about it.  

I took a few photos of our sink demo, but had a moment of clarity before posting.  Who on earth wants to see a sock bin and under a sink in a post.  I’ve gotta get better photos.  

On a different note:

I was returning yesterday from a great playdate in the park when it started to rain.  Geneva and I made it the 6 blocks or so dodging downpours and as I turned the stroller onto our street, I got a really strange feeling: We are living here.  We’ve signed a lease.  We’re no longer just tourists.  We are interacting with the plumbers, the store clerks, the Jardin, the locals.  We are committed.  It was a really odd feeling of familiarity and comfort and at the same time a little apprehension.  My heart began to race.  In all my travels, I’ve never been anywhere this long before.  I love it and it freaks me out.  I blame the mood on ‘winter’ coming.  I’ve never done well with winter. Luckily today is 80 degrees and winters here aren’t so bad.  Bring it on!

What We’ve Been Doing

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We’ve been slacking on the blog.  Sorry.  

But our social calendars have been getting a workout!  Between Brad going to a Futbol (soccer) match on Thursday between Argentina and Uruguay, me being being double booked for Friday lunch, emailing with another expat about upcoming yoga classes, entertaining at our house on Friday night, and going to the Rummage sale at the American School today (we had 3 expats offer to give us a ride), we’ve kept busy.  

17 month birthday

It was also Geneva’s 17 month birthday this past week, which we always celebrate with a sign and lots of photos.  

I’ve also been doing tons of laundry since we have a few nice days again after three days of rain, I’m cooking a lot and just today started baking and crocheting a new project.  I am a domestic goddess after all!  Well, maybe not.  Read on:  

We also interviewed a lady to come in and clean the house 2x per week.  She came very highly recommended by an expat we know and we met with Alejandra on Thursday.  She’ll come on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for 80 pesos  ($3.33) an hour plus bus fare.  We do also pay taxes into the UY equivalent of the social security system as her employer.  Alejandra would also do some cooking and laundry, which we said we wouldn’t need that at this point. She will also help us get set up with any of the equipment/cleaning supplies that we need, including the great natural products at the Ecotiendas store.  We’ll try it with Alejandra for a few weeks and see how it goes. 

An update to other items: 

We have yet another lead for a possible daycare.  Caminito still may work out in a couple of weeks, but we don’t know for sure and want to keep the search going just in case.  

We still have a water issue that is going to be dealt with this week.  The plumber has been here several times and installed a new kitchen faucet, toilet mechanism, and adjusted/repaired the temperature control on the water heater and we still have 2-3 liters of water on the bathroom floor every morning if we don’t shut the water off every night. Jorge has been a huge advocate of ours and has been the one dealing with the landlord on this issue. I would rather they just break into the wall to see what’s going on and get it done with.  

Other than that, we’re getting into a routine. Weather is turning colder and the heat is on in the bedrooms at night. That is the only heat that we have in the house and the other rooms are chilly.  No wonder I’m cooking more, at least then the kitchen is toasty warm. 

Tomorrow we’ll probably go to the Expat lunch at Old Maz which happens every Sunday but we also have tentative plans for afternoon/evening for Brad to help a family with some technology/internet issues.  The girls can play and we’ll work for food and wine!

We’ve met lots of wonderful, interesting people so far and really value the information we’ve gleaned and the friends we’ve already made .

More in the Daycare Story :)

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Sorry for those of you who don’t have kids and don’t care about our daycare story.  I know there are others that want the latest on our meeting today with Caminito.

Brad and I walked to Caminito today at about 2:00.  The afternoon session had just started and Gabrilela was leaving.  Jimena gave us a quick tour and asked if we could come back this evening when they would both be available to talk. We took a cab back at 6:30 and were there for a little over a half hour. They told us they are in the process of restructuring, cutting out the morning session (I believe the teacher for this session is leaving) and possibly adding another afternoon session for the 1-2 year olds. To do that though, they need to find a new instructor.

Long story short:  We’d love to start there ASAP but we don’t have a spot until they get it all figured out. They said that they’d get back to us within a week and maybe we can start in two weeks.  We walked out with all the paperwork and fingers crossed that we’ll be able to get in soon. 

It could be a lot worse, like some daycare centers in the US where you are on a many-month waiting list for a spot to open up.  We’ll just see how it goes!


Daycare- Option 3

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We received the referral that I referenced in the post last week Daycare Options. 

CaminitoI visited Caminito Jardin de Infantes today, along with an Expat Mom whose 3-year-old daughter goes there.   I also just learned of another family on the Uruguay Connection forum that has a two year old son there as well.  Both families highly recommend the program. 

I visited the Caminito website a few days ago and with the help of Google Translate, I was able to learn about their philosophy, hsitory and teachers before evere visiting.  The center is located about 12 blocks from us, down Boulevard Artigas, going away from la Rambla.  Still walkable though, and I was in the area today in about 15 minutes (at a very brisk pace).  I met up with Expat Mom and we walked to Caminito together.  

My initial impression was great.  The place is cheery and fun, with a big metal gate in front that is locked with a key and someone actually has to come out and let you in, instead of just buzzing from inside.  Note: It is really not as ominous as it sounds when it’s painted all in bright colors.  We entered and left the stroller in the storage area.  The first differences were evident.  There were tubes of various materials and colors, something that looked like a hula hoop but with texture, balls of every shape and size, a bunch of empty 5-liter water bottles.. this is the concept of using everyday materials to create wonder and exploration.  I love it already!  

(Note to my Dad:  You were right with all of your surprise “toys” for Geneva.  I just didn’t realize it at the time!!) 

We talk with the Administrator, Gabriela for a few minutes.  The place is clean, bright and sparsely furnished. There is a small garden in back, I hear with lettuce or spinach planted that they will use to make a torta for the kids. Then we went upstairs to see the 3-year-old and one-year-old rooms.   The three year olds were climbing through nylon tunnels and bouncing on mats.  Each age group has two rooms, one with furniture and toys and the other is open for napping or larger activities.  The instructors plan different exploration activities daily, many with reused products. 

Geneva and I go into the room with the 1-2 year olds. There are 4 kids and two instructors (it was late in the day and I think a few had left already). The kids are around a table painting and putting paper confetti on their “paintings” with both materials gettin absolutely everywhere.  The huge smiles on every child in the room told me that they were thrilled  and Geneva wanted to get right in. 

Once back downstairs, Geneva and her 3-year old friend each get a different shaped plastic bottle filled with food-colored-water and various floating objects (all the caps were glued on) an they start rolling and shaking the bottles. Nothing like purple bubbles!  We talk a little more, I get a price list and find that Caminitos pricing is the same range as the others I looked reviewed.  They are implementing uniforms, with the winter uniform of a light green velour hoodie, light gray velour pants and a white t-shirt. Very cute and having come from a youth filled with uniforms myself, I am all for them.  My uniforms were green plaid and not quite as cute, though!

They also provide homemade snacks and milk at Caminito, for a whopping  250 pesos (under $ 11.00/month) for the afternoon session with the morning session a little less.  All included, it still comes to about $150 for the month: The general monthly fee and snack are the monthly costs with materials,  Matricula (registration)  and uniform (figured 4 per year) all divided since they are yearly costs.  Hopefully we got everything here, if not, we’ll make adjustments to the above information.

We plan to visit again tomorrow so Brad can join us and hopefully register at that time.  I really like Caminito and think it will be a great fit for us! 

Note: Caminito is a new-ish program and it sounds like they are making adjustments to their offerings, class sizes and instructor schedule.  More information to come.