Odeliza Life of a US Expat in South America

Bom Dia,

I just started some other sites to share with my Internet friends. If you want to read my poetries come take a look at http://odelizajacoba.wordpress.com/2009/05/06/how-to-deal-with-haters-lesson-1/ .

Here is my travel blog, it shares photos and journals from places I’ve traveled to http://odelizajacobatravel.wordpress.com/ . And you can’t stop by those two sites with out visiting my Expat Blog, its more of a daily journal. http://odeliza-jacoba.blogspot.com/ .

Lastly I’m holding an MC Hammer Pants contest on my blogger at http://odelizajacoba.blogspot.com/ . Come take a look and see if you can join the MC Hammer Pants Contest.

Ate Logo,

Odeliza

Get your daily dose of Odeliza Jacoba

Check out my other sites!

www.odeliza.com   “My life in South America”

www.odelizajacoba.com “My official Model Site”

www.odefusion.com “Recipes I’ve created”

http://odelizajacoba.blogspot.com “My personal blog”

http://odeliza-jacoba.blogspot.com “My Expat blog”

http://odelizajacoba.wordpress.com “My Poetries”

http://odelizajacobatravel.wordpress.com “Just All about My Travels around the World”

Mahalo Chico,

I’m at Buenas Aires, Argentina this week and I am totally loving this place. We are staying at a barrio called Soho Palermo. Its chic, hip, and so cool. A place that is mostly walking culture is my type of city.

Anyways, while on my off time, I started reading one of the books provided in the temporary apartment.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho -website here- its a short novel but it had a profound meaning for me. I recommend it, its a book I’d very much read to my future -far in the future- children.

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Mahalo Chico,

I’m in Buenas Aires Argentina this week and I love it here. The barrio I’m staying at is called Soho Palermo. Its upbeat and very cosmopolitan.

I’ll take some photos and post soon…

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Mahalo Chico,

April 9th thru 12th almost all of Uruguay goes on a short holiday. Its Easter weekend or rather dia de Santa - Saint’s Day.

We wanted to take a trip closer to the ocean water but, there are no cars for rent and my other half is not much of an organized person.

He’d rather wait till the very last minute, which is annoying. So we’re stuck here at home. Fortunately, we live right across the street from a beach, so we might just hang out there with Midori -our golden labrador-. At least we save money-.

Happy Easter!

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Mahalo,

Mosquito attack! Yesterday my other half and a buddy went to Cerrio (neighborhood in Montevideo, Uruguay) for some golf. There are two golf courses in Uruguay Cerrio and Punta Caretas.

He told me that they were swarmed with mosquitoes. He came home with mosquito bites on his limbs. At least one limb had over twenty bites, he stopped counting the others. It seemed that bug repellent did not work, the pest did not go away.

I took Midori (our Labrador) for a walk in the beach. It was the first time I ever ran away from any bug. I was swarmed like no tomorrow from these mosquitoes! Everywhere! They even penetrated through my clothes. Unfortunately for me, I have severe allergic reaction to bug bites of any kind.

The area bitten swells up to the size of a hockey puck and turns red to brown and itches and stings badly.

These mosquitoes are so big that they don’t appear to be mosquitoes. I was told that they are named ‘Argentina mosquitoes’. And they come out during the fall, which would be right about now.

We have all our windows in our home closed and refuse to go outside.

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Mahalo,

Normally it takes a few easy steps to cancel a cell phone contract.

1. Go to the business and tell them you want to cancel your contract.

2. Pay a cancellation fee if it’s necessary.

Simple right? Well, almost everything in Uruguay requires lots of paper work and procedure even for the simplest things. Like canceling a contract.

My back story, I signed a contract with Claro a year and a half ago. Recently I decided that I wanted to cancel my contract.

Well, I went to the same place I opened my contract and the rep. told me this;

1.I must write a letter stating why I want to cancel my contract

2. Then fill out one of their forms and then send it out to a completely different address than the place I opened the contract.

3. Finally, I have to wait up to 4 weeks or more in order for my request to be ‘approved’

Well, I was floored.

Tired.

Not surprised.

*For the readers that are die hard fans of Uruguay, I am not trying say anything negative about the country its self. I am merely stating my honest to goodness truth about my experiences with the way things are here. So there.

It’s really tough living in a nice country that have people that make really stupid rules.

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Mahalo Chico,

I’ve been on a search for free weights, olympic bars, benches, and more in and around Montevideo, Uruguay. I’d ask locals where I could possibly buy said things and get nothing but “No Se” -I don’t know-. Its frustrating!

In my search I have found no sporting good stores, used sporting good stores, and no classified ads in-regards to fitness equipment. I mean, its just so depressing. 

Finally I scanned the local yellow pages and found 4 companies in the whole of Uruguay that sells home and gym equipment. I picked the one and four just to gage what type of equipment they sell.

The number four sent over prices and pictures of gym equipment. There were two qualities to choose from. ”Home” and “professional”. He was asking for  USD65.00 for one free weight bar without the weights and USD2.50 per kilo. His benches were USD100 and up for ‘home” and USD385 and up for “professional”. His “universal gym” home goes for USD700 and I did not even want to ask what the “professional” priced at. 

I had him send some pictures to me and to tell the truth I was not shocked by the poor quality and over price of both types of equipment. I am very familiar with the overpriced items in Uruguay from food to bad quality clothes to 82% tax on-top of cars.

If you or anyone you know thinks that Uruguay is an inexpensive place to live, I must tell you from almost three years of living here straight through all seasons, it is not. I feel like I am always paying high prices for everything. You can compare how much you pay in your country to the worth and quality of what you get to how much one would pay to the worth and quality of what can be purchased here.

Its a big difference. 

Its really upsetting.

You know even things that are marked as “good quality” end up breaking or falling apart quickly.

This is not an exaggeration. This is the truth.

Why do I live here?

There is the good and bad in any country, this post just happens to by one of the bads.

Ciao,

Odeliza 

Mahalo Chico,

Most recently I planned a menu for the remaining three weeks of February to help keep spending low.

Here was the idea:

Monday:

Lunch; mushroom burgers and fries

Dinner: adult style mac and cheese

Tuesday:

Lunch: quesediallas with pinto beans and rice

Dinner: chef salad with grilled ciabatta bread with olive tapenade, ricotta, and gruyere cheese

Wednesday:

Lunch: spinach gratin with house salad

Dinner: vegetarian lasagna with house salad

Thursday:

Lunch: ciabatta bread with house salad

Dinner: mash potatoes, fresh baked bread, and vegetarian loaf

Friday:

Lunch: asparagus and spinach quiche with house salad

Dinner: vegetarian enchilada with rice and beans

Saturday:

Lunch: adult mac and cheese with house salad

Dinner: spinach gratin

Sunday:

Brunch: French toast

Dinner: asparagus quiche with house salad

The results:

The spinach gratin and vegetarian loaf was not a favorite, so that is out of the question for the next month. I did not make the adult mac and cheese because I was expecting a package of real cheddar from the states and that did not pan out. The ciabatta bread sandwich was good but not sufficient enough for a stand alone meal. I did not make the vegetarian enchilada either. The goal was not to order or eat out, but company came over and we ate out. One of the days, I had my other half order pizza.

Plus, I ran out of eggs, bread, and cereal, so I had to order food from the auto service (mini mart) which I did not account for in my budget.

I am going to create another menu and grocery list for the end of February up to the third week of March. We’ll see how that works.

Ciao,

Odeliza

Mahalo Chico,

Our golden Labrador, Midori, is such a handful, but she adds that splash of bright color to our lives. Corny, I know, but what can i say, I am a corny person. Sometimes.

Now we are in the process of teaching her how to perform other tricks. So far she can, sit, stay, and lay-down on command. Most of the time. Now she is learning how to shake. I wish there was a dog school she could go to in Montevideo, Uruguay, but just can’t seem to find one.

Here is video clip of Midori and my other half at Uruguayguy.

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Mahalo Chico,

I just recieved word that ,BookShop located in Ellauri, Montevideo, Uruguay, just got in the New Moon book from the Twilight series. How exciting! The folks there reserved my copy and I just picked it up.

Yeah, its tailored for teens, so is Harry Potter, but I love it! So, if anyone that is in Montevideo, Uruguay is looking for the Twilight series in English, just stop on by at BookShop and ask for your copy.

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba