Voting, Sweating, and Moving

One Presidential election, one extreme heat wave, three days straight of rain, one new apartment in the city and two new roommates. The latest from Uruguay and the hottest topics, politics and the weather!

First the election. I can't help but have an immense admiration for the political participation and energy I've witnessed, not only since I arrived, but especially during the two weeks leading up to the elections. From parades, to volunteers, to decorated front lawns and cars, to political acts filling the streets. This country's heart beats to a loud political drum, no matter what your rhythm!

With obligatory voting, more than 95% of the population visited the polls on Sunday, October 26th, a record setting number! The energy on the streets that Sunday was incredible. People were busing and driving to their allotted polling stations, the streets were packed, and you could feel the excitement! The night before the elections and the day of many people gathered in their homes with family and friends. Being a Sunday, people would go to vote early for example and then cook an asado (BBQ) and gather around the TV for the earliest results. Alcohol stopped being sold at 7:00 pm the night before, so people had already stocked up on the Friday.

I can only describe the elections as ceremonial. People take pride in the privilege of voting and their enthusiasm and passion for the future of their country is admirable to say the least. I would like to think that it doesn't take a dictatorship in your countries history or an obligatory vote to render this kind of political engagement, but maybe it does. I was sad I didn't get to participate, I missed the registration deadline by only weeks. Hopefully for the next election, five years from now, they have the expat vote in place and I can cast my ballot from anywhere in the world. The end result was a nearly majority government for the Frente Amplio, with 47.8% of the vote. This is the same political party that has led the country for the last 10 years and has brought Uruguay international recognition most recently for being progressive and liberal. In short, they vote with pride. It is not just a duty, it's a privilege, and I felt lucky to witness this event.

Political acts leading up to the elections. I love all the bikers!

Along with voting, we transitioned from October to November with a massive heat wave, which I'm told is not typical for this time of year. We reached temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit) on a few afternoons. It was a hot humid heat and the sun is very strong here (we live below an ozone layer hole). Your eyes burn if you don't wear sun-glasses and the shade is the only place to be. I've been to Cuba in September and Las Vegas in August, and this was just as hot. The heat makes you a little crazy. You don't want to touch anyone's skin, god forbid your arm touches someone else’s on the bus. You want to take naps, it takes you 15-30 minutes to recuperate after coming in from outside, you may need to take multiple showers a day and you have a layer of sweat and dirt stamped on your face by the time you get home. It is gross, and I am told that it only gets hotter in the summer. If this is the case, I will be on the beach January and February, but from noon until 3:00 pm daily I will be eating lunch and napping. Just an FYI.

As if the heat wasn't extreme enough, it was followed by three very long days of consistent rain and wind. Blow you away winds that make it hard to walk straight! Not to exaggerate, but I would say that we have nearly one thunderstorm per week, so when you start to get jealous of all my heat talk, remember the rain that comes with it! 

As for housing, I moved this past Sunday to a three bedroom apartment in Buceo, a neighbourhood in the downtown core of Montevideo. The apartment is totally furnished and has everything you could need when you move to a new country with only clothes! I am living with two other foreigners who arrived in August of this year. A French-Canadian guy named Keno, who I met through salsa classes, he is studying international commerce here. My second roommate is a Turkish guy named Cihat that was living in Switzerland before moving here. He works in finance in one of the free trade zones here and so far he doesn't like Uruguay. I've decided it's my personal mission to show him the beauty in the disorder of a Latin country. It has been less than a week, but we are settled in and slowly discovering our new hood! We have a big shopping mall and the waterfront all in walking distance, plus restaurants and bars. I've already discovered a cheap nail salon nearby for my weekly addiction and a little shop with yummy ready to go homemade food.

The view from our living room window. Fourth floor.

All in all, it's been an eventful few weeks, filled with political passion and extreme weather conditions, plus my big move to the city! Politics and the weather are go-to topics of conversation here, so feel free to sip some mate and have a second read through this, it would practically be like you're right here with me! I'll leave you with a photo of my mate just below!