"To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth"
Thomas Wolfe

Monday, March 17, 2008

Our trip to the States

Grant at 12th St. Bar








Blockquote








Jani, Dom and Julie in Prospect Park
check the video of this encounter at the page bottom.







Luca, Aidan and Vincent












Sam at Blue Ribbon



















Luca



Inge and Janine

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Christmas 2007 in Florida



We headed back to the states for the first time since arriving last February. Taking advantage of the availability and lower cost we flew on Christmas day.
Direct to Miami it was a nice flight. That was our last easy day for nearly a month.
We spent around 10 days in the busom of my family around Boca Raton. It was great to see everyone, but difficult to witness the dysfunction. I felt a little helpless, but tried to intervene none the less. One nice result is that my older sister decided to come with us to NY for a few days visit. I was happy to reconnect with her. She's supportive of our move and we had a nice time.
The time in New York was hectic. Costing more than I had expected and being strangely unsatisfying. We never seemed to be able to see enough of anyone and we were always heading to or back from somewhere, staying in Manhattan and our friends being mostly in Brooklyn.
In the end I was glad to return to easy going Uruguay. I hope it was worth the trouble.
Pictures to follow.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Montevideo Real Estate Follies

It's a new and exciting experience, shopping for a house here. That is if it's not raining. No one shows their house when it rains. And last week that was 10 days straight. I'm talking about the owners, the realtors are largely ornamental when the house is being shown. They almost never have keys so an appointment has to be coordinated to fit the owners whim, er I mean schedule.
This is a bit dopey, but 'es lo que hay'. Much more disturbing is the loose relationship realtors have with the owners. I guess since they get only half the commission from the owner, the other half from the buyer-ouch, they are ok with so little control. They could all use a little spit and polish.
Some of the homes here are just incredible. Beautiful and old. What to do with them and what are they worth. This is the job, for now.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Let's get started


We are a family of four living in Montevideo, Uruguay. It's a big change from the US and for the better most of the time. There's a lot to get used to. I'll do my best to convey what it's like living here and why we came.
Sometimes it's like going back in time. Sure most modern conveniences are here, but there are ways of living and advances we've taken for granted that bring you back. Well, more like force you back, but sometimes it's a welcome retreat.
Last February we made the move and we've made some progress since. My wife is from here and grew up just a few blocks from the neighborhood we live in. My children are fluent in Spanish as they've heard it since birth. Me, well this is gonna be some challenge.