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FAQ

Why did you create Uruguay Dreaming?
This site is the work of a bored man. About six months ago, out of the blue, I discovered I had Menière’s disease. In case you’ve never heard of it, Menière is an inner ear disorder that is accompanied by unpredictable (in my case almost daily) bouts of severe vertigo, dizziness, loss of balance, hearing loss, ringing in the ears and a few other unpleasant things. Since there is no effective treatment and it sometimes burns itself out after a few years, I am patiently waiting for it to be done with me. Since at the moment, it prevents me from driving and working, this means I have a lot of time on my hands until we can move back to South America (in about 2.5 years).

What do you do for a living?
Presently nothing. In my previous lives I was a Mechanical Engineer, a University Professor, University Bureaucrat, Fluid Mechanics Researcher, Software Programmer/Designer, Software Pre-sales Consultant, Software Entrepreneur, more or less in that order.

How old are you?
I am fifty, although I’ve been told I don’t look a day over 49.

Why write about Uruguay?
Because it is something I know and like. Besides, it also gives me an opportunity to conduct more in-depth research on the different aspects of daily life in Uruguay.

How long do you think your site will last?
Sooner or later every blogger gets tired and finds a new toy to play with. Most blogs jump the shark after a few months. My days are numbered, no doubt. Is that a fin I see?

How many people read your blog?
According to Google Analytics on an average day, a total of 600 pages are read by 110 unique visitors (multiple visits from the same computer count as one). Of those, about 55% are new visitors. The pool of regular visitors (i.e. visit the site at least once every two weeks) is probably around 200. There are about 50-75 search engine hits per day. The Google page rank is 4. To date, 50% of all readers are located in the US (all 50 states, plus DC, US Virgin Islands, Guam), 12% in Uruguay, the remainder distributed among 110 countries.

Why don’t you write a book?
It is not a bad idea, but I get tired just thinking about the amount of work required. Besides the market for such thing would be very small.

Are you trying to convince people to move to Uruguay?
No. I really don’t care one way or the other.

Are you trying to convince people NOT to go to Uruguay?
No. I’m basically a risk averse person and like to investigate all the potential issues before getting into anything. I like to be prepared for the good, the bad and the ugly; And this is reflected in my articles.

Why don’t you list more blogs in the UY Blogs tab?
The criteria I use for listing blogs are: must have a Uruguay focus, must be not-for-profit and must be something I would be interested in reading.

How do you choose what gets linked in the UY Resources tab?
There is no real criteria other than they appear useful. I add new links as I come across them.

Why are the comments tuned off?
I turned off the comments because I am taking a sabbatical from this blog and I don’t always have the time to read and answer them.

Your blog seems to focus on the simple stuff, why?
I sympathize with the Voluntary Simplicity or Simple Living movement, even though I am not an activist or spiritual in any way. I grew up in a wealthy family in Brazil and led a pampered, sheltered life for a long time. Since then, I’ve lived a very unsheltered life in France and the US and spent long periods in the UK, Canada and Germany as part of my professional career. I think I’ve always led an uncomplicated life compared to most people, but as I got older, I discovered more pleasure in simplicity. My tolerance for consumerism and over-development also decreased with age. That’s why Uruguay appeals to me and that’s why I get alarmed when I hear about people wanting to change Uruguay “for the better”.

Why Brazzie? Why not use your real name?
It is more practical using a persona when blogging. This way, it can be discarded when the blog topic gets tiresome and you want to move on with your life.

Will I be able to meet you in Uruguay?
The Brazzie persona will likely die much before I ever get to Uruguay. The writer of this blog intends to avoid using the English language after leaving the US and plans to enjoy anonymity in all its glory.

How can I write to you?
You can’t. I removed my email from the site until my sabbatical is over.

You now have Google Ads. Have you gone commercial?
I added Google Ads after I stopped blogging and I never intended to use Uruguay Dreaming blog to make money. However I wanted to make sure the site could stay up indefinitely with the income from the ads funding the hosting costs.

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5/29/2008
Are you going to resume writing articles eventually?
No. Since my last blog entry, my wife and I have decided to move to Brazil instead of Uruguay. A few Uruguayan readers of this blog were very influential in this process. They wrote to me suggesting that I might be happier retiring in the NE of Brazil, where the cost of living is cheaper and the weather is nice year round. Intrigued, I decided to check it out and went on a month long fact-finding excursion to that region of Brazil. I was surprised to discover that in many smaller towns crime was significantly lower that in MVD. And the weather was indeed nice. I also discovered a few cities with qualities similar to the things I like about MVD. The cost of living is equivalent but housing of similar quality is cheaper in Brazil.

Are you going to write about retiring in Brazil?
No. All the research I did indicates that, unlike Uruguay, Brazil presents great obstacles from an immigration point of view. While it may be a good destination for people seeking a second home to escape winter in the northern hemisphere, it is difficult to obtain legal permission for long stays. Ninety days visas can be renewed once but cannot be renewed again in a 365 period even if you leave the country. This means that in order to spend more than 6 months per year in Brazil you need a permanent visa. And they are difficult to get. And after you get one, you may be subject to double taxation (Brazil and US, for example).

I will write one last article at the beginning of 2009 after I move to Brazil.