Category: Culture

A dwelling in winter

Almost sunset. Temperature has dropped from 12°C to 8°C (54-46°F) as night approaches. No visible source of heat, unlike the neighbors’ smoky chimneys. Masonry construction; insulation unlikely. No sign this evening of young kids I often see playing.

The lighting is nice, but any suggestion of warmth is purely illusionary.

You decide:

In the winter, their surroundings are equally pretentious, but very uncomfortable, for the houses of Montevideo are as frigid as the white marble in which they are finished. The people believe artificial heat unhealthy, and in this city, which is as large as Washington, and quite as cold, there is not a furnace or a steam-heating plant. During cold snaps, a hostess often receives dressed in furs, with her hands in a muff and her feet on a hot-water bottle, and gentlemen and ladies come to state dinners in over-coats and fur capes.

~The President of Uruguay (author unknown, 1897)

We’ve won again!

In the voting for municipal funds for special projects, our neighbor Álvero’s latest initiative has prevailed. Our local park/playground (which he spearheaded) will now include a bocce court. This should be interesting.

Who even knew there were bocce courts in Uruguay?

Sunday morning, 0730

Crashing, whirring noises outside, nearby. Bang! Bang! Bang!

I can’t help but be grateful for relatively consistent trash pickup here, and I have great respect for the collectors—male and female—who ride on the back of the trucks as they speed from stop to stop. (And I try to avoid walking dogs off-leash if they’re within a half mile.)

Still, I wonder if the designers, engineers, and manufacturers in Europe took into account the enthusiasm of Latin American operators, who seem to think they’re the wrecking crew from Consumer Reports.

It’s back to school time!

And once again, time for Uruguayan pre-schoolers to dress up as 19th century Chinese peasants (sans chapeaux), while elementary dress up as…as…as something somebody 100 years ago decided would serve social equity by making all students look equally ridiculous?

Dunno. I’m open to suggestions.

And, oh yeah—there, I fixed it.

Gang’s all here!

Morning, New Year’s Day. The weekend neighbors have crammed five cars inside their fence.

The brown rectangle to the right perhaps indicates the pozo negro, or septic tank, so it’s understandable one might not choose to park on top of it. But why not park on the lawn outside the fence?

Worried about New Year’s Eve fireworks? Well, there are some, but they’ve diminished significantly in recent years.

No, I think the real reason is simple: they’re city people.

Nowhere near as noisy as in years past, so no complaints. Just curious.

Proper disposal of biodegradables

So, a small bundle of trimmings to add to the waste pile collected a few times per year. Fina a handy reusable plastic something (hamper) to carry them in. And of course, just leave the plastic as well.

I don’t know if it’s just certain people in certain areas, but it’s certainly the case in the no-man’s-land where we walk dogs. Oh, people.

New trash in the middle of nowhere

So, a new, bright pink dog food bag full of garbage appears in the middle of nowhere.

Even if brought from the closest house, someone would have walked half a kilometer to litter. All the houses to the southeast have regular trash pickup, and it would surprise me if that house didn’t have the same.

So what’s the “thinking” here?