Uruguay – Initial Impressions

A friend recently asked what are some of the differences in freedom that I’ve noticed between Uruguay and the United States.  I can sense the freedom is palpable here, the reasons for which are not easy to put your finger on, but I have been taking notes on some of the things I’ve observed.  As a caveat, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Europe (which Montevideo reminds me of), so I’m not sure if these observations would be universal to similar cultures (90% of Uruguayans are of European descent), I also could be seeing things through rose-colored glasses, and since I’ve only been here for a few days and strictly in the capital, I’m not sure if my judgement will hold true over time and in other places of the county.

Rather than going directly into the reason why I think there are more freedoms here, some build-up may be appropriate and insightful.

The first notable observation took place after we got off the plane and were waiting in the Covid screening line.  There were perhaps 150 people waiting in line, and very few (perhaps five) were on their smartphones.  Most of the people were just waiting in line, conversing with their neighbor, or just quietly thinking to themselves.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like that.  

I’ve only gone out to get groceries and go running, but when I go out, again, few people are on their phones.  People seem incredibly good at minding their own business and seem very present.  I get the impression that everyone here is trying to improve their lives step by step.  This might be said of many in the United States, but here it seems that every single person is doing something that they believe will contribute to the betterment of their lives and they are not thrown off by mindless distractions nor are they expecting assistance from others to achieve their tasks.  

There is some poverty here, but they seem to exercise a greater degree of freedom and industriousness than the average American.  I’ve seen this once before in Serbia, but on two occasions here I’ve seen poor people riding horse-drawn carts hauling jumbo rice sacks filled with recyclable bottles they’ve collected from dumpsters and trash bins.  So the impression I get is:  if you’re poor and you need to ride a horse along the street to get ahead, by all means ride a horse.  On the beach there were a couple “homeless men” living in a fancy shack along the Rambala – wide parkway that stretches along the coast.  I caught a glimpse of their lives – eating fish and drinking maté in an in orderly open-air shack beside which there was a boat – and it I thought: “That’s Mack and the boys from Cannery Row.”  It was very Steinbeckesque.  The takeaway there was: even if you don’t have a proper home you can dig a bunker along the coast, build a shelter, and fish if that’s what you need to do.   Further along on this run I saw a guy and his girlfriend on the grass near the beach.  They had ridden on his motorcycle to get there.  This meant he went off road and across the lawn with his motorcycle.  Lord knows how many ordinances he would have violated doing something like that in California.  But little things like that seem totally acceptable and endorsed here.  There is a sense that you can do almost whatever you want  just don’t be stupid or hurt anyone.  I haven’t seen any police yet nor have I heard any sirens.  As a matter of fact, when you go onto the roads no one in their cars uses their horns.  Also, even at the parks the dogs are all playing with each other (which is not unusual), but even the dogs seem well-behaved.  I know it sounds crazy, but I haven’t even heard a dog bark yet.  The city streets are lined with trees and filled with chirping birds.

This is not to say that people are not having fun.  There are families everywhere, parents pushing strollers, all morning the laughter of kids can be heard from schoolyards.  The parks are packed, the cafes, ice cream shops, and restaurants are bustling in the day, and again when they re-open late at night (like Spain, the restaurants will re-open from roughly 7pm to 2am since people eat dinner late here.)  People are entitled to exercise personal irresponsibility as demonstrated by the number of shops that sell beer and wine to anyone and the periodic cannabis smoke wafting through the air.  When I was running I could tell that something was missing here that I couldn’t pinpoint at first, but it hit me on my way back:  I didn’t see any meth heads or heroin addicts.  I didn’t see anyone who had lost their minds as a result of drug abuse, something I would see daily in Santa Rosa.  

#Montevideo is fucking awesome.
The freedom here is palpable.

I ran along the bay today, but turned around before entering the heart of city.

I am beyond grateful that I managed to get this far, but the question remains: am I willing to do the work required to finish the job? pic.twitter.com/Yyk82G4BFO

— Aaron Dames (@DividedCore) October 4, 2021

There seems to be a lot of civility here.  People mind their own business, treat each other politely, are dressed well, and everyone from the doorman (yes, we have a doorman, Gervasio) to the carpetbaggers to the barista at McDonalds take their jobs seriously.  I like that.  I kind of feel like I’ve entered a time warp.  I could be wrong, but the way of life and values on display here are what I think many places used to be like.  I think this kind of traditional approach to life and knowledge will be useful going forward.  For those in the West who have lost their way, I think the old way is the new way.  I don’t think the people here will readily embrace the new science of the Great Reset.  Despite the fact that the vaccination rates here are high and half the people wear masks, I get the impression that they know it’s a game that they’re playing along with for now, but won’t continue to cooperate if it threatens to upend their way of life.  

After the baby comes to town, we’ll move out of Montevideo.  One of the places that I’m leaning toward is a smaller town called Colonia del Sacramento, apparently permeated by an even deeper sense of tradition and history.

Hope all is well, 

Aaron 

Comments

[Cole Titus]

Hell yeah, my man! I'm glad you guys are settling in awesomely. I can't wait to visit! The place looks beautiful.