Tag Archives: Uruguay

August 21, 2008
Brian’s least favorite things about living in Uruguay– also tagged ,

Classism - Typical of virtually all of Latin America, Uruguay is built on hundreds of years of precedent maintaining the landed classes authority.  Be it the favoritism for monopolies, harsh taxes on the middle class, or welfare payments which dwarf minimum wages, the institutionalization of class has created an entirely different worldview.  At times it [...]

August 11, 2008
Some of my Favorites from Uruguay:– also tagged ,

Some of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen were in Uruguay.
I realized that if you take the time to stop, look, explore, and actually take a picture then coming home with a set of beautiful pictures is one of the most rewarding parts of traveling. Here are some of my favorite images from Uruguay:

La [...]

August 5, 2008
Climbing Back onto the Face of the Earth

“Oh, really? Well, I would love to see those pictures sometime.”
After that statement, I knew that the mention of my travels in Uruguay was categorized and then dismissed in yet another friend’s brain.
While traveling in Uruguay, Sand and I loved to sit and talk with other travelers. We were given tons of advice, got to [...]

August 2, 2008
Chivito: An Awesome Sandwich– also tagged ,

For those of you that already know me, you know that I love food. I love to try all different types of food, I really enjoy cooking and baking, and even like trying over again food that I didn’t like the first time around. So one of my favorite parts of going to Uruguay was [...]

July 31, 2008
Building a Dream: an interview with Brian Meissner– also tagged ,

As many of you already know this summer I spent a considerable amount of time in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay at a hostel called El Diablo Tranquilo. To be fair it is far more than a hostel. Over our time there I feel that we all became pretty good friends.

I know that many of you [...]

July 29, 2008
Anthony Bourdain goes to Uruguay– also tagged , ,

The Travel channel is one of my favorite stations to flip through. I love getting to see and hear about exotic new places to go to as well as see some that I don’t think I would enjoy visiting. So I was pretty surprised when my Dad flipped on the Travel Channel to find Anthony [...]

July 27, 2008
Three Types of Travelers– also tagged ,

While Sand and I were in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay at El Diablo Tranquilo we got to meet so many interesting people. I love to people watch in general, but also really enjoyed sitting around and talking with guests, going out to dinner with guests, and just sipping maté together. These memories are some of [...]

July 25, 2008
Why bother making English the National Language of the US?– also tagged

Recently there has been a lot of press and criticism of Barack Obama for stating that he thinks children in public schools should all learn Spanish. In response, the United States Senate passed a bill on May 18th to make English the official National Language.
What really struck me about this seemingly pointless outrage was that [...]

July 24, 2008
Artisan Scene: Montevideo, Uruguay– also tagged , ,

One of the most telling ways to determine the level of severity that any government rules with is to take a look at the Artisan scene. If it’s impossible to find, then obviously the local government does not want it to be found and probably governs fairly strictly. Conversely, if it seems that there are [...]

July 19, 2008
Flying with TAM Airlines– also tagged ,

In America, flying is a nightmare. Long lines at intrusive security checkpoints, hours of delays and uncomfortable cramped seating are hallmarks of the airline industry in the States. To top it all off, I can’t bring food into the airport or on the plane, but the food served to me is terrible. This is why [...]

July 18, 2008
Dangers of Driving in Uruguay– also tagged ,

Uruguay has a great bus system, but there are times that having access to a vehicle would make traveling around this small country much easier. Over the seven weeks that I spent in Uruguay I witnessed some traffic conditions that I would never want to drive in, but found myself behind the wheel once in [...]

July 16, 2008
Tengo todo el tiempo del mundo– also tagged

One of the most astonishing differences between America and Uruguay is how people view and experience time. In the US, time is money. It seems that everyone is always rushing around and trying to multi-task and get as much done as possible in the shortest amount of time. Pretty much everyone is doing way [...]

July 13, 2008
5 Tips for a Woman Traveler– also tagged , ,

There are tons of tips for travelers out there, and especially so for women travelers. Travelers are told to keep a money belt and to not drink the water and try to speak to locals, but these are somewhat obvious tips. I have outlined a few tips that really helped me while traveling, even if they [...]

July 10, 2008
A farewell to Uruguay– also tagged

It is 10:30 on my last night in Uruguay. I have the familiar pounding headache that usually accompanies flying for me. I have grown fond of this country that has been my home for the past 7 weeks. Although I am headed home in the morning I can´t help feeling a little sad about leaving [...]

July 8, 2008
10 Beaches I Must See Before I Die: Part I– also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top Ten Best Tropical Islands
July 7, 2008
I’m a beach lover. The sun and I get along quite well. One of the main purposes of my travels is to avoid winter. I’ve been to islands all over the world, though there are still some paradises this nomad has yet to see.
With my holidays coming up soon, [...]

July 6, 2008
10 Tips for an American in Uruguay– also tagged , , ,

I have stated this before, but will shamefully admit once again that before Sand and I left for Uruguay, I did not research about Uruguay or what it would be like.  I did read the Uruguay section in Lonely Planet, but really it just doesn’t count.
Luckily for me, Sand loves to read online and researches Everything.  So, [...]

July 5, 2008
6 Things I Wish I had done before going to Uruguay– also tagged , , ,

I’m not going to say that I have not traveled some before. I am not going to say that I expected traveling in a Spanish speaking country to be really easy for a native English speaker. I’m saying that I was really dumb when I was preparing for Uruguay, and there are a [...]

July 4, 2008
Frustration: A Reward of Travel– also tagged , , ,

I haven’t authored a post in a few days and a few people have questioned whether my site had been hijacked. I am still here and in charge, but have been lucky enough to have plenty of good material to publish. Having been stationary for a few weeks I am starting to settle in to [...]

July 3, 2008
Teaching English Abroad: Uruguay– also tagged ,

Chapter Two: TEFL in Uruguay
After my experiences teaching in Santo Domingo I imagined that teaching in Uruguay would be pretty much the same. Considering that the climate would be more temperate and that the people are known for their commitment to education, I was looking forward to an easier life. I assumed that I could [...]

July 1, 2008
Teaching English Abroad: My Experience So Far– also tagged , , ,

Chapter One: Santo Domingo
When I moved to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic four years ago I hadn’t really thought about what I would be doing for money. I knew that I had somehow gotten by in New York for the past thirty years or so, and figured that I would somehow get by there. [...]