Quote from: JongWKI have a friend who worked in the real estate business. I can check with her next week.

If it helps we won't have the money for a sizable down payment till this fall. We're in no hurry to rush into something, so if she's got the patience for some knuckleheads like us that'd be great!

Monster Manuel, I forgot to tell you in rpg.net this, whatever you do, whether it's Ireland or Uruguay, I wish you the best.

Don't forget to tell us what you did!

Quote from: ClaudiusMonster Manuel, I forgot to tell you in rpg.net this, whatever you do, whether it's Ireland or Uruguay, I wish you the best.

Don't forget to tell us what you did!

Ireland?  $1400 won't go far in Ireland these days.

Balbinus, you know, I was talking in general.

Dear god.  That's almost as good as living in the Czech Republic, which I did for a year.  And I'm think the weather in Uruguay is much nicer than that of Prague.

How well would an English-speaking person fare in Uruguay?  My Spanish is extremely rusty and was never very good (I lived in La Paz, Baja Mexico, for a year when I was 12, but haven't used any Spanish in twenty years), but I never needed to use Czech once (well, except "proseem" which means "please/thank you/you're welcome/excuse me," a very handy word) when living in Prague thanks to the sheer number of English speakers (it helped that I was teaching English as a second language, and most of the people I met were interested in practicing their English at every opportunity).

Are there many English speakers?  Enough that I can find people to talk to?  I mean, all of the Uruguayans here seem to be very fluent in English.

Quote from: JackalopeAre there many English speakers?  Enough that I can find people to talk to?  I mean, all of the Uruguayans here seem to be very fluent in English.

Honestly? There are many, enough that if someone wanted to visit, even for a few months, I would have no qualms about recommending them. On the other hand, if your goal was to live here, I personally don't think I would recommend it if you didn't speak Spanish or weren't willing/able to learn very quickly.

RPGPundit

Thanks everyone, and sorry for taking so long to come back to the thread.

We're still not sure what we're going to do, but we're keeping our options open. My wife really wanted Ireland, but she hasn't heard back from any jobs. Unlike Uruguay, we can't possibly live there on my base income alone. We're concerned about this because the income beyond my base income is intermittent at best. It doesn't help that I've been going through a crisis of faith in my ability for a while, and haven't finished anything.

Just a few things- My wife is fluent in Spanish, and about 12 years ago, I was close enough to act in Spanish language plays using Castillian. Our son doesn't know any Spanish beyond a few phrases, but he's still at the age where kids are supposed to be able to pick up languages quickly.

I didn't want to get into it, but my $1400 isn't all I make- it's what I get even if I don't work. It's basically a trust fund designed not to make things too easy on me.  It's the minimum, and it's economy proof. Eventually, and hopefully not too soon, I'll inherit a few million dollars in property and cash. I'd like to make my own money as a writer before then. We'll see.

I'm still hoping for Uruguay, but I'm not sure what we're going to do. We've even talked about buying some cheap land somewhere in the US and building a simple cabin or earth-sheltered home.

Quote from: Monster ManuelThanks everyone, and sorry for taking so long to come back to the thread.

We're still not sure what we're going to do, but we're keeping our options open. My wife really wanted Ireland, but she hasn't heard back from any jobs. Unlike Uruguay, we can't possibly live there on my base income alone. We're concerned about this because the income beyond my base income is intermittent at best. It doesn't help that I've been going through a crisis of faith in my ability for a while, and haven't finished anything.

Just a few things- My wife is fluent in Spanish, and about 12 years ago, I was close enough to act in Spanish language plays using Castillian. Our son doesn't know any Spanish beyond a few phrases, but he's still at the age where kids are supposed to be able to pick up languages quickly.

I didn't want to get into it, but my $1400 isn't all I make- it's what I get even if I don't work. It's basically a trust fund designed not to make things too easy on me.  It's the minimum, and it's economy proof. Eventually, and hopefully not too soon, I'll inherit a few million dollars in property and cash. I'd like to make my own money as a writer before then. We'll see.

I'm still hoping for Uruguay, but I'm not sure what we're going to do. We've even talked about buying some cheap land somewhere in the US and building a simple cabin or earth-sheltered home.

You sound like you'd be perfect for Uruguay. If your wife speaks spanish (and I presume she speaks english as well?) it would be very easy for her to get work, at the very least working as an english teacher if she wanted, but if not she could end up working in zonamerica or one of those better-paying corporate-enclave jobs where Jong is.

I am essentially a writer for a living here, and I have to say on the personal note, that its awesome. This city is made for writers, for anyone who lives what my old professor used to call "a non-industrial lifestyle" (where one isn't working 9-5 or shiftwork).  The cafe culture is awesome, the little street fairs are awesome, the beach (if you like beaches) is awesome, there's even a fairly awesome park.

I wouldn't worry about the kid picking up spanish, if you and the wife can speak it, you're golden.  

What you should really do is take a short vacation here, and see if you like it. Then you could decide.  I'd recommend you either do that really soon (before the end of april), or wait till october, though, since  the really nice summer season is coming to an end fairly quickly.

Although I guess you could visit in the middle of July, and experience Uruguay at its most cold and most miserable; figuring that if you can like it then, you'd be able to like it all year round.

RPGPundit

Humidity is what can make winters miserable here. I think that 50% of Americans would probably laugh about what we call "cold winter."

Quote from: JongWKHumidity is what can make winters miserable here. I think that 50% of Americans would probably laugh about what we call "cold winter."

Personally, I find its not so much humidity as technology.

In canada, we have indoor heating in every single house, plus massive insulation. So outside it might be -30ºC, but inside the house it can be +30 if you want.

On the other hand, in Uruguay there's no insulation and no indoor heating; so when its 5ºC outside, its also 5ºC inside.
And you can get a space heater or a gas heater or whatever, but because of the poor insulation the heat disperses almost as quickly as its generated; you never really get to the point where you feel totally comfortable, so for two or three months of the year you spend every hour of every day being at least a little chilly.

Of course, this is paid back in a big way the rest of the year, when the country has gorgeous weather.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditOn the other hand, in Uruguay there's no insulation and no indoor heating; so when its 5ºC outside, its also 5ºC inside.
And you can get a space heater or a gas heater or whatever, but because of the poor insulation the heat disperses almost as quickly as its generated; you never really get to the point where you feel totally comfortable, so for two or three months of the year you spend every hour of every day being at least a little chilly.

You might want to look at some of the solutions that the Japanese have come up with -- they don't insulate their homes at all.  They have these tables that have a heater built into the underside of the table, with a connected skirt/blanket, so that you can sit at the table and be very warm despite sitting in a freezing room.

I just wish I could remember the damn name for those tables.

Update: We haven't made a move yet, but my media-fueled hysteria over the economy has died down.

We're once again looking for a change, and I brought up the possibility of Uruguay again. We're going to discuss it.

Hello Manuel! If you any questions, feel free to ask.

Quote from: Monster Manuel;237848Update: We haven't made a move yet, but my media-fueled hysteria over the economy has died down.

You must be reading different media than I am.

Would you consider Asia?? If you're really interested in working, saving money & living comfortably you might want to consider it. When my wife and I came to VN, neither of us spoke any VNamese. 8 years later...we've saved around 50% of our combined salary EVERY YEAR, built a new house, invested in the stock market, and had 2 children. I'm a teacher, and my wife is working in management for a large sporting goods manufacturer. At least in business, it is truly an employee's market here, since there are so few qualified VNamese for the higher-paying jobs. My wife pays around $250 in taxes a month, I pay $0 because of my employer's tax-exempt status. My daughter is attending an international school which is comparable in price to an American private school, with the added bonus of a genuine tri-lingual education.  We don't have a car - we get by fine with taxis and my motorcycle - around $50 in gas/fares a week. Emergency medical care at foreign-run private hospitals can be a little expensive, but in general things like dentistry or pediatrics are around 1/4 of the price in the US. Broadband cable TV/internet is around $28/month. When we were renting, our 4-story 3-bedroom FURNISHED house cost $500/month.
      The best thing...both of us receive our salary in cash US$. Last month, the Vietnamese dong did a daily dance which sent the locals into a panic. It sent us to the jewelry shop to change more dollars.