Plastic doesn’t fare well in Uruguay

Both this table and the watering can are now several years old, but I was reminded yesterday when I went outside and the sun felt strong. I’ve experienced hot before, but this strong is new to me in Uruguay; it must be the ultraviolet. It eats plastic.

The sun in Uruguay eats plastic

I showed last winter how spray-painted graffiti had actually protected the color in a trash container. I lived in Germany, where the containers are made, so I know they have nothing like the sun here to think about.

The sun in Uruguay eats plastic. Trash container, Atlántida, Uruguay.

I expect this damage is solely from the plastic becoming brittle, exposed to strong sunlight all day long.

 

 

Spanglish, Uruguay style

The POP stand from yesterday reminds me of substitutions people make here, generally to shorten words (one of the trickier words we tried when we first arrived in Buenos Aires long ago was estacionamiento, which i eight syllables to say “parking.” And indeed, you can see signs that say “parking” here.

So “off” in place of descuento, but why “on line” when the Spanish is en linea?

Mix-and-match languages

And what’s with the possessive apostrophe? Guys, in your language there is no possessive apostrophe. (No matter how many years you’ve been dreaming.)