Exploring Uruguay

Expat & Travel Resource Guide

Culture

We’re Having a Baby In Uruguay!

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Yep, we’re having a baby in Uruguay! Zoë is no longer going to be an only child… she’s going to make such a great big sister.

We officially got word from the doctor today that everything looks good and our little one is expected around February 6, 2010. That means I’m nine weeks along. We couldn’t be happier. We definitely planned on having another baby in the future, but it looks like the future is coming faster than expected.

So after we told our families, there was a common question among them…  “Are you going to come back to San Diego to have your baby?”

Our answer: “Why would we do that?  Uruguay has great hospitals and wonderful medical care. We live here… Uruguay is our home for now, so we plan to have our baby here.”

After talking with some friends that had a baby in Uruguay, we’ve decided to look into having it at Hospital Británico (the British Hospital in Uruguay). The technology and service level is top notch, and we’ve been referred to a Doctor that speaks excellent English.

We’ve found that there isn’t much information available online about what to expect when having a baby in Uruguay. We were looking at into buying into a Uruguayan Hospital’s Insurance Plan. We still are… but being pregnant is considered a pre-existing condition. That means we’ll be paying all pregnancy related expenses from doctor’s visits to tests to the delivery out of pocket.

We’ll also be journaling about our experiences with pregnancy and having a baby in Uruguay. How that benefits you is… After our little one is born, we’ll be putting everything into an eBook that will hopefully make it easier for other expatriate families to navigate the process of having a baby in Uruguay. And of course, we’ll have updates here on our Uruguay blog!

Brian, Chrystal & Zoë

What U$S 15.75 Will Buy You…

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Since moving to Uruguay, we get all of our fruits and vegetables, and some of our meat and other household items, at the weekly ferias (open air markets) here in Montevideo. There is a smaller feria on Tuesdays and a larger one on Saturdays only a block from our apartment.

You can buy “anything” at these Markets. Jackets, makeup, hoodies, dvds, video games, hats, clothes, incense, art, food, furniture, toys, diapers, etc.

It’s nice to always have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We’ve been making homemade chicken stock to make delicious soups and stews every week with the vegetables.

Just to give you an idea of how far the US dollar goes in Uruguay when it comes to food…

Earlier this week, for U$S 15.75, we got:

24 farm fresh eggs
4 pears
4 apples
3 limes
1 head of lettuce
1 large leek
20 jumbo strawberries
1 large Broccoli crown
4 large red bell peppers
2 giant carrots
2 large zucchinis
2 large tomatoes
3 onions

And, on a smaller trip to the Uruguay feria, for 280 Uruguayan pesos (U$S 12) we got:

24 farm fresh eggs
2 giant carrots
4 large tomatoes
2 ears of corn
1 head of purple cabbage
2 large red bell peppers
1 package of fresh Brussels sprouts
2 large zucchinis
3 apples
½ kilo. strawberries
2 red potatoes
1 garlic bulb

Not too bad… There are ferias all around Montevideo, some better than others… some cheaper than others. We live in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Montevideo (Pocitos)… So our feria is probably a little more expensive than the ferias outside of our neighborhood.

The Most Baby-Friendly Place On Earth

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When you take your infant or child to a restaurant in the US, what is expected of you from other diners?  What does the restaurant expect from you as a parent?  What does everyone expect your child to do?

They expect your child to sit in their high chair or your lap throughout the meal and for you keep your child quiet. You wouldn’t want to disturb the other diners, right?

Well, the culture in Uruguay is completely the opposite of that in the US when it comes to babies. Our first day in Uruguay, the relocation guy took us to a nice steak house in Carrasco for lunch. They brought over a high chair for Zoë, which she happily sat in while she snacked on bread sticks and chorizo.

If you have kids, you know they can only sit still for so long. Being only one-year old, Zoë has a short attention span. She started to fuss so I pulled her out of the high chair so she could sit with me for a while… the standard action I would take in the US.

Immediately, we were instructed to put her on the floor and let her run around… What?

I must have had quite a look of confusion on my face as I insisted that she was fine with me. After all, we were at a white tablecloth restaurant in the most exclusive community in Montevideo.

It would be like letting her run around Donovan’s or Fleming’s in La Jolla. Surely, he couldn’t be serious. He again insisted that I put her down. “Let her be a child… put her on the floor, she’ll be fine.”

So, reluctantly, I stood her up on the floor and she took off running across the room. Before I could jump up and chase after her, we were told, “Leave her.” It was explained it is customary for children to be allowed to roam around the restaurant in Uruguay when they are finished eating.

The wait staff keeps an eye on them while you enjoy your meal and makes sure they don’t run out the door or anything (or if you’re out shopping, the store’s staff will keep an eye on them so you can shop). Don’t get me wrong, we keep an eagle eye on her, it’s nice knowing that others are watching out for her too.

While letting Zoë run around and enjoy herself in restaurants was a foreign concept to Brian and I (hey we are in a foreign country) we had both agreed when moving to Uruguay that we would fully embrace the culture.

So, as uncomfortable as it made us, we let her run around and enjoy herself. We were equally surprised when all of the other diners were smiling and waving at her, and happily chatting away to her. No one was annoyed that a baby was running around the restaurant singing away.

It was at that moment Zoë discovered she is a rock star in Uruguay.  Everyone loves to come up and talk to her and fawn over her. Her head might grow to be as big as her daddy’s if we’re not careful ☺

Wow, what a breath of fresh air. I think it’ll be nice living in a country where babies are seen as beautiful blessings that should be allowed to enjoy themselves and their childhood.

By the way, for lunch we had:
Chorizo and grilled provolone
A green salad
Pumpkin
3 normal Uruguayan portions of prime rib (15-18oz cuts)
Potatoes with rosemary
3 bottles of very fine wine
3-4 bottles of mineral water
Coffee
Dessert (a massive fruit cup and flan)

We were there for 2 ½ to 3 hours.  Our bill came out (with tip) to less than U$S 100.  Again, this was a Donovan’s / Fleming’s style white tablecloth restaurant.